Piroshki (Piroshky) is a street food favorite that Russians and Ukrainians buy when shopping at a flea market (Bazaar.) This piroshki recipe is made from a yeast-filled dough then shaped into a hand-sized pie and fried to perfection! We love them with this mashed potato with liver filling!  piroshki-pirozhki-belyashi-potatoes-fried-dough-stuffed dough-ukrainian-traditional-classic-russian-беляши- If you love fried dough try these tasty meat pies called Chebureki, Mom’s Cabbage-filled Piroshki, and this Polish Pierogies Recipe! Other pastry favorites include Vatrushka and these Ukrainian Sweet Filled Buns called Pirogi.

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What Is Piroshki?

Piroshki is a leavened dough typically filled with sweet or savory fillings. They can be filled with Mashed Potatoes, Mushrooms, boiled eggs with green onions, or Fried cabbage, and if your craving sweet piroshki fill them with sweetened Farmer’s Cheese (quark) or jam!  Belyashi would be the ground meat variation.

As a result, according to my Ukrainian mom “Ponchiki (leavened doughnuts), Piroshki, or Belyashi (meat pies) can all be made from the same dough, the only difference lies in the filling. With Ponchiki being sweet, Piroshki savory, and Belyashi typically filled with meat.

My husband’s Ukrainian mom has said that “piroshki are baked and Belyashi are fried”. That being said, Regional varieties differ from village to village but the closest thing to Piroshki is Belyashi which sometimes gets confused since they are so alike.

Traditional Piroshki isn’t as hard as you think (if a village woman can sell them at the Bazaar market) know that it’s not going to be a complicated art. 

True Story: we processed a deer one evening and I had these piroshki going, a double batch of my French Bread rising and lots of meat to grind through a meat grinder. The time flew by and these were such an ease-to-make, during the busy period.

Mashed Potato Filling:

Honestly, this mashed potato filling can be made with any leftover mash you have going especially after the Holidays. The filling to these piroshki may sound unappealing at the liver ingredient. But, believe me when I say this concoction is amazing. In fact, my brother-in-law who is not fond of such ingredients actually found these to be super tasty!

Besides, eating liver is high in iron and very healthy! It gets hidden behind the mashed potatoes so it’s not so harsh to the taste and if you try a good-enough liver recipe like this one, you’ll probably be a liver convert! At least I have:)

So, this Russian Piroshki recipe was handed down by a church lady. After she had brought these, hand-shaped Piroshky over after the birth of my third child–I had to get the recipe from her! You’d be surprised how easy and quick this fried dough comes together.

Note: you can freeze leftover mashed potatoes or this potato filing at any given time, which is so handy when you need a quick lunch or dinner:)

FAQ

Is Liver Healthy?

Beef liver is high in protein and rich in Vitamin A. Eating liver can help with iron deficiency and is an excellent source of vitamins, potassium, and iron. 

Ingredients For Piroshki:

Ingredients for Dough:

ingredients for savory Piroshki

    • Flour- use all-purpose flour or bread flour when making Piroshki. 
    • Milk- village people use raw whole milk in their food recipes. 
    • Egg- eggs lighten and enrich the dough.
    • Butter- unsalted butter is what I used. 
    • Sugar- white granulated sugar helps activate the yeast (proofing.)  
    • Salt- use kosher or sea salt. 
    • Yeast- I typically use dry active yeast. 

Piroshki filling ingredients

Ingredients For The Potato Filling: 

  • Mashed Potatoes- use leftover mashed potatoes or mash 4 cooked potatoes with 3 Tbsp butter and 1 tsp salt. 
  • Liver- saute 1/2 onion (diced) in oil. Set aside. Boil the liver for 20 minutes. Run through a meat grinder or food processor. 

Note: you can use a combination of heart, liver, or lung organs from a pig or cow. Simply simmer all for 20 minutes and then run through a meat grinder with sauteed onions (the oil from the onions moistens the dry liver filling.) 

 

How To Make Piroshki Dough:

The Piroshki Dough can be made three ways, either in a bread machine, stand mixer, or knead by hand. No doubt, the traditional method would be kneading all the dough by hand. However, handy equipment like a mixer or bread machine makes it easy for the home cook. 

how to make piroshki dough in a bread machine

  1. First, make the dough. You could either dump everything into a bread machine and select dough setting or combine the wet ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer, followed by the dry ingredients. Knead the dough.
  2. Rest the dough until doubled in size. 
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling ingredients. 
  4. Preheat 2-inches of oil in a large pot. 
  5. Transfer risen dough to a floured workspace. Form the dough into a 34″ log.  
  6. Cut into 1-inch pieces. 
  7. Slightly flatten the dough piece into a disk and fill with 1 tablespoon of the potato filling. 
  8. Fold in half to make a half-moon shape and pinch the edges shut. Transfer to a floured tray.
  9. Fry the Piroshki for 2-3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. 
  10. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm! 

Full Step-By-Step Tutorial: 

image of how to make piroshki dough

how to prepare the mashed potato filling for piroshki and liver how to cook and make ground liver for piroshki

 

how to shape piroshki

how to fry Piroshki

Fried vs Baked?

Piroshki can be baked in the oven (fewer calories), or deep-fried like the traditional street-food piroshki. Like most deep-fried foods there will be a difference in the exterior. Baked piroshki will taste more like bread buns whereas fried piroshki will have a crisp shell and fluffy inside. 

The choice is yours to decide, but in my opinion fried would be way better than baked because that’s just the authentic way to make piroshki like in the old days when our grandmas used real lard to deep fry their food. 

To bake piroshki in the oven: arrange them 2-inches apart on a lined baking pan. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake in a preheated 375°F for 20 minutes. 

Piroshki Variations:

Meat piroshki are called Belyashi in Ukrainian. Here are Savory or Sweet Filling Ideas for this Classic Piroshki Dough. 

  • Meat Piroshki- a traditional meat filling is made of ground meat, onion, water, salt, and pepper. Use 1lb of ground pork or beef, 1 small onion (minced), 1/2 cup water, 1 1/2 salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. 
  • Cabbage Piroshki- fill piroshki with about 4 cups of this Fried Cabbage Recipe
  • Piroshki with Boiled Eggs and Green Onions- fry 2 bunches of chopped green onions, 4 chopped hard-boiled eggs, and 1/4 cup of dill in 2 Tbsp of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken broth or melted butter. 
  • Mushroom Piroshki- make this Mushroom Filling
  • Quark (cheese) Piroshki: combine 2 cups of farmer’s cheese or drained and rinsed cottage cheese with 8 oz of softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat and fill. 
  • Perepichka- this yeasted dough is filled with a sausage (hot dog.) 

What To Serve With Piroshki?

Piroshky is the main course dish in Russian and Ukrainian cuisine. Of course, they make a delicious snack, appetizer, or side dish to many other main dishes. Here are some ways to serve up Piroshki: 

Can You Freeze Fried Piroshki? 

The answer is yes! Fried Piroshki can keep frozen for up to 6 months in a deep freezer.

For the best freezer experience make sure you squeeze out as much air from the freezer bag as possible to prevent any freezer burns. It is important to cool the piroshki completely before placing it into containers or freezer bags, this helps with condensation (piroshki from sweating and turning into ice.)

To Reheat:  microwave the frozen piroshki every 30 seconds until hot. Or place frozen piroshki in the oven and cover with foil; reheat at 350°F until soft and heated thoroughly. 

Storing Piroshki:

Typically, fried Piroshki are best fresh out of the oil, if you do have leftovers keep them stored in the refrigerator inside a gallon-sized freezer bag. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: bake the piroshki covered in foil for 7-8 minutes in a 350°F or revive them in a dry non-stick skillet with a lid until heated thoroughly. 

     

Handy Equipment To Make Piroshki:

Tips In How To Make Piroshki:

  1. For a softer dough and more air pockets transfer the dough to a lightly watered surface and avoid using any additional flour. This is a tip my mom taught me when we made her Cabbage Piroshki
  2. Making piroshki on a lightly floured surface creates a nice deep-fried crust. Don’t use too much flour we still want the piroshki to be soft and fluffy. 
  3. To make mini Piroshki cut the disks into half-inch pieces. 
  4. Fry the piroshki over a low frying temperature to avoid over-browning the crust. 

piroshki 2

How To Make Piroshki: 

Fried Piroshki Recipe (Savory Belyashi)

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Proofing: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 28 minutes
Servings: 34 Piroshki
Author: Alyona Demyanchuk
Piroshki (Piroshky) is a street food favorite that Russians and Ukrainians buy when shopping at a flea market (Bazaar.) This piroshki recipe is made from a yeast-filled dough then shaped into a hand-sized pie and fried to perfection! We love them with this mashed potato with liver filling! 

Equipment

  • 4-quart pot to deep fry
  • Kitchen Aid Mixer

Ingredients

Piroshki Dough:

  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • 2 tsp dry yeast
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Mashed Potato Filling:

  • 4 cups mashed potatoes (leftovers)
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 5 oz beef liver
  • 3 tbsp oil

Instructions

  • To make the dough: combine the wet ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer, followed by the dry ingredients. Knead the dough for 3 minutes. Let rise until doubled (30-45 minutes.)
  • To make the filling: Saute the onion in 3 Tbsp of oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside. Boil the liver in a quart of water for 20 minutes. Drain and run through a meat grinder with the sauteed onion mixture (or chop in a food processor.) Stir into the mashed potatoes.
  • To Shape Piroshki: transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into a 34" long log and cut into 1-inch slices.
  • Slightly flatten dough piece and fill with 1 Tbsp of filling. Fold and pinch the edges shut. Place onto a floured tray.
  • Fry the Piroshki for 2-3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve Warm!

Notes

  • To make the mashed potato filling from scratch; cook 4 potatoes in water until soft; drain and mash with 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp of butter. 
  • For a freezer batch of filling; double the liver and onion ingredients and mix with the mashed potatoes. Freeze leftovers. Thaw and use for another batch of piroshki.  

Nutrition per serving

Serving: 1PiroshkiCalories: 102kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 262mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 773IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg

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10 comments

    • Fleur

    Hi Alyona, is the pastry comparable to pizza dough or another kind of dough, with can be bought already made? I have different kind of ready-made pastry in my fridge which need to be consumed. I’d like to use it with this intriguing filling recipe.
    Thank you in advance for your answer!

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Hi, you could use any kind of pizza dough, just this dough is really soft to work with so it will be fluffier.

    • Me

    Can these be frozen once fried? And if so how do we reheat them? Re-fry? Bake? I don’t own a microwave on purpose.

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Reheating them in the oven would be the best variation.

    • Leiya G

    Absolutely loved making these and eating especially . Not a fan of liver !! Hate it personally but made it simply with potatoes and onions and it was delicious guys!!! You gotta try!! Also you can substitute the filling for boiled eggs and spring onions mixed together 🙂 very delicious as well.

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Hi Leiya, thank you for the wonderful feedback! I do need to try piroshki with the boiled eggs sometime!

    • Anita Preston

    Made these yummies my kids at afterschool care. What a hit. And know my grown up children at home want these all the time. We may have created a Piroshki monster.
    I have many wonderful memories of going to my Godfmothers place at Christmas to wonderful
    Russian fare and these had to be one of my all time favourites.

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Greetings Anita! Thank you for trying our piroshki recipe! I’m glad they were a hit! They are quite a treat! I’ve heard they sell in flea markets as well, they do make the perfect “to go” foods.

    • Stephaniw

    Can I freeze extra dough to thaw and make more peroshkis later?

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      I’m not sure if freezing the dough for piroshki is a good idea but to be on the safe side just half the recipe if the amount is too much for one time.

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