Polish cheese crepes (nalesniki) are made using sweetened cottage cheese ('twarog') with a hint of vanilla. They are quick and simple to make and absolutely delicious!
Polish cheese crepes are made using a simple crepes batter as well as 'twarog' (traditional Polish cottage cheese) filling, both lightly sweetened. Crepes in Poland are not strictly breakfast food and even though this is a 'sweet' recipe these crepes are often served for lunch or supper, in addition to breakfast, snack or dessert. Poles really do love their crepes!
Cheese crepes ingredients
Polish crepes batter ingredients.
Because of their popularity in Poland there are many versions of these French style crepes. Some people like to add oil into the batter while others prefer melted butter or omit the fat altogether. The batter in this 'nalesniki' recipe contains 1 egg, milk, flour, a little oil, powdered sugar and sea salt. This produces light, thin crepes that tend to crisp up around the edges.
To make the filling I combined Polish 'twarog' cheese with yogurt, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
What cheese to use
Traditionally these crepes are made with Polish twarog which has a similar flavour to cottage cheese but has a crumbly rather than creamy texture. (This is the same cheese that's also used to make authentic Polish pierogi). All Polish stores sell twarog, however, if you can't get it use ordinary cottage cheese (the creamy kind), quark or fromage frais (fromage blanc).
Top tip
Adjust the cheese-to-yogurt ratio as well as the amount of sugar according to preference (my filling mixture was quite thick). If you use creamy alternatives for the twarog omit the yogurt.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1. Start by making the crepes. Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt then add the egg and oil.
2. Gradually and slowly pour in the milk whisking (quite vigorously) all the time until smooth. If there are any lumps left use a stick blender to get the batter as smooth as possible. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. To make the filling simply stir all the ingredients together using a large spoon or fork. Adjust the amount of yogurt or sugar to taste. Set aside.
4. Heat up about 2 teaspoons of oil spreading evenly in the pan then ladle the batter swirling it around to make sure it spreads over the entire surface of the pan.
Don't be afraid to make these crepes quite thin, they won't tear easily. They need about 2 minutes on one side and a minute on the other (cooked over a medium heat).
5. Cover each crepe with a thin layer of the cheese mixture and fold both sides over the filling. Dust with a little powdered sugar (optional) and enjoy your crepes with cheese!
What to serve Polish crepes with
These cheese crepes are usually served on their own or with icing/powdered sugar. They are also delicious with homemade fruit compote, orange pancake sauce or chocolate raspberry sauce. Serve either cold or warm (heat them up in a microwave or fry briefly in a little butter).
Top tips
- You can make these crepes large or small, depending on how big your pan is.
- Once you've made the crepes batter set is aside for a few minutes. This is a good time to make the filling.
- Adjust the amounts of sugar and yogurt in the filling mixture according to taste. If using creamy substitutes for twarog (such as cottage cheese or quark) omit the yogurt.
- Make ahead: These crepes can be made ahead (with or without the filling) and once cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
- Serve hot or cold. Once you've folded the crepes you can either heat them up in the microwave or briefly fry them in a little butter. Alternatively serve cold.
Substitutions
- Twarog: creamy cottage cheese, quark, fromage frais/fromage blanc.
- Yogurt: use sour cream instead, alternatively use vanilla flavoured yogurt and omit the vanilla extract.
- Vanilla extract: use vanilla beans instead.
- Oil in the batter can be replaced with melted butter.
You might also like
- Polish Pancakes with Yeast (Racuchy)
- Crepes with Spinach and Cheese Filling
- Polish Crepes with Mushrooms (Krokiety)
- Polish Style Apple Pancakes
You may also like this collection of vegetable breakfast recipes.
Keep in touch!
If you make this cheese crepes recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Polish Cheese Crepes (Nalesniki z Serem)
Equipment
- Non-stick frying pan
- Large bowl and whisk
Ingredients
For the crepes
- 160 g flour
- 330 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 2 tbsp powdered/icing sugar
- ⅙ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil plus more for frying (1-2 tsp per crepe)
For the cheese filling
- 270 g Polish twarog cheese
- 4 tbsp yogurt
- 2½ tbsp powdered/icing sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Start by making the crepes. Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt then add the egg and oil.
- Gradually and slowly pour in the milk whisking (quite vigorously) all the time until smooth. If there are any lumps left use a stick blender to get the batter as smooth as possible. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- To make the filling simply stir all the ingredients together using a large spoon or fork. Adjust the amount of yogurt or sugar to taste. Set aside.
- Heat up about 2 teaspoons of oil spreading evenly in the pan then ladle the batter swirling it around to make sure it spreads over the entire surface of the pan.Don't be afraid to make these crepes quite thin, they won't tear easily. They need about 2 minutes on one side and a minute on the other (cooked over a medium heat).
- Cover each crepe with a thin layer of the cheese mixture and fold. Dust with a little powdered sugar (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
- You can make these crepes large or small, depending on how big your pan is.
- Once you've made the crepes batter set is aside for a few minutes. This is a good time to make the filling.
- Adjust the amounts of sugar and yogurt in the filling mixture according to taste. If using creamy substitutes for twarog (such as cottage cheese or quark) omit the yogurt.
- Make ahead: These crepes can be made ahead (with or without the filling) and once cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
- Serve hot or cold. Once you've folded the crepes you can either heat them up in the microwave or briefly fry them in a little butter. Alternatively serve cold.
- Twarog: use creamy cottage cheese, quark, fromage frais/fromage blanc instead.
- Yogurt: use sour cream instead, alternatively use vanilla flavoured yogurt and omit the vanilla extract.
- Vanilla extract: vanilla bean paste is a good substitute.
- Oil in the batter can be replaced with melted butter.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
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 cheese filling. They sound pretty similar to English pancakes, which I make from time to time.
Thank you! My kids adore these and so do I, actually, with or without the cheese filling.
They look like perfect crepes and the cheese filling sounds delicious!
Thank you!