You can make Frozen Pierogies in your Air Fryer in under 15 minutes! Never wonder how to make pierogies in the air fryer again. With these simple instructions, they’ll come out soft and perfectly crispy on the outside.
Overview
Pierogies (or Pierogi) are generally considered a Polish delicacy, but versions of pierogies are made in most Eastern European countries, including Poland, Ukraine, and Russia.
Almost all cultures have a food similar to pierogi. In Asian countries we see dumplings, Italy has ravioli, and from the Middle East, we get samosas.
Frozen convenience foods like popcorn shrimp, meatballs and french fries are some of the best air fryer foods. Add Frozen Pierogies to your Air Fryer meal rotation after learning how simple it is.
Pierogies are the best in the air fryer
There are a lot of ways to cook pierogies, but here’s why the air fryer is the best!
- The microwave method is pretty easy, but the pierogies can come out gummy and overcooked.
- Boiling frozen pierogies makes them soft and mushy.
- Baking or sauteing them can take more than 20 minutes, and deep frying pierogies is just inconvenient.
Using the air fryer to make frozen pierogies solves these problems! They’ll be ready in 10 or 11 minutes, crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked inside.
What You’ll need
- Frozen Pierogies – This recipe will work with any brand of frozen pierogies that you have. Mrs. T’s is a popular brand of frozen Pierogi, but today we’re cooking Kasia’s pierogies, which are delicious.
- Olive Oil – To get a nice crispy outer crust on your air fryer pierogies, a brush or spray of olive oil is a perfect choice.
Air frying instructions
- Choose your favorite brand of frozen pierogies, and measure out your oil.
- Add the whole box of pierogies to a bowl, and pour in the olive oil.
- Toss pierogies with olive oil until lightly covered. You can also brush the oil on, or spray on olive oil with a mister.
- Place the pierogies in a single, even layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 400F for 9-11 minutes, until the pierogies are golden and crispy, flipping halfway through.
- Serve hot with any desired toppings.
Cook time notes
At 400°F/200°C you should air fryer pierogies for the following suggested amounts of time:
- Mini Pierogies – 4-8 minutes
- Regular Pierogies – 9-11 minutes
- Large Pierogies – 8-15 minutes
How to serve these pierogies
Pierogies are best served warm, so be sure to enjoy yours shortly after they come out of the air fryer.
Add Toppings
Sour cream, fried onions, and butter are traditional pierogi toppings. You can do your own thing too and serve them with salsa, tomato sauce, or honey mustard.
Kids might like to dip their air fryer pierogies in ketchup or ranch dressing! If your kids like dipping, try making these Kid Friendly Tofu Bites too.
Make a Meal
Air Fryer Pierogies can be the main event, but they make an excellent side dish too. Serve them with Air Fryer Breaded Pork Chops, Air Fryer Ham, or Air Fryer Brats to make a delicious, hearty meal.
Use your air-fried pierogies in any type of casserole, or try this Pierogi Chicken Supper recipe.
Tips and tricks
- Don’t Thaw Them. Cook the pierogies directly from the freezer. It’s easy this way, and the texture won’t be right if you let them thaw out.
- Use Any Oil. I like olive oil on my air fryer pierogies, but any lightly flavored oil can be used. Avocado oil or canola oil works just as well.
- Watch Your Food. This is true for anything you’re cooking in the air fryer. Since all machines cook a little bit differently, you may need to adjust the amount of time you cook pierogies in the air fryer. You can always add time, but you can’t take it away!
- Don’t Overcrowd. I was able to fit the entire box of pierogies in my Cosori air fryer. If you’re working with a smaller air fryer, you may want to cook the pierogies in batches.
- Flip Them. For pierogies that are crispy all the way around, be sure to flip them over at the halfway point.
- Keep Pierogies from Sticking. For easy clean-up and to be extra sure that nothing sticks to the air fryer, try using parchment paper air fryer liners.
Storing and reheating leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheat cooked frozen pierogies in the air fryer at 400°F/200°C for 2-4 minutes.
FAQs
If you are buying specialty pierogies, particularly the ones sold around the holidays, you may find that they are much bigger than Mrs. T’s frozen pierogies.
You can still cook these in the air fryer. Be sure not to overcrowd the machine, and plan on adding a few more minutes of cooking time to get them heated through.
Mini pierogies can also be cooked in the air fryer in this same way. Reduce the cooking time by half to start, adding additional minutes if needed. I suggest cooking for between 4 and 8 minutes in total.
I tried making the frozen pierogies in the air fryer without any oil, and while they did cook well, they didn’t get the nice crispy exterior that I wanted. I definitely suggest using some oil to air-fry frozen pierogi.
They should puff up and be golden brown when they are done cooking.
More frozen foods to try
Nothing could be easier than making a Totino’s Pizza in the Air Fryer for a busy weeknight dinner.
If you like frozen pierogies in the air fryer, you will also love making Frozen Dumplings in the Air Fryer.
Get your snack on with Frozen Mozzarella Sticks and Frozen Sweet Potato Fries.
Air Fryer Frozen Pierogies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Frozen Pierogies a standard sized box
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil or any mild flavor oil
Instructions
- Add the pierogies to a bowl and toss with olive oil until lightly covered.
- Place the pierogies in an even layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 400F for 9-11 minutes, until the pierogies are golden and crispy, flipping halfway through.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings or dip.
Notes
- You can also spray the pierogies with cooking spray instead of tossing in oil if you prefer. The goal is to get the pierogies golden brown and crispy.
- Do not use too much oil or the pierogies will be oily. You do not need a lot of oil for the air fryer – just about a tablespoon will do the trick.
- Keep the pierogies in a single, even layer so they can crisp up. You may need to cook the pierogies in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- This method will work for any size pierogies. Adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/undercooking.
Nutrition
Frozen pierogies are one of those foods that my picky kid will always eat! Using the air fryer to make them is a total game changer! Not sure why I didn’t think of it before, but thank you!!
These are very yummy! I served them with sour cream.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Cooked 10 , every single one “exploded “ the filling. What did I do wrong?
Uh-oh…That doesn’t sound good 😯
It might be that your air fryer is running a bit hotter than the one we used for this recipe. Try cooking at a lower temperature (around 325°F/165°C) to avoid too much steam building up too quickly inside the pierogis.
Let us know if that helps and we can go from there!