The Best Sauces and Seasonings for Pierogies

Traditionally, pierogies are served plain, but a little sauce or a dash of seasoning can take the dish to the next level.

When deciding on the best sauces and seasonings for pierogies, you should consider the filling to make sure the flavors complement each other and don’t clash.

What are the best sauces and seasonings for pierogies? The best sauces and seasonings for pierogies are the ones that go with the filling, and they complement and bring out the flavors of the filling and batter. You don’t want to use seasonings or sauces that will clash with the pierogies and ruin their flavor.

While some people may resent the idea of using seasonings or sauces on pierogies, there’s no reason not to treat yourself and enjoy the many different flavors!

What are pierogies?

Pierogies are small stuffed dumplings and are of Polish origin. The unleavened dough is wrapped in a sweet or savory filling, and then the package is stewed in boiling water or pan-fried.

The fillings that pierogies can have vary. The most popular fillings are sauerkraut, potato, cheese, mushrooms, minced meat or even sweet fruits.

Although it’s not common to find sauces on pierogies, they are often served with sour cream and fried onions.

Pierogies can be served as a full meal, or as tasty appetizers, and with the right sauces and seasonings, they can be a truly delicious bite.

The Best Sauces and Seasonings for Pierogies

If you want to add flavor and texture to your pierogies, the right sauce and seasonings can go a long way. Here are some of the best sauces and seasonings to choose from for filling both sweet and savory pierogies.

Sauces and seasonings for savory pierogies

First of all, here are the best sauces and seasonings for savory pierogies.

Sour cream

Sour cream is probably the most traditional sauce, and it goes great with many savory pierogy fillings.

With a bit of sour cream, you really don’t need anything else to dip or top your pierogies, especially if it’s a high-quality fresh sour cream.

Some people find that sour cream alone can be a bit boring, and if that’s the case, you can add a few extra ingredients to the sour cream to make it a little more interesting.

You can chop some spring onion, dill or chives and add them to the sour cream.

If you want more substance, you can chop onion, garlic, or even mushrooms and mix them into the sour cream as well.

A classic sour cream mix for pierogi is some chopped chives, sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. This is served on the side of the pierogies as a perfect dip.

Melted butter

Sometimes the simplest sauce is the best, and this is true of melted butter.

High-quality salted butter makes the most delicious sauce for dipping savory pierogies, and it goes great with just about any savory filling you could want.

You can melt the butter ahead of time and serve it in a dipping bowl, and dip the pierogies before taking a bite, or you can spoon a tablespoon of butter over some hot pierogies and let it melt on top.

For a bit more flavor, you can finely chop some garlic and add it to the melted butter. Garlic butter will take savory pierogies up a notch, making a tasty sauce.

Olive oil

Olive oil is another easy dressing that goes really well with pierogies.  The best thing is that pure extra virgin olive oil is actually very healthy, and its neutral flavor makes it a great option for almost any savory filling.

If you don’t have extra virgin olive oil, choose the best quality you can find to use. The taste will still be just as good.

You can pour a little olive oil into a bowl to dip the pierogies before taking a bite, or drizzle a little olive oil on top of the pierogies on the plate.

Hot sauce

For lovers of heat, the right hot sauce can be the perfect topping for pierogies. Choose your favorite hot sauce, either tabasco or sriracha, and drizzle over the pierogies on your plate.

Keep in mind that not everyone will enjoy the added heat, so offer it as a side sauce if the pierogies plate is set out for people to share.

Cheese sauce

A homemade cheese sauce can be delicious with the right pierogies. Pierogies stuffed with meat, cheese, and potatoes can look great with a rich, creamy cheese sauce.

It is best to make your own cheese sauce, with a dash of mustard for added flavor. But, if you don’t have time, you can buy it at the store and heat it up before serving.

If you want to avoid the cheese, you can make a bechamel sauce instead and omit the cheese. Add some garlic powder, salt and pepper, and dip the pierogies into the sauce.

Mushroom sauce

A mushroom sauce is full of flavour, and with tasty pierogies stuffed with mushrooms, potatoes or minced meat, it can be a delicious meal.

The best mushroom to make a mushroom sauce for pierogies are hog mushrooms, but wild mushrooms are also great. Be sure to include a good amount of garlic in the mushroom sauce for added flavor.

You can make an easy mushroom sauce at home by frying some chopped mushrooms and garlic, and adding some crème fraiche and heating it all together, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.

Ranch

Ranch is a favorite with many, and can be served with many different foods, including pierogies!

Now, you have to remember that ranch doesn’t go with all kinds of pierogies, but it’s pretty close to sour cream, so you can enjoy it with a wide range of pierogy fillings.

Ranch goes best with potato and cheese pierogies, but ground beef pierogies also do well with a bit of ranch.

tomato based sauces

There are quite a few different tomato-based sauces that you can serve with the pierogies. You can go for a more Italian-style marinara or arrabiata, or a spicier sauce option with some jalapeno.

This is a good option for potato and cheese pierogies or meat pierogies.

There is a delicious tomato and onion sauce for pierogies that you can make by finely dicing the onion, browning it in a pan, adding a can of crushed tomato, some herbs, salt and pepper.

minced garlic and chili

You can make a simple sauce at home by mincing garlic and chili and mixing it in a bowl with a little olive oil.

Prepare it the day before so the flavors of the chili and garlic blend with the olive oil , then drizzle it on top of the pierogies before taking a bite.

Ketchup

Some people like to have ketchup with everything, and for those who love a little ketchup, it might be the best sauce for you!

Have a small bowl of ketchup ready to dip the pierogies in, and enjoy!

coverage options

Aside from sauces, there are a few toppings you can put on your pierogies before you take a bite. Here are some of the most popular toppings to put on pierogies, based on the filling.

• crushed garlic 
• Grated cheese
• chopped bacon
• Fried onion
• Spring onion or chives
• chopped jalapeno

Sauces and seasonings for sweet pierogies

If you’re a fan of sweet pierogies and looking for something to top these sweet little packets, here are some of the best options to choose from!

Cream

Cream really is the best sweet topping for sweet pierogies. It adds a wonderfully rich creaminess to pierogies without overwhelming other flavors or adding too much of a different flavor to pierogies.

You can top almost all sweet pierogies with cream, whether it’s a fruit or nut filling, or even sweet cheese pierogies.

You can also sweeten the cream before adding it to the pierogies. Add some powdered sugar or honey to the cream and mix well.

Vanilla custard

Vanilla custard is a great option, as the vanilla flavor doesn’t overpower many fillings, but simply gives pierogies a creamy, sweet touch.

Fruit pierogies are especially delicious served with some vanilla custard, and this can make a really delicious dessert!

Chocolate sauce

Who doesn’t like chocolate sauce? If you’re a fan of chocolate, there’s no reason not to drizzle your pierogies with chocolate sauce.

It’s even better if you can get a dark chocolate sauce so it doesn’t add too much sweetness to the pierogies, but still adds a rich, velvety chocolate flavor.

You can choose between dark, milk or white chocolate sauce, depending on your preferences and also the filling of the pierogies. Chocolate sauce works great on fruit pierogies.

fruit sauce

A fruit sauce, such as a compote or cranberry sauce, will go very well with the sweet cheese pierogies.

The tartness of the fruit will be combined with the creaminess of the sweet cheese, both of which will combine to create the most delicious bite.

You can use any fruit sauce you like, and you can even make your own at home by cooking chopped fruit and sugar together with some lemon juice.

Cook until it has a jam-like texture, pureeing it last if you prefer a smoother sauce.

Drizzle the fruit sauce over the pierogies or dip them in the fruit sauce.

Yogurt

If you’re looking for a healthier option to top off sweet pierogies, yogurt is a great option. Choose a Greek yogurt and sweeten it with a little honey or powdered sugar.

The natural, almost tangy flavor of yogurt will be delicious with the fruity or cheesy filling of the pierogies.

Try to avoid flavored yogurts, as they could take away too much flavor from the filling.

Ice cream

Ice cream is a great dessert option on its own, but it’s even better with pierogies.

Our recommendation is that the ice cream is vanilla, especially when it comes to fruit pierogies, but nothing prevents you from choosing pierogies with any flavor of ice cream.

Be sure to serve the ice cream right before you eat the pierogies, so it doesn’t melt before you start eating.

caramel sauce

Some sweet pierogies taste amazing with a drizzle of caramel sauce. The fruit and sweet cheese pierogies could use a rich caramel sauce, especially if the sauce is still hot.

You can even make your own caramel sauce at home, and dip the pierogies in the sauce before each bite . If you have bottled caramel sauce, you can simply drizzle the sauce over the pierogies before eating.

Honey

Sweet walnut-stuffed pierogies can taste great with a simple drizzle of honey on top . When drizzling honey over the pierogies, be careful not to add too much, as you don’t want the pierogies to be too sweet.

dressing options

To put some simple non-sauce toppings on your sweet pierogies, here are some delicious options:

• Chocolate chips
• fresh sliced fruit
• grated coconut
• Powdered sugar
• fresh whipped cream 

Related questions

Now that we’ve gone over the best sweet and savory sauces and seasonings for pierogies, let’s take a look at some related questions we thought you might have!

Are the pierogies seasoned?

You can season the pierogies while they cook . When frying the pierogies, add a little butter and olive oil to a pan and fry the pierogies, seasoning them with a little salt and pepper, or whatever seasoning you prefer.

The pierogies will be very golden from the butter, and they will also have great seasoning.

Do pierogies need to be boiled before frying?

Pierogies should be boiled before frying, especially if they are frozen. This helps soften and cook the filling and the pierogies are ready to be browned on the outside in a pan.

What is traditionally served with pierogies?

Traditionally, pierogies are served with a bit of sour cream and fried onion. It is a delicious pairing that goes well with almost all savory fillings.