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If you like pancakes you are going to love my sweet cheese fritters syrniki! Russian Syrniki are a pancake and cheesecake hybrid, slightly crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside. All that makes for a very delicious and special treat!
There’s something special about a brunch with hot and fresh fritters. Want even more? You’ll need to try my Easy Apple Fritters!
As a child I always liked Saturday mornings because they meant special breakfast for us. I would get most excited when my mum whipped up a batch of these hot and fluffy cheese fritters.
It took me far too long to introduce syrniki to my own family, but when I did they were an even bigger hit than I hoped. And who can blame them?
Pillowy soft on the inside, with just a light crisp outside, and just the right amount of sweetness balanced by the slightly tart tvorog. So good, I just might go and make another batch!
Syrniki
Syrniki (seer-nee-kee) are made from a farmer’s cheese called Tvorog in Russian or Twarog in Polish. They are a traditional dish, and very popular across Eastern Europe where they are enjoyed as a breakfast or dessert.
They are essentially small pancakes, but with a hint of cheesecake as well.
The tvorog gives them a rich and creamy texture, while frying in oil means that they are lovely and golden on the outside.
What is ‘tvorog’?
Tvorog is a creamy curd cheese very similar to ricotta and cottage cheese but is drier and has a tangy taste. Below is a photo of what tvorog is like in texture.
I couldn’t find a good substitute in the US or Canada for the longest time. I have used well-drained cottage cheese in the past but it really lacks the slightly sour kick of Tvorog.
The good news is that major supermarkets in North America now carry this item under the name of Farmer’s Cheese. You can always find it in any Russian or Eastern European store if there is one close by.
I bought mine from a local Eastern European shop in my neighbourhood in London. Major supermarket chains in the UK like Sainsbury’s and Tesco carry Twarog in their international or Polish section.
How to make sirniki
The method of preparing syrniki is pretty much the same as old plain pancakes. If you ever attempted to make pancakes you will manage this recipe with ease.
Combine cheese, eggs, sugar, oil, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a medium size bowl and mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer until you get a homogenous mass. No longer than 2-3 minutes.
The mixture will be very sticky. Don’t panic, that’s what you are supposed to get!
Put your non-stick or cast iron frying pan on a stove on medium heat and add 3 tbsp of oil to it.
Dust a clean work surface with some flour. Take a regular soup spoon and start scooping the mixture from the bowl.
Put it directly on the floured surface and roll it in the flour, then flatten it with your palm to make it into a patty.
Continue the process with the rest of your cheese mixture until it’s all gone. You should get about 14 patties.
Before you start frying your syrniki make sure the oil in the frying pan is very hot by sprinkling a bit of flour into it. If it sizzles it’s hot enough.
Fry your syrniki the same way you would pancakes. When you turn them over they should puff up a bit. The flour coating will make the outside slightly crispy while the mostly cheese filling will taste light and delicious.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Tvorog or farmer’s cheese can often be found in supermarkets, but if it proves to be a challenge then it is possible to use well-drained ricotta cheese. Cottage cheese that has well-drained and then processed in a food processor or blender is also an option.
- Make sure the syrniki are not too big or they will take too long to cook all the way through and might burn on the outside. Using an soup spoon or ice cream scoop will help you achieve the right size and make sure you are using a consistent amount of batter each time.
- Syrniki should be slightly crisp on the outside but fluffy inside, and to achieve this, the pan needs to be hot enough. After the pan and oil have had the chance to heat up, test the temperature by sprinkling a small amount of oil into it. If the oil is hot enough the flour should sizzle.
- If the pan and oil are too hot, the syrniki will look done on the outside but be undercooked inside. Don’t panic, as they can be placed in the microwave for 30 seconds to finish cooking!
- I don’t recommend using olive oil for this recipe as it has a low smoke point. Canola oil or vegetable oil are better options.
- Because of how syrniki are cooked, I like to remove them onto a plate with a couple pieces of paper towel to remove excess oil.
Serving suggestions
Dust the syrniki with icing sugar as the final touch and serve them with your favourite jam or a fruit sauce. If you want a truly Russian experience enjoy them with a bit of “smetana” aka sour cream. I love mine with blackcurrant jam! Yum!
This one tasted just like my babushka used to make. If only my kids had the same appreciation for it.
They rejected my suggestions and went for This is an affiliate link.maple syrup. However they LOVED the syrniki, which I call a success!
Although I prefer syrniki for breakfast or brunch, there’s not reason to stop there. They also make for a pretty amazing dessert!
Storage and leftovers
Syrniki are at their best best when served hot. But if you do have leftovers they can be kept in the fridge for five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Make sure they are kept in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. To heat them up, pop them in a microwave for 30 seconds, or in a 190C/375F degree oven for five minutes or until they are hot throughout.
They can also be reheated in an This is an affiliate link.air fryer, with the time required changing depending on your model.
More pancake recipes
- Oatmeal pancakes
- Russian crêpes blini
- Buckwheat pancakes
- Classic American pancakes
- Kefir Pancakes Oladi
Sweet Cheese Fritters Syrniki
Ingredients
- 450g / 1lb farmer’s cheese, can use well-drained ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs, large
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 80g / 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla
Instructions
- Combine cheese, eggs, sugar, oil, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a medium size bowl and mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer until you get a homogenous mass- no longer than 2-3 minutes. The mixture will be very sticky.
- Put the non-stick or cast iron frying pan on the stove on medium heat and add 3 tbsp of oil to it.
- Dust a clean work surface with some flour. Take a regular soup spoon and start scooping the mixture from the bowl. Put it directly on the floured surface and roll it in the flour, then flatten it with your palm to make it into a patty. Continue the process with the rest of your cheese mixture until it’s all gone. You should get about 14 patties.
- Before you start frying your syrniki make sure the oil in the frying pan is very hot by sprinkling a bit of flour into it. If it sizzles it’s hot enough. Fry the syrniki the same way you would pancakes. When you turn them over they should puff up a bit. The flour coating will make the outside slightly crispy while the mostly cheese filling will taste light and delicious.
- Dust syrniki with icing sugar as the final touch and serve them with your favourite jam or a fruit sauce. If you want a truly Russian experience enjoy them with a bit of “smetana”-creme fraiche
Notes
- Tvorog or farmer’s cheese can be found in many supermarkets, but if that is a challenge then well-drained ricotta is a good option. You can also use cottage cheese that has been well-drained and processed in a This is an affiliate link.food processor or This is an affiliate link.blender.
- Don’t make the syrniki too big or they will take too long to cool al the way through and can burn on the outside. An ice cream scoop is about the right size, and helps make sure you are using a consistent amount of batter every time.
- You want syrniki to be slightly crisp on the outside but fluffy in the middle. For this, the pan needs to be hot enough. Let the pan and oil heat up, then test by sprinkling a small amount of flour. It should sizzle if the temperature is hot enough.
- But if the pan is too hot, they will look done outside but be undercooked inside. Don’t stress – they can be finished by putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Canola oil or vegetable oil are the best options here. The smoke point of olive oil is too low for use here.
- Because they are cooked in a bit of oil, I like to remove the syrniki to a plate with a couple of pieces of paper towel to soak up any excess.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello – I am very interested to make this. I notice that you can buy fat free Twarog – do you think this would work. If not, I will use the full fat. Thank you. They do look so tasty.
Hi Janet, yes you can but fat free twarog is quite dry, so I would go for at least low fat rather then fat free. You can bake them or air fry them if you want to reduce the fat content.
Thank you for the recipe!I make these sirniki every weekend. Any suggestions on how I can keep them to stay raised up? Once I flip them,they are fluffy ,but after I take them out of pan and put on the plate ,they deflate:)
Hi Natalia, the reason sirniki settle once they get cool is the same as the one for a cheesecake. It’s because they mostly consist of cheese. It’s the flour and eggs that puff them up but there is not enough of it to keep them that way, so they puff up from the heat and then deflate. The same way a cheesecake rises in the oven and then settles once it’s cooled. The only way to keep them puffed up is to increase the amount of flour but that would move them closer to the pancake category.
Will try this recipe tomorrow; it certainly looks good and very simple. After turning out the first few plain (vanilla flavored) I will add blueberries to some, perhaps banana slices and cinnamon to others, maybe even dark chocolate chips to some.
I made these and these and they came out gummy…I did mess up at first and forgot to add baking powder. Half way through shaping them, I added baking powder and remixed the batter. I am wondering if they’re gummy because of all the extra flour or because they are undercooked. My mom used to make this for us when I was a kid and would love to recreate. Thanks!
Hi Veronika, the gummy texture can come from both both not adding the baking powder and not cooking all the way through. Baking powder gets activated when it’s mixed with wet ingredients and then heated. This causes the bakes to rise, so you adding it later might’ve prevented that reaction. In order to avoid undercooking make sure they heat is on medium, so the outside doesn’t get cooked too fast before then inside gets a chance to cook through. I hope this helps for the next time.
I have these from my colleague his wife makes them and I found the recipe. I t will be great to make for my family.
they are amazing .
Thank you.
These were so delicious! My kids asked to have them again tomorrow which is the highest compliment. Thank you so much for sharing
My pleasure, Carli!!
Made these as part of our homeschool unit! YUM!
What a fun project!! Thank you for choosing my recipe, Emma!