Vareniki – Ukrainian Dumplings with Potato or Sour Cherry Filling

👉 Vareniki (varenyky in Ukrainian) are the beloved boiled dumplings of Ukraine: soft, thin dough folded into half-moons around a savoury or sweet filling. The classic savoury version is filled with creamy mashed potato and fried onion, often with a little farmer’s cheese, while in summer families make them with juicy sour cherries. Vareniki are one of the twelve meatless dishes of the Ukrainian Christmas Eve supper, but they are eaten all year round – topped with butter, crispy onions and plenty of sour cream.

How to Make Vareniki

1. Make the dough. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk the egg with the warm water and oil, pour into the flour and knead for 7–8 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the potatoes. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash until smooth.
3. Fry the onions. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the onions over medium heat for 10–12 minutes until golden. Stir half of them into the mashed potato with the farmer’s cheese, salt and pepper. Keep the rest for serving.
4. Prepare the cherries (optional). For sweet vareniki, toss the pitted cherries with the sugar and leave for 15 minutes, then drain off the juice and keep it for serving.
5. Roll and cut. Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 2 mm thick and cut out circles with a 7–8 cm glass or cutter. Re-roll the scraps once.
6. Fill and seal. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle (or 3–4 cherries), fold into a half-moon and pinch the edges firmly together so no air or filling escapes.
7. Boil. Cook the vareniki in batches in a large pot of gently boiling salted water. When they float, cook for 2–3 minutes more, then lift out with a slotted spoon.
8. Serve. Toss the potato vareniki with a little butter and the remaining fried onions and serve with sour cream and dill. Serve cherry vareniki with sour cream and the cherry juice.

Tips for the Best Vareniki

• Keep the dough covered while you work so it doesn’t dry out and the edges seal well.
• Don’t overfill – a small amount of filling makes vareniki that won’t burst while cooking.
• Cook in small batches and stir gently once at the start so they don’t stick to the bottom.

FAQ

What is the difference between vareniki and pierogi?
They are very similar dumplings. Vareniki (varenyky) is the Ukrainian name and pierogi the Polish one. Ukrainian vareniki are usually boiled and served with butter and sour cream, while Polish pierogi are often pan-fried after boiling.

Can I make vareniki ahead?
Yes. Freeze them uncooked on a floured tray and cook from frozen, or keep cooked vareniki in the fridge for up to 2 days and pan-fry them in butter.

Are vareniki vegetarian?
Potato and cherry vareniki are vegetarian. For the Christmas Eve supper the dough is made without egg, the filling without cheese, and they are served with onions fried in oil, so they are fully vegan.

👉 More Ukrainian classics: red borscht, syrniki and kutia. Compare them with Polish pierogi ruskie.