This is a classic treat from Poland, but are found quite frequently in grocery stores everywhere. Instead of boiling or frying in oil, we’ll be making Pierogies in the Air Fryer. With just a couple of tips and tricks, you’ll have them hot and crispy in less than 10 minutes.
Whether you are new to your fryer or just love to cook up crispy frozen food, using the AF will consistently give you the results you are looking for in just minutes.
Typically, after purchasing the AF, everyone wants to make wings and test out all of their frozen favorites like Waffle Fries, Nuggets, Pizza Rolls and Garlic Bread. The {FREE} Air Fryer Cheat Sheet For Frozen Foods gives you guidance to all your family’s go-to recipes.
🍽️ Why This Works
Fast – You can take these from the freezer to the table in about ten minutes! You don’t even need to defrost them! Keep a box or two of Mrs. T’s in your freezer for those busy nights when you don’t have the energy to cook more.
Delicious – While traditional pierogies are made with sauerkraut and potatoes, most of the ones you find in the store are based on mashed potatoes with savory flavors like onions, cheese and sour cream.
🥟 Ingredients
Mrs. T’s Frozen Pierogies – Their brand is easily found in the frozen food section of the grocery store. They come in flavors as Onion, Classic Cheese, 4 Cheese Medley and Broccoli and Cheddar in the full size. KASIA and Golden brands will work the same.
Olive Oil – The key to a crispy pierogi is brushing it with a little bit of olive oil before air frying. Alternatively, you can use oil spray.
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
Air Fryer – We used the basket Ninja, but any variety will work well. Please note that each air fryer is slightly different and it is best to check yours early as you don’t want to over-cook. Remember that air fryers differ a lot in size. Our Ninja isa four quart vs the Ninja Foodi 6 in 1 has an eight quart capacity and cooks twice as much. If you have a Phillips three quart, you have less space, so you’ll have to cook in batches. The same goes for the Cosori and Gourmia.
Silicone Air Fryer Liner – This is a thin piece of non-stick silicone that makes clean up a breeze. You don’t have to use this, but it saves you time later! This is completely optional though.
Brush – You will use a small brush to apply the oil to both sides of the pierogi.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Pour out a serving of the pierogies on a clean surface. Brush a very light coat of oil on both sides. The oil will help them turn brown and crisp up.
Step Two: Line the air fryer with a silicone liner.
Note: Sometimes the filling will leak out of the dumpling and can create a mess in the air fryer basket. The liner is non-stick and really saves on clean-up later.
Step Three: Add the pierogies to the air fryer basket, making sure not to stack them too close together. If they are too crowded, it will impede the air flow and make it more difficult to cook.
Step Four: Cook at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, flipping half way through.
Step Five: Remove and serve with a nice sour cream dipping sauce.
If you want them a little crispier, cook an additional two minutes, brushing again with a little olive oil the last couple minutes.
❗ Expert Tips
Use a Little Bit of Oil – Brushing the oil really does a great job with helping them crisp up while cooking. Don’t skip this step.
Dipping Sauce – I used plain sour cream for the dip. It was light a refreshing and complemented the savory flavors. Add some powdered ranch seasoning as an option.
Check Early – Each air fryer is slightly different, so check these early to make sure they are not cooking too quickly.
Softer Texture – Lower the temperature to 300 degrees, don’t oil the outside and monitor the time to have a softer texture.
Storage
I recommend only cooking what you intend to eat for your meal, but if you do have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheating Instructions
It is ideal to add these back to the air fryer for a minute or two to reheat. If you microwave them, they will become a bit soggy.
Serving Suggestions
These are an easy, filling side dish that works perfectly with several dishes:
Air Fryer Roasted Root Vegetables
Easy Frozen Foods Using the Air Fryer
Once you start using the frozen section of the grocery store for the AF, it will quickly become your “go-to” after you see how amazing everything turns out.
Frozen Waffle Fries (We made a charcuterie board using these!)
Recipe FAQ
Mrs T’s Mini Cheddar and Bacon, 4 Cheese Medley and Classic Cheddar all need to cook these for 6-8 minutes, flipping or shaking at the half way point.
No.
You certainly can but you won’t get the crispy outside.
We always remind our Air Fryer readers that all machines are different, so they cook slightly different. For the first time with all recipes, start with the lower time and stick by the fryer to make sure they turn out like you wish. Always allow for some level of flexibility between fryers.
This can be caused by putting too many in the basket at the same time. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to split a recipe like this in half to make sure there is enough air circulation to go around the food. Layering dense food like this will not allow it to crisp up. You can layer a bit for French fries that are thing and have air flow.
This can happen when you use a more powerful AF machine, especially a rack/tray system where the top shelf cooks faster than the bottom shelf. These are times to always cook at the lower end of the time on all recipes. If you have a tray version or one that seems to ALWAYS cook faster, dial back the time a couple minutes and start checking earlier.
Three regular sized or 11 minis based on Mrs T’s website.
This allows the machine to heat up before it starts cooking. My Power XL 8 in 1 has a preheat function that I use. My Ninja Foodi does not and I put the food in right away. Sometimes I need to cook an extra 1-2 minutes but it’s minimal. Check your user manual for your machine.
Other Fast Air Fryer Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Air Fryer Frozen Pierogies
Equipment
- Brush for oil
Ingredients
- 1 box Pierogies
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Brush olive oil on the frozen pierogies on both sides.
- Heat air fryer to 400 degrees. We did not preheat ours as our Ninja doesn't have that function.
- Place the pierogies inside and cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping half way through.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
These pierogies taste authentic, and I love that they can be made in the air fryer!