The best thing to serve with pierogi or pelmeni is sour cream. That is the short answer. Sour cream cuts through the richness of the dough and filling, adds a cool, tangy contrast, and has been the classic accompaniment to Eastern European dumplings for as long as anyone can remember. Everything else — fried onions, crispy bacon, fresh herbs, mushrooms, berry jam — builds on that foundation.
Classic toppings
Eastern European dumplings have their own topping tradition, and it is a good one. These are not afterthoughts. They are part of the dish.
Sour cream
The non-negotiable. A good dollop of sour cream turns a bowl of dumplings into a meal. It cools them down to a safe eating temperature, adds fat and acidity, and brings everything together. Use proper sour cream — not crème fraîche, not Greek yoghurt. The sharpness matters.
Fried onions
Slowly cooked in butter until they are soft, golden and sweet, fried onions add a depth that raw onion never could. They work particularly well with potato-filled vareniki or pierogi, where the sweetness plays off the plain filling. For pelmeni — especially lamb or pork — they are equally good.
Crispy bacon
Salty, crunchy, smoky. Bacon does for dumplings what it does for most things: makes them better. Scatter it over the top. It contrasts with the soft dough and the cool sour cream in a way that earns its place every time.
Fresh herbs
Dill, above all. Dill is the herb of Eastern European cooking: fragrant, slightly anise-like, gentle enough not to dominate. Chopped and scattered across a bowl of pelmeni or vareniki, it adds freshness and colour. Flat-leaf parsley works too. Chives in a pinch.
Sautéed mushrooms
Mushrooms cooked in butter until they are golden and slightly reduced. For mushroom vareniki, this doubles down on the earthiness in a good way. For meat pelmeni, they add a savoury richness that complements the filling rather than competing with it.
Berry jam
For sweet vareniki — cherry, strawberry — a spoonful of berry jam served alongside (or on top of) a blob of sour cream is the correct finishing touch. The jam is tart and fruity, the sour cream is cool and rich, and the sweet filling ties everything together. This is how dessert dumplings are meant to be eaten.
Best sides
Toppings are essential; sides are optional. If you are building a full meal around pierogi or pelmeni, here is what works.
A simple green salad
Nothing with a heavy dressing. A bowl of leaves — cucumber, tomato, a light vinegar-based dressing — gives the plate some freshness and cuts the richness of the dumplings. Eastern European cucumber salads (thinly sliced cucumber, sour cream, dill) are a natural fit.
Pickles
Pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage (sauerkraut), pickled beetroot. The acidity wakes up your palate between bites. This is how dumplings are eaten across Eastern Europe — a pickle alongside, a dumpling in the spoon. The contrast is the point.
Broth or clear soup
Pelmeni in particular are sometimes served in the water they were cooked in, lightly seasoned. A small cup of clear chicken or vegetable broth on the side achieves the same effect: warmth, savouriness, and something to sip between bites that stretches the meal without filling you up.
Dark rye bread
Dense, slightly sour rye bread is a natural companion to savoury dumplings. Mop up the sour cream. Eat it alongside. It works because both the bread and the dumplings are products of the same culinary tradition.
Sauces and condiments
Beyond sour cream, a handful of condiments sit naturally next to Eastern European dumplings.
Butter — melted and poured over boiled dumplings is one of the oldest serving styles. Rich, simple, lets the filling speak.
Vinegar — a splash of cider vinegar or white wine vinegar over pelmeni (especially pork or beef) is a traditional serving style. Sounds odd; works brilliantly.
Hot sauce or chilli oil — not traditional, but increasingly popular. A few drops add heat without obscuring the flavour of the filling.
Mustard — particularly with meat-filled pelmeni. A small amount on the side, not on top.
What does not work: heavy cream sauces, tomato sauce, anything with too many competing flavours. Pierogi and pelmeni have their own flavour. The accompaniments should support it, not bury it.
Build the perfect plate
If you want a reliable, excellent bowl:
- Start with sour cream. Put a spoonful in the bowl before the dumplings go in.
- Add fried onions. They go on top, still warm.
- Scatter crispy bacon if it is a savoury bowl.
- Finish with fresh herbs — a pinch of dill or parsley.
- For sweet vareniki: swap the bacon for berry jam, keep the sour cream, skip the herbs.
That is exactly how we serve them at Varenik & Pelmen. All six toppings — sour cream, crispy bacon, fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms, fried onions, and berry jam — are included in the price. You choose what goes on. Nothing is extra. The bowl costs £10–12 on average at £5 per 100g.
For the full breakdown of what our toppings are and how to use them, see our full toppings guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What goes well with pierogi?
Sour cream is the essential accompaniment — it cuts the richness of the dough and ties the whole bowl together. Beyond that: fried onions, crispy bacon, and fresh dill are the classic additions. For sweet pierogi, swap the bacon for a spoonful of berry jam.
What sauce is good with dumplings?
For Eastern European dumplings specifically, sour cream is the sauce. Melted butter is the alternative. Vinegar over pelmeni is a traditional option. Heavy cream sauces or tomato-based sauces generally compete too much with the filling.
What sides go with dumplings?
A simple cucumber salad with dill and sour cream dressing, pickled vegetables, or dark rye bread. These are the natural Eastern European accompaniments — they add freshness and acidity without overshadowing the dumplings.
Do you serve toppings?
Yes — all six are included in our price. Sour cream, crispy bacon, fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms, fried onions, and berry jam come with every bowl. See /how-it-works/ for how the self-serve model works.