Blintzes with cheese are an old-fashioned treat that's prefect for today. Tender crepes are filled with lightly sweetened ricotta, cream cheese filling, and lemon zest, folded burrito-style, and briefly pan fried in butter until golden. They're wonderful for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, topped with fresh fruit, fruit compote, fruit sauce, or preserves. Blintzes are easy to make ahead, freeze great, and can be made gluten-free.
I love crepes, so blintzes with cheese are the perfect next step. Blintzes are a classic old-world treat with deep roots in Eastern European and Jewish cooking, and one of the best ways to turn simple crepes into something truly special. With a creamy filling and sweetness coming from your topping of choice, they're rich without feeling heavy. Make the crepes ahead, then fill and cook them for a special breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
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Blintzes With Cheese Recipe Highlights
- Make ahead - Make the crepes and blintz cheese filling ahead, then assemble and cook when ready to serve. Fully made blintzes refrigerate and freeze beautifully!
- Crepe options - Make gluten-free crepes, traditional crepes with all-purpose flour, or store-bought crepes.
- Versatile for serving - Serve blintzes for breakfast, brunch, or dessert with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, compote, coulis, or preserves.
For an easy lemon 3-ingredient dessert topped with berries, make my lemon posset.
Ingredients You'll Need
Crepes
- Flour - Use all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend for tender crepes. I've made them with both.
- Milk - Whole milk gives the richest flavor, but low-fat milk works too.
- Eggs - Eggs give the crepes structure and help keep them soft and flexible.
- Sweetener - Use sugar or a monk fruit-allulose blend for lightly sweet crepes.
- Vanilla - Use real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Butter - Use a little unsalted butter to lightly grease the crepe pan.
Blintz Filling
- Ricotta cheese - Use whole milk ricotta for a creamy filling.
- Cream cheese - Block cream cheese, not whipped or tub-style.
- Egg - Egg helps bind the filling and add richness.
- Flavor extract - Real vanilla extract adds warmth and rounds out the flavor.
- Sweetener - Use sugar or a monk fruit-allulose blend to lightly sweeten the filling.
- Lemon - Use just the zest for bright flavor without adding extra liquid.
- Fat - For pan-frying the blintzes, either unsalted butter, ghee, a light neutral oil, or avocado oil spray.
Please see the recipe card for measurements and salt.
Chef's Note if Using GF Flour - I've made these crepes with both gluten-free flour blends that contain xanthan gum and blends without it, and both work well. In my testing, the difference has been minimal, so use the blend you keep on hand. A blend with xanthan gum may make the crepes slightly easier to handle, but the difference is small.
Substitutions and Variations
- Dairy-free option - The crepes can easily be made dairy-free, but the cheese filling cannot. For a dairy-free crepe, use plant butter. To serve, simply fold the crepes around sweetened whipped coconut cream or another plant-based whipped topping, then serve with fruit, compote, or preserves. A sweetened dairy-free cream cheese may also work as a filling, though I have not tested it. See the crepes recipe post for more filling ideas.
Tips For Great Cheese Blintzes
- Drain the ricotta - So the filling stays thick and creamy.
- Have the cream cheese at room temperature - So it blends more smoothly into the filling.
- Use lemon zest, not juice - Zest adds bright flavor without making the filling loose.
- Process (puree) the filling smooth - For a creamier filling that is less lumpy than mixing by hand, though a little texture is fine too.
- Chill after filling and rolling - Resting in the refrigerator helps the blintzes set and hold their shape better in the pan.
- Pan-fry lightly, don't over-brown - Cook in a little unsalted butter until lightly golden for the best texture and appearance.
How to Make Blintzes With Cheese
If you have not drained the ricotta, do it now as a prep step. Add ricotta to a fine sieve or strainer, place over a bowl, cover with plastic film and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Do not skip this step. The few tablespoons of liquid that drain give the filling more body.
- Sift flour, then add crepe ingredients to a blender and blend on low speed 30-45 seconds until smooth. Do not use high speed. You can also whisk well by hand.
- Refrigerate the crepe batter for 1 hour. Can be made ahead 1-2 days. Whisk before using if needed.
- Heat crepe pan over medium low heat and brush lightly with melted butter or oil. When hot, add ⅓ scant cup of the batter and immediately swirl the batter to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Don't be afraid to really swirl it.
- Cook the crepe about 1 minute on the first side, until it is lightly golden, then turn it (with your fingers) to the other side and cook another 30-60 seconds. Watch the heat level on your stove.
- Stack the crepes for filling. If making them ahead, separate each crepe with a layer of parchment or wax paper, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate.
- Drain the ricotta for a minimum of 1 hour to overnight in a fine sieve over a bowl, covered.
7. Combine the drained ricotta, soft cream cheese, yolk, sweetener, vanilla, salt, and zest. Mix until combined by hand or use food processor.
8. Puree filling in a food processor, or mix by hand or with a hand mixer. Food processor is the smoothest, by hand is more rustic textured.
9. How to make a blintz. Step 1, add 2 tablespoons filling to the bottom third.
10. Step 2, fold the bottom of the crepe almost to the middle.
11. Step 3, fold sides into the center.
12. Step 4, roll from the bottom up. Now repeat to complete all crepes.
13. Repeat with all the rest of the crepes and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Cover and rest in the refrigerator to set up, 30-60 minutes.
14. Pan fry the blintzes in unsalted butter, starting seam side down, until golden, 30-60 seconds per side. You can also serve them as is (not pan-fried).
Blintzes with cheese are ready to serve with topping of your choice.
Serving Suggestions
Serve cheese blintzes topped here with raspberry sauce, but blueberry compote, strawberry coulis, or my lemon curd recipe (sugar-free) are all wonderful options. Your favorite jam or preserves also work great.
How to Store and Freeze Cheese Blintzes
Cheese blintzes hold and freeze beautifully! In my testing, they were fantastic both after refrigeration and freezing, with no compromise in texture or flavor.
Refrigerate - Store cooked or uncooked cheese blintzes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If stacking, place parchment or wax paper between them so they don't stick. I like to use a parchment-lined quarter sheet tray covered with plastic wrap.
Freeze - Freeze the blintzes in a single layer on a parchment-lined plate or small sheet pan until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Label and date them.
To reheat from the refrigerator - Warm gently in a skillet over low heat, in the microwave, or in the oven until heated through.
To reheat from frozen - For already pan-fried blintzes, let them stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, then microwave about 30 seconds, just until warm. They reheat beautifully.
To cook from frozen - If the blintzes have been filled but not yet pan-fried, thaw first, then pan-fry briefly in unsalted butter as directed in the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
No, but it helps. A food processor makes the filling smoother and creamier. If you mix it by hand, the filling will be a little more rustic and slightly lumpy due to the texture of the ricotta, but it will still taste just as good. Another option is using a and mixer.
Yes. Homemade crepes give the best texture, but packaged crepes can be a convenient shortcut if your store carries them.
No, but a brief pan-fry in butter is the more traditional finish and gives them the best flavor and texture. Baking to heat them through in a buttered casserole dish is an option, though the filling will become a bit firmer. You can also skip the pan frying and serve them as is, they are very tender.
More Delicious Desserts
Looking for more delicious dessert ideas? Here are a few favorite sweet recipes to try next.
If You Make This Recipe
Please leave me a comment and let me know how you served these blintzes with cheese. Your comments help other readers too. Thanks for supporting my site.
📖 Recipe
Blintzes with Cheese
Equipment
- Fry pan
- Sifter optional
- Mini off-set spatula optional, but a great little tool
Ingredients
Crepes
- 2 cups milk low fat or whole
- 1 cup flour All purpose or gluten-free blend
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons sugar or monk fruit/allulose blend
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted to grease the pan
Blintz filling
- 1 cup full fat ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces full fat cream cheese block style, not tub style
- 1 large egg yolk
- 4-5 tablespoons sugar or monk fruit/allulose blend
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 small lemon, zest only
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter to grease the pan for pan-frying
Instructions
Make the crepe batter
- Add the milk, flour, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, and salt to a blender. Blend on low for 30-45 seconds until smooth. Do not use high speed. Refrigerate the batter for about 60 minutes. Batter can be made a day ahead.
Make crepes
- Remove the batter from the refrigerator and ready a ⅓ cup measure. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat. When it's hot, brush lightly with melted unsalted butter. Add a scant ⅓ cup of the batter to the pan and immediately swirl the pan to coat the bottom with the batter. Watch your heat, turn it down to medium-low if needed. Cook the first side of the crepe about 60 seconds, just until lightly golden brown. Use a fork or a mini offset spatula to check underneath for the color.Turn the crepe with your fingers and cook on the other side another 30 seconds until golden. Remove the crepe to a plate and repeat for the rest of the crepes.
Make the filling
- Add the drained ricotta, cream cheese, egg yolk, sweetener, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt to a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. Without a food processor, mix is by hand or whip with a hand mixer. It will have a more rustic texture but will still taste great.
Fill and roll the blintzes (see photos in post)
- Place one crepe on a flat surface. Add about 2 tablespoons of the filling to the bottom third of the crepe. Fold the bottom of the crepe up ⅓ of the way, then fold in the sides, then roll up like a burrito. Place the blintz on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate. Repeat with the rest of the crepes.
Rest the blintzes
- Place the blintzes in the refrigerator to rest and set up for 60 minutes.
Pan fry the blintzes
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add little butter, Add the blintzes seam side down first and cook until browned, about 1 minute. Gently turn and brown on the other side. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the blintzes, depending on the size of your pan. They are ready to serve or cool and refrigerate or freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
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