You must try these simple yet delicious Ukrainian syrniki with Farmer's cheese. They known as tvorog pancakes. Soft on the inside, golden outside. Yum!

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Danielle Dolinsky sent me an interesting email a while back; a recipe for her Ukrainian syrniki, also known as tvorog pancakes. It’s her specialty and it was featured on the Martha Stewart Show (sounds soo soo dreamy!).

Here’s a link to her syrniki recipe and a step-by-step video from the show. I haven’t experimented with a store-bought cheese but I can tell you Mom’s homemade cheese creates a very soft dough; more delicate to handle but had amazing results.

Thank you Danielle for sharing your recipe. We’ve enjoyed your Ukrainian syrniki several times and I am currently craving them again.

Ingredients for Ukrainian Sirniki:

15 oz (about 2 cups) farmers cheese, homemade (aka Tvorog) or storebought
4 large eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus about 1/2 cup more for dredging
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp white vinegar
1 cup raisins
2-3 Tbsp extra light olive oil for each batch

Toppings:

Fresh fruit or jam, sour cream, powdered sugar; whatever you like!

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe

How to Make Ukrainian Syrniki:

1. In a large bowl, mix together 15 oz of cheese, 4 eggs, 3/4 cup flour, 3 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe-2

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe-3

2. Place 1 tsp baking soda in a small bowl and add 1 tsp vinegar; give it a stir as it fizzes. Add this mixture to the cheese mix.

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe-4

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe-7

3. With a hand-held electric mixer, mix until uniform consistency. Stir in the raisins with a spoon. It will still have some little cheese clumps.

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe-8

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4. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat, add 2-3 Tbsp extra light olive oil.

5. Add 1/2 cup flour to a small bowl. Place a heaping tablespoon or flat ice cream scoop of the cheese mixture into the flour. Reach into the bowl and sprinkle flour over the top of the pancake. With Well-floured hands, remove excess flour by gently transferring the pancake from one hand to another.

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6. Once the skillet and oil are hot, place patties directly into the skillet as you mold them. Saute until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each side, flipping once during cooking.

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe-13

7. Transfer to a plate and serve with your favorite toppings. I’m old school so I like sour cream, fruit and powdered sugar.

Are these pictures making you hungry? I’m gurgling in my gut… I better get started on another batch of cheese.

You must try these simple yet delicious Ukrainian syrniki with Farmer's cheese. They known as tvorog pancakes. Soft on the inside, golden outside. Yum!

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Ukrainian Syrniki Recipe (Cheese Pancakes)

4.86 from 84 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 4 -5
  • 15 oz about 2 cups farmers cheese, homemade or purchase 2 packages.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cups all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup for dredging
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2-3 Tbsp extra light olive oil for each batch

Toppings:

  • Fresh fruit or jam, sour cream, powdered sugar; whatever you like!

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix together cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup flour, sugar and salt.
  • Place baking soda in a small bowl and add vinegar; give it a stir as it fizzes. Add this mixture to the cheese mix.
  • With a hand-held electric mixer, mix until uniform consistency. Stir in the raisins with a spoon. It will still have some little cheese clumps.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add 2-3 Tbsp extra light olive oil.
  • Add 1/2 cup flour to a small bowl. Place a heaping tablespoon of flat ice cream scoop of the cheese mixture into the flour. Reach into the bowl and sprinkle flour over the top of the pancake. With Well-floured hands, remove excess flour by gently transferring the pancake from one hand to another.
  • Once the skillet and oil are hot, place patties directly into the skillet as you mold them. Saute until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each side, flipping once during cooking.
  • Transfer to a plate and serve with your favorite toppings like sour cream, fruit and powdered sugar.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Cheese Pancakes, Syrniki
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $

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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.

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Comments

  • Alice
    March 8, 2024

    Great recipe, although I wish we could not use the eggs. I might try one with using a bit of banana instead of eggs. fyi, for those that need detailed nutritional values you can use this recipe calculator – https://nutriely.com/tools/recipe-builder

    Reply

  • Lara
    March 2, 2024

    Great recipe! I used three eggs instead of four since my package of cheese was a bit less than the recipe called for – they turned out perfectly. Left out the raisins. Absolutely delicious and quick and easy to make! Will be making these again, for sure!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 2, 2024

      That’s wonderful, Lara! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

  • Roman
    February 29, 2024

    Too much egg and flour. Can’t even taste the cheese. This is not a good recipe but far.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      February 29, 2024

      HI Roman, I’m curious if it’s the type of cheese you are using. These are mostly cheese and if there was any more cheese in there, they would fall apart.

      Reply

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