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Chag Sameach and Happy Shavuot to all of you! Continuing with our dairy theme, here is another Shavuot favorite–the blintz. A blintz is a thin crepe-like pancake filled with cheese. Blintzes are pretty easy to make, and they’re one of the most delicious things EVER (in my humble opinion). If you’ve never made a blintz, this blog will walk you through the process.
My blintz recipe includes vanilla in both the blintz and the filling, which gives it a delectable flavor and aroma. You can actually eat these blintzes without the cheese filling (if you cook them on both sides), they are pretty tasty on their own. I prefer them stuffed with cheese! For the blintz filling I use a blend of lowfat ricotta cheese and cream cheese. If you’re watching your fat intake, try subbing nonfat ricotta and Neufchatel cheese. The blintzes are sweet, but not overly sweet. They’re perfect for breakfast or brunch.
For my Strawberry Topping recipe, click here. These blintzes are great both with topping and without. Enjoy!
MY OTHER RECIPESNote: When I originally published this post, a reader gave me a tip to only cook the blintzes on one side before stuffing, which saves a substantial amount of prep time. I’ve been making them that way ever since! I’ve updated the blog with new photos to reflect this process. Thanks for the tip Phyllis! Also, I have added a step for draining the ricotta cheese, which helps the filling to thicken so it won’t spread quite so much.
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Cheese Blintzes
Blintz Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
- Vegetable oil with a high smoke point for frying (grapeseed or peanut oil works best)
You will also need
- Nonstick skillet
Filling Ingredients
- 1 cup lowfat ricotta cheese
- 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- The night before: Place the ricotta cheese from the filling ingredients into a strainer lined with cheesecloth placed on top of a bowl. Let the ricotta drain overnight in the refrigerator to remove excess liquid. Note-- this step is optional, it will help the filling to thicken so it won't be quite so soft and goopy in the center.
- Blend all of the blintz ingredients together using a food processor, blender, immersion blender or electric hand mixer. Consistency of the batter should be smooth (no lumps). Alternatively, you can use a fork to mix all ingredients together until the batter is smooth. Make sure you get rid of all the lumps.
Warm up a nonstick skillet on medium heat until hot. The skillet is ready when a drop of water sizzles on the surface of the pan. If the water pops or jumps out of the pan, the skillet it too hot—let it cool slightly before starting. If the water sizzles, it’s at the perfect temperature. Grease the entire surface of the hot pan generously with nonstick cooking oil spray (keep the oil spray away from gas stovetop flame).- Pour the blintz batter by 1/3 cupfuls into the pan, then tilt the pan in a circular motion till the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan in a large, thin circular shape.
Let each blintz cook for 60-75 seconds until the edges of the blintz brown and the bottom of the blintz is lightly golden. You can tell it's ready by touching the center of the pancake's surface-- it should be dry and slightly tacky to the touch. Do not flip the blintz to cook the other side. Use a spatula to take the blintz out of the pan and place it on a plate.
Keep the blintzes separated by pieces of parchment paper, wax paper, or paper towels. This will help keep them from sticking together.- When all of the blintzes are cooked, create your filling. Put all of the filling ingredients into a mixing bowl, then use a fork to mix them well. Filling should be well blended but slightly lumpy.
Now you’re going to stuff and wrap up your blintzes! Put 3 tbsp of filling on the lower part of the blintz, about an inch from the edge.
Fold the lower edge of the blintz up over the filling.
Fold the sides of the blintz inward, as though you’re folding an envelope.
Roll the blintz up and over the filling like a burrito, tucking the edges in as you roll.
When the blintzes are stuffed and rolled, you are ready to fry them. Pour ¼ cup of vegetable oil into the skillet and heat over medium until hot. Do not let the oil turn brown or start smoking—if this happens, discard the oil and try again. Cook the blintzes in batches of 3--this will give you space to turn them easily in the pan. Carefully place the stuffed blintzes flap-side down into the hot oil. The blintzes should fry for 1 ½ to 2 minutes until they’re brown and crispy.
Turn the blintzes carefully using a spatula and/or tongs, then fry for an additional 1 ½ - 2 minutes. Blintzes should be evenly browned on both sides.
Serve blintzes warm. They can be served as-is or topped with fruit topping, sour cream, applesauce, whipped cream or maple syrup.
Excellent recipe. I used Cup4Cup gluten-free flour and followed the recipe to the letter otherwise. Thank you.
Hi Martha, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Thanks for letting us know that you had success with the gluten free flour substitute! 🙂
Thank you so much for your easy to follow step by step directions! I had never made blintzes before and they came out perfect and so delicious! I didn’t make the topping but they didn’t need it. Will definitely make again!!
This is a wonderful recipe! I’ve made it as written a number of times, and I’ve loved it, but recently I made it with just home-made full-fat ricotta (no cream cheese), and it still worked wonderfully! Second recipe from Tori’s website that has become a staple in my house: a couple of times a month, at least! The other one being the chicken shawarma… Thanks, Tori!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Being Italian, I used plain whole millk riccotta plus powdered sugar, much like making cannoli’s. EXCELLENT!
In another batch I added chifonade basil, which I grow plenty of. It was a hit with my friends, Jewish and Italian.
I made your blintzes for Shavout tonight…followed it as written except substituted farmer’s cheese for the ricotta cheese….and I macerated strawberries…delicious, delicious, delicious !!!!..the first two crepes were “crappy”….tossed and I still got 8 good sized blintzes. THANK YOU !!!!
Will definitely make again
Is it possible to substitute riccota cheese with farmers cheese or cottage cheese? Thanks
Hi Ella, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. If you’d like to make blintzes with farmers cheese I suggest checking out this recipe:
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2013/01/ratners-cheese-blintzes/
Yes this is a very versatile recipe. We used farmer cheese instead of both ricotta and cream cheese, and it came out delicious. We also skipped frying it at the end.
I found your recipe and looking forward to trying it. I was wondering if you could use coconut flour instead of regular flour for the blintz?
Hi Nancy, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not tried this recipe with coconut flour, so unfortunately I’m not sure how it would turn out. If you decided to give it a try, please let us know how it turns out!
I am directing a short play this summer called “Does Mars Have Blintzes? I am not Jewish and have never had a blintz! Thanks for the recipes and comments. I better make some blintzes if I want to have any credibility with my actors!
Love the title of the play! I was looking for recipe to coordinate with my memory. This is it minus added sugars! both sides cooked is the way to go….. no extra frying. Poor Mom couldn’t keep ’em coming fast enough for 5 kids! Still a favorite. Thanks for the recipe refresh. Yes—- I grew up under Polish parents and grand parents…… this is the real deal!
So glad to find this. Going to make tonight for pot-luck at my son’s school. He is telling the story of my grandfather who came from Poland in 1922 at age 9 and worked on social security legislation before he died in 1944. The only thing his sister (still alive) remembers them eating at home is blintzes…so we thought that would go well with the story.
My mom has made these for over 40 years. She never fries them. Just cooks them in the pan and flips them over. As soon as we put the cheese filling in them is when they get eaten. So good!
my mom used pot cheese to fill her blintzers. do they still make that? i am trying to find a recipe that uses pot cheese to bring back some of my childhood.
We always called ricotta cheese “pot cheese”.
Here’s a recipe that has the cheese in it. Good Luck!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cheese-blintzes-recipe
Pot cheese is also known now a days Farmers cheese. I found it in my local store.
My grandmother (I am 70) made the BEST blintzes – a recipe very similar to your own. Tip: If you put some melted butter on a paper towel and swipe the pan between crepes, they are totally non-stick.
Grandma laid out a large white terry towel on the counter. She cooked one side only of the crepe and when ready turned it out onto the towel. She continued this process and while each one cooked she overlapped the cooked ones slightly until she had about 18 crepes. They were then filled as they sat on the towel and plated when each was rolled. They never stuck together!
This seems a bunch easier than paper between each crepe… Finally, they always got fried in butter, not oil. The taste made such a big difference.
Otherwise, your recipe is nearly identical to hers and truly delicious.
Hello! I just wanted to say that when I made blintzes I like to use farmers’ cheese which is drier and then you don’t have to drain it. Also, I made Bananas Foster as a topping, which went over extremely well! I’m still cook the skins on the second side for a little while so I feel secure that they will not stick together when stacked since I dislike using all that costly paper to put between them. The extra skins were chilled in the fridge and I used a pastry brush and dusted lightly with potato starch (left over from Pesach) on each side and stacked them up, wrapped in plastic twice, and they are stashed in the freezer for an emergency! Also, I used a cast iron pan and had zero sticking issues. Just added a little piece of butter before making each skin. The only negative was that it was heavy for tilting the pan to spread the batter. Our guests left happy, full, and with all the leftovers. ?
Lauren B.
That was exactly my thought: I don’t want to waste so much paper towel or parchment paper and farmers cheese would have been my choice as well. Great idea.
Happy cooking!
P.S Haven’t cooked them yet, but I will, as I love them when I try them at polish restaurants.
Omg the banana foster topping sounds amazing. I’m going to try that
So far so good!! What do you have to say about making ahead? Like how far can I go until fry time? Wondering if I can assemble, keep in the fridge till tomorrow and then fry before shavuot event? I’m guessing I won’t hear back in time before I make decision, but I’ll put question out here anyway…
The crepes and the filling look and smell great so far! And I have to say, so grateful I own that dip and flip crepe maker!! No stress at all!!
My recipe calls for making batter nite before w/6 eggs no water & stick of butter. Sitting in fridge overnite let’s batter thinkin on its own. W/butter in batter no need to butter or oil pan if pan is a nonstick or iron crepe skillet. Also I use less sugar. One tablespoons is enough especially if making crepe for savory filling like chicken instead of cheese! Good luck!
If one is using vegetable oil in a recipe & concerned about smoking or burning, substitute coconut oil, which has a high smoke point and is healthier, but–like vegetable oil–is also flavorless.
so…i kind of did it all wrong! used crepes i had made and frozen a long time ago; didn’t read instructions for filling thoroughly so drained minus the cheesecloth; did not squeeze the ricotta dry; and mixed ingredients with electric hand mixer, not fork. filling was kind of runny (totally my fault, see above!), but i used it anyway and made it work! i did want to pass along that i had doubled filling recipe and dumped the leftover into a graham cracker crust and baked. fantastic cheesecake!
This recipe is perfect for Mother’s Day, the thin, soft and crunchy batter and the sweet, soft and delicate filling just wants me to eat them non-stop
I took an evening course 10,000 years ago from an aunt in Queens, New York and this is a refresher. Thanks.
I am very glad to have found your recipe. I had one that I got from a precious ricotta cheese container around 19 70 to. However, the recipe I have does not include cream cheese and so the filling is a little bit dryer then most I have tasted, and I prefer. I also lay them out on parchment in the freezer and when frozen, I store them in a ziplock to enjoy later or gift to family and friends. Many thanks!
Easy and really is wonderful. The whole family was impressed!
I added a bit of farmers cheese to the cheese mixture. Made the crepes, put them between sheets of wax paper and refrigerated them for 2 days. Made the cheese mixture and put it in a baggie and refrigerated. On the day of the brunch I removed them an hour before cooking and put them together. They were wonderful. If make them again.
Awesome!
I will make this blintz recipe again.
What size pan is best for the crepe? I have two: 7″ or 8″.
Thanks.
DearTori,
Your blintz recipe is delicious, but I find the filling too
be a little too runny. Would it help if I added a little more
egg to the mix? Or perhaps a little flour?
Need your thoughts on this. Thanks.
–Tony
Hi Tony, have you tried the very first step in the recipe– draining the ricotta? This should help it thicken up quite a bit.
Hi Tori,
Great recipe. Just like my grandmother from Romania used to
make when she baby sat me. Plus, I added raisins to the fillling like she did and that made them even better!. Try it!
-Tony E
I use my Mother’s recipe, and it calls for Farmer cheese mixed with eggs (4 packages of cheese to 2 whole eggs). This fills 24 medium size crepes with a not sweet filling, which is what my family has always preferred. But you can always add flavoring and sugar to the cheese/egg mixture. As the Farmer cheese is no “soupy”, it doesn’t need draining.
Do these freeze well? Alternatively, can they be made a few days in advance or will they get soggy?
Abi, I have never frozen them so I’m not sure. If you decide to try it, be sure to drain the ricotta cheese overnight before making the filling.
Made this, this morning for my mom in honour of her birthday this week. She loved them! I used 1/8thnof a cup of sugar, and doubled the recipe; I then fried them in butter and made three different fruit sauces to go with them and topped them with sour cream. Huge hit. There are even some left over which can be frozen and then heated up in the crockpot. Fantastic! The helpful tips and suggestions which have been added were really nice too. Although I had nothing but problems when I tried only cooking the one side, perhaps I need to cook it a little longer on a lower heat to get them cooked more thoughly than I could on the lowest setting on the gas stove!
I am lactose intolerant. Used lactose free milk and vegan ricotta.
This recipe is lovely – though sweeter than what I’m used to. Sort of a cross between a blintz and a crepe.
This recipe was absolutely amazing! I made it this morning and my whole family loved it. I also used the strawberry topping from elsewhere on this website. I will definitely be making these again! Thanks so much 🙂
You’re welcome Laura! 🙂
I made blintzes years ago; I used farmer cheese (don’t know where to get it), & cream cheese and added a tiny bit of oj. Flavor is great!1 Your recipe is also terrific.
I love it! Im the rattatouille of the house, and im always trying to find different recipes to try on pinterest. Istumbled upon this post, and i decided to try and make the blintzes with my niece and nephews over the weekend. Not only did the kids love them but now its a family favorite! Very easy, very scrumptious recipe. Thanks for posting!
Fabulous Nellie! 🙂
Do you have any fruit filling recipes?… I love the recipe, so much easier and frugal than buying the frozen ones..
No fruit filling recipes for blintzes, but the topping recipes in this post could probably be thickened with additional cornstarch or cooked to a thicker consistency and used as filling: https://toriavey.com/history-kitchen/2013/08/kolache/
First place Google sent me and I have to say score. Your blints are amazing. I have one problem, my filling ends up very runny. I followed recipe to the Tee. Any suggestions.
Thank you Will
Hi Will, try draining the filling in a colander lined with cheesecloth for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. Glad you like the blintzes!
These were fabulous! Reminded me of my childhood, everyone loved them ! Thank You! This recipe is great. I made them with a raspberry topping I make.
So glad to hear that Shannon!
i made these today for my husband’s Father’s Day breakfast. He LOVED them. I only made one adjustment (on purpose). In the filling i used splenda instead of sugar. They were amazing. I am not a cook at all, so it took me much longer than the average person to complete the whole process. Here are a few ‘notes to self”. Next time (because i WILL make them again), I will use a bigger skillet to make the crapes. When I went to fold them up it was hard to fold in the sides and I had filling left over. Another thing i had trouble with since I am NOT a cook, they started to unfold in the oil. Next time i will use an egg wash to “seal” the fold. I thought about mixing the filling the night before and it would cut out some time out. The accidental adjustment I made was, because the crapes were smaller I had filling leftover, I didn’t want to waste it, so i used 3 tortillas to finish using the filling. They weren’t bad, but crapes are better! Thanks for sharing…
Sandy- I’ve made up a ‘blintz pancake’ with left over filling. simply add some prepared ( add the water or milk) pancake mix with it (my preference is Hungry Jack or Kreustez if you can’t find it.) Adjust the amount of liquid and mix until it will make a thick pancake. ( test by the spoonful until you’re happy with it) I top them with a bit sour cream sprinkled with sugar, as I do with my blintzes. Once you get the right balance of mix to cheese filling, they’re really delicious!
They were awesome! Everyone ate them all up. I even mixed a little King Arthur pancake flour with all the purpose flour to see how it would turn out and they were yum! Thanks again Tori 🙂
Great Leah!
What kind of flour did you use?
Leah I use all purpose flour.
Hi Tori, I am making these as we speak but I’m having trouble with the batter spreading?? I sprayed the oil generously and I’m wondering if I put too much…
Nevermind!!! I forgot the milk :-O No wonder. Thanks for your help!
Oops! Haha yes that will make a major difference. Enjoy Leah!
I substituted goat cheese for the cream cheese in the filling and it was absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing a great recipe in an easy to follow format.
These were awesome! I put less sugar than called for in the filling and was perfect. I found the filling to liquidy. Not sure how yours look so thick in the picture. I put mine into a net and drained out the exess liquid to thicken it up. Also, vanilla is great touch. I was liberal. Thanks for a great recipe!
i love all your recipes and love how you describe everything so easily to understand. i made your blintzes today for shavuot (for thursday) since im doing all my baking for shavuot today and didnt realize it might not be best to freeze them for so long? i already fried them… how and what can i do to freeze it well and will it be ok when defrosted? they smell and look amazing btw!
Hi Tirtza! I’m so glad you liked the blintzes. Unfortunately I have never frozen them… the filling is a bit softer than most frozen blintzes, so I’m just not sure how it will turn out when reheated. If you try it will you let me know how it turns out?
Re: Freezing blintzes
My mom would always make the blintzes and wrap them individually in waxed paper and freeze them. When needed, she would remove them from the freezer and let them thaw out. They would then be fried, in butter, of course and eaten with whatever your heart desired as toppings. Note: when initially making the blintzes, make sure that they are wrapped SECURELY in the crepe. Otherwise they will come apart as they are being fried.
I realize that it’s a little late for Shavout, but there’s always the next batch.
My boyfriend has been craving blintzes for awhile now since the place we had them closed. I’ve never been much of a cook, but you made this look so easy and the pictures really helped me to feel secure about being on the right track! They were delicious and pronounced better than the other ones we had! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and skills with the rest of us, especially the culinary challenged like myself!
I’ve been hankerin’ these since our local places like Village Inn and IHOP quit serving them. Can’t figure out why. I love them with strawberries and sour cream on top with a side of beacon. I’m going to try these. Can’t wait! Thank you!
I made these yummy things this AM. I had a real mess bacause my filling was way to thin. For what ever reason no matter how low I went w/the temperature it just spattered all over evrything because the runny filling was coming out everywhere. They still were very good to eat. I didn’t make them all, as the mess was getting to me. What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe exactly, except that I used a hand mixer on the filling, was they the WROMG way to mix it. AND I thought 2 t. lemon juice was too much as well. Help!
Hi Mary Ellen, this filling is a bit thinner than some other blintz fillings, if you’re used to a thicker one try the filling that accompanies this recipe instead: http://theshiksa.com/2013/01/24/ratners-cheese-blintzes/ It contains no lemon juice, so if you disliked that flavor you will probably like this filling better.