These super easy to make 4-ingredient Polish crepes (nalesniki) are a delicious breakfast idea. Enjoy with a dollop of creamy low fat strawberry ricotta sauce.
Polish crepes ‘nalesniki’ with strawberry cheese filling are my ‘sweetest’ recipe in the pancake ‘series’ (following my low-sugar healthy apple pancakes and chia pancakes).
Because of their popularity in Poland there are many versions of these French style crepes. Some people like to add butter or oil into the batter, as well as more eggs. I like simplicity so my nalesniki recipe contains only 4 ingredients: 1 egg, semi-skimmed (low fat) milk, plain flour and a bit of sea salt. This produces light, thin crepes that tend to crisp up around the edges.
What to serve Polish crepes with
One of the most popular ways of serving nalesniki crepes in Poland is with sweetened cottage cheese (twarog). (This is the same cheese that’s used in traditional Polish potato and cheese pierogi (dumplings). These crepes are pretty filling and are often served as lunch or supper (as well as dessert). Another popular way of serving crepes is simply with jam.
My crepes filling in this recipe is lighter and more suitable for breakfast. There is still jam and cheese but I used lighter ricotta as well as a fair amount of fresh strawberries. This produced a creamy, delicious strawberry sauce that’s perfect to enjoy with morning crepes!
Try serving these crepes also with easy, homemade chocolate raspberry sauce!
Equipment you’ll need
- Kitchen scale/measuring cup
- Large bowl and whisk for making the crepes
- Small bowl and spoon for making the sauce
- Non-stick crepes pan and medium pan for cooking the strawberries
- Hand blender, fork and ladle
How to make Polish nalesniki recipe: step-by-step
1.Start by making the strawberry sauce. Cook the strawberries with the jam in a pan for about 5 minutes, squashing the fruit with a fork until a thick sauce forms. Set aside to cool for a few minutes then combine with the ricotta.
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2. Puree until smooth and serve with your crepes nalesniki! Keep the sauce refrigerated.
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3. Po make the crepes place the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the egg, then gradually pour in the milk whisking all the time until smooth. If there are any lumps left use a stick blender to get the batter as smooth as possible.
Set the mixture aside for a few minutes as the batter might thicken a little then add a drop of milk if needed to get the right consistency.
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4. Using about half a teaspoonful of oil per pancake (grease the pan evenly), heat it up and ladle the batter onto the pan swirling it around to make sure it spreads evenly.
Don’t be afraid to make these crepes very thin, they won’t tear easily. They need about 1.5 minutes on each side (cooked over a medium heat).
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Top tips for making Polish crepes (nalesniki)
- Small or large crepes: Use a large or small pancake pan to make your crepes. Use a small ladle with a small pan and a regular soup ladle if using a large pancake pan.
- Consistency: Once you’ve made the crepes batter set is aside for a few minutes as the batter might thicken a little.
- Make ahead: Crepes can be made ahead and once cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Add the sauce just before serving.
- Strawberry sauce: Use either fresh or frozen strawberries (if you use frozen you’ll need to cook the fruit 2-3 minutes longer). Keep the sauce refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
More crepes recipes
If you are into crepes you might also like these savoury Polish krokiety with beets and cabbage, where I’ve used a more substantial crepes batter mixture. Check out also these other savoury and nutritious crepes with spinach and cheese filling.
If you like Polish nalesniki you might also like Polish pancakes with yeast (racuchy) which come with a simple fruit compote.
You may also like this collection of 18 healthy, easy vegetable breakfast recipes.
Keep in touch
If you make this nalesniki recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Did you serve these crepes with the strawberry sauce or did you use another filling idea? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Polish Crepes (Nalesniki) Recipe with Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
For the crepes
- 1 large egg
- 140 g flour (1.12 cups)
- 320 ml semi-skimmed milk/ light milk
- 1/6 tsp fine sea salt
- Olive oil for frying 1/2 tsp per large crepe
For the strawberry sauce
- 150 g strawberries fresh or frozen
- 5 tbsp strawberry jam
- 200 g ricotta cheese
- Fresh strawberries and icing sugar for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Start by making the strawberry sauce. In a medium pan cook the strawberries with the jam for about 5 minutes, squashing the fruit with a fork until a thick sauce forms. Set aside to cool for a few minutes then combine with the ricotta. Puree until smooth. Keep refrigerated.
- To make the pancakes pour the flour into a large bowl and add the egg. Then gradually add the milk whisking all the time until the batter is smooth. If there are any lumps left use a stick blender to make the mixture as smooth as possible. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes as the batter might thicken a little.
- Lightly grease (1/2 tsp oil per pancake) and heat up a pancake pan and ladle the batter onto it (tip the pan in a circular motion so the batter spreads evenly covering the entire surface of the pan and producing a thin pancake). Fry over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side until the pancake is golden browned. Stack the pancakes on a large plate.
Notes
- Large or small crepes: You can use a large or small pancake pan to make these crepes. Use a small ladle with a small pan and a regular soup ladle if using a large pancake pan.
- Consistency: Once you've made the crepes batter set is aside for a few minutes as the batter might thicken a little.
- Make ahead: Crepes can be made ahead and once cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Add the sauce just before serving.
- Strawberry sauce: Use either fresh or frozen strawberries (if you use frozen you'll need to cook the fruit 2-3 minutes longer). Keep the sauce refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Recipe link parties
I am bringing this easy crepes recipe with strawberry sauce to #CookBlogShare.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
My grandma used to make an eggy pancake but over the years I lost the recipe. It had baking powder, flour and eggs and she put maple syrup on them. Any clue if this is similar to your crepes?
Thanks for getting in touch Sheryl! The addition of the baking powder would produce a different kind of pancake to the one in the recipe. Your grandma’s pancakes would be fluffy, not flat as crepes are, She also would have used some dairy product such as milk or buttermilk/kefir. These kind of pancakes are great with maple syrup.
Oh how lovely and they sound delicious too with that ricotta strawberry filling. They sound pretty similar to English pancakes, which I make from time to time. But mine have never looked as pretty as yours.
Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Thank you! My kids adore these and so do I, actually, with or without the strawberry filling. But unless I am photographing these for the blog they look a lot less neat:)
They look like perfect crepes and the strawberry filling sounds delicious!
Thank you! The strawberry filling makes these crepes really moreish!