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These homemade Cheddar Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Bacon are the perfect meal to make with family and friends. Simple potato-filled Pierogi dumplings tossed in a nutty, buttery pan sauce and topped with crispy caramelized onions, sharp cheddar cheese, and bacon. Every bite is a little cheesy, a touch buttery, and full of creamy potatoes layered with delicious caramelized onions and salty bacon. Nothing is better…or cozier…on a cold winter night.
I could not be more excited about this recipe. Pierogies are one of those foods that bring back all the best memories. Tell me you all grew up eating Mrs. T’s cheddar Pierogies too? The frozen bags of Mrs. T’s were always stocked in our freezer. My mom would make them for the two of us on cold winter days. Yes, way back when my family still lived in Cleveland. Of course, back then, my mom would simply boil up the frozen pierogies, top each with a handful of cheddar cheese, and then melt the cheese in the microwave. And then?
We’d proceed to eat them by the fire…
We also did this with top Ramen (another tried and true favorite). Mom and I really knew how to live it up on bitter cold Cleveland days. It was literally a three-step, two-ingredient meal, but I loved it. So much so that when I got a little older, my best friend and I would come home from school and do the very same thing. And yes, I got her hooked on pierogies as well.
When I first started cooking for the family, I remember one long summer spent up at Mt. Hood. It was the first summer (of many) that we spent there, and I recall it doing nothing but rain. It was cold and I was bored. So bored. So what did I do? I taught myself how to make homemade pierogies. From that day on I knew I could never go back to Mrs. T’s…nothing beats a homemade pierogi.
SO GOOD.
Once I discovered how to make homemade pierogies, I’d make a HUGE batch and freeze them. My younger brother Kai says that to this day, pierogies are still one of his favorite meals I’ve made him.
It’s been ages since I last made pierogies (over two years…see my first pierogi recipe here). A couple weeks ago I found myself really wanting to make a more classic pierogi. One topped with onions and cream…and bacon too.
Enter today’s recipe…and it’s probably my favorite recipe of the week.
Here is how you make homemade pierogies.
Start with the dough. It’s your basic, flour, egg, salt, combo, but what’s unique about most pierogi recipes is the use of sour cream in the dough. The sour cream keeps the dough moist and adds the slightest tang. Since I don’t cook with sour cream, I always use plain greek yogurt instead, which works perfectly. However, you can certainly use an equal amount of sour cream if you prefer.
Next, the filling…cheesy, creamy, buttery potatoes, simple as that. Don’t mess with it, so good.
You can make the potatoes the traditional way on the stove-top, or you can use the instant pot. I prefer to use the instant pot. It’s the easiest, quickest way to make potatoes.
Let me tell you about the toppings.
I’ve had a lot of people message me in the past to tell me about all the different ways they top their pierogies. But what I believe to be most classic are onions with a dollop of sour cream. Or even just butter and a dollop of sour cream. I’m not 100% sure (because I googled this and multiple answers came up), BUT I do think these are semi-classic toppings. Either way, they’re DELICIOUS.
Next up, crisp up some bacon. You can use the same skillet used to caramelize the onions with a touch of apple cider vinegar for a bit of tang. Finish with some fresh thyme. Now, toss in the pierogies and serve each serving with addition cheddar and a dollop of cream. I like to use more yogurt, but use what you love most. These cheddar pierogies with caramelized onions and bacon are going to be good no matter what.
Freeze for later.
Here’s the thing about pierogi making. Just like ravioli, these take time. Please do not let this scare you away. Making pierogies is very simple. The dough is incredibly easy to work with. If you can roll out a basic bread dough, you can certainly make pierogies. You don’t need any special equipment, just a bowl, a spoon, and a rolling pin. And if you don’t have a rolling pin – use a wine bottle.
So, while making pierogies does take a little effort, you can make them in bulk over the weekend…or whenever you have time. Then just freeze what’s left over for the quickest, easiest lunch or dinner…any day of the week. Once the pierogies are frozen, simply boil them up from frozen, they take just minutes to cook.
And yes, these are far better than Mrs. T’s.
My suggestion?
Find some time this week, over the weekend, or maybe even over Christmas break. You can even gather up some friends and make it a holiday Pierogi Night. Everyone can help in making the pierogies. Enjoy some fun drinks, maybe a cheese board too, and of course…Christmas music!
Sounds to me like the perfect way to spend a cold December night!
If you make these Cheddar Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Bacon, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Cheddar Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
Servings: 8 (about 40 pierogies total)
Calories Per Serving: 604 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 cup plain full fat greek yogurt, plus more for serving
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 4 Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 3 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese. plus more for topping
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
Onion Butter Sauce
- 4 thick cut slices bacon, chopped
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, butter, yogurt, and egg, and mix until combined. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let sit 30 minutes.2. To make the filling. Bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot of cold water. Salt the water and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.3. Drain the potatoes, return the potatoes to the pot and mash over low heat, adding the butter, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 4. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out 3-inch circles. Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each round. Brush the edges with water and fold half of the dough over the filling to enclose it. Press down the edges to seal, pressing out all the air. Be sure to keep the dough covered as you work to prevent from drying out. At this point, the pierogi can be flash-frozen on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transferred to a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months. 5. When ready to cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pierogies in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until they float. Drain.6. To make the butter sauce, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain onto a paper towel. Wipe the skillet clean, then set back over medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add the apple cider, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the cider has evaporated and the onions are golden and caramelized. Add the remaining butter and thyme and cook 2-3 minutes, until the butter is browned. Remove from the heat.7. Drop the pierogies into the sauce, gently tossing to combine. Spoon the pierogies and onions onto plates. Top with cheddar and bacon. EAT!
Instant Pot
- 1. Combine the potatoes and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 12 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function and release the steam. Drain the potatoes well.2. Finish as directed above from step 3 on.
Made these yesterday. They were amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Susan! xTieghan
Made these last nite and so so tasty and easy. Almost tasted like a loaded baked potato with the bacon. I can’t wait for leftovers with eggs this morning!
Thank you Kim! xTieghan
Does the dough need to be flash frozen before cooking or is that only if you plan on freezing them in batches? Thanks!
Hey Stacey,
That is only if you plan to freeze them in batches:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This was a very fun recipe to make with food loving friends for a Christmas-tree decorating dinner. With good wine, music, and company it took 3.5 hours to have dinner on the table. 🙂 We made 1,5 batches of pergogi, carmelized a crazy amount of onions, roasted broccoli and carrots on the side, and opted to boil and then pan sear the perogi’s before serving. Thank you for the inspiration!
Thank you Tessa! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
About to make these this weekend. Very excited! I grew up eating homemade pierogies that my Ukrainian grandma would whip out with her ladies friends after church on Sundays. Reading over the directions, the butter sauce calls for apple cider vinegar and in step 6, it references apple cider a couple times. Just want to make sure I’m using ACV and not apple cider. Thanks!!
Hey Emily,
Yes, that is correct. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Looks amazing and I would love to pin it!!
Thank you Kim!! You can pin it by clicking the pinterest logo at the top of the post! xTieghan
Can this be converted to GF?
Hey Kristin,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I’m wanting to try this recipe tonight. Unfortunately we are experiencing a shortage of full fat Greek yogurt in our area. Would nonfat Greek yogurt substitute well? Thanks!
Hey Rose,
Yes, that would be totally fine for you to use! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I can’t wait to try these! My dad’s family is Polish and we always ate pierogis. I just love them and these sound delicious.
Aw love that! I hope these turn out amazing for you, Karen! xTieghan
My Grandmother is from Poland and her pierogi dough is just flour, egg, and water. Interested to try yours and see how it compares to traditional pierogi! I just won’t tell her ?
I hope you love this Amanda!! Thank you!! xTieghan
These were very, very good. My Slovenian grandmother made pierogis with pasta dough, but a similar filling. My son and daughter and I spent a few hours making these yesterday afternoon (easy to execute) and the whole family enjoyed them for dinner with bratwurst and sauerkraut. For those who want to make more, there was a lot of leftover filling, enough to fill two batches of dough. We will be making them again. Like, today.
Thank you for your work. I’m finding a lot of recipes here that appeal to our tastes.
I am so happy these turned out so well for you Carol! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Just made the pierogis because I was too lazy to cook the onions an bacon. The pierogis were fantastic! Best homemade ones I have ever had. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Thank you so much Jolene! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So amazing! Definitely a do over recipe!
Thank you Amy! xTieghan
So excited to try these! I grew up eating Mrs T’s and we make pierogie every year for Xmas Eve. What size biscuit cutter and scoop did you use? Thank you!
Hey Natalie,
I use 1 tablespoon scoop. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions and Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Looks intimidating,but the recipe is so easy to follow! When I made them the first time I overworked the mash and turned into a rubbery mess, but this time I made sure the filling turned out fluffy. I followed the recipe closely but if I had put in two teaspoons of filling, there’s no way I would’v been able to close the dough circles. I used one teaspoon and they still turned out quite big. I also put some chopped spring onions in the filling to add a nice onion-y flavor without being overpowering. I used white wine for the sauce and put in a tiny bit of honey to caramellise the onions and balance the sourness of the pierogies
Will absolutely make again!
I am so happy you enjoyed these, Moni! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
suggestion: next time that you make pierogi (ukrainian: pyrohy) try farmers cheese for the filling! Simple butter and onions for the topping. But I am going to have to try the bacon 🙂 , after all how can bacon be bad !
Ooo I will! Thank you Joe! xTieghan