Here’s A Lazy Vareniki Recipe For When You’re Feeling… Lazy!
Craving the delicious taste of varenyky (or pierogi) but don’t want to go through the hassle of making them? Then “lazy vareniki” are for you!
These lazy cheese dumplings – also known as “lenivye vareniki” in Russian – are so easy to make in just 30 minutes.
All you need are five ingredients – cottage cheese, flour, egg, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Once these dumplings are cooked, you can serve them with sweet or savory toppings!
These dumplings are called lazy because you don’t need to prepare the dough and the filling separately. You just mix everything in one bowl. This saves a lot of time compared to regular dumplings.
Fun fact: Many people from Eastern Europe first tried lazy dumplings in kindergarten, where this dish is often served for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
Children can be reluctant to eat cottage cheese, which contains calcium. Calcium is good for growing kids and their bones, so lazy vareniki are a good way to get it!
Ingredients
Here are the lazy vareniki ingredients that you will need to make this recipe:
- Cottage cheese – Alternatively, you can use tvorog (if you can find it) or ricotta cheese.
- Sugar – Either white granulated sugar or golden sugar.
- Egg – Acts as a binding agent.
- Salt – Enhances the overall flavor.
- All-purpose flour – To make the dough.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- You can also make these lazy dumplings with potatoes, or with a combination of potatoes and mushrooms.
- For a fruity twist, you can place a piece of berry (such as strawberry or raspberry) inside the lazy dumplings.
- You can adjust the amount of sugar you add to taste.
- If you have leftover dumplings, you can fry them in a little butter the next day.
- If you have frozen lazy dumplings, cook them in boiling water for about 3 minutes longer than the fresh dumplings.
How to Make Lazy Vareniki – Step by Step Instructions
In this section, you will be able to see exactly how to make lazy vareniki. It’s a quick and easy recipe, but we’ve included all the recipe process photos if you want some visual guidance.
Alternatively, you can jump ahead to the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dough and mix well. But don’t overmix as this can make the dumplings tough.
If the cottage cheese dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, but not too much, or the vareniki will be tough. The dough should be slightly sticky, but workable.
Dust a table or a cutting board with some flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dust your hands with flour as well.
Take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a thin log about 1 inch or slightly more in diameter.
Cut the log at an angle into 1/2-inch pieces. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
At this stage, you can freeze some of the lazy dumplings – first on a baking sheet, and then transfer them to a plastic bag or container.
Cook the lazy dumplings in a pot of boiling water with the sugar and salt. Depending on the size of your pot, cook them in batches.
The cooking time is approximately 3 minutes; they are done when they float to the top.
When cooked, remove the dumplings from the pot with a slotted spoon, then transfer them to a plate and add some butter.
You can top the dumplings with a sweet sauce of your choice, sprinkle with sugar or add berries to them. You can also serve them with sour cream. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
If you have leftover dumplings, allow them to cool, then store them in a sealed container in the fridge. For the best taste, consume them within 2-3 days.
You can reheat them by frying them in a pan with a little bit of butter or oil or just put them in a bowl in the microwave.
Related Recipes
If you liked these lazy vareniki, here are some other Russian and Ukrainian recipes – some are dumplings, some are stuffed, some are porridge, all of which are delicious!
- Syrniki (Cheese Pancakes)
- Galushki (Ukrainian Dumplings)
- Nalysnyky (Mushroom Stuffed Pancakes)
- Pelmeni (Meat-Filled Dumplings)
- Pirozhki (Russian Hand Pies)
- Banosh (Hutsul Corn Porridge)
- Kasha (Buckwheat Porridge with Mushrooms)
Lazy Vareniki (Easy Cottage Cheese Dumplings)
Ingredients
For The Dough
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 4 tablespoons granulated or golden sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5-6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
For Cooking
- water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For Serving
- butter
- berries, optional
- sauce of choice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dough and mix well (but don't overmix). If the cottage cheese dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, but not too much, or the vareniki will be tough. The dough should be slightly sticky, but workable.16 ounces cottage cheese, 4 tablespoons granulated or golden sugar, 1 egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 5-6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Dust a table or a cutting board with some flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dust your hands with flour as well. Take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a thin log about 1 inch or slightly more in diameter.
- Cut the log at an angle into 1/2-inch pieces. Repeat with the rest of the dough. At this stage, you can freeze some of the lazy dumplings – first on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a plastic bag or container.
- Cook the lazy dumplings in a pot of boiling water with the sugar and salt. Depending on the size of your pot, cook them in batches. The cooking time is about 3 minutes; they are done when they float to the top.water, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Once cooked, remove the dumplings from the pot with a slotted spoon, then transfer them to a plate and add a little butter. You can top the dumplings with a sweet sauce of your choice, sprinkle with sugar or add berries to them. They can also be served with sour cream.butter, berries, sauce of choice
Notes
- You can also make these lazy dumplings with potatoes, or with a combination of potatoes and mushrooms.
- For a fruity twist, you can place a piece of berry (such as strawberry or raspberry) inside the lazy dumplings.
- You can adjust the amount of sugar you add to taste.
- If you have leftover dumplings, you can fry them in a little butter the next day.
- If you have frozen lazy dumplings, cook them in boiling water for about 3 minutes longer than the fresh ones.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
Thank you for your recipes! How do you make Lazy Vereniki with potatoes. Must try the recipe.
Thanks for your comment, Patricia! If you want to make the lazy vareniki with potatoes, you would skip the cottage cheese and sugar and add mashed potatoes instead (peel the potatoes, cut them in half, boil in salted water until soft, drain, then mash). They are very similar to gnocchi. I found this YouTube video which shows you (some of) the process and has a specific recipe in the description for lazy dumplings with potatoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm9LaB5PTRI I hope that helps!
In the picture of the ingredients, that bowl does not look like
5 to 6 tablespoons of flour.
It also looks like more than 4 tablespoons of sugar.
Are these correct?
Thank you for your comment, Camille. For Yuliia’s recipes, the ingredient photos are a visual representation of the type of ingredients you need, not necessarily the exact amounts of each ingredient. For exact amounts, it’s best to use the recipe card at the end of the post. I’m sorry if this has caused confusion!