🥟 pyza.net

Pyza (plural: pyzy) is a beloved Polish dumpling — plump, pillowy, and endlessly satisfying. Whether boiled, steamed, stuffed with meat or just potato, pyzy have been warming Polish kitchens for centuries. Here's your guide to the glorious family of pyzy.

The Pyza Family 🥟

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Potato Pyzy

Pyzy ziemniaczane

The classic. Made from raw grated potatoes mixed with cooked mashed potato, shaped into rounds and boiled until they float. Dense, chewy, and deeply satisfying. Often served with fried onion and lardons on top.

boiled vegetarian-friendly

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Meat-Filled Pyzy

Pyzy z mięsem

Potato dumplings stuffed with a seasoned pork and beef filling — the heart of the pyza universe. The meat is slow-cooked, minced, and tucked inside the potato dough like a delicious secret. Served with butter or sour cream.

boiled hearty

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Fluffy Yeast Pyzy

Pyzy drożdżowe

The softer, airier cousin. Made with a yeasted dough and steamed rather than boiled, these are incredibly light and pillowy. Sometimes sweet, sometimes stuffed with meat. A staple of Polish Sunday dinners.

steamed fluffy

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Cottage Cheese Pyzy

Pyzy z twarogiem

Made with twaróg — Polish farmer's cheese — folded into the dough for a slightly tangy, tender texture. Can be sweet (with sugar and vanilla) or savoury. A beloved comfort food across Polish generations.

boiled sweet or savoury

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Silesian Dumplings

Kluski śląskie

A close cousin from Silesia — round potato dumplings with a signature hole poked in the centre (so they cook evenly). Smooth, pale, and slightly elastic. Traditionally served with Sunday roast and a rich gravy.

boiled regional

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Forest Mushroom Pyzy

Pyzy z grzybami

A seasonal treat starring dried forest mushrooms — porcini, chanterelles — rehydrated and sautéed with onion, then tucked inside the potato casing. Earthy, aromatic, and especially popular during autumn and the Christmas fasting season.

boiled seasonal

Recipes 👩‍🍳

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Classic Potato Pyzy

Pyzy ziemniaczane — serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 kg floury potatoes
• 1 egg yolk
• 3–4 tbsp potato starch
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large onion
• 150g smoked lardons (boczek)
• 2 tbsp butter
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Boil half the potatoes until tender, mash and leave to cool completely.
2. Peel and finely grate the remaining raw potatoes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible through a clean cloth — save the starchy water.
3. Let the starchy water settle, pour off the water, and scrape the settled starch back into the grated potato.
4. Combine grated potato, mashed potato, egg yolk, potato starch, and salt into a firm but pliable dough.
5. With wet hands, shape into smooth balls about the size of a golf ball.
6. Drop into a large pot of gently boiling salted water. They are ready about 3 minutes after they float to the surface.
7. Meanwhile, fry lardons and onion in butter until golden.
8. Serve pyzy topped with the crispy onion and lardon mixture.

The ratio of raw to cooked potato is key — too much raw and they fall apart, too much cooked and they turn gluey. 50/50 is the sweet spot.

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Meat-Filled Pyzy

Pyzy z mięsem — serves 4

Ingredients

• Dough (as above)
• Filling:
• 300g pork shoulder
• 200g beef chuck
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp marjoram
• Salt, pepper, allspice
• 1 tbsp lard or butter

Method

1. Simmer the pork and beef in salted water with a bay leaf for 90 minutes until very tender. Reserve the broth.
2. Mince or finely chop the cooked meat.
3. Sauté onion and garlic in lard until soft and golden. Add to the meat.
4. Season generously with marjoram, salt, pepper, and a pinch of allspice. Add a splash of reserved broth if the filling seems dry.
5. Prepare the potato dough as in the classic recipe.
6. Flatten a ball of dough in your palm, place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre, and carefully seal the edges, reshaping into a smooth ball.
7. Boil in salted water — 3–4 minutes after they float.
8. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh dill.

Make the filling a day ahead — it firms up in the fridge and is much easier to handle when stuffing.

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Fluffy Steamed Yeast Pyzy

Pyzy drożdżowe — makes 12

Ingredients

• 500g plain flour
• 7g instant yeast
• 250ml warm milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 50g butter, melted
• Meat filling (as above) or plum jam

Method

1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.
2. Add warm milk, egg, and melted butter. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.
4. Knock back the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces.
5. Flatten each piece, add a spoonful of filling, and pinch tightly to seal. Place seam-side down.
6. Leave to prove for another 20 minutes while you set up your steamer.
7. Steam in a single layer for 15–18 minutes. Do not lift the lid during steaming.
8. Serve immediately — they deflate quickly once cooled.

Line your steamer basket with baking paper to prevent sticking, and leave space between each pyza — they puff up considerably.