Let’s face it- Poles LOVE meat. Most of the traditional Polish recipes have meat in it. However, you may be surprised by how many kinds of vegetarian Polish food are available throughout the country!
Here’s the list of the best and the most popular ones:
Pierogi
There is no better way of starting this rank than by talking about pierogi- one of the best Polish food (not only for vegetarians).
The dumplings that come with different fillings are absolutely delicious and mouth-watering. There is a version with meat, however, the most popular pierogi are vegetarian!
You can have it with:
- farmer’s cheese and mashed potatoes (pierogi ruskie)
- seasonal fruits (plum pierogi, strawberry pierogi, blueberry pierogi, cherry pierogi, etc.)
- cabbage and mushrooms (pierogi z kapustÄ i grzybami)
- spinach and cheese
- sweet cheese (pierogi z serem)
- lentils
The traditional dough for pierogi may be made of eggs (but doesn’t have to- check out my vegan pierogi recipe!). If you are looking for vegan Polish food, be sure to ask a waiter about the ingredients before ordering.
Krokiety
Polish croquettes are made of cabbage and mushroom filling that is wrapped in nalesniki (Polish version of crepes).
They are next dip in the washed egg, then breadcrumbs, and finally deep-fried.
Traditionally, krokiety are served with barszcz czerwony (Polish red borscht).
Some versions of krokiety have a meat filling instead of cabbage and mushroom.
Soups
Although the most popular Polish soups are made on rosol or bones, they can be also done with veggies only.
My mom makes 2 versions, depending on the mood and what she currently has in the fridge. One way or another, if you are not vegan and you are looking for vegetarian Polish food, you will absolutely love the following soups:
- barszcz (made of beetroot, served solo or with potatoes and boiled eggs)
- krupnik (made of veggies and barley)
- zupa jarzynowa (made of veggies)
- zupa ogÃģrkowa (made of ogorek kiszony and veggies, served with rice)
Vegetarian GoÅÄ bki
Traditional Polish golabki are made of meat and rice filling wrapped in a cabbage leaf.
The vegetarian version of this popular dish is quite common as well! Polish Housewifes simply replace the meat with buckwheat. All the other ingredients are the same. See my vegan golabki recipe.
Golabki is served warm with Polish mushroom sauce or Polish tomato sauce.
Kapusta Z Grochem
Made only from veggies, it’s one of the best Polish vegan foods.
Kapusta z grochem may be made of fresh or fermented cabbage that is mixed with beans and mashed potatoes. Traditionally, it’s served with bread.
It’s super easy to make and it’s surprisingly satiating!
NaleÅniki
Polish crepes are favorite food not only for kids! In Poland, these simple flat cakes are usually served with:
- fried apples
- sweet cottage cheese (see my recipe for Polish crepes with cottage cheese)
- jams (strawberry, cherry, peach, etc.)
- powidÅo (a special kind of a plum jam)
Of course, you can also have nalesniki with something less traditional like Nutella or whipped cream and fruits.
Ryba Z Ziemniakami I SurÃģwkÄ
It’s a semi-vegetarian Polish food that is served in a majority of homes every Friday.
Why? Because most Poles are Catholics and they are not supposed to eat meat this day of the week.
Breaded fish with mashed potatoes and some kind of salad is thus what Polish housewives are cooking at the end of the workweek.
Placki Ziemniaczane
Polish potato pancakes are pretty similar to English hashbrowns.
They are a bit larger though. Placki ziemniaczane are traditionally served with sour cream or stew.
Åazanki
Surprise! Another vegetarian Polish dish with cabbage! (Easy to notice, Poles LOVE fresh and fermented cabbage).
Åazanki is a kind of pasta: the small square-shaped pasta is mixed with fried cabbage and onion.
The dish is super easy to made and it’s surprisingly delicious.
Kopytka
Polish kopytka (hooves) are made of mashed potatoes mixed with flour and eggs.
When they are ready, they need to be poured with melted butter. They are quite tasteless when served like that, so it’s recommended to season it with sugar or add a salad to make the dish tastier.
Pierogi Leniwe
Just as with kopytka, Polish housewives came up with pierogi leniwe recipe because they didn’t know what to do with dinner leftovers.
When they had mashed potatoes left, they mixed it with flour and eggs to make kopytka.
Ingredients for pierogi leniwe (lazy pierogi) are pretty much the same, the only difference is that the cottage cheese is added.
They taste best when served with melted butter and bread crumbs, and sugar.
Pyzy
This round-shaped vegetarian Polish food is made of fresh and boiled potatoes mixed together.
Just as pierogi leniwe and kopytka, they should be served with melted butter (there are also a version with meat called pyzy z miÄsem). If you want to have it sweet, add sugar. If you prefer more salty taste, add the fried onion.
Knedle
When you wrapped fruits with kopytka dough, you will get knedle.
It’s vegetarian Polish food that is usually served in the summer, due to the availability of fresh, seasonal fruits. You can add any of them to make Polish knedle, however the most popular:
- plums (knedle ze Åliwkami)
- strawberries (knedle z truskawkami)
They should be sprinkled with breadcrumbs mixed with butter before serving.
Kluski ÅlÄ skie
One last vegetarian Polish dish with mashed potatoes.
This time they are mixed with potato flour. Traditionally, kluski slaskie are served with meat, sauce, and a salad, however, you can eat them with carmelized onion as well.
Makaron Z Serem
It’s Polish kids’ all-time favorite dish!
Any kind of pasta mixed with cottage cheese and sugar make makaron z serem.
Kompot
It’s one of the few traditional Polish drinks.
Kompot can be ordered in any milk bar in Poland. It’s basically water with fruits and sugar.
Kisiel
Kisiel is a traditional Polish dessert made of kompot. It has a sticky consistency that can be compared to jelly just before it solidifies.
Kisiel is made of water, fruits, sugar, and potato flour. It’s really delicious and pretty healthy!
Salatka Jarzynowa
Polish potato salad is loved by both locals and tourists.
The finely chopped boiled veggies (parsley root, carrot, celery root, potatoes) are mixed with eggs, peas, ogorki kiszone, and majonez to make a salad.
It should be served cold with bread.
Ziemniaki Z Jajkiem Sadzonym I Kefirem
Have you heard of kefir? It’s a traditional drink made of fermented milk. I know it may sound disgusting but kefir is really delicious and healthy.
Poles usually have it with mashed potatoes and fried egg. The dish is called ziemniaki z jajkiem sadzonym i kefirem and it’s usually eaten on Fridays (you already know why!).
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Do you know any other vegetarian Polish food? Share them in comments!
