This cheese blintzes recipe is the only one you’ll ever need. Stuffed with a creamy filling of sweet farmer’s cheese and perfect for your next at-home brunch!
Sweet cheese blintzes are such a fun departure from traditional pancakes. Super easy to prepare, they’re perfect for your next lazy Sunday brunch. I love gathering the whole family in the kitchen to help with the rolling and stuffing. The reward? I pull out everyone’s favorite toppings so we can all create our own perfect plate of blintzes.
What are Cheese Blintzes?
Cheese blintzes are Jewish pancakes that are rolled and stuffed with a sweet, creamy cheese filling. They are very similar to French crepes or Russian blinis. Enjoy them for breakfast or dessert and paired with a cup of hot coffee!
Below, find a rundown of the flavor, texture, and cooking time required to make this recipe.
- Flavor: Slightly sweet crepes are complemented by a tangy, sweet filling of farmer’s cheese, egg yolk, and sugar.
- Texture: These blintzes are fork smooth. From the eggy crepes to the creamy filling, each bite will melt in your mouth.
- Cooking Time: From prep to finish, these blintzes take just about 40 minutes to make.
Crepes vs. Blintzes: What’s the Difference?
Crepes are thin, French-style pancakes. They are eaten plain or topped with an assortment of sweet and savory fillings. On the other hand, blintzes are Jewish in origin and come stuffed and rolled. Typically, blintzes come with a sweet filling of cheese, chocolate, or fruit.
How to Make Cheese Blintzes
Despite their pretty presentation, cheese blintzes are actually quite simple to make and require minimal ingredients. After you whip up the crepes, it’s really just a game of assembling them. Below, find a quick rundown of the recipe before you dive in.
- Prepare the Crepes: To make these blintzes, you need to prepare crepes first. Follow this crepe recipe for foolproof crepe batter. You’ll want to make about 12 ranging from 10-12 inches in size.
- Make the Filling: Using a spatula, combine the farmer’s cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and melted butter until smooth in a medium bowl.
- Assemble the Blintzes: Next, place a couple of heaping tablespoons of filling at the very bottom of each crepe, making sure to leave enough space on the sides. Fold the sides over and roll the crepe up starting from the bottom. Place the blintz seam side down and repeat the process until you run out of crepes.
- Pan-Fry the Crepes: Just before serving, brush the top and bottom of the crepes with butter and pan-fry them on both sides. Enjoy as-is or alongside your favorite toppings!
Hot Tip: I’m obsessed with making crepes and have depended on THIS Norpro Crêpe Pan more times than I can count to get that perfect circular shape. All you have to do is pour the batter in and the nonstick skillet will do all the hard work for you.
How to Serve Cheese Blintzes
Serve cheese blintzes as-is, or with a handful of fun toppings. Below, find some winning suggestions:
- A drizzle of pure maple syrup, honey, or sweetened condensed milk
- Fresh fruit (fresh berries are a must!)
- Jam (raspberry or apricot jam go so perfectly with the sweet cheese) and sour cream
- Poppy seed filling (a unique Slavic topping of creamy, crunchy poppy seeds)
- Applesauce
- Melted chocolate or Nutella and fresh banana
- Lemon zest or a spritz of lemon juice
6 Tips for Amazing Cheese Blintzes
Here you’ll find a handful of pro tips to help you make the most amazing sweet cheese blintzes.
- Make the crepes a bit thicker than you normally would. Thick crepes are easier to fold and assemble into blintzes. Save yourself the heartbreak of ripping them by pouring a bit of extra crepe batter in the pan.
- Seal all the edges of the blintz. To make sure your filling doesn’t seep out, make sure to seal all the edges well. Additionally, resist the urge to overstuff them! You can always slather more of the filling right on top if you have leftovers.
- Heat the blintzes up in a little butter. Right before serving, heat the blintzes up in a skillet over medium heat or medium-high heat with a little butter. Flip them halfway through and create an irresistible crust on both sides!
- Swap out the farmer’s cheese for ricotta cheese. if you can’t get your hands on farmer’s cheese (you can find it in most European specialty food stores or you can make your own Farmers Cheese), swap it out for ricotta. If you’re not a fan of ricotta, use cream cheese instead.
- Blend the filling until smooth. Prefer a super fine texture for your filling? Blend it up in a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Drain the farmer’s cheese of excess moisture. If your farmer’s cheese has a ton of moisture or you just prefer a denser filling, drain it with a cheesecloth or a couple of paper towels over the sink before incorporating it into your filling.
Blintz Casserole Hack: Feeding an army of hungry people and want to skip pan-frying? Assemble the blintzes in a single layer in a baking dish, drizzle them with the toppings of your choice, and bake them in the oven until the tops turn a bit crispy.
Storing Cheese Blintzes
Whether you have a couple of blintzes leftover that you need to store or would like to freeze a tray for a rainy day, find all the best storage tips here.
- Refrigerator: If you want to keep blintzes on hand for up to a week, store them in an airtight container in the fridge to keep them from turning stale. To reheat them, simply zap the in the microwave for a minute or pan fry them in a little butter.
- Freezer: If you want to freeze blintzes for up to 3 months, assemble them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, pop the sheet into the freezer uncovered. Once completely frozen, transfer the blintzes to a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and pan fry them in a skillet.
FAQ
Is a blini a blintz?
Although similar, blini and blintzes are slightly different from one another. Russian blini are thin pancakes that can be topped with an assortment of savory and sweet fillings. This can range from sweet fruit to salty caviar. Blintzes, on the other hand, feature thin pancakes that are rolled and stuffed with a variety of sweet fillings.
Can blintzes be served cold?
Yes, blintzes can be served cold. However, they are best when slightly pan-fried in butter and warmed through. The crispy crust that forms is to die for!
When should you eat cheese blintzes?
Cheese blintzes are best eaten for breakfast or brunch. However, it’s perfectly acceptable to serve them as dessert.
How do you heat up frozen blintzes?
The best way to heat up frozen blintzes is by letting them first defrost in the fridge. Next, pop them in a skillet with a bit of butter and lightly fry them on both sides. If you have an air fryer, you can use it to create a nice crispy crust as well.
What nationality are blintzes?
Pinning down the exact nationality of blintzes is a little tough, but they are best described as having a Jewish origin.
Other Sweet Breakfast Recipes
- Russian Pancakes Oladi (Buttermilk Pancakes) – Slavic-style buttermilk pancakes
- Cheese Danishes – Delicious homemade danish pastry dough filled with a sweet cream cheese filling.
- Crazy Easy Sourdough Pancakes – Classic pancakes with a sourdough kick
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Quick & Easy) – Sweet and salty pancakes
- The Best Crepe Recipe (with Filling) – Crepes stuffed with cottage and cream cheese
Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 crepes
- 2 lb farmer's cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted
- 1/3 cup sugar
Instructions
- Prepare 12 large crepes about 10-12 inches in size.
- For the filling, combine the farmer's cheese, butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Stir the mixture until smooth.
- Place a dollop of the cheese filling on the bottom part of each crepe, leaving enough room on the edges for folding.
- Fold over both of the sides.
- Starting from the bottom, roll up the crepes and secure the filling inside.
- Keep the blintzes refrigerated until you're ready to serve them. Right before serving, warm them up on both sides in a skillet with butter over medium heat. Enjoy!
You can make these savory, as well. Skip the sugar, add a bit of salt and fresh chopped dill to the cheese filling.
So true! Thanks for sharing DC!
I wonder if these would work with rinsed cottage cheese? 🤔
Hey there- I'm not sure, I haven't tried with that! If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I lightly cook mine on both sides in oil and butter .Then I freeze them in pairs and before eating leave them to gently defrost for an hour.
Then I finish them in my air fryer .
Blintzes have been my go to during chemo,after vaccines,etc,
Great comfort food as well as decadent brunch to share with friends .
I'm so glad you're enjoying them. Thank you for sharing, Susan! Wishing you a full recovery!
I take different types of jams and topping, microwave each on 50% power (40 seconds), serve in small containers. This way I have lots of options for my guests as well as using up jams and jellies in the refrigerator.
I love that, and what a great variety for your guests, too!
I can't believe how easy these are to make! Delicious!
Right?! And you can serve them in a variety of ways, so everyone can create their own 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing cheese blintzes recipe. Fam loves it, will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
They are the best treat, perfect for a weekend family brunch 🙂
These are seriously good! Thanks for all the pictures and recipe instructions!
Glad you loved them, Stephanie and that you found the instructions helpful 🙂