Vegan gluten-free pierogi with mushrooms

Vegan gluten-free pierogi with mushrooms

vegan gluten free pierogi close up

This is the time of the year when I am excited about making pierogi again. A friend of mine who visited last weekend said that she was also about to embark on her own ‘pierogeddon’ soon as she has four hungry mouths to feed and pierogi are her Xmas go to. Although she runs a half Polish and half Jewish household with some vegans and some non-vegans in it, pierogi seems to make everyone in her family happy so she really has her work cut out – we are talking hundreds of little parcels here!

Pierogi are an everyday fare in Poland (or at least used to be when I was a child and the pace of life was a little slower), but they also tend to feature on Polish Christmas tables as one of twelve mandatory dishes, so many people make massive batches of them and freeze them for Christmas. To my mum’s chagrin, I am as untraditional as they come (sorry mom!), but I do like my pierogi now and then. I mean what’s not to like? Especially the pan-fried ones are to die for on the cold dark days that we’ve been plunged into quite recently.

While pierogi are very easily made vegan – although there is only one traditional filling (the cabbage and mushroom one) that tends to be vegan – the traditional dough always contains gluten, which is bad news for some. After I featured my old cabbage and mushroom pierogi quite recently, I got quite a few questions about making them gluten-free so this recipe is my answer to those of you who are after some decent gluten-free pierogi with a vegan filling.

Making a vegan filling is dead easy, I went for my beloved mushrooms, but the dough without gluten or egg is the tricky part of this dish. In order to make a supple dough that will hold together, I combined two types of gluten-free flours: buckwheat and rice flour (brown rice flour is fine too), with some tapioca starch, a little olive oil and some psyllium husk powder thickened with water. The last two ingredients are there for much needed flexibility, which is usually taken care of by gluten. I tested these with both psyllium husk powder and with whole psyllium husks and they both work just as well.

vegan gluten free pierogi ingredients

What is great about psyllium husk powder is that, as opposed to xanthan gum which is often used in commercial gluten-free dough, it is a natural, wholefood plant based ingredient that has traditionally been used to aid digestive issues (my local Indian store sells it for example). You can get it in health food stores, perhaps in your corner store and online and it’s what makes this dough quite easy to handle. It’s a very potent and therefore quite efficient ingredient that will make your gluten-free dough or any kind of dough so much easier to handle. Neither myself nor Duncan are used to gluten-free pierogi dough, but we’ve consumed these with pleasure and I hope you’ll enjoy them too.

vegan gluten free pierogi dough

vegan gluten free pierogi making

vegan gluten free pierogi boiled fried

vegan gluten free pierogi served

vegan gluten free pierogi dough fork

vegan gluten free pierogi side

vegan gluten free pierogi plate

makes
28
PREP
60 min
COOKING
30 min
makes
28
PREPARATION
60 min
COOKING
30 min
INGREDIENTS
FILLING

  • 15 ml / 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ banana shallots, diced finely
  • 300 g / 10½ oz fresh mushrooms (I used chestnut / cremini)
  • 4 large garlic cloves, diced finely
  • 1 large rosemary sprig, leaves chopped (or a few sprigs of thyme)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 heaped tsp red miso paste
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½-1 tsp maple syrup (optional)

GF DOUGH

TOPPING

  • 30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ onion, finely diced
  • salt
  • crushed walnuts (or walnut crumb)

METHOD
FILLING

  1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan. Gently fry shallots until translucent and lightly caramelised.
  2. Meanwhile, chop your mushrooms into medium size dice – you can use a food processor if you like but be careful not to overprocess.
  3. Next add in garlic cloves and fry on a gentle heat for a few minutes, stirring the whole time. Just before you add the mushrooms, add chopped rosemary (or thyme) and season with some salt and pepper.
  4. Add half of the mushrooms into the pan. Allow them to fry off for 5-10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  5. Once they turn dark brown, add the second half. Allow them to cook through (turn dark brown) and for all the excess water to cook out.
  6. Season with miso paste, balsamic vinegar, a touch of maple syrup (if liked) and more salt and pepper as needed. Allow the filling to cool down before filling the dough.

GF DOUGH (for non GF dough, see this recipe)

  1. Put psyllium powder (or whole psyllium husks) in a small bowl and gradually mix in 60 ml (¼ cup) of water. Mix well to get rid of lumps. Set aside to thicken for 10 minutes or so – it will turn into a thick jelly.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine all three flours and salt. Add olive oil, thickened psyllium and enough water just to bring the dough together (2-3 tbsp / 30-45 ml of warm water). You could mix olive oil, psyllium jelly and 2 tbsp of water in a separate dish first before incorporating them into the dry ingredients. Give the dough a good knead to make sure all the ingredients are distributed evenly.
  3. Boil a medium size pot of water, grab a small bowl of water and have a clean damp kitchen towel handy.
  4. Divide the dough into two. Roll the dough out as thinly (2 mm ideally) as you can on a lightly floured (with rice flour) surface.
  5. Using a cookie cutter (I used a 7 cm / 2.75″ one) or an upside down glass, cut circles out of the dough.
  6. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each circle, paint around the perimeter of the circle with a little water (with a finger dipped in the water bowl), fold the circle in half and gently seal the edges. Handle the dough carefully as it isn’t as forgiving as gluten dough, but if you see a tiny little crack occasionally – don’t worry, these do not fall apart as easily as their gluten versions during boiling.
  7. Keep sealed pierogi under a damp kitchen towel to keep them moist and supple. Once you’ve made about 10, boil 5 at a time for 5 minutes or longer depending on the thickness of your dough. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.
  8. If pan frying, allow pierogi to go completely cold first (storing them overnight in the fridge is ideal). Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet (or a non-stick pan), lay cold pierogi on the pan and leave undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Allow them to blister on one side before flipping them to the other side and frying until browned and crisped up.
  9. To serve, slowly fry a small half an onion until translucent, season with salt and pepper. Serve warm pierogi coated in the onion-flavoured oil. I also like to sprinkle mine with some walnut crumb – it’s not traditional but it’s a Lazy Cat Kitchen twist 😉 .

NOTES
DOUGH – for regular (not GF) dough, use half of this recipe.

FOR OTHER FILLING ideas, try:

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
47
2%
sugars
1 g
1%
fats
2 g
3%
saturates
0 g
2%
proteins
1 g
2%
carbs
6 g
2%
*per pierog
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5.0
10 reviews, 27 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Summer:
I made this dough and it's the only gluten free dough that stays together enought to use a pasta roller. I haven't attempted pierogi yet but it makes a delicious fetuccine.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Summer, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dough and that you found it easy to handle - this was my hope when coming up with this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to review – I really appreciate it. Ania
Natasha:
Is it possible to make the dough ahead of time and chill it in the fridge? Hoping to try it as an option for Christmas this year for my Gluten free 3 year old (my partner Polish so we have Christmas pierogi) but I'm a bit worried the dough will be a mess if I make it ahead of time
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Natasha,
    I have not tried making the dough in advance for these, but I don't foresee any issues. I have made this dough (which is similar) ahead and it was absolutely fine. I hope your 3 years old will enjoy these and not feel left out. x Ania
Emily:
These were SO good! A great thing to make when you have a little extra time on your hands. Take these to a party and you might just convert a few folks to a plant-based lifestyle. The process is fun and rewarding! My partner and I inhaled them!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you Emily, it makes me so happy to hear that these were such a success with you, your partner and even your non-vegan friends. That's amazing. Thank you for taking the time to review - it really means a lot to me. x Ania
Caitlin:
Wow. This was SO good, genuinely the best gluten free dough I’ve ever made - it kneaded smoothly, rolled out easily and was super easy to fold into dumplings. I’m going to be trying all sorts of fillings (I bet this dough would work for gyoza), it’s so exciting to have found a gluten free dumpling recipe that actually works and doesn’t fall apart!!! Thank you so much!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Caitlin! I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this dough so much and found it easy to use too - it was my aim when coming up with this recipe and it took many attempts so that's super rewarding to hear! Thank you. Ania
    PS: you may also enjoy this recipe, for gluten-free ravioli dough.
Sally Dabrowski:
Hi - would these work with all rice flour? I bake often with a combo of rice and buckwheat flours but some of the people who would be eating these definitely would not be used to the flavor of buckwheat. Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Sally,
    Yes, I am pretty sure, but I have not tried it myself. I don't think buckwheat flour is at all prounced in these but then I am used to using buckwheat flour. Hope you'll enjoy these. Ania
      Sally:
      Thanks, Ania. Maybe I'll do a test run trying it both ways. I'll report back!
      Rachel:
      In the US, any buckwheat flour you buy in the store is milled with the hull on and does have a really strong flavor (and dark color). Judging by the photo in the recipe I assume you mean to use raw hulled buckwheat flour (I buy raw hulled buckwheat in bulk and grind it at home for bread sometimes.) That might explain the confusion!
        Ania
        Ania:
        Hi Rachel,
        I am not sure what confusion you are referring to, but yes, here in the UK buckwheat flour is made from raw buckwheat as opposed to roasted (known as kasha/kasza). I suspect that the flour you are referring to is made from kasha and if so, yes, that would make it taste very different. x Ania
          Rachel:
          Sorry, I was trying to reply to Sally above!
          Ania
          Ania:
          Oh I see, that makes more sense but I cannot change how your comment appears unfortunately. x Ania
Ryan B:
Hi there! This dough recipe looks lovely, and I'm excited to make them (correctly)! I tried yesterday and messed up because the psyllium husk powder turned into a gelatinous mass before I added it to the flour. Can you provide a bit more detail on using the psyllium husk powder properly? Should I just mix it with the water with a utensil, or use an electric beater (beater is what I did the first time)? How long should I let it thicken (clearly I went too long, but, having never worked with psyllium husk powder before, I had no idea it would turn into a gel after a certain amount of time)? What should the consistency be like when it's at an "optimal" place? Would mixing it into the flour with a utensil suffice, or should I use an electric beater? How thoroughly should the dough be mixed? Thank you so much!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Ryan,
    Oh no, I am sorry that you've aborted the mission as it does not sound like anything went wrong at all. Psyllium husk powder is meant to turn into thick jelly - that's the point of it, it's meant to act as a biner. I simply stir some water into it with a spoon and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. I then add it to the flours with the oil and extra water and knead until the dough is nice and uniform (you could create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and in that well combine oil, psyllium jelly and 2 tbsp water before you knead it into the flours (I didnt do that but it will make it easier to get uniformity). Also I will add a further explanation to the method as I now realise that I did not make it clear that a bit of kneading is needed. Good luck!
Laura Kirsch:
Wow these look lovely! Do you think this dough would also be good for something like a GF hand-rolled pasta?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Laura,
    Yes, absolutely! In fact I made ravioli with similar kind of dough a while ago, but this version is better in my opinion. I would love to know how you get on! x Ania
Tatiana:
Can I freeze them and than cook?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Tatiana,
    Typically, I boil them, cool, freeze, thaw naturally and then pan-fry them to serve, but I am pretty sure freezing them raw would also work (I haven't tried myself though). x Ania
Annelies Verbiest:
I really really loved these pierogi. I even prefer this dough to non gf dough. It seems lighter and has a bit of savoury bite to it. The filling was just perfect. I had a bit of filling left and used it as topping to a salad. Super tasty! Thank you! Will make again!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Annelies,
    Thank you, I am so happy to hear that these were such a success! And the fact that you preferred it to regular wheat containing pierogi is a high praise indeed - I'm delighted. x Ania
Sonia:
Incredible easy gluten free dough and so delicious. Thank you for the inspiration and love your recipes!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks Sonia! That's so nice to hear! And thank you for coming back to leave to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Basia:
That's right! I forgot to mention in my previous entry that my grandma starts making porcini mushroom uszka in November for Wigilia because they are everyone's favourites (she usually makes over 500 of them - talking about pierogeddon, haha!) She would freeze them in batches and we would have leftovers for new year's and January :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Haha, yes, same in my family when both my grandmas were still alive, sadly they both passed away quite a few years back. It's hard to rival a granma's pierogi making endurance :) x Ania
Basia:
I just came to say I lol'ed at "pierogeddon" 😆 your friend sounds like a blast to be around.
I'm so glad you made it possibly for gluten free people to enjoy the ultimate Polish comfort food and it's great to know this recipe is here for when I want to entertain my gf friends :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Basia! Given how many pierogi is usually needed for a family gathering, it does feel like end of days prep sometimes, doesn't it ;) xx Ania
Paulina:
Pierogi are delicious! The filling has a rich taste 🌱 As I made more dough, I served the second portion with red lentil and sun-dried tomatoes filling 😉 The dough has a universal flavor - it tastes delicious in a dry version, but it will also be delicious when sweet 💚 I recommend it 🥟
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you for your kind words, Paulina! I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed these. x Ania
Janet Paula:
If i want to pan fry them, do I have to cook them first for 5 minutes before placing them in the fridgerator? Thanks so much.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Janet,
    Yes, you need to cook them for 5 minutes either way and I recommend making sure they are completely cold before pan-frying. Refrigerating for a few hours helps but isn't necessary. Hope this helps! Ania
mushroom50:
Thanks for this recipe, I look forward to trying it out! Kristal
    Ania
    Ania:
    My pleasure, I hope you'll enjoy it! Ania
Helen:
Thank you so much for this recipe- that's our Christmas Eve sorted, as it suits absolutely everyone's tastes and requirements, specially if they can be frozen ahead? As I'm not experienced at home freezing, could you give some more specific instructions about how to freeze please, and whether to de-frost or cook from frozen? I'm really excited to try these - I used to make kreplach, which look quite similar, (and would fry them after boiling, instead of putting them in soup) until 2 of the family became gluten intolerant.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Helen,
    My pleasure, I hope these will turn out to be popular in your household. In terms of freezing, I have not tried freezing these ones in particular, but I don't see why they wouldn't freeze well. In order to freeze, cool them down completely and freeze in freezer bags or glass / plastic containers. To defrost, leave in the fridge (on a plate) overnight to allow them to thaw naturally and pan-fry once fully thawed. Hope this helps! Ania
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