This syrniki recipe is one of just a few recipes that have the taste of my childhood: the taste of home, of comfort, and of warmth. It’s also a delicious, healthy and quick breakfast with minimal ingredients.

If you, like us, want to break up your regular breakfast routine, you can include this recipe along with our banana bites, blinchiki, and crunchy granola clusters to have something deliciously different every morning.

What is syrniki?

Information on syrniki (or sirniki as it’s often transcribed from Russian) on English-language websites is fairly slim, but if you look for ‘cheese fritters’, you’re more likely to find something. English speakers tend to refer to syrniki as cheese pancakes, or Russian cottage cheese pancakes where this kind of cheese is widely available.

The beauty of syrniki can be captured by saying this: syrniki are usually deep fried in oil to make them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they are “medallions” of a warm and creamy consistency that melt in your mouth and are so yummy that you won’t be able to resist having another. Usually topped with sour cream, condensed milk or jam, these Russian cheese pancakes can be served for both breakfast and dessert.

Where does syrniki come from?

Syrniki, while sometimes called Russian cheese pancakes, are actually popular in more than just Russia. Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Lithuania all have their own versions of syrniki. This version was passed down through my family, which is both Russian and Ukrainian, so you’re getting the best of both worlds! The same goes for mom’s borscht soup…

For foreigners, syrniki is often associated with homemade Russian cuisine as it was a regular part of traditional cuisine in the post-Soviet space. However, as already mentioned, the form of fried cakes made from cottage cheese and flour is popular in many countries in this region.

So, here is an amazing recipe for syrniki cheese pancakes my mom gave me. I share it with you, my dear reader, so you can make syrniki for your delicious breakfast treat.

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Syrniki Recipe: Homemade Russian Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This homemade syrniki recipe has been passed down for generations and is one of our favourite breakfast recipes. It features simple ingredients and is quick to make.

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Ingredients

• Cottage cheese: 600 g
• All-purpose flour: 3 tbsp
• Medium-sized egg: 1
• Salt: ¼ tsp
• Powdered sugar: 1 tbsp
• Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
• Cooking oil for frying

Instructions

1. Collect ingredients
   
   
   
2. In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese well. You want to mush it all up so that it becomes smooth, without any bumps. I usually just use my hands, but a potato masher can help.
   
   
   
3. When smooth, add salt and sugar. Again, mix well.
   
   
   
4. Add the egg and mix well again.
   
   
   
5. Add the 3 tbsp of flour one at a time. Mix well each time.
   
   
   
6. Once all the ingredients have been added and the cheese mixture is nice and soft, let it stand for 10 minutes so that the flour swells.
   
   
   
7. After 10 minutes, grind the mixture up with your hands once more and mix it a final time. It should already be well combined now and the cottage cheese should have no lumps. By following this authentic recipe, the syrniki will be round and beautiful and you won't need to add baking soda or baking powder.
   
8. Now you can form syrniki. I make them like cutlets – I beat them lightly in my hands, form a round shape, and roll them gently in flour. Do this until you've used up all the mixture.
   
   
   
9. Heat your frying pan on a medium heat and coat the bottom in oil. Fry syrniki on both sides until golden brown. This usually takes a few minutes.
   
   
   
10. After frying, transfer syrniki to a paper towel to get rid of the rest of the oil.
    
    
    
11. Serve immediately: see how syrniki topping ideas below for inspiration!
    
    

Notes

• To make traditional pancake batter for syrniki, you'll need to get your hands on Russian tvorog – homemade farmer's cheese. We know from experience, if you're travelling it can be challenging to find farmer's cheese, but there are ways to make tvorog at home. Having said that, we haven't tried it ourselves yet, and if you're in a pinch, Italian ricotta cheese can work for syrniki.
• If the cottage cheese is wet, it must be squeezed. Otherwise, the syrniki will fall apart in the pan and you will need to add more flour. And if there is too much flour, it will overpower the taste of cottage cheese.
• Do not use olive oil for frying – it smells too strong and it can seep into the taste of the syrniki. It's better to choose a neutral vegetable oil such as canola or coconut oil.
• If you watch calories, you can use semolina for syrniki pancakes. It will also make the taste cheesier. And instead of sour cream, you can use Greek yoghurt as a topping.
• For a gluten-free syrniki recipe, you can use gluten-free flour like buckwheat flour or semolina.
• Syrniki can be eaten for breakfast or dessert, depending on how sweet you like it.

• To make traditional pancake batter for syrniki, you'll need to get your hands on Russian tvorog – homemade farmer's cheese. We know from experience if you're travelling it can be challenging to find farmer's cheese, but there are ways to make tvorog at home. Having said that, we haven't tried it ourselves yet, and if you're in a pinch, Italian ricotta cheese can work for syrniki.
• If the cottage cheese is wet, it must be squeezed. Otherwise, the syrniki will fall apart in the pan and you will need to add more flour. And if there is too much flour, it will overpower the taste of cottage cheese.
• Do not use olive oil for frying – it smells too strong and it can seep into the taste of the syrniki. It's better to choose a neutral vegetable oil such as canola or coconut oil.
• If you watch calories, you can use semolina for syrniki pancakes. It will also make the taste cheesier. And instead of sour cream, you can use Greek yoghurt as a topping.
• For a gluten-free syrniki recipe, you can use gluten-free flour like buckwheat flour or semolina.
• Syrniki can be eaten for breakfast or dessert, depending on how sweet you like it.

Ideas for how to serve syrniki

1. Sauces, Toppings, Dips

Sour cream, greek yogurt, honey, jam and marmalade are all common choices to serve with this recipe. They’re especially popular with children, but adults enjoy them too. Matt certainly does.

Dips are basically the same as sauces, but instead of being tantalisingly drizzled on top, dips are placed in a separate bowl and you can dunk your syrniki inside.

2. Fresh fruit and berries

Even the traditional syrniki can be transformed when served with juicy fruits or berries. If it’s summer outside and berry season is in full swing, wonderful. Pick them fresh (or get them from the local market) and heat some of the berries with sugar. Hastily stir a light sauce and arrange the remaining berries sporadically on a plate with a stack of syrniki. Then pour the berry sauce over the cheese pancakes and sprinkle them with powdered sugar or maple syrup.

You can use peaches, apples, pears, plums, apricots… the list goes on. Literally any fruit that takes your fancy can go with syrniki. In a hot pan, heat sugar along with some butter or water and place the fruit slices on top. Fry them for 3-4 minutes in the resulting caramel. Place the caramelised fruit next to, or directly on top of, the syrniki and pour the remaining sauce over them. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

3. Raisins, dried cherries, lemon peel, chocolate…

Decorating your gorgeous syrniki with a selection of dried fruits or nuts is a great way to serve them as part of a healthy breakfast. You can even add lemon zest, chocolate or seeds. In fact, there’s nothing stopping you from adding lemon zest to the syrniki recipe itself!

Raisins in syrniki is nothing new, but who says we have to stop there? In syrniki, while you’re adding the vanilla, you can also add: raisins, shredded dried apricots, plums or other dried fruits, lemon zest, lime, chocolate drops, or fresh berries (if the berries are sour, then it’s better to roll them in sugar beforehand), almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts or other nuts of your choice, ground cinnamon, coconut flakes or anything else that you want to experiment with.

4. Filling.

If you want to get really wild, why not adjust this syrniki recipe to add a filling? You can use any filling to your taste: Nutella, jam or marmalade, grated and caramelized apple, pear, peach, caramelized nuts, toffee, or chocolate pieces, condensed milk, fresh berries or vanilla pudding. Your chosen filling can be added into the middle of the syrniki dough ball just before frying it. Make it into a round-shaped patty and voila! You’ve got yourself a new recipe! Be careful not to add too much of the filling though, otherwise it will run out and burn on the pan.

5. Frosting and Melted Chocolate

If desired, syrniki can be transformed into a very elegant dish. Prepare the icing or melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl above boiling water. Pour it over each of the cheese pancakes. Sprinkle colourful sweets and get arty with it: make funny faces, the sun, or flowers.

And you can go further and decorate each syrniki with multiple colours by making patterns on the dark chocolate background with melted white chocolate.

Enjoy delicious syrniki for breakfast

I hope that our tips and ideas will help you create your own unique “cheese” masterpiece. While the traditional syrniki recipe is quite straightforward, there is a lot of room for improvisation – like with many Slavic recipes. Have fun with it!

If you want more super simple recipes, check out our easy recipe page. Take a peek at our international recipes too to find different cuisines to try for breakfast, lunch and dinner!