Polish Croquette Krokiety Recipe [Fried Pancakes With Sauerkraut]

Name: Krokiety Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 3 ½ cups of sauerkraut (kapusta kiszona); 2 cups of mushrooms (champignons); 1 big onion; salt, pepper, a bit of butter; 1 cup of milk; 3/4 cup of water (preferably sparkling); 2 eggs; 1 cup of flour; a pinch of salt and sugar; 2 eggs; breadcrumbs

Hands up, who has heard of Polish croquette? Even though there are different versions of croquettes around the world, this post will be strictly about Polish krokiety recipe.

These fried thin pancakes stuffed with kapusta kiszona, champignons, and onions are one of the most popular vegetarian food in Poland.

The dish is very easy to make, however, it’s quite time-consuming. Is it worth trying krokiety recipe then? YES! I am sure you will love it- crispy from the outside, soft inside, Polish croquette taste delicious served both warm or cold.

Different Versions Of Polish Croquette

There are 2 popular versions of krokiety:

with minced meat
with cabbage, mushrooms, and onion

I am not a big fan of the first one, as the dish is simply too heavy- meat and dough fried in breadcrumbs is just too much.

The vegetarian version is perfect though- you can have it as a snack or serve it with barszcz czerwony (clear red beet soup).

Recently, the delicious combo of krokiety and pierogi ruskie has been invented! See my krokiety ruskie recipe.

Tips For Making Polish Croquette

Use sparkling water for the dough if you can

Even though the still water will work just fine, the sparkling one will make the dough lighter, thus more delicious.

Skip the mushrooms if you want

Mushrooms are not obligatory, however, they make the filling tastier. You can use champignons or soaked dried mushrooms.

Choose the size you prefer

I prefer making big croquettes, as we eat it for lunch anyway. If you want to make cute little Polish krokiety to serve as snacks, go for it! The smaller the pancakes, the smaller croquettes you will get.

Make them flat or round

You can also choose which shape of krokiety you like the most. If you want them round, simply roll the dough with the filling.

I went for the flat “pouch” shape, as it’s easier and faster to make.

Tips For Storing Krokiety

After Polish croquettes are ready, keep them in a fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them, the taste should not change after defrosting.

Krokiety Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Filling

3 ½ cups of sauerkraut (kapusta kiszona)
2 cups of mushrooms (champignons)
1 big onion
salt, pepper, a bit of butter

Dough

1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of water (preferably sparkling)
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
a pinch of salt and sugar

Additionally

2 eggs
breadcrumbs

Instructions

Boil sauerkraut in water until it's soft (it will take about 1 hour).
Finely chop an onion and champignons. Fry them with a bit of butter on low heat, until they are soft.
Mix all the ingredients for the dough together.
Heat the pan with 3 drops of oil (it should be very hot, for my oven it's volume 7 with 9 being the max).
Start frying the pancakes, make them as thin and light as possible. Smear the pan with oil every time, or simply pour 3 drops of oil and move the pan a bit.
Let's go back to the filling- when all the ingredients are soft, drain them to make sure the filling is dry.
Mix everything together, add salt and pepper if necessary- every sauerkraut is different, so some may not need salt at all.
Place the filling on the pancake and fold to form krokiet (see the photo).
Place whisked eggs on one plate and the breadcrumbs on the second.
Bread each krokiet (dip it in the egg mixture first, next in the breadcrumbs).
Fry krokiety on oil, until they are golden brown.
Place them briefly on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess fat.