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Cheese Blintzes

Name: Cheese Blintzes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Jewish
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups whole milk; 3 large eggs; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, for the batter; 1 tbsp granulated sugar, for the batter; 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus a pinch for the filling; 12 oz farmer cheese, or well-drained whole-milk ricotta; 4 oz cream cheese, softened; 1 large egg yolk; 3 tbsp granulated sugar, for the filling; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated; 4 tbsp unsalted butter, for cooking and frying; sour cream, for serving; berry preserves, or fresh berries, for serving

Thin, tender crepes wrapped around a sweet lemon-vanilla farmer cheese filling and pan-fried in butter until golden.

By Theo Brandt, Test Kitchen Lead & Cheese Specialist Published June 23, 2025

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Prep: 40 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 1 hr 15 min
Servings: 6
Level: Medium

Cheese blintzes are a beloved deli and holiday breakfast, and making them at home is easier than it looks. The crepes are cooked on one side only, then filled on the cooked side and folded into neat packets, so they turn golden and crisp when fried in butter.

Farmer cheese is the traditional filling because it is dry, mild and slightly tangy. A little cream cheese makes it richer, while lemon zest and vanilla keep it bright.

Serve the blintzes warm with a spoonful of sour cream and berry preserves or fresh fruit. The filled packets can be refrigerated or frozen before frying, which makes them perfect for a relaxed holiday brunch.

Crisp, buttery crepe packets
Lemony farmer cheese filling
Freeze before frying

Directions

Blend the milk, eggs, flour, melted butter, 1 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth, scraping down the sides once. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, beat the farmer cheese, cream cheese, egg yolk, 3 tbsp sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a bowl until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush it lightly with butter. Pour in about 3 tbsp batter and immediately swirl the pan to coat the bottom in a thin, even layer.
Cook until the top looks set and the edges lift away from the pan, about 1 minute; cook on one side only. Slide the crepe onto a plate, cooked side up, and repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with butter as needed. You should get 12 to 14 crepes.
Place a crepe cooked side up and spoon 2 heaping tbsp filling onto the lower third.
Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll it up into a snug rectangular packet. Set seam side down and repeat with the remaining crepes and filling.
Heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Fry the blintzes in batches, seam side down first, until golden and crisp and the filling is hot, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add more butter between batches and keep finished blintzes warm in the oven.
Serve warm with sour cream and berry preserves or fresh berries.

Test-kitchen tips

Freeze the filled, unfried blintzes in a single layer, then bag them for up to 2 months. Fry from frozen over low heat, covered for the first few minutes.
The first crepe is often a throwaway while you dial in the heat. If the batter sets before you can swirl it, the pan is too hot.
If using ricotta, drain it in a fine sieve lined with paper towels for at least 2 hours so the filling does not turn runny.