Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Varenyky (Potato Dumplings)
Half-moon dumplings of tender dough filled with mashed potato and fried onion, boiled and tossed in butter, served with fried onions and sour cream.
Ukrainian · medium · serves 4
prep 60 min · cook 30 min
~750 cal · 16g protein · 112g carbs · 25g fat · 7g fiber · 5g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Varenyky are Ukraine's beloved filled dumplings and one of its national dishes, boiled parcels of unleavened dough whose name comes from varyty, "to boil". They are internationally better known by the Polish name pierogi, but in Ukraine they are an old and central part of the table, from everyday meals to ritual feasts.
The dough is simple, usually flour, water and salt, often enriched with an egg or a little fat for a tender, elastic result. The fillings are where the variety lies: savoury potato, farmer's cheese (syr), sauerkraut and mushroom, cabbage or meat, and sweet ones such as sour cherries or blueberries. Potato with fried onion is the most widely made savoury version.
Rolled thin, cut into rounds, filled and sealed into half-moons, the dumplings are boiled until they float, then lifted out and tossed with butter. They are served hot, crowned with deep-golden fried onions and a generous dollop of sour cream.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
3.5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup warm water
1 egg
1 tbsp
1 tsp salt
1 lb starchy potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 onions (1 for the filling, 1 for serving)
3 tbsp butter, for the filling and tossing
to taste black or white pepper
1/2 cup sour cream, to serve
Instructions
1
Whisk the warm water, egg, oil and salt, then work in the flour and knead 5-7 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest 20-30 minutes.
2
Boil the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes, and drain. Fry one finely diced onion in some of the butter until soft and golden.
3
Mash the potatoes with the fried onion, salt and pepper into a smooth filling and let it cool.
4
Roll the dough thin, cut into rounds with a glass or cutter, place a little filling on each, fold into half-moons and pinch the edges firmly to seal.
✎ Chef’s note
Press out any air and seal well, or the dumplings can open in the water.
5
Boil in batches in well-salted water; once they float, cook 3-4 minutes more, then lift out with a slotted spoon and toss with butter.
6
Fry the second onion until deep golden and serve the varenyky topped with the fried onion and sour cream.
Ukrainian home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Poltava. Halushky are simply cut: soft dough dropped or torn into boiling water, then served under soured cream with cracklings, or dropped into the region's own version of borscht. Poltava treats them as an emblem to a degree that is unusual anywhere: there is a monument to the dumpling in the city and a festival built around it.
🗺️
Ukraine. The culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking was inscribed on UNESCO's list of heritage in need of urgent safeguarding on 1 July 2022, a listing made under wartime conditions. UNESCO's own note is that inscription does not make a tradition exclusive, so the honest framing is a recognised Ukrainian practice rather than sole ownership of the soup.
🌍
Europe. European cooking is built on the land and the seasons, wheat, butter, and cured pork in the north; olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood around the Mediterranean; preserved vegetables and hearty stews through long winters. Centuries of peasant tradition, guild craft, and royal courts refined techniques from French mother sauces to Italian fresh pasta and Central European baking. Regional identity runs remarkably deep, with a single dish often changing from one valley to the next.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Ukraine
BorschtThe famous beet soup, sweet-sour and garnet-red, ladled over beans and finished with dill and sour cream.
Chicken KyivA breaded chicken cutlet rolled around herb-garlic butter that bursts out golden when you cut in.
SyrnikiLittle pan-fried cottage-cheese pancakes, golden outside and tender within, served with sour cream and jam.
Browse all Ukraine recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Whisk.
Storing it: Uncooked parcels freeze well and cook from frozen. Cooked ones keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and steam or pan-warm to serve.
Make it a Ukraine meal
Kyiv CakeDessert
BorschtDinner
Similar dishes from around the world
Dan WakeNiger
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KäsknöpfleLiechtenstein
Faikakai TopaiTonga
Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Varenyky (Potato Dumplings)?
Half-moon dumplings of tender dough filled with mashed potato and fried onion, boiled and tossed in butter, served with fried onions and sour cream.
Where does Varenyky (Potato Dumplings) come from?
Varenyky (Potato Dumplings) is a Ukrainian dish from Poltava, Ukraine.
Can Varenyky (Potato Dumplings) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Varenyky (Potato Dumplings) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Varenyky (Potato Dumplings) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Varenyky (Potato Dumplings) take to make?
About 90 minutes total (60 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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