Nalysnyky are Ukrainian crepes, in this case, filled with cottage cheese and dill. They are a great comfort food, and perfect to add to a holiday meal.
I grew up eating traditional Ukrainian food at most major holidays. My grandma always made well-known Ukrainian dishes like perogies and cabbage rolls, plus others like perishke and these Nalysnyky.
I made sure that my grandma taught me how to make perogies many years ago, before I moved to the US. But she never got a chance to teach me how to make some of the other dishes. I did have some of her old recipes, so with the help of my aunt, I used those and learned how to make Nalysnyky.
What is nalysnyky?
Nalysnyky are Ukrainian crepes. My grandma only ever made savory ones filled with dill and cottage cheese. As far as I can tell, this is the most common type, especially around where I live in Edmonton.
However, nalysnyky can also be made with other fillings. Savory nalyskyky can be filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables, and sweet nalysnyky can be filled with fruit.
How to make Nalysnyky:
I like to start making nalysnyky by making the filling for them first. This way, it's ready to go, and you can start filling and rolling some of the crepes while you're still cooking them.
Making the filling is easy, and basically just involves stirring the filling ingredients together. If you want your filling to be smooth, you can use a food processor. I did use a food processor when I made the filling seen in these photos, but in subsequent batches, it didn't, and it was still fine. I'm fairly sure my grandma would NOT have used a food processor.
If you're not going to make the crepes right away, put the filling in the fridge for later. Making the crepe batter is also easy. Simply whisk (or use a stand or hand mixer) the eggs and egg whites together. Whisk in the milk, water, flour, and salt, and keep whisking until no lumps remain. Note that the batter will be thin. It will be similar to the consistency of cream.
Because the batter is so thin, to make them round, you basically need to cover the whole bottom of the skillet. You will need to make sure your skillet is non-stick. I used an 8-inch skillet, and I used about 2-3 Tablespoons of batter for each crepe. Using an even smaller skillet (6-inch) would be great too if you happen to have one.
Cook the crepes on medium-low to medium heat (adjust the heat as needed) while cooking them, and cook until the bottoms are browned and the tops are fully set. Don't flip the crepes.
To save time, you can start filling and rolling the nalysnyky while you're still cooking the crepes. Or, if you'd prefer not to multitask, you can cook all of the crepes before starting to fill and roll. Whichever way you choose, make sure to put the browned side of the crepe on the outside (put the browned side down on the work surface when you're ready to roll).
I tried both putting the filling in a line and rolling the crepes like a burrito, and spreading the filling over the crepe and rolling it like a cinnamon bun, and I vastly preferred spreading the filling over the whole crepe (see the photo in the recipe below for an idea of what that looks like). Roll the crepe up from the bottom, and carefully cut the crepe in half.
Stack the rolled crepes in a buttered casserole dish, and put a little more butter between the layers of crepes to prevent sticking. When you're ready to bake the crepes, pour on a little heavy cream, cover the casserole dish and bake for an hour.
Nalysnyky Ingredients:
- Dry cottage cheese: depending on where you live, this is sometimes available in tubs by the regular cottage cheese. It might also be available as a pressed block in the cheese aisle. If you can't find it, see the tips below for substitution ideas.
- Large eggs
- Heavy cream: also known as whipping cream. You could substitute half and half (10%) or coffee cream (18%) if needed.
- Fresh dill
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Milk: Use whatever milk fat percentage you like.
- Water: Whichever water you normally drink - tap water is fine.
- All-purpose flour: or substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make this recipe gluten-free
- Butter
What if I can't find dry cottage cheese?
If dry curd cottage cheese is not available, you can substitute farmer's cheese, which is very similar. Simply crumble it up and proceed with the recipe.
If neither are available, purchase regular cottage cheese. Place it in a fine mesh strainer (you may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your strainer - don't overfill it), and rinse away the cream portion of the cottage cheese. Let the curds remain in the strainer to drain away any excess water, then proceed with the recipe.
Want more Ukrainian recipes?
Nalysnyky Nutrition Notes:
Note that this recipe makes approximately 15 whole crepes, which I recommend cutting into 30 halves. I suggest a portion size of 4 halves per serving, which means this recipe serves approximately 8. These are the numbers I based the nutrition information calculations on.
To make these Ukrainian crepes gluten-free, simply replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
Nalyskyky (Ukrainian Crepes with Cheese and Dill)
Equipment
- Small non-stick skillet (6-8")
- Food Processor optional
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer or whisk
- Large (2.3L or 2.5 quart) casserole dish or 9x9" baking dish
Ingredients
Cheese Filling
- 2 cups dry cottage cheese see note
- 2 large egg yolks (save the whites for the crepes, below)
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt see note
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crepes
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites (saved from making the filling, above)
- 1 cup milk (any fat percentage will work)
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make this recipe gluten-free
To Assemble
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- fresh dill minced (optional, for serving)
Instructions
Cheese Filling
- Add 2 cups dry cottage cheese to the bowl of a food processor and process until it reaches a uniform texture. Add 2 large egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill, ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and process until smooth. Set aside. (If you don't have a food processor, stir all of the ingredients together with a spatula in a large bowl. The filling won't be as smooth this way, but it will still work). Cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate while you make the crepes.
Crepes
- Add 3 large eggs and 2 large egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Using the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer or whisk), beat the eggs and whites together until frothy and light yellow in color. Add 1 cup milk, ⅓ cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup all-purpose flour. Turn the mixer on low speed, and once the flour has been incorporated into the liquid, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until no more lumps of flour remain. The batter will be thin, like buttermilk or heavy cream.
- Heat a small (6-8") non-stick skillet over medium heat (if you don't have a skillet this small, use the smallest one you have, and cut your crepes into smaller pieces later). Brush the skillet lightly with oil.
- Pour a small amount of batter (about 2-3 Tablespoons for an 8" skillet, less for a 6" skillet, more for a larger one) into the skillet. Working quickly, pick up the skillet and carefully tilt it so that the batter covers the bottom of the skillet, being careful not to get any up the sides. If you have any gaps or holes that didn't fill in before the batter solidified, pour a few more drops of batter to fill the holes. Cook the crepes until they are no longer wet on the top, and the bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer the crepe to a cutting board or plate to cool (you only cook the crepes on one side).
- Repeat with all of the remaining batter. If you notice the crepes starting to stick to the skillet, brush it with a little more oil (if you have a good non-stick skillet, you probably won't need it between each crepe).
To Assemble:
- Heat oven to 350°. Melt 2 Tablespoons butter and spread 1 Tablespoon of it all over the bottom of a large (2.5 quart or 2.3L) casserole dish or 9x9" baking dish. Set aside, and save the remaining butter for later.
- Starting at the side of the crepe closest to you, spread 2 tablespoon of filling on the un-browned side of the crepe, leaving approximately an inch at the top (the side furthest away from you) of the crepe bare.
- Roll up the crepe starting at the side closest to you. Gently cut the crepe in half. Place both halves in the prepared casserole dish. Repeat this process with the remaining crepes and filling, packing the crepes into the dish tightly.
- Once you have a single layer full of crepes, brush the tops of them with the remaining butter. Put the rest of the crepes in another layer perpendicular to the first later (don't add a third layer as the crepes will puff up while baking - if you have more crepes that won't fit, use a second, smaller dish to bake them).
- Pour 2 Tablespoons heavy cream evenly over the crepes. Cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Serve with additional chopped dill if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Monika says
Hi there! Just a FYI. It is not true that, "Nalysnyky are savory Ukrainian crepes with cottage cheese and dill". Nalysnyk or nalesnik (Polish) just means crepe. They are actually French...and adapted by the Poles in various iterations, including with cheese. meat, etc. They are not Ukrainian, even though Ukrainians eat them...
Carissa says
Thank you for this. I did include a more complete description a little lower in the post, but tried to make the snippet description as concsise as possible to describe this particular recipe (eg. the version with cottage cheese and dill), but I guess I wasn't very clear. I will re-word it. 🙂
Tatiana says
This most definitely is a Slavic dish and I could not claim that it’s somehow exclusive crepes borrowed from France to the Ukrainians. This is a staple of Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarus and much more. Excellent job Carissa in keeping these Nalysniki and or Blini true to recipe and tradition as these should be. Making them right now for a special family dinner tomorrow. Yum! Great recipe!!
Carissa says
Thanks for your comment! I went through a lot of work with this recipe, as I wanted it to be just like my Granny's. I got her recipes from my Aunt, and I think I got pretty close 🙂
Richard Victor says
Hi Monika,
Nalyslyky (Ukr) or Nalesnik (Pol) is an Eastern European or Slavic dish. it is literally stuffed Mlyntsi (thin pancakes, or crêpes in French or Bliny in Russian or Blintz in Jewish culture). Although it is shared by many cultures under different names, Nalysnyky is Ukrainian. Or more accurately Nalysnyky, (the Ukrainian name) is a Ukrainian dish (also a Ukrainian-Canadian dish. Canada, with a population of 1.3million, has the third largest diaspora of identifiable Ukrainians behind Russia and Ukraine) and is recognized as one of Ukraines National Dishes. It originated in the Northeast region of Ukraine (where most of the first wave of Ukrainian-Canadians came from. Between 1880 and 1917), which at various times were under the control of (and influence of)Poland, Hungary and Soviet Ukraine among other claims to the region. It is similar and related to other thin pancake (mlyntsy, crepes, crêpes, blintz, bliny, palacsynta…) dishes, but Nalysnyky (as opposed to Polish dish Nalesnik) refers to the Ukrainian dish. It is traditionally thin pancakes stuffed with either heavy cream (savory) , meat (my aunties use to stuff with chicken) and dill or dry cottage cheese, heavy creme and dill (as in the recipe here). Ukrainian-Canadians from the region my mother and aunties grew up (Northeast Alberta) also made a dessert variety with sweet creme (or whip creme) and fresh fruit (raspberries, wild strawberries), but it wasn’t called Nalysnyky (cannot remember what they called it).
Although the French are famous for crêpes, they were not the ones who created the concept of “thin breads”. It is shared with many cultures and is more historically identified with Jewish and Muslim regions. Nalysnyky is the name of the Ukrainian dish of stuffed, rolled Mlyntsi. Mlyntsi is the name of the thin pancakes used in the preparation of Nalysnyky.
Those of us who identify as Ukrainian heritage are fiercely proud of our Ukrainian heritage and cultures and will do everything in our power to defend it.
Слава Україні 🔱 Glory to Ukraine
Darusya says
It all depends on the family and as we all know, culture is dynamic and a lot of sharing goes along. But to say that any one thing is from a particular place borders on speculative. I come from a mixed heritage of Polish and Ukrainian and even though there were equal numbers of both in the district I grew up, everyone called them Ukrainian nalyskyky - maybe it was because Ukrainian women were the ones who made them at the church functions and weddings. Just saying.
Judy Ryan says
Hi all, just a short-cut hint with respect to using regular cottage cheese when you can't find dry curds.
I rinse and drain the cottage cheese then put it through my potato ricer using the disc with the smallest holes..way less clean up than using a processer!
PS/I do the same when I sub cottage cheese for ricotta in cheesecakes, works out perfect.