Pelmeni are a must-try traditional Russian meal! Similar to dumplings, these are made with tender and juicy meat wrapped in dough and cooked in boiled water. They are perfect for a meal prep, as you can freeze them and then cook in just 10 minutes!
Pelmeni are a classic Russian recipe that is similar to dumplings. They are filled with ground pork and beef and wrapped in a tender dough. Similar to pasta, it takes about 10 minutes to cook them in boiling water, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights or a meal prep.
How to make Pelmeni
Make the dough.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together an egg, milk, water, salt, and sugar.
Add half of the all-purpose flour and using a spatula, fold it in. Then add the rest of the flour and mix.
Transfer the dough to a counter and knead for about 7-10 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic.
Wrap it with a plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for about 40-50 minutes.
Make the filling.
In another mixing bowl, add ground pork, ground beef, grated onion, salt and pepper. Using a spatula or your hands, mix everything until evenly combined.
Make Pelmeni.
When the dough is ready, knead it again until it’s soft and elastic, adding some more flour. Cut a piece of the dough (about an apple size) and roll it evenly until about ¼-inch thin.
Cut the circles from the dough using a glass or a special circles cutter. Put about 1 teaspoon of meat mixture in each circle and make the shape of the ravioli. (you can watch my video tutorial)
Cook.
When the pelmeni are ready, you can cook them right away or put them in the freezer. Whether you decide to cook them fresh or frozen, the technique and timing will be the same. It’s similar to cooking pasta.
Boil a large pot with water over high heat. When the water starts boiling, add frozen or freshly made pelmeni and stir, so they don’t stick together. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings start to float on top.
You can scoop them out of water with a strainer ladle or drain the liquid like you would do it for pasta.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips for best results
- Depending on the flour brand you are using and how much moisture it has, you might need more or less of it. I usually add one cup of flour at a time and mix well before adding more.
- Keep the counter surface and a rolling pin well-floured while working with the dough, so it won’t stick.
- Don’t overcook pelmeni, otherwise they will fall apart.
- Make sure you grate the onion and don’t just chop it for the filling. The onion juices will help the meat stay soft and tender.
- When you cook these raviolis from the freezer, you don’t need to defrost them. Just put them into the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes just as you would the fresh ones. They will come out delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
The traditional pelmeni are made with ground meat (usually mix of pork and beef). Other popular fillings are potatoes with onion, mushrooms, apples, and cherry. This dumplings type is called Varenniki.
Traditionally, people make a big batch of these meat dumplings and freeze them. To do so, place pelmeni first of a baking sheet sprinkled with flour and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then you can portion and transfer them into zip-locked bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
Usually, they are served in a bowl with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkled dill on top. You also can serve some dips, like ketchup, mustard, vinegar, or horseradish relish.
If you have any cooked leftovers, you can refrigerate them in an air-tight container for a couple of days. You can reheat them in a frying pan, using a bit of butter. They also will get a delicious golden crust.
If you want to try more traditional Russian meals, you can check out my recipes for Beef Borscht, Cold Beet Soup, Olivie, and Tefteli.
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Pelmeni Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for the dough:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Ingredients for the Filling:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion grated with juices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together an egg, milk, water, salt, and sugar. Add half of the all-purpose flour and using a spatula, fold it in. Then add the rest of the flour and mix.
- Transfer the dough to a counter and knead for about 7-10minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic. Wrap it with a plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for about 40-50 minutes.
- In another mixing bowl, add ground pork, ground beef, grated onion, salt and pepper. Using a spatula or your hands, mix everything until evenly combined.
- When the dough is ready, knead it again until it’s soft and elastic, adding some more flour. Cut a piece of the dough (about an apple size) and roll it evenly until about ¼-inch thin.
- Cut the circles from the dough using a glass or a special circles cutter. Put about 1 teaspoon of meat mixture in each circle and make the shape of the pelmeni. (you can watch my video tutorial)
- When the pelmeni are ready, you can cook them right away or put them in the freezer. Whether you decide to cook them fresh or frozen, the technique and timing will be the same. It’s similar to cooking pasta.
- Boil a large pot with water over high heat. When the water starts boiling, add frozen or freshly made pelmeni and stir, so they don’t stick together. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings start to float on top.
- You can scoop them out of water with a strainer ladle or drain the liquid like you would do it for pasta.
Video
Notes
- Depending on the flour brand you are using and how much moisture it has, you might need more or less of it. I usually add one cup of flour at a time and mix well before adding more.
- Keep the counter surface and a rolling pin well-floured while working with the dough, so it won’t stick.
- Don’t overcook pelmeni, otherwise they will fall apart.
- Make sure you grate the onion and don’t just chop it for the filling. The onion juices will help the meat stay soft and tender.
- When you cook these raviolis from the freezer, you don’t need to defrost them. Just put them into the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes just as you would the fresh ones. They will come out delicious!
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2015, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in August of 2020.
Love this recipe, make it everytime I run out! How many pelmeni are considered a serving? I use a mold to form them.
Can’t wait to try! What are some sides you serve with this meal?
I made these last night and they were amazing! Weirdly though, I ended up with a lot more filling than dough, but this could be because I added some mashed potatoes to the filling, and I don’t know how much pork I started with as it was from my meat CSA box, and it just says 1-2 pounds (but I didn’t use any beef). I also redid my first few tries of making the shape, since they weren’t sticking shut and I knew I didn’t want them exploding in the boiling water!
They were delicious and I used half gluten free flour as gluten gives me an earache but I will deal with it for my favorite recipes. So I tried to lessen the earache with some gf flour, lol.
I’m making a second batch today (of dough) to use up my filling, and I will probably make more filling as I will probably end up with some more dough (omg never ending pelmeni!) of beef and mushrooms.
It was so nice to eat these last night on our first frosty night of the year. Thanks so much for the recipe!
That’s interesting that there is a Russian style of ravioli. the ingredients make those sound really good though. I might have to consider trying those out sometime since I have been looking for new things to cook recently.
How do you make that shape? They look delicious!
Вот вот настоящие пельмени! Спасибо за это рецепт!
Thank you, Bronte!
These look amazing, Veronika! I love trying foods from all cultures, and this looks like one we’d all enjoy!
Thank you, Kylee) I am sure you will like them)
I’ve never tried these and intrigued. They look so much like tortellini! Great photos, Veronika! 🙂
Thank you, Tamara) These are a Russian version of tortellini) You also can use different ingredients inside, like potatoes, mushrooms, or even cherries. Though I prefer classic pelmeni with meat)