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My homemade Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits are the perfect meal to make with family and friends. Simple sweet potato-filled Pierogi dumplings mixed with cheddar cheese and tossed in a nutty, buttery pan sauce. Then topped with crispy homemade bacon bits. Every Pierogi is cheesy, buttery, full of creamy sweet potatoes, layered with delicious sauce, and topped with salty crisp bacon. These are especially delicious on cold winter nights.
Yes, I love love love pierogi, and at this point probably have too many potato pierogi recipes on this site. But while I’ve always loved classic potato pierogi, I didn’t always love sweet potato pierogi.
For the longest time, I thought about swapping sweet potatoes in place of potatoes, but the idea just never sat well with me. I love a good potato pierogi too much. But finally, when working on the HBH Every Day book, I made my first sweet potato pierogi. I loved the dish so much that it became the cover recipe. And now I LOVE using sweet potatoes as my pierogi filling.
The idea for these came in a funny way. My dad and I were randomly talking about eating potato skins when my brothers and I were growing up. He’d often make cheesy potato skins and top them with those bacon bits that came in a shaker jar from the store.
Scary to think we used to eat that stuff!! Especially when homemade bacon bits are so easy!
Regardless, I was saying how much I LOVED his potatoes skins. We both agreed, the bacon bits combined with the cheddar cheese were the secret. So when I was brainstorming this recipe, I pretty much knew that cheddar cheese and bacon bits had to be a big part.
I had so many sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving, so pierogi with bacon bits just made sense.
Here are details
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. 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 sweet potatoes, simple as that. Don’t mess with it, so good.
You can make the potatoes by baking them in the oven, or you can use the instant pot. I prefer to use the instant pot. It’s the easiest, quickest way to make a mashed potato.
Once the dough is ready, roll it out, cut it, and stuff it with the sweet potatoes. I line them all up on a baking sheet as I work. From here, you’ll boil them off just like you would ravioli or any other pasta.
You can also make these in bulk over the weekend, then flash freeze them for another time. They make for a fun and easy lunch or dinner any day of the week. Simply take the frozen pierogi and drop them in boiling water. They take just minutes to cook.
Last up are the bacon and sauce. Crisp the bacon up in a skillet and finely chop. Add butter, rosemary, and chili flakes. Then toss the pierogi in the sauce.
I like to top the pierogi with extra cheddar, then the bacon bits, and a small dollop of yogurt. So yummy. We could not love these more! The sweet potatoes with the bacon are such a great combination!
Looking for other winter dinners? Here are some favorites:
Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Sheet Pan Roasted Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
Folded Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Lastly, if you make these Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits 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!
Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 512 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
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- chili flakes
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. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake directly on the rack until tender, 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool.3. Once cool use your hands to peel away the sweet potato skins. They should just easily slip off. Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash well. Stir in the cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and a pinch each of 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. Keep the dough covered as you work to prevent it 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 pierogi in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until they float. Drain.6. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Pull it out, and drain the excess fat. Add the butter and rosemary. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the butter is brown and the rosemary is crisp. Remove from the heat and add the chili flakes.7. Drop the pierogi into the sauce, gently tossing to combine. Serve in the sauce, and top with cheddar cheese and bacon bits. EAT!
Instant Pot
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the potatoes and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 10 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick-release function and release the steam. Drain the potatoes. 2. Finish as directed above from step 2 on.
Hi! The are we putting 6t of butter in the pan or 8? In step 6 it says to add butter to the pan. I’m just wonder because you have split it up in the ingredient list. (I would assume 2 goes in the potatoes and 6 in the pan?)
Thanks
Hi Nicole,
You are using 2 tablespoons of butter in step 1 and then 6 tablespoons of butter in step 6. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This was my first time ever making Pierogies. My dough definitely was a bit moist. I’m wondering if I didn’t mix it lol enough. Tieghan, I’m wondering if the dough can be kneeling in a stand mixer with a dough hook? I think since I’m not that familiar with them that I need to use tools that might help make them foolproof. I did have lots of extra filling left over.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! I just mixed this dough by hand rather than using a stand mixer. I would try that next time! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These were amazing!!!
Hey Grace,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
This recipe is AMAZING! The taste was divine, flavors were beautifully paired together, and the bacon on top is the perfect addition. I left the perogi’s in the butter sauce a little longer than probably recommended to attempt to make them slightly crispy – they turned out wonderful. Thank you!!
Hey Nicole,
Happy Monday!❄️🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Amazing!! Love this recipe. The kids fought me on it but ended up eating two each. And my husband enjoyed it.
Hey Jennie,
Perfect!! ⛄️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! xx
So … three of my grandparents came from Ukraine, so I know pierogi. I love this recipe! I switched out a couple of things – added ricotta to the filling, and fried them with bacon and onions – and they were to die for. Thank you!
Hey Sherry,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
If I’m prepping these the morning that I plan to cook them, should I assemble them or wait until closer to when I’m cooking them to roll out the dough and assemble them to make sure they don’t dry out?
Hey Erika,
You can go ahead and assemble them, just keep them covered with a dish towel in the fridge:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
For the instant pot method of cooking the sweet potatoes, you say to preheat the oven first. I am trying to figure out why? What am I missing? Getting ready to make these now. Probably won’t hear back immediately but I’ll try to do it.
Hi Laura,
Opps, sorry, you can ignore that! No need to use the oven for the instant pot method:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
How many adults do you think this will feed? I’m wondering if I need to double! Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hey Jess,
This will make 8 servings:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I’m only 1/8 Polish, so I was able to fully enjoy this recipe. 😄 Delicious! This was my first time making pierogi from scratch. I was afraid they were going to fall apart or stick together, but they turned out really well.
A few questions:
1. You list two tablespoons of butter in the ingredients for the filling, but it’s not mentioned in directions. Do you include it or not? (I left it out.)
2. Is it necessary to use salted butter? I used unsalted because that’s what I had on hand. I’ll probably add a bit more salt next time, but I still thought they turned out really well.
3. Do you drain all the bacon fat, or leave some in the pan to mix with the butter for the sauce? I ended up draining it all. But I’ve seen recipes that leave a few tablespoons, so I was wondering what you usually do.
Thanks for the recipe (and for bearing with this long comment). My whole family enjoyed it!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Friday!!🌟 Love to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks so much for trying it out! The butter is listed in step 1:) I prefer to always use salted butter, I think it adds a lot of flavor to a dish. Yes, in step 6 I note to drain the bacon fat. Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
The butter use is still confusing: You show 2 T in the dough ingredients which is Step 1 as you say. But in the filling ingredients you list butter twice: 2 T and 6 T. I am guessing the 2 T shown in the filling is a mistake and you should only be showing butter once in the filling ingredients. Please remove the additional 2 T from your filling ingredients if this is the case. Otherwise please state how the second 2 T you list should be used.
Hi there,
So you are using 2T of butter in the dough in step 1. Sorry for any confusion, but you are going to add 2T in step 3 as part of the filling and then 6T in step 6 for the sauce. I hope this helps! xx
i love these and will make them for my work potluck. also i am Polish and appreciate you spelling them correctly!!
Hey Ronnie,
Happy Friday!!🌟 Love to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
When you have recipes that call for potatoes, I wish you would include measuring cup amounts or weight. What size is a medium sweet potato?
Hey Mary,
Thanks for sharing your feedback. I don’t own a scale so there is no way for me to weigh them and it’s hard to measure a potato in cups. I would say about 4-5 cups here, but it doesn’t need to be exact:) I hope you love the recipe! xx
Can’t wait to try some of these! My parents were Polish immigrants so pierogi were served often . I have my mom’s delicious recipe but I’m a lover of sweet potatoes so this one sounds extremely tasty to me . Diane
Thanks so much Diane, I hope you love this recipe!! xx
I came here to make the same comment! Also would have been nice to know an approximate amount of pierogis the recipe should make to make sure the dough is being rolled enough. I used 3 smaller sweet potatoes, which I would guess ended up being between 3 and 4 cups. Also ended up with 37 pierogis, but in the end they tasted great!
Hi Paula,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
These were so good and really pretty easy!
Hey Heather,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Haven’t made these yet, but the filling and sauce sound amazing. Pierogi dough can be tricky and needs to be very thin. I use a pasta roller attached to my stand mixer. My grandkids love doing this part! I’ll use our family’s dough recipe – no egg, bit of sour cream instead of yogurt for pliability – but with your filling.
Thanks so much for sharing your tips Maureen! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Tieghan I absolutely adore you with all my heart, but being 100% Polish I simply CANNOT with these pierogi XD I’m sure others will like them tho ;P
Any recommendations? I know these resemble anything traditional haha please direct me I love pierogi!
I’m working on this recipe & you list salted butter 3 times in the ingredients, but only explain when to use it twice. I know to add 2 T to the dough, & I’m assuming to use 2 T in the filling & 6 T for the sauce?
Hi Laura,
You are using 2 tablespoons of butter in step 1 and 6 tablespoons of butter in step 6. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Thanks for sharing your feedback Natala:) xx