Air fryer pierogies! Golden and crispy pierogi dumplings cooked in the air fryer make a delicious and quick snack, finger food, appetizer, or light dinner. They can be cooked from frozen or fresh with minimal effort and prep, and are a comforting alternative to your regular Chinese dumpling!
If you look around different food cultures, you’ll find that every country and cuisine has its own form of dumpling! Today we are looking at European pierogies, Deliciously crispy pan-fried dumplings made to make you feel warm and cozy.
Pierogies can be filled with anything you like, and you will often find vegetarian and meat options. The vegetarian pierogi typically contains potatoes, leek, garlic, and dill, whereas the meat ones can contain anything from beef, sausage meat, and chicken mixed with vegetables.
You can serve them as a snack with sour cream/creme fraiche or as a side dish to accompany a salad or piece of grilled meat! You can also serve them as a dessert if the filling is sweet!
You can find these pillowy European dumplings in the frozen food section of most supermarkets. Or in my case in the international aisle if you want to buy the shelf-stable version.
What Is Pierogi
Pierogies are filled dumplings made with unleavened dough and can be savory or sweet! They originate from Eastern European countries and are staples in Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian households.
They are often pan-fried after boiling to give them a delicious crispy exterior. It can be time-consuming to make pierogies from scratch, but the good news is that you can easily find them ready-made frozen or fresh, ready for you to pan fry or in this case, air fry!
Air frying pierogies requires minimal effort and no extra ingredients: you can choose to brush them with a little extra oil to keep them shiny and extra crispy, but if you choose fresh ones they usually come coated with a little oil to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Just pop them in the air fryer and serve piping hot with a side of crème fraîche and sauteed onions.
Why you will love these air fried Pierogies
They are easy and fast to prepare! It really is as easy as popping them in an air fryer and waiting for them to cook (added bonus of a guaranteed zero mess!)
Pierogies are budget-friendly, frozen or ready-made pierogies are quite cheap and will fill you up for little money
If you do decide to make yours from scratch, pierogies are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes and any other cooked vegetables or meat can be used as a filling for pierogi.
Kids will love them! What’s not to love about little dumplings that you can eat with your hands?
What You’ll Need to make it
1 bag of ready-made, fresh or frozen pierogies of your choice
Vegetable oil, for brushing [optional] you will only need this if you are using frozen pierogies or freshly made ones.
Pierogi dipping sauce recipes
This is my go-to pierogi sauce recipe that goes well with both the savory and sweet variety of pierogi. It's a simple mixture of sour cream, onion granules or garlic granules, cayenne pepper, salt.
½ cup sour cream or creme fraiche
1 teaspoon onion granules
Salt and pepper
Mix all together in a bowl to combine, chill in the fridge for a few minutes before serving for the flavors to meld.
How To Cook Pierogi In The Air Fryer
Start by preheating your air fryer to 200C/400F.
If needed, brush the pierogi dumplings with a little vegetable oil and place them in the air fryer basket in one even layer. The more room there is between each dumpling, the better the crisping will be.
Air fry for 10 minutes at 180/360F until crispy and golden brown, flipping them halfway.
Remove from the air fryer and serve immediately with a side of cold sour cream dip topped with freshly chopped dill or chives!
Tips
Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket, instead cook the pierogi in two batches instead of one if need be.
You can also try serving the dumplings with a delicious side of salsa or guacamole instead of sour cream dip!
There is no need to wait for frozen pierogies to defrost, you can air fry them directly from the freezer
Make sure to preheat the air fryer for a minute or two before cooking the dumplings to get the best crispiness and even cooking.
Air Fryer Pierogies
Ingredients
- 1 bag of ready-made pierogies fresh or frozen (about 400g)
- Vegetable oil for brushing
Pierogi dipping sauce recipes
- ½ cup sour cream or creme fraiche
- 1 teaspoon onion granules
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 200C/400F.
- If needed, brush the pierogi dumplings with a little vegetable oil and place them in the air fryer basket in one even layer. The more room there is between each dumpling, the better the crisping will be.
- Air fry for 10 minutes at 180/360F until crispy and golden brown, flipping them halfway.
- Remove from the air fryer and serve immediately with a side of cold sour cream dip topped with freshly chopped dill or chives!
Sour cream dipping sauce
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl to combine, chill in the fridge for a few minutes if time permits before serving for the flavors to meld.
Nutrition
FAQs
How long do you cook frozen pierogies in an air fryer
Frozen pierogies will need about 12-15 minutes in the air fryer, give or take a few minutes more.
Can I cook it from frozen
Yes, you can! In fact, frozen pierogies should be cooked directly from the freezer in the air fryer to avoid soggy dough.
What temperature should I air fry pierogi
Cook frozen or fresh pierogi in a preheated air fryer at 200C/400F, that said, you can also cook them at 180C/360F. Make sure to adjust the time accordingly.
Best pierogies brand to buy
The brand that is best for you will be dependent on your location or what is available around you. For example, if you are in the US then Mrs. T's Pierogies, Kasia's Pierogies would be a great option. Here in the UK, Virtu Pierogi and U Jedrusia are equally great brands.
How long does it take to air fry pierogi
Pierogies don’t take long at all to cook and usually come pre-boiled. Pierogies cook for 8 to 15 minutes in the air fryer, depending on whether they were frozen or fresh.
More air fryer finger foods you will love
If you made this easy air fryer recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback and rate it 5 stars. Tag us @cravingsmallbites on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest
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