Our Favourite Vegan Polish Recipes

Top vegan Polish recipes 

If you aren’t already a little bit hungry, you certainly will be soon!

Pierogi 

Pierogi are sticky filled dumplings that are made from thin pastry and poached in water before being fried until crisp. They make a great side dish or snack, and once you’ve had one, it’s hard to not eat the entire batch. 

Vegan pierogi recipe 

There are countless filling variations, but we can’t get enough of this caramelised onion and potato combination. According to our Food Editor, Val, they’re the perfect balance of savoury, sweet, soft and crispy. 

Bigos (Polish sauerkraut stew)

Bigos is also known as Hunter’s Stew which might tip you off on the fact that this is traditionally a non-vegan dish. It’s a hearty combination of sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), mushrooms and prunes with an earthy and aromatic blend of herbs and spices.

Vegan bigos recipe

This vegan bigos recipe from Cheap and Cheerful Cooking calls on the traditional flavours and ingredients, but with the addition of stir-fried smoked tofu. Warmth and nourishment in a bowl. 

Gołąbki (stuffed cabbage rolls)

This list wouldn’t have been anywhere near complete without stuffed cabbage rolls, or gołąbki, which translates as little pigeons. Cabbage leaves are stuffed with a flavoursome rice-based mixture, then wrapped up into parcels before being brazed in stock or a creamy tomato sauce. 

Vegan stuffed cabbage recipe 

We love this childhood favourite recipe from The Veg Life that’s inspired by fond memories of the author’s grandmother.

Łazanki 

Łazanki is another hearty cabbage-based dish that’s padded out with squares of homemade pasta, mushrooms and onions, gently flavoured with marjoram. It’s a quick and easy one-pot-style dinner that’s guaranteed to warm you up bite by bite.  

Vegan Łazanki recipe

This vegan recipe from Veg Cranberry uses sauerkraut instead of fresh cabbage for extra depth and a slight tang. 

Burackzi w occie (pickled beetroot)

This burackzi w occie, or pickled beetroot, is less of a dish and more of a snack-come-ingredient but well worth a spot on this list. This is the perfect method for preserving fresh, in-season produce to use during the rest of the year. Ideal for cooking stews and soups with, adding to salads and frying up to eat hot.

Vegan burackzi w occie recipe

Polish Your Kitchen’s recipe shows you how to preserve your beetroots in two ways – pickled whole in a vinegar brine and finely shredded. Both will give you sweet pickled beetroot that’s sweet and the tiniest bit sour. A perfect starting block for many tasty meals. 

Makowiec (poppy seed roll)

We’re now entering sweet territory with makowiec, a poppy seed cake roll. The use of poppy seeds has roots in Poland’s Christian traditions, generally being used at Christmas and Easter for luck. 

Makowiec is a yeast-based bready cake that’s coated with a ground poppy seed, raisin and walnut honeyed buttercream that’s then rolled up and sliced. 

Vegan makowiec recipe

It’s safe to say that there isn’t any butter or honey in this vegan recipe from the Lazy Cat Kitchen. Instead, you’ll find coconut cream and oil mixed through with candied orange peel, vanilla paste and the other ingredients listed above.

Polskie naleśniki (Polish pancakes) 

Polskie naleśniki are often referred to as Polish crepes. They’re a thin pancake that’s either deeply savoury and filled with vegetables or something creamy and cheesy or otherwise sweet and served with jams, fruits and sugar.

Vegan Polskie naleśniki recipe

This base recipe from MeShell is light, thin and the ideal receptacle for creamy plant-yoghurt, maple syrup and your favourite jam – because we’re always looking for reasons to eat more jam.

Smacznego and have fun cooking!

If you’ve got any favourite plant-based Polish recipes we’ve missed, be sure to add them to the comments section below and we’ll look forward to trying them!