Syrniki

Small golden pancakes of farmer's cheese, egg and a little flour, fried until crisp outside and tender inside. They are served with sour cream, jam or honey for breakfast.

Syrniki

Syrniki6: Tatyana Morozyuk, color processing by Off-shell, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Where it comes from

Syrniki are a beloved breakfast across Ukraine and Russia and are made in homes every morning. They rely on fresh, dry farmer's cheese called tvorog.

Explore the cuisine of Ukraine, Russia.

Recipe

Make Syrniki at home

Serves 4Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 g) farmer's cheese or dry-curd cottage cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Butter or oil for frying
  • Sour cream, jam or honey to serve

How it's made

  1. Mash the cheese with a fork until smooth, pressing out any extra liquid.
  2. Mix in the egg, sugar, vanilla, salt and flour into a soft, thick dough.
  3. With floured hands, shape into small patties about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
  4. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
  5. Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.
  6. Serve warm with sour cream, jam or honey.

Variations

  • Raisin syrniki.
  • Baked syrniki.
  • Semolina syrniki.

Cook’s tip: Drain wet cheese in cheesecloth first, or the patties will spread in the pan.

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About this page

Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.

Photo credit
  • Syrniki6: Tatyana Morozyuk, color processing by Off-shell, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)