If you’ve never experienced a cheese blintz, you’re missing out on one of the world’s most delightful sweet treats. These delicate pancakes, filled with creamy sweetened cheese and fried to golden perfection, create the perfect balance between crispy exterior and luxuriously smooth interior. While they may look intimidating, this step-by-step guide will help you create restaurant-quality blintzes that rival IHOP’s famous version right in your own kitchen.
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Homemade Cheese Blintz
Creating restaurant-style blintzes at home gives you complete control over quality and freshness while delivering that perfect blend of crispy exterior and creamy filling. These make-ahead-friendly blintz recipe is incredibly versatile, working equally well for breakfast or dessert. The recipe freezes beautifully, making it perfect for meal prep or entertaining large groups.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creates restaurant-style blintzes at home
- Perfect blend of crispy exterior and creamy filling
- Make-ahead friendly
- Versatile for breakfast or dessert
- Freezes beautifully
- Similar to IHOP’s version but more authentic
Cheese Blintz Ingredients
Most of what you will need for this recipe, you will most likely already have at home. Take a look and make sure you are ready to start. Here’s a list of what you need:
For the Pancakes:
- Whole large eggs – Provide structure, richness, and help bind the batter together
- Milk – Creates tender, delicate pancakes with perfect texture
- All-purpose flour – Forms the base structure and gives pancakes their body
- Sugar – Adds subtle sweetness that complements the cheese filling
- Vanilla extract – Enhances overall flavor and adds aromatic depth
- Salt – Balances sweetness and enhances all other flavors
For the Cheese Filling:
- Ricotta cheese – Provides creamy texture and mild, sweet flavor base
- Cream cheese – Adds richness, tang, and helps bind
- Egg – Helps set the filling and adds richness
- Fresh lemon juice – Brightens flavors and adds subtle acidity
- Vanilla extract – Complements the cheese and adds warmth
For Assembly and Frying:
- Butter – Essential for achieving a golden, crispy exterior
How to Make Cheese Blintzes
- Begin by making up the pancake batter in a medium bowl. Add in the eggs and milk and beat them together well.
- Add in the flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and the salt.
- Stir everything together and then place a piece of plastic over the bowl and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour before making the pancakes.
- While the batter is chilling, prepare the cheese filling by combining the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
- Mix everything together until it is well combined. However, there might still be some lumps left and that is okay, they will go away when they are cooked.
- After the hour is up, heat up a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Then spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Using a ladle pour about 3 ounces of batter into the greased skillet and swirl it around so the batter spreads out and becomes thin. It should cover the bottom of the skillet.
- Let the pancake cook for about 60 seconds allowing it to become bubbly and dry.
- Then flip the pancake over and let it cook for another 15 seconds on the other side. The blintz should become golden brown.
- Transfer the pancake to a wire rack to cool when it is done cooking.
- Repeat these steps with each pancake until the batter is gone. Do not forget to respray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- After the pancakes have cooled, you will assemble the cheese blintzes.
- Place a small amount of cheese filling in the lower third of a pancake.
- Then, flip up the bottom with the cheese filling to the middle of the pancake. Then, fold in the two sides of the pancake, going towards the middle.
- Next, fold the top portion down to finish. They will look like little cheese-filled burritos.
- Repeat these steps until the pancakes are all filled.
- Finish the blintzes off by browning them in the small skillet with some butter and brown on both sides of the blintz, starting with the fold side down. This should take about 60 seconds.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Filling Variations
- Substitute cottage cheese for ricotta
- Add fruit preserves to filling
- Mix in citrus zest
- Include vanilla bean paste
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-Free: Use measure-for-measure gluten-free flour
- Lower Fat: Use part-skim ricotta
- Dairy-Free: Not recommended (traditional recipe)
Troubleshooting Tips
- Tough Pancakes: Batter too thick or overcooked
- Filling Leaks: Overfilled or not sealed well
- Uneven Cooking: Pan temperature too high
- Sticking: Not enough cooking spray
How do you fold a blintz?
Essentially, you will be making tiny burritos out of the small pancakes. It just takes 3 easy steps.
- Place a small amount of the cheese mixture on the lower third of the pancake.
- Flip up the bottom with the cheese filling to the middle of the pancake.
- Fold in the two sides of the pancake going towards the middle. Place the seem side down on the plate.
What do you serve with cheese blintzes?
You can serve cheese blintzes with a variety of toppings. Here are a few suggestions:
- Applesauce
- Fresh fruit
- Fruit pie filling or topping
- Fruit preserves
- Maple syrup
- Sour cream
- Whipped cream
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator Storage: Cooked blintzes can be stored in airtight containers for up to 5 days. Use rigid containers to prevent breaking.
- Reheating Method: Place on a baking sheet and reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes until heated through. This maintains crispiness better than microwaving.
- Freezing: Freeze assembled but unfried blintzes for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before the final cooking step.
Favorite Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
- Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Pancakes
- Egg in a Basket
- French Cruller
- French Toast
- Funfetti Pancakes
- Homemade Waffles
- IHOP Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Monkey Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Popular Fast Food Breakfast Recipes
Check out my easy breakfast recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!
Homemade Cheese Blintzes Recipe
Crispy, golden blintzes filled with sweet cheese! Restaurant-quality results at home. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 422kcal
Ingredients
Blintz Pancakes
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cheese Filling
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Blintz Pancakes
- In a medium-sized bowl, add 4 eggs and milk. Beat them together well.
- Add flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using.
- You can prepare the filling while the batter is chilling.
- Heat a small nonstick skillet (about 6 or 7 inches in diameter) over medium heat.
- Spray the skillet with non-stick spray or spread a thin layer melted butter in it.
- Ladle about 3 ounces of batter into the skillet. Swirl it around so that it is a thin, round layer covering the bottom of the skillet.
- The pancake will cook for about 60 seconds before it begins to bubble and dry
- Flip over the pancake and cook it for another 15 seconds or so. The blintz should be golden brown.
- Transfer the pancake to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat making pancakes with the remaining batter.
Cheese Filling
- Combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl.
- Stir until well blended, the mixture may remain a little lumpy. The lumps will go away when you cook the blintz.
Assemble the Cheese Blintzes
- Place a small amount, about 2 or 3 tablespoons, of cheese filling in the lower third of a pancake.
- Flip the bottom third up to the middle of the pancake. Then flip the two sides to the middle. Then flip the top portion down. These will look like mini burritos.
- Repeat with the remaining pancakes and filling.
- To brown the blintzes, add a small pat of butter to the skillet and brown on both sides, this will take about 60 seconds
Nutrition
Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 202mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 955IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 1.9mg
These were SO delicious! I’ve always loved blintzes but never made them myself. They were so easy and turned out perfectly my first try! 100% will make again and again!
Delicious. I made double filling because that is the part we love best. I stuffed the blintzes and then spooned more warm filling on top of them before serving. I would like to try baking them in an extra batch of this yummy filling after pan frying them and see how that turns out. That would probably be delicious hot or cold. Thank you for this recipe, we had it for dinner this evening and it was a hit.
Could you share your double filling. Is it just double amount of ingredients or something else. I had had my great aunt’s re recipe but remember some of your ingredients
Please let me know about making the double filling. Also I remember baking after they were filled. I had lost my t great aunt’s recipe. Us it’s been a long time that I had made them
My family loved them
I’m trying them for easter wish me luck
Good luck!
No need to drain cottage cheese. Just need to cook the blitz’s in the oven. A step I don’t see in this version.
Trying it for the first time! I decided to drain the ricotta cheese. Since I used fresh lemons to get the juice, I also decided to zest the lemons and include that in the batter (zest of 1 lemon). I actually made a triple recipe so reduce the test a tad unless you want a really lemony flavor.
Found this, going to make them very soon.
Thanks Shayne, Trader Joes’ are easier to prepare, but I always like homemade best.
I wish I could make homemade..looks delicious!
Proper cheese blintzes are not make with only cream cheese. Farmer cheese or small curd cottage cheese are more common in the Jewish versions, and healthier too.
You mean, like ricotta cheese? Maybe you should actually read the recipe. These were delicious.
Thank you, ‘The Cook’. I thought they were pretty good too.
I haven’t made blitzes in forever. My mom was a master. I am craving a berry and cheese blintz now! I need to put this on the list for the weekend. Thanks!
I think mastering blintz take a lot of practice.
My grandmother used to make these for me all the time. I haven’t had one since then, and now you’ve reminded me how much I used to love them.
Delicious…
I hope you try them.
I think these sound pretty close to the old fashioned ones. I will try them,my area doesn’t sell dry cottage cheese that I use to use with farmers cheese. A drop of vanilla in the filling doesn’t hurt. I never had the first crepe come out perfect, so the cooks gets a sample. Yum
These are the only blintz that I know. I bet if you drain cottage cheese you may be able to get something similar to the farmers cheese.