This Cheese Blintz recipe is a thin, delicate crepe stuffed with a sweetened creamy cheese mixture, then pan-fried until golden. They are great served for breakfast or brunch and undeniably delicious!
Best Cheese Blintz Recipe
Blintzes were a real treat growing up in my house, only reserved for special occasions – why, I have no idea, because now I make them quite often. Have you ever had them? If not, you are missing out! If you love crepes and sweetened ricotta, you will love a blintz.
What is a Blintz?
A blintz is a paper-thin crepe that is filled with sweetened cheese and then pan fried until golden. They are traditionally served for Shavuot and sometimes other Jewish holidays, but anyone can enjoy them anytime of year!
Blintz vs Crepe
A crepe is a thin, delicate pancake that is cooked once and can be eaten on its own or with fillings, whereas a Blintz is a crepe that is always filled (usually with a sweetened cheese mixture), and is cooked twice – once when the crepe is made and a second time after being filled, pan-fried in butter.
Crepes have French origin (similar to the Russian Blini) and the blintz has a Jewish origin and Russian origin.
Blintz Filling
The most traditional filling for blintzes is farmer’s cheese, but it can be harder to find outside of the Ukraine, so it’s often replaced with ricotta or cottage cheese, and sometimes even cream cheese, mascarpone, or creme fraiche. The filling is then combined with egg, sugar, and vanilla.
My favorite filling for a cheese blintz is actually a combination of whole ricotta and cream cheese. It almost tastes like cheesecake. Rich, creamy, and incredible!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need for this blintz recipe.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Crepes – 10, 8-inch crepes are what hold the filling. You need eggs, whole milk, salt, sugar, and flour to make homemade crepes.
- Ricotta cheese – Full fat, strained of all moisture if wet. We LOVE our homemade ricotta recipe or store-bought is perfectly fine.
- Cream cheese – Make sure it’s softened to room temperature for easier blending and no lumps.
- Egg – Provides structure to the filling.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the filling.
- Vanilla – A touch of vanilla extract adds flavor.
- Salt – Just a pinch to balance out the sugar.
- Butter – For the fry pan.
- Toppings – We love blintzes served with a little jam and powdered sugar on top. You can also enjoy them with sour cream.
How to Make Blintzes
Cheese blintzes are easier to make than you might think. Here’s a summary.
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and don’t miss the helpful tips and video below.)
- Make the crepes. Whisk together eggs milk, salt, sugar, and flour until lump free. Let batter rest for 20 minutes. Warm up a nonstick 10-inch pan over medium heat. Ladle in 1/4 cup of batter, lift the pan from the heat and swirl so it coats the bottom of the pan. Place back on the heat and cook until the batter is just set and the underside is lightly golden, about 1 minute. Gently flip and cook for another 45 seconds. Remove to a plate while you cook the rest of the batter.
- Make the filling. Beat together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg, powdered sugar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
- Form the blintzes. Forming the blintzes is like a burrito or folding an envelope: Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese filling along the lower third of each crepe, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Fold the bottom edge away from you to just cover the filling; then fold the 2 sides into the center. Roll the crepe away from you a couple of times, tucking in the edges as you roll, to completely enclose like a neat little package, ending with the seam side down.
- Pan-fry. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Place as many blintzes that will comfortably fit in the pan, without over-crowding, and fry for about 2 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
- Bake. Transfer blintzes to a foil lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other blintzes, adding another tablespoon of butter to the pan, if necessary. Place baking sheet with all the blintzes in a 400F oven for about 10 minutes so the cheese warms and sets.
- Serve. Spoon jam on top and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video: Blintz Recipe
What to Serve with Blintzes
Blintzes are typically served with jam and a dusting of powdered sugar, or sour cream. We also love them with raspberry jam, lemon curd, peach jam, or even strawberry sauce or apple butter. They’re quite filling, but a nice fresh fruit salad on the side would round out a meal.
How to Store Cheese Blintzes
- Crepe batter: I don’t recommend making this in advance.
- Cooked crepes: if you want to make the crepes ahead of time and store them for later, wait for them to cool, stack (with pieces of parchment paper in between to prevent sticking), and place in a resealable plastic bag. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. When defrosting them, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart. Warm them slightly in the microwave so they are pliable and don’t crack while rolling.
- Cheese filling: the cheese filling can be made up to 2 days in advance, kept refrigerated in a tightly sealed container. Drain any liquid that accumulates.
- Uncooked blintzes: uncooked blintzes can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated in a tightly sealed container. Or frozen individually on a tray until solid, then wrapped individually and frozen for up to 1 month. (You don’t want to thaw them before cooking or they will fall apart.)
- Cooked blintzes: cooked blintzes can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. They can also be frozen, using the method for uncooked blintzes, but this time you do want to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven until warmed through.
More Jewish Recipes:
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Blintzes
Ingredients
For the Crepes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
For the Blintz Filling
- 1 & 1/2 cups full fat ricotta cheese , strained of all moisture if wet
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided, for pan
- jam , for serving
- powdered sugar , for serving
Instructions
Make the Crepes
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Whisk in the salt, sugar, and flour until well combined and no lumps remain; set batter aside to rest for 20 minutes (don’t skip this step!) Whisk once more before cooking.Warm up a nonstick 10-inch pan over medium heat. Melt about 1 teaspoon of butter; when it starts to foam, ladle in 1/4 cup of batter in the center of the pan.Immediately lift the pan from the burner and swirl it so the batter coats the bottom of the pan. Replace the pan on the burner and cook the crepe until the batter is just set and the underside is lightly golden, about 1 minute. Using a spatula or your fingers, loosen the sides of the crepe and gently flip in the pan; cook for another 45 seconds.Transfer crepes to a plate. Repeat until all batter is gone.
Make the Blintzes:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, beat together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg, powdered sugar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
- Forming the blintzes is like a burrito or folding an envelope: spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese filling along the lower third of each crepe, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Fold the bottom edge away from you to just cover the filling; then fold the 2 sides into the center. Roll the crepe away from you a couple of times, tucking in the edges as you roll, to completely enclose like a neat little package, ending with the seam side down.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place as many blintzes that will comfortably fit in the pan, without over-crowding, and fry for about 2 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
- Transfer blintzes to a foil lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other blintzes, adding another tablespoon of butter to the pan, if necessary. Place baking sheet with all the blintzes in the oven for about 10 minutes so the cheese warms and sets.
- Serve blintzes with a spoonful of jam on top and dust with powdered sugar.
This recipe is wonderful!! My mother used to buy the frozen blintzes when I was a kid. I had no idea they were this simple to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe – we loved it!
Love this recipe – reminds me of the blintzes my mom used to make when I was growing up. Hadn’t had them in ages and they were just as wonderful as I remember.
Very delish