How to Freeze Pierogies

Pierogies are basic European dumplings that can be savoury or sweet. The sturdy dough holds a range of fillings, but making the dough and the dumpling filling is time-consuming, even with your family’s help. 

Like store-bought frozen dumplings, homemade pierogies can be the perfect meal or snack to pull out of the freezer on a busy weeknight. 

To freeze pierogies, you can pop raw pierogies to freeze on a baking tray. Once they’re solid, you can bag them up for the longer term. You can also freeze pierogi dough and pierogi filling.

How to Freeze Pierogies

For some people, making pierogi dough is the most strenuous task of the pierogi process. For others, the filling is what causes an issue. 

Depending on what would be most convenient, you can double the amount of pierogi dough or filling you make and freeze the leftovers. 

You can also freeze raw constructed pierogies as quickly as the individual dough or fillings: 

How to Freeze Raw Pierogies

The best way to freeze pierogies for an easy dinner later is to freeze them raw. 

There is little chance that the dough will turn soggy as the dumplings will already be assembled. All you will need to do when you get a pierogi craving is cook them! 

Here is the best way to freeze raw pierogies:

1. Assemble The Pierogies
   Shape and fill your pierogies with any filling you choose. 
2. Boil Water
   You will need to blanch the pierogies before freezing them, which is a speedy process. Put some water on to boil while you finish the last of our pierogies. 
3. Prep A Tray 
   Also, line a baking tray with parchment paper before you start blanching the pierogies. Add a little neutral oil to the parchment paper to prevent the dumpling dough from sticking. 
4. Blanch
   When you’re ready to blanch, drop a couple of dumplings into the boiling water. Blanch them for only 20-30 seconds, depending on the size of your pierogies. Remove the dumplings from the water as soon as that time is up. 
5. Arrange On The Tray 
   Place the blanched dumplings directly onto the line baking tray, spacing them out evenly. 
6. Flash Freeze
   Give the pierogies a few moments to reach room temperature, then place the baking tray directly into the freezer. Leave to flash freeze for 2 hours.
7. Properly Store 
   When the dumplings are frozen, you can move them to a more convenient freezer bag or storage container. Ensure that you can properly seal the bag or container so it is airtight. 
8. Label And Freeze
   Use a permanent marker and masking tape to label each pierogi container or bag with a use-by date and what the dumplings are filled with. 

How to Freeze Pierogi Dough

Seeing as pierogies are essentially a simple dumpling, you can freeze pierogi dough as you would any other dumpling dough:

1. Gather The Dough 
   When you are happy with your pierogi dough, gather it together and form it into a large ball. 
2. Cover With Clingfilm
   Rip off a large piece of clingfilm and place the dough ball in the middle of it. Then wrap the cling film around the dough. 
3. Double Wrap 
   You may want to double wrap it in cling film or place the already wrapped dough in a plastic bag to prevent long-term freezer burn. 
4. Label And Freeze
   Slap a quick label on the pierogi dough and place the dough in your freezer. 

You can freeze raw pierogi dough for up to 3 months. 

How to Freeze Pierogi Filling

Nearly any kind of pierogi filling can be frozen. Some fillings, such as cheese fillings, do not freeze as well, while others freeze great, like any meat filling. 

Here is how: 

1. Allow To Cool
   Any pierogi fillings that need to be cooked to be prepared, such as pureed fruit etc, will need to reach at least room temperature before you freeze it. 
2. Separate Into Storage
   Once the fillings are cool, you can gather an array of either airtight containers or freezer bags and start separating the fillings. Do not overfill the containers or bags as this could prevent the fillings from properly freezing. 
3. Properly Secure 
   When all the fillings are separated, tightly fasten their storage containers or push all the air out of any freezer bags to make them as air tight as possible. This will prevent freezer burn. 
4. Label
   Each of your fillings will need its own label, which you can make using masking tape and a permanent marker. Write down what the filling is as well as its use by date. 
5. Freeze 
   Most pierogi fillings can last 3 – 6 months in your freezer, but this may vary depending on the filling. 

How to Freeze Pierogi Successfully

Because pierogies are very simple dumplings, they are not that difficult to freeze. Still, here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure success following any of the above methods: 

• Keep Sweet And Savoury Separate – Avoid freezing your sweet and savoury-filled pierogies in the same container or bag, as it will be impossible to tell which pierogi is which. Instead, use separate storage for each kind of pierogi and fully use labels. 
• Do Not Refreeze Pierogi Dough – The dumpling dough is easy enough to make from scratch, but freezing it can save a lot of wasted dough. That being said, you should not refreeze pierogi dough, meaning that you should not freeze the pierogies you make using your frozen dough. 
• Separate Raw Pierogi Dough And Fillings – You may want to separate your leftover dough into smaller freezable sections to pull out of the freezer as and when you need to prevent even wasted dough. Likewise, you can separate your various fillings into smaller portions, too. 

Do Pierogies Freeze Well?

Pierogies are best frozen when they are pre-made and still raw. Blanching them beforehand will mean all you have to do when you want a filling dumpling dinner is drop them in boiling water. 

You can freeze both pierogi dough and filling separately if you make too much for later use. 

Freezing Pierogies FAQs

Do you still have questions about pierogies and how to freeze them? Then check these FAQs out: