Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Russian Raisin Syrniki)

These golden, raisin-studded Russian syrniki are the perfect gluten free cottage cheese pancake recipe. They’re a decadent but light breakfast, made gluten-free. Serve them with condensed milk and cherries for the ultimate experience.

The Story of Grandma Berta's Syrniki 

While my parents were undergoing their medical re-accreditation, they took all the shifts they could get in the hospital. That meant they worked long hours and were often gone during evenings and weekends.

My parents’ absence meant that Yana and I woke up, got dressed, did our homework, played, bathed, and generally grew up under the guidance of my paternal grandmother, who lived with us. But the thing we did most with her was eat.

My grandmother Berta was, and remains, a fantastic cook. She’s the one who introduced us to traditional Russian blintz  and cottage cheese blintzes and flavours beyond the mayonnaise-laden salads and pasta with butter that most Russians knew. She was inventive, hard-working and focused.

On Saturday mornings, my grandmother would lay a large plate full of syrniki, hot off the pan, on the table before our anxious eyes alongside her sour cherry sauce.

We wouldn’t wait long to dig in.

And I suggest you shouldn’t either. Make these Russian syrniki on the weekend, whether your parents are home or not. They’re a decadent but light breakfast, and my family enjoys them during slow weekend mornings.  The cottage cheese makes it a typical breakfast to celebrating Shavuot, alongside Cheese Shakshuka or my raspberry ricotta cheesecake.

Turning These Pancakes Gluten Free: 

Now that I am older, I have adapted it into a gluten free cottage cheese pancake recipe, but it's a traditional pancake recipe nonetheless! The only difference is swapping out regular flour for your gluten-free flour of choice. 

Ingredient Highlight: Cottage Cheese

In Russia, these pancakes are traditionally made with a crumbly farmer's cheese. Since it's hard to find in North America, I use well-drained ricotta or low fat cottage cheese as a substitute. The key is to drain it very well, so you get a firm batter that holds together in the pan. The cottage cheese gives these pancakes their structure and signature fluffiness.

If you love cottage cheese in breakfast and dessert dishes, try it in my blueberry cottage cheese popsicles or matzo lasagna with cottage cheese. 

Directions to Make Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Start with well-drained cheese.

If your ricotta or cottage cheese is wet, your pancake batter will be too loose. Use cheesecloth to drain it overnight or give it a strong squeeze if short on time.

Mix wet and dry ingredients.

Combine the cheese, eggs, sugar, and baking powder until smooth. It should be thick but not dry.

Now, add in the dry ingredients: Start with a small amount and mix. If the batter runs off a spoon or feels sticky, keep adding flour little by little until you can form patties by hand without it sticking badly. Too much flour makes them tough, so add only as much as needed.

When all of this is done, evenly fold in the raisins. 

Fry the pancakes.

The pan should be well-coated with oil, or the batter will stick and tear. Medium heat is best to avoid burning the outside before the inside cooks.

After finished cooking fluffy and delicious gluten free pancakes, use paper towels to blot excess oil. Let them sit for a minute or two before serving—this helps them set.

Storage and Reheating Instructions 

Once cooked, syrniki should be allowed to cool completely before storing. You can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat, warm them gently in a skillet over low heat to restore their crispy edges, or microwave them briefly if you're short on time (they may lose some of their texture this way).

For longer storage, syrniki freeze well. Arrange the cooked and cooled pancakes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. 

Recipe

Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.

Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Russian syrniki)

Ksenia Prints

These golden, raisin-studded fritters are the perfect gluten free cottage cheese pancakes recipe. They’re a decadent but light breakfast, a special treat for mornings when you don’t have anywhere else to be. The batter is airy, and the trick is getting these patties to form without overloading them with flour. I made this version gluten-free and lactose-free, but you can go all the way and use regular ricotta or cottage cheese, and regular flour. They’ll be even lighter. Leave the cheese to drain overnight in a colander lined with cheesecloth in the fridge, or give it at least a couple of hours and a good squeeze through a cheesecloth if you’re short on time.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine Russian cuisine

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups well-drained homemade lactose-free ricotta or commercial cottage cheese (traditionally, these are made with tvorog, which is similar to Quark cheese. But as that is impossible to find in North America, ricotta or cottage cheese can be used as substitutions – but they must be drained very well!)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tb sugar or more, to taste
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1-2 cups of your favourite gluten-free flour mix or regular flour (Bob’s Red Mill produces adequate results, but I find that the taste of the chickpea flour is quite strong)
• ½ cup of raisins
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil

Instructions

 

• Mix the well-drained lactose-free ricotta with the eggs, sugar and baking powder, and see if mixture is runny.
• Start adding ½ cup of gluten-free flour mix, or regular flour. Mix well. If the mixture is still runny and drips off the spoon, add more flour. Continue adding flour until you can pick up the mixture with clean hands and form it into patties, without it sticking too much.
• Add raisins. Mix well, and once again, check for runiness.
• Heat up a frying pan w 2-3 Tbs of oil. These fritters need a lot of it, so don't hold back.
• Form the fritters in your hands. If batter sticks too much, add more flour. You should be able to move it from hand to hand with minimal stickiness.
• Fry on medium heat until browned one on side, about 3 minutes. Turn fritters over with a clean spatula; if they're sticking too much, you should add more flour to the rest of the batter.
• Lower heat to low-medium, and fry on the other side until both sides of the fritters are brown, and the fritters are easy to remove from the skillet.
• Blot with a clean paper towel. Let cool for about 2 minutes, and dig into the syrniki with some buckwheat honey, maple syrup, or your favourite jam.

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