How to Cook Perogies on Stove, Air Fryer, Crock Pot + Recipe

If you've never been to Poland or Eastern Europe before, one thing you might be missing out on are perogies. Perogies are delicious little dumplings often filled with potatoes, cheese, onions, and other fillings. They are a classic staple food in Eastern Europe, and for good reason, because they taste absolutely fantastic. However, something you might not know is how to cook perogies, and that's exactly what we're here to teach you today. Let me take you on a journey of what it means in terms of how to cook perogies in a variety of ways, including in an air fryer, crock pot, pan, pot, and everything in between.

How to Cook Frozen Perogies

Alright, so the reality is that you most likely have frozen perogies. Sure, you can always make them yourself, but it does take a good bit of work. If you want to experience the deliciousness that is perogies, but you don't want to do a whole lot of work, buying frozen ones from your local supermarket is the way to go. Therefore, something you need to know is how to cook frozen perogies, which is mainly done on the stove.

How to Cook Frozen Perogies on the Stove

To cook frozen perogies on the stove, there are a few things that you'll need, including your frozen perogies, some butter or oil, an onion, a bit of salt, pepper, and sour cream. You'll also need a large pot with water, a skillet or frying pan, a slotted spoon, and a plate that is lined with a bit of paper towel.

Generally speaking, you don't want to put frozen perogies right on the frying pan, because they'll take forever to cook. If you do this, you're likely to end up with a mushy mess, as well as perogies that are still frozen on the inside but burnt on the outside. It's much better if you boil them first, thus effectively cooking them all the way before browning them in the pan.

Therefore, the first thing that you want to do is fill a large pot with water, more than enough to completely submerge as many perogies as you want to cook, and then salt the water.

Salting the water is important, or else the perogies won't have as much flavor as they should. Bring the water to a boil, add the perogies, and let them boil for up to 3 minutes once they float to the top. You can then use a slotted spoon to remove the perogies from the water and drain them as needed.

To really make them pop, you'll want to brown them a bit. To do this, take your skill to our frying pan, heat it up, add a bit of oil or butter, and then caramelize your onions. Once the onions are caramelized, add the perogies, and fry them for roughly four minutes per side, until they are crispy and golden.

How to Cook the Best Perogies

There are many different ways to cook perogies, and exactly how you do so depends on the equipment you have at your disposal. Therefore, to make life easier for you, we're about to go through simple instructions on how to cook perogies in an air fryer, a crockpot, pan, and in a pot.

How to Cook Perogies in the Air Fryer

One of the most popular ways to cook perogies, especially in the last few years, is to use an air fryer. The reason why an air fryer is so beneficial is because it allows you to achieve a really crispy texture without all of that added oil and grease.

To make perogies in an air fryer, all you need are either frozen perogies or fresh perogies, a bit of cooking spray, some sour cream, and of course, your air fryer.

To cook perogies in an air fryer, Preheat the air fryer to 400F or 200C, and make sure that it achieves the intended temperature before you start. If you want your perogies to be very crispy, brush them with a bit of oil before putting them in.

You can now put the perogies in the air fryer in a single layer, and make sure that they don't touch. It's going to take anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes for them to cook. How long to cook perogies in an air fryer depends on a variety of factors, but somewhere around 12 or 13 minutes is pretty average.

How to Cook Perogies in a Crock Pot

If you are a fan of slow cooking, and you are in no rush, then using a crock pot to cook your perogies is a good idea. A crock pot allows you to really infuse different flavours into the mix, to create some of the best tasting perogies you've ever had.

To cook perogies in a crock pot, you'll need your frozen perogies, some onions, some chicken or vegetable broth, a bit of oil or butter, and the seasonings of your choosing, as well as of course the crock pot.

First, you're going to take the frozen perogies and layer them in the bottom of the crock pot in a single layer.

You'll then want to put a bit of butter and oil on top of them, as well as your sliced onions. With your onions and perogies in place, pour the broth over everything, as the steam will not only help the perogies cook faster, but the broth will also infuse its flavour into your food.

Turn the crockpot on and let it cook for up to six hours on low or up to three hours on high. Once the perogies are cooked, top them with a bit of sour cream and serve as desired.

How to Cook Perogies in a Pan

If you just want to cook your perogies in a pan, then this is about as easy as it gets. Whether they're frozen or not, all you need to do is place a bit of oil or butter in a skillet or frying pan or, and then fry the perogies until they are golden brown, and done in the middle.

Keep in mind that if the perogies are fresh or thawed out, they'll only need about four minutes per side. However, if they are frozen, they will need substantially longer, up to 10 minutes per side or even more.

How to Cook Perogies in a Pot

If you don't like that brown and crispy coating on the outside of your perogies, the simplest solution is to boil them. As far as how to cook perogies the simplest way is concerned, doing so in a pot of boiling water is best.

All you need to do is solve some water, add the perogies, and boil until they are cooked. If the perogies are fresh, it should only take a few minutes, and if they are frozen, wait until they rise to the surface, and then boil for another 3 to 4 minutes.

How Long to Cook Perogies?

Just so you don't end up with perogies that are still frozen on the inside and burnt on the outside, knowing how long to cook them for is essential. So, if you are just boiling them, put them in the water and wait until they float, and then boil for an additional 3 minutes.

If you plan on pan frying the perogies, if they are frozen, you'll want to boil them first, and then pan fry them for about 3 minutes per side, just to add some colour. In the air fryer, at 400, it should take no longer than 15 minutes. However, if you're using a crock pot on the low setting, it could take up to six hours.

A Delicious Perogies Recipe

To finish things off, we want to leave you with a delicious perogies recipe that you can easily make at home yourself. First, you'll need to make the dough.

To make the dough for the perogies, you'll need 2 cups of flour, a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 egg, 1/2 a cup of sour cream, and 1/4 cup of butter. First, get a large bowl and mix together the salt and flour, and then add the egg, butter, and sour cream. Knead it together for about 5 to 7 minutes until it is smooth, and then let it rest for roughly 30 minutes.

To make the filling, you'll want about four large potatoes that are boiled, peeled, and cubed, a cup of cheese of your choosing, a few slices of bacon, an onion, some salt and pepper, and a bit of butter. You'll first need to cook the potatoes in salted water and then drain them.

While that is happening, you can fry both the bacon and the onion until they are crispy, and then set aside on a piece of paper towel. Once that is done, you can mash your potatoes with the butter, the bacon, cheese, and onions, and season with a bit of pepper and salt.

Once your filling is made, take the dough and roll it out on a floured surface until it's about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Use something like a glass or a round cutter to create circles.

Take your potato filling, a large spoonful, and put it in the center of the dough. Fold it over to create what is essentially 1/2 moon shape, and then seal it with your fork. Now that your perogies are made, you can choose from any one of the above cooking methods to complete the process.