Russian Meat Pirozhki (Belashi)

Name: Russian Meat Pirozhki (Belashi)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Home cooking
Ingredients: Frozen yeast dough — 85 g; Ground pork and beef — 75 g; Onions — 35 g; Sunflower oil — 10 ml; Salt — 1 g; Ground black pepper — 0.6 g

Crispy, flaky yeast dumplings stuffed with juicy ground meat and onions. These hearty, filling treats make a perfect savory appetizer for celebrations.

Time: 45 min
Serving: 520 kcal
Ingredients: ≈ $1.62
Protein: 19 g

Hearty

Ingredients

1 Frozen yeast doughpack 500 g ≈ $3.00 85 g
2 Ground pork and beefpack 500 g ≈ $7.01 75 g
3 Onions≈ $1.60 per kg 35 g
4 Sunflower oil 10 ml
5 Salt 1 g
6 Ground black pepper to taste

Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.

Method

Thaw the dough and let it sit for 15 minutes to soften and become pliable.
Finely dice the onion³, mix with ground² meat, salt, and pepper. Knead the filling for 1–2 minutes until cohesive.
Divide the dough into 2–3 balls, flatten each into a disc, and place the filling in the center. Pinch the edges together, leaving a small opening at the top.
Heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the pirozhki, seam-side down, for 4–5 minutes until golden brown.
Flip and fry another 5–6 minutes until the dough is golden and the juice in the opening runs clear.
Drain on paper towels for 2 minutes and serve hot.

Tips

Why it works: Thaw the dough at room temperature so no icy layer forms inside, then the belyashi won't burst when frying. Cold dough in the oil cooks poorly and soaks up fat unevenly.
Substitutions: Swap the onion for 30 g of green onion or 25 g of sweet bell pepper, the taste will be less sharp. Swap the sunflower oil for 10 g of butter, but fry over low heat so it doesn't burn.
Common mistakes: The belyashi come out raw inside if you don't fry them until clear juice seeps from the opening. Check 3–4 minutes after flipping: the dough should be golden, not pale.
Storing and reheating: Keep in the fridge in a sealed container for no more than 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 180 °C for 10 minutes or in a pan under a lid for 5 minutes. Don't freeze, the dough turns crumbly.
Serve with: Serve with 50 g of sour cream or 30 g of grated horseradish to cut the richness of the fried dough. Works as a starter on a festive table before the main course.

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Nutrition

Per serving and share of 2000 kcal

Calories	520 kcal	26%
Protein	19 g	25%
Fat	31 g	44%
Carbs	43 g	17%
Per 100 g	251 kcal

Cost

≈ $1.62per serving

Average supermarket prices, BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), October 2026. Your store will differ: products come in packs and each chain sets its own prices. The priciest item here is ground pork and beef.