Syrniki Recipe (Farmer's Cheese Pancakes) (2024)

Enjoy this easy syrniki recipe to make delicious and fluffy farmer's cheese pancakes, also known as sirniki. Serve them with sour cream, Greek yogurt, honey, maple syrup, or fresh fruit for a delightful breakfast.

Pancake lovers alert! Uncover the irresistible flavor of syrniki pancakes, also known as farmer cheese pancakes. They are a lovely treat from Eastern Europe made with farmers cheese.

Did you know that behind a bunch of different names like European pancakes, Ukrainian syrniki, Ukrainian cheese pancakes, Russian cheese pancakes, Russian syrniki, cottage cheese pancakes, Russian cheese patties, and Russian cottage cheese pancakes lies the best breakfast treat?

Sirniki are cheesy, with the dominant farmer's cheese taste and flavor. That is why they are often called farmer's cheese pancakes or even cheese-filled pancakes.

What are Syrniki?

Syrniki, also sirniki (plural), are soft and fluffy cheese pancakes of Eastern European origin made from farmer's cheese. They make a staple breakfast in Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian cuisines.

The Slavic word "sirniki" is pronouncedlike seer-ni-kee. The same pronunciation is for syrniki, another spelling for the same dish.

Both syrniki and traditional American pancakes are thick pancakes, but they are different.

Where to buyfarmer's cheese?

While farmer's cheese is wildly sold in many supermarkets in Eastern Europe, it is pretty challenging to find it internationally. Look for farmer's cheese in the dairy section, next to quark, cottage cheese, sour cream, or ricotta.

If there are specialized Polish, Russian, or Ukrainian grocery stores or an Eastern European grocery store nearby, you may be lucky to find the farmer's cheese there.

What kind of cheese can you use alternatively? You can use well-drained ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, Russian tvorog cheese, or twaróg. But you need to remove the excess liquid for shaping your pancakes.

You can follow a farmer's cheese recipe to make your own tvorog at home with a few ingredients.

Why you should try this recipe

• This easy sirniki recipe is straightforward and quick to make.

• You can whip up a perfect breakfast in minutes with just a few simple ingredients.

• Delicious pancakes make a great snack during the day, serve your lunch at work (pack your lunch box and go), and make a simple sweet dessert.

• Loved by kids and adults, they offer a high protein content and calcium. So eating them is an easy way to stay healthy.

Ingredients

Get a quick overview of the necessary ingredients. For precise measurements and instructions, refer to the recipe card.

• Farmer's cheese (tvorog), 9% fat, is the main ingredient in making a traditional syrniki recipe. Opt for store-bought or homemade farmer's cheese. It must be dry, so drain it in double layers of cottage cheesecloth over a colander for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Avoid using non-fat farmer's cheese when making pancakes: it can cause an unpleasant sogginess while frying.

If the farmer cheese is dry enough with purchase, use it right away. If not, try to squeeze it a bit to remove the extra liquid by covering it with two layers of cheesecloth.

• Egg: The recipe calls for a large egg at room temperature. Bring it to the counter about 30-60 minutes before you start.

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour to make the recipe or replace it with semolina. For a gluten-free option, replace it with cornstarch or white rice flour.

• Sugar: Use granulated or caster sugar interchangeably.

• Vanilla sugar is optional. It brings a beautiful vanilla flavor to your pancakes. You can replace it with vanilla extract if desired.

• Salt enhances the flavors of sirniki.

• Vegetable oil is used for frying farmer's cheese pancakes. You can replace it with grapeseed, canola, or non-refined coconut oil. But try to avoid olive oil, including light olive oil, due to its strong taste and flavor.

Recipe variations

• Replace farmer cheese with other alternative types of cheese, such as well-drained cottage cheese, ricotta, tvorog, or twaróg.

• Tweak the amount of sugar to find the perfect balance for your taste: from two to three tablespoons for just enough sweetness to sugar-free sirniki.

• Add some raisins or chopped dried fruit for pancakes with an extra special twist. And to intensify the flavor, add a pinch of ground cinnamon or lemon zest to your batter.

• For a healthier version, add some grated carrots - no one will ever guess it is there.

How to make syrniki

The key to the best syrniki is dry farmer's cheese. You must drain it if it isn't dry enough or packed in water.

Drain farmer's cheese (if needed)

Place two layers of the cheesecloth over a colander and put farmer's cheese. Bundle the cloth around the cheese resembling a coin purse and squeeze with your hands.

If not enough to remove the excess liquid, place thecolander over a medium-sized bowl for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator. If you use another type of cheese, a farmer's cheese substitute, make sure to strain it overnight.

Make pancake batter

Place the farmer's cheese in a large bowl, and add egg, flour, salt, and sugars (photo 1).

Mix ingredients with a fork, a spatula, or a potato masher, and knead together with your hand until the dough becomes sticky. It will be thick enough, much thicker than the regular pancake batter.

To test, take the pancake dough, slightly squeeze it in your palm or make a ball. If the dough holds the shape, it is of the right consistency and is ready (photo 2).

Shape syrniki

Sift little flour on the working surface for coating. There are three ways to shape syrniki pancakes. Choose one or another; it is your personal preference.

Shaping way #1. Take the dough or cheese mixture (about less than 2 oz. (50 g) and with damp hands (wet your hands in cold water or oil), shape a small ball.

Place it on the floured surface and flatten it into a small patty of about ½ inch (1.2-1.5 cm) thickness using your hand.

Roll in flour, covering the pancake with flour on all sides. Set aside and continue with the rest of the pancakes.

Shaping way #2. Use a quarter-cup cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop to portion your pancakes.

Place the dough scoop on the lightly floured board and roll it up with your hand in a circular motion, gently pulling the ball along (like shaping a dinner roll). Pat the dough down with your hand, and cover it with flour.

Shaping way #3. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and gently make it into a log like a thick sausage (2 inches/5 cm in diameter).

Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into even pieces ½ inch (1.2-1.5 cm) thick (photo 3).

Cover each cut piece with enough flour, and shape each pancake using a glass or a round cookie cutter of a larger diameter. Or use your hand the easiest way (photo 4).

Expert tip: Don't add too much flour; otherwise, the pancakes will lose their fluffiness, cheesy taste, and flavor.

Note: Shaped syrnik has a round shape that resembles a "puck" or a round patty of height ½ inch (1.2-1.5 cm).

Fry cheese pancakes

Pour the vegetable oil into a frying pan (opt for a non-stick skillet) and warm it up. Next, transfer each syrnik to the pan using a spatula.

Fry syrniki (3-4 in batches) in the hot pan over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes on both sides until golden brown. Use a flexible turner to help turn the pancakes. You may need to add more oil as you go.

Attention: Be careful with turning your pancakes: the oil may splash!

Expert tip: The higher your syrnik, the less heat you should use and the longer it to fry. You may need to cover the pan with a lid and fry the second side (after it gains the gold color) for 1-1.5 minutes longer.

Remove the fried syrniki from the pan and place it on a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Then transfer them to a serving plate (photo 5).

Serve cheese pancakes hot with a dollop of sour cream, whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, jam preserves, or fresh fruit. You can eat them cold if desired.

Expert Tips

1. Make sure to cover the pancakes well with flour before frying them. They should have a puck-like shape and be dredged in flour.
2. Ensure your farmer's cheese is dry before you start. If it is too liquid, you will need to use more flour, resulting in losing that authentic taste of cheese-filled pancakes. As a solution, drain farmer cheese well.
3. Use a food processor for a few seconds to make the farmer's cheese crumble uniformly. Then proceed with the recipe, mixing ingredients with a fork. Avoid using an immersion blender or a hand mixer to make the dough.
4. To keep pancakes in a nice shape, bring them to the freezer in a single layer for 5-10 minutes before frying.

Storing and freezing

Serve your sirniki hot and fresh right from the frying pan. Don't let them stay at room temperature longer than 24 hours.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. With homemade farmer's cheese, store your pancakes for up to 3 days.

To reheat, use the microwave or a skillet over low heat with a bit of oil. Cover the pan with a lid for heating thoroughly.

Can you freeze syrniki?

Raw syrniki: You can freeze raw cheese pancakes for up to 2 months. Place them, shaped and covered with flour, on a tray covered with baking paper and freeze for 2-3 hours.

Once frozen, stack about 7 pancakes in a freezing bag, separate them with parchment, label them, and bring it to the freezer.

When ready to fry, there is no need to defrost them. For each side, fry your pancakes straight from the freezer over low heat for 4-5 minutes (maybe longer).

Fried syrniki: You can also freeze fried sirniki for 4 months. Let them cool down, and stack 5-7 of them (no need to separate each with parchment). Cover pancakes with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze.

To thaw, bring them to the refrigerator overnight, then reheat them in the microwave.

How to serve syrniki

The most traditional Russian way to serve syrniki is topping them with sour cream with or without fruit preserves. Also, you can use other favorite toppings, such as

• powdered sugar
• Greek yogurt
• whipped cream
• honey syrup
• maple syrup
• store-bought or homemade jam
• powdered sugar
• fresh berries
• Nutella
• applesauce or apple juice reduction
• ice-cream

FAQ

Love crepes and pancakes? Try these next!

Having this recipe on hand, never wonder what to do with farmers cheese again. Also, enjoy more breakfast favorites, from the Dutch Baby pancake to French crepes:

• Dutch Baby Pancake
• French Crepes
• Galette Bretonne (buckwheat crepes)
• Beggar's Purses (aka crepe purses)

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.