These strawberry vareniki are made with a tender dumpling dough and a fragrant fresh strawberry filling. Strawberry-lovers, these are calling your name!
I’ve been making classic Ukrainian vareniki ever since childhood — they are so nostalgic for me. To my delight, these dumplings are basically an honorary member of our family at this point. My husband Tim is a super-fan of vareniki (especially farmers cheese ones!), and my boys love all the berry ones, including our blueberry vareniki.
Of course, I had to share this strawberry version with you guys because they’re a summertime staple in our house! Every time I make them, I’m reminded of my childhood in Ukraine and the fresh strawberries we used to pick. I love using peak-of-the-season strawberries, but any berries are honestly delicious. The dough is sooo tasty and easy to work with (I’ve been using this recipe for over 15 years), and the entire house smells amazing whenever I make these vareniki.
Craving savory pierogies? Try my classic potato and cheese pierogies or meat and potato pierogies.
How To Make Strawberry Vareniki
These vareniki are seriously so easy to make — just follow the steps, and they’ll be ready in an hour!
- Prepare the filling: Wash the strawberries and cut them into small pieces. Measure out the sugar in a separate bowl.
- Make the dough: Whisk together the eggs, sour cream, water, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add the flour, sugar, and salt, and knead the dough with the dough hook attachment or your hands until it’s no longer sticky.
- Shape the vareniki: On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough thinly. Use a glass or a biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Gently stretch out each circle and add a spoonful of strawberries and a pinch of sugar to the center. Fold the edges of the dough over to form a half-moon shape, then pinch the edges tightly together to seal.
- Cook the vareniki: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 10-20 vareniki. Cook the vareniki in batches until they float to the top, then remove with a slotted spoon or drain the water. Serve them with butter, sour cream, more strawberries, and/or sugar.
Tips For the Best Strawberry Vareniki
I’ve already mentioned how incredible this dough is, but I have a few more tips to ensure that your strawberry vareniki turn out perfect!
- Add more flour as needed. Depending on the brand that you use, you may need to add a bit more flour. Instead of adding more flour directly to the dough, add it to your work surface while you’re kneading. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not too sticky.
- Knead the dough thoroughly. For perfectly soft and chewy vareniki, knead the dough until it is elastic. You can use your hands, but I prefer letting the stand mixer do the work!
- Rest the dough. Before rolling and cutting out the dough, allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes. This relaxes the gluten, which makes the dough more elastic and less resistant to work with.
- Keep the strawberries and sugar separate. I learned this trick from my mom, and it’s a game-changer! Instead of mixing the fruit and sugar together to make the filling, sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top of the strawberries right before sealing the dumplings. This prevents the filling from becoming too watery.
- Seal the vareniki well. Pinch the edges of the dough together tightly to ensure that none of the strawberry juices leak out, as shown in the photo below.
Storing Cooked vs Raw Vareniki
As much as our family loves these strawberry vareniki, we can usually only manage to stuff ourselves with a few dozen in one sitting. Here are two approaches I take to storing leftovers.
- Cooked: Store leftover cooked vareniki for up to three days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, warm the vareniki in the microwave or on a buttered skillet over medium heat.
- Raw: After you’ve assembled the vareniki, place them in a single layer on a well-floured baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the frozen vareniki to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for 3-6 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, boil the vareniki straight from frozen until they float to the top.
More Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Cobbler — A family favorite guaranteed to be devoured in minutes
- Strawberry Scones — Just like my grandma used to make!
- Strawberry Galette — Flaky homemade pie crust and juicy strawberry filling
- Strawberry Cake Roll — A heavenly trio of fluffy sponge cake, cream cheese frosting, and fresh strawberries
Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling
- 1 lb strawberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
Vareniki Dough
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 4 cups all purpose flour may need more depending on the brand
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Strawberry Filing
- Wash the strawberries and cut them into small pieces. Measure out the sugar in a separate bowl.
Vareniki Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, lukewarm water, and milk until evenly combined.
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the liquid ingredients. Using the dough hook attachment or your hands, knead the dough until it is no longer sticky.
Making Vareniki
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll it out to about 3 mm thickness (or two stacked pennies) with a rolling pin. Using the floured rim of a glass or a biscuit cutter, stamp out circles in the dough.
- Working with one circle at a time, lightly stretch out the dough in your hand. Fill the center with a spoonful of strawberries and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Fold the dough over to form a half-circle and firmly pinch the edges together with your fingers. Make sure the edges are tightly sealed so the filling doesn't leak out.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 10-20 vareniki at a time and cook until they float to the top.
- Drain the vareniki or take them out with a slotted spoon, then immediately toss them with a few small slices of unsalted butter. Optionally, serve them with sour cream, more strawberries, and/or sugar. Enjoy!
Back home, on Russia, my mom was always made a dough for vareniki the same way as for pilmeni. 3 cups of flour on 1 cup of water, 1 egg and salt. And, when vareniki were cooked, we were eating them with sour cream or butter and sugar.
That's such a comforting tradition! Serving vareniki with sour cream or butter and sugar is pure nostalgia. Do you still make them the same way now?
Yes, I do. It does bring a smell and sense of home.