Somewhere between a crepe and an excuse to eat cheesecake for breakfast. These thin pancakes are filled with a sweet, creamy cheese filling, rolled up, then pan-fried until golden.

Watch Me Make It

Recipe Inspiration

Ingredients

Blintzes

• 1¼ cups milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• Additional butter and a little vegetable or coconut oil for pan-frying

Cheese Filling

• 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Toppings

• Fresh berries or berry sauce
• Powdered sugar
• Lemon zest
• Whipped cream
• Syrup

Instructions

1. Make the filling first. Mix the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Put the filling in the freezer while you make the blintzes so it gets very cold.
2. For the batter, blend the milk, flour, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, and softened butter until smooth.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour in about ¼ cup batter, then immediately swirl the pan so the batter spreads into a thin circle.
4. Cook until the bottom is lightly golden. Flip and briefly cook the second side. Transfer to a plate and continue with the remaining batter.
5. Place a generous spoonful of the very cold cheese filling about an inch from the bottom edge of each blintz. Fold the sides inward, then roll it up snugly like a burrito.
6. Heat about 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
7. Working in batches, place the filled blintzes seam-side down in the hot skillet. Cook about 1–2 minutes per side, turning until the outside is golden.
8. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Why Freeze the Cheese Filling?

During the final frying step, the cheese filling softens as it heats and can start to spread. Starting with the filling super cold slows that down, giving the outside of the blintz time to get beautifully golden without the filling turning into a runaway cheese situation.

Make It Your Own

Add any kind of berry straight into the cheese mixture. Blueberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries, or blackberries all work. Keep small berries whole and roughly chop larger ones. Just don’t add so many that you lose the creamy cheese filling.

Laura’s Tip

You can assemble the blintzes ahead of time and keep them chilled, then wait to do the final pan-fry until you’re ready to serve. That way you get the warm filling and golden outside at the same time.