20 Sauces and Toppings for Pierogi

Pierogi, the quintessentially Polish dish that makes your mouth water. Everyone loves them! Easy to make at home, pierogi (the plural of pieróg) can be eaten as a snack, side dish, or as meal in itself. They’re perfect for dessert too!

But what to serve with pierogi is a question I get asked often!

Pierogi are traditionally eaten simply with melted butter, sour cream, or fried onions on top. But if you want to serve them with something more substantial or with dipping sauces, you absolutely can!

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Which Sauces Should I Serve With Pierogi?

1. Garlic Sauce

The tastiest of all sauces, garlic sauce keeps vampires away! But really, the pungent and aromatic garlic sauce is the perfect complement to any savory pierogi! Garlic aioli works great too!

2. Tomato Sauce

Ketchup or tomato sauce is the easiest sauce that can be served with pierogi. Be it traditional pierogi or pierogi ruskie, ketchup simplifies things. But try to keep ketchup as your last resort, the taste doesn’t really work as well with pierogi as it does with french fries.

The same goes for barbecue sauce. BBQ sauce might per perfect for chicken wings, but with pierogi, it’s just meh!

3. Tomato-Based Sauces

If you leave the world of ketchup behind and move on to sauces made with tomatoes, pierogi will taste a whole lot better. You can serve tomato salsa, marinara, or even a homemade pasta sauce with pierogi and everyone will love it!

4. Pesto

Pine nuts, crushed garlic, cheese, basil, and more give this Genoese pesto sauce the right flavor to pair with any savory pierogi. Whether it’s simple pierogi leniwe or pierogi stuffed with kapusta, the combination is fantastic.

5. Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel sauce or besciamella as it’s called in Italian provides the perfect creamy dip for pierogis. You can buy the bechamel sauce in-store or serve the pierogi with this tasty homemade bechamel sauce (it’s pretty easy to make yourself!).

6. Sour Cream

Easy, quick, and simple, sour cream is one of the easiest sides for pierogi dumplings. We Poles call it Śmietana. Simply serve the pierogi with spoonfuls of plain sour cream or sour cream topped with chopped chives and you’re ready to go.

Smietana or sour cream complements both savory and sweet Polish pierogi. Just skip the chives and replace them with sugar for the sweet version with cheese and fruit filling.

7. Mushroom Sauce

Creamy mushroom sauces like the one we use in mushroom stroganoff are just perfect for pierogi.

Choose any mushrooms you like – porcini, portobello, grzybami (wild mushrooms), others will work too! Simply cook the mushrooms with fried onions, salt, pepper, and garlic, and simmer with sour cream for a while, and you’ll have the tastiest side dish for pierogi!

8. Ranch Dressing

This popular salad dressing might not seem like a natural pairing for pierogi, but it goes quite well with it.

The mixture of buttermilk, mustard, sour cream or yogurt, onions, garlic, and herbs tastes a lot like the Polish sos czosnkowy that’s used in salads. Serve your pierogi with ranch dressing for that creamy tang!

And on a side note, ranch dressing also goes really well with placki ziemniaczane.

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Which Sides Or Toppings Should I Serve With Savory Pierogi?

1. Fried Breadcrumbs

I’ve you’ve never tasted fried breadcrumbs you’re missing something. Although it seems like a very simple dish, breadcrumbs fried with butter or pork lard elevate the humble pierogi to a higher level.

How do you make fried breadcrumbs? Simply fry the breadcrumbs in a pan with butter till they’re brown and crispy. Sprinkle over the warm pierog and serve.

2. Butter

It can’t get simpler or more luxurious than butter. Simply melt the butter and pour it over the warm pierogi before serving! Delicious is the word! Garlic flavored butter is a great choice too!

3. Cheese

Melted cheese is a great gooey topping that kids and adults love. Simply melt some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in a saucepan and pour over the pierogi.

Of course, if you don’t want to take the trouble to melt the cheese, just top the pierog with shredded parmesan cheese .

4. Fresh Herbs

Chopped chives, parsley, cilantro, dill, and other herbs add a dash of freshness to pierogi. They can be used plain or in combination with sour cream or butter.

5. Fried Onions

Onions fried in butter or pork lard have a nice sweet caramel flavor that contrasts with the butter.

How do you make fried onions for pierogi? Simply dice a couple of onions fine, toss them in a frying pan with butter and fry till caramelized. Stir a few times, add a spoonful or two on top of the pierogi to serve!

6. Kielbasa

Kielbasa sausages provide a meaty accompaniment to any pierog. Chop a good smoked garlic kielbasa into bits, fry in pork lard or oil, and serve with the pierog.

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Which Toppings Should I Serve With Sweet Pierogi?

1. Honey

Natural, gluten-free, and sweet, the kids love eating pierogi with honey for snacks or meals. Yes, Polish folk don’t mind eating sweet dishes for lunch or dinner. It’s as natural as eating soups or salads.

Use any good honey – wildflower honey or clover honey as a topping with or without melted butter.

2. Jam or Marmalade

Plum jam, blueberry jam, strawberry jam, cranberry jam, raspberry jam, literally any tangy jam will complement the sweetness of the pierogi. Jams, marmalade, syrups, or fruit preserves are perfect for sweet cheese pierogi.

3. Whipped Cream

If you’re not a fan of sour cream, try some whipped cream or vanilla-flavored whipped cream with pierogi. You’ll love it!

4. Fresh Fruit

Almost all fresh fruit can pair well with pierogi. Simply dice the fruit and use it as a topping. Some fruits such as apples can also be fried in butter.

5. Cinnamon Powder and Sugar

The easiest and tastiest way to enjoy sweet pierogi – cinnamon powder and sugar don’t require any fuss at all. Simply sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on the pierogi with or without sugar and it’s ready to be gobbled down!

So those are some tasty sauces and toppings to serve with pierogi! Which pierogi sauces have you tried? And which are your favorite pierogi toppings?