Making cheese crepes is easier than you think! All you need is a blender and non-stick skillet to make the best crepes filled with cheese.

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Nalisniki (налесники), cheese blintzes, cheese crepes, blinchiki. This Russian dish has many names, but whatever it’s called, it has remained one of the most popular dishes with Vadim and I for breakfast, lunch or a late night snack.

There are many ways to make them and a variety of fillings; everything from cheese to fruit and even meat! Make a batch of these and have gourmet breakfasts! They seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, they are fast and easy to make.

Ingredients for crepes:

½ cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted. Plus more to sauté.
1 cup all-purpose flour (you can use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose)
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of Salt

Ingredients for cheese filling:

8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup sugar
¾ cup raisins
Powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins

Watch How To Make Crepes:

How to Make Crepes:

1. Put all of the ingredients for the crepes (in the order that they are listed) in a blender and blend until well combined.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-2

2. Melt a dot of butter in 2 non-stick skillets over medium heat. (2 skillets make the process go faster). Pour about 2 to 3 Tablespoons of batter into the skillet. I use a 1-ounce measuring cup. As you are pouring into the skillet, swirl the batter to evenly coat the bottom. If you get any small gaps, you can fill them with more batter.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-3

3. Once the bottom is golden, flip the crepe using a sharp edged spatula to easily get under the crepe. Let the other side get golden and plop the crepe out onto a cutting board.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-6

Repeat with all of the batter, using a dot of butter each time. Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just warm or room temp, they can be stacked.
Don’t panic, the first crepe in the pan never turns out nice!

How to make Cheese filling and complete Cheese Crepes:

1. In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and DRAIN WELL. A cheese cloth also works well. Mash the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sugar with a potato masher until well combined and creamy. Cottage cheese will still be a little lumpy.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-4

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-5

2. Using a spatula, spread 2 generous Tablespoons of cheese filling on each crepe and sprinkle with about 15 raisins.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-7

3. Roll the crepe into a log and cut in half. Refrigerate crepes that aren’t being served. It keeps in the fridge for almost one week.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-10

To Serve Cheese Crepes:

Melt about 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet and sauté the rolled cheese crepes on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. They don’t take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them.
Dust with powered sugar (optional) and serve with sour cream or jam on the side. YUUUMMMM!

Do you put anything unusual in your Nalisniki/ Blinchiki?

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins-11

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins (Russian Crepes)

4.99 from 71 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
This Nalesniki crepes recipe makes 15, 8-inch crepes. Note: replace 4 Tbsp butter with 4 Tbsp olive oil for a healthier version!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 7 people

For the Batter:

  • ½ cup lukewarm water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted. Plus more to sauté.
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, you can use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • Pinch salt

For the Filling:

  • 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 16 oz small curd cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • Powdered sugar for serving, optional

Instructions

How to Make the Crepes:

  • Put all of the ingredients for the crepes (in the order that they are listed) 1/2 cup warm water, 1 cup milk, 4 large eggs, 4 Tbsp melted butter, 1 cup flour, 2 Tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt in a blender and blend until well combined.
  • Melt a dot of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat (2 skillets make the process go faster).
  • As you are pouring into the skillet, swirl the batter to evenly coat the bottom. If you get any small gaps, you can fill them with more batter. Depending on the size of your skillet; add about 2-3 tbsp of batter. I use a small ladle.
  • Once the bottom is lightly golden (about a minute or less) flip the crepe using a sharp edged spatula to easily get under the crepe. Let the other side get lightly golden and plop the crepe out onto a cutting board. Repeat with remaining batter; you may not need to dot with butter after the first time if your skillet is a good one (and remember there is butter in the batter). Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just warm or room temp, they can be stacked. Don’t panic, my first crepe never turns out nice so I wolf it down to conceal the evidence!

How to make cheese filling and complete nalesniki:

  • In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and drain well. Mash the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sugar with a potato masher until well combined and creamy. Cottage cheese will still be a little lumpy.
  • Using a spatula, spread 2 generous Tablespoons of cheese filling on each crepe and sprinkle with about 10-15 raisins.
  • Roll the crepe into a log and cut in half. Refrigerate crepes that aren’t being served. It keeps in the fridge for almost one week.

To Serve:

  • Melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and sauté the rolled cheese crepes on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. They don't take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them.
  • Dust with powered sugar (optional) and serve with sour cream or jam on the side.

Nutrition Per Serving

429kcal Calories44g Carbs17g Protein22g Fat12g Saturated Fat152mg Cholesterol424mg Sodium330mg Potassium2g Fiber18g Sugar832IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C135mg Calcium2mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins (Russian Crepes)
Amount per Serving
Calories
429
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
22
g
34
%
Saturated Fat
 
12
g
75
%
Cholesterol
 
152
mg
51
%
Sodium
 
424
mg
18
%
Potassium
 
330
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
 
44
g
15
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
18
g
20
%
Protein
 
17
g
34
%
Vitamin A
 
832
IU
17
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
135
mg
14
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: nalesniki
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 429

 

Making cheese crepes is easier than you think! All you need is a blender and non-stick skillet to make the best crepes filled with cheese.

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

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Comments

  • Elizabeth Palamarchuk
    March 2, 2024

    Thank you for this recipe the best crepes recipe I’ve tried different recipes and this is the Beat thank you ❤️

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 2, 2024

      I’m so glad to hear that, Elizabeth!

      Reply

  • Michelle
    April 12, 2023

    Hi Natasha. My Polish mother-in-law taught me how to make nalesniki. Her family didn’t care for raisins, so she would spread a big tablespoon of applesauce on the crepes, add a mixture of cinnamon & sugar sprinkled on top, then roll them up. That’s how I’ve learned to make and enjoy them… Thanks for your enjoyable videos and great recipes; you’re my go-to resource every time! Bless you & your family.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 12, 2023

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Michelle! I love that we all have our own versions of these recipes! I hope you try this version soon and love it!

      Reply

  • Sarah S
    March 28, 2023

    I grew up eating Blintzes. I think we put cottage cheese, an egg, sugar, lemon juice for filling. Made them into a square, sautéed til lightly brown, sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with sour cream & grape jelly. Hadn’t had them in many years, made them a few years ago and all my childhood memories came flooding back. They are SO good! Need to make them more often! I wondered if this is a modified version of yours. Interesting to hear the origin.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 30, 2023

      That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing. There are probably as many variations of these as there are countries in Eastern Europe and beyond. We called them nalesniki.

      Reply

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