A plant-based twist on a classic Jewish dish – thin pancakes rolled and filled with a faintly sweetened vegan cheese filling. Excellent served with fruit sauce and sour cream.

Are you ready for a fascinating foodie adventure?!

My mom made blintzes when I was a kid. And in full transparency, my family isn’t Jewish at all. So it really surprised me when I learned the origins for this incredibly delicious and rich traditionally dairy-filled thin pancake dish. As it turns out, blintzes originated in Hungary and Russia, and are steeped in Jewish tradition.

Similar to the French crepe, a blintz is a tender thin pancake. And while crepes are usually served with fillings on the side, blintzes are almost always filled with a sweetened cheese blend, then sautéed or baked, and served with a myriad of sweet toppings.

Typically, Cheese Blintzes are filled with a blend of cheeses ranging from cottage cheese, farmer cheese, ricotta cheese, and/or cream cheese. And usually, eggs are added into the cheese mixture to help the filling set better, along with a little vanilla and sugar.

This is how I remember my mother making them. Our Cheese Blintzes were mildly sweet, rich, and delicious.

The word blintz comes from the Russian blin and the Yiddish word בלינצע or blintse, which stems from a Slavic word representing pancake. (Wikipedia) As it turns out, Cheese Blintzes are enjoyed in the Jewish community during Shavuot, which starts May 14th. Traditionally, milk, cheese, and butter dishes are associated with Shavuot; and this holiday celebrates Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God at Mount Sinai. (Tablet)

In my research to learn more about the history of blintzes, I stumbled across a fascinating article by Joan Nathan who visited a Southern Indian town with ancient Jewish roots. The blintzes she learned to make were akin to dosa (a very thin crisp Indian pancake) made with rice flour and filled with potatoes, Indian spices, and onions. (Tablet)

What I found most interesting is that most of the world, especially those of us in America, associate blintzes the way they are made in Eastern Europe, specifically Hungary and Ukraine – the blintzes I grew up eating – stuffed with a cheese blend and served with sweet berries.

So let’s shift our focus to making these Cheese Blintzes. First of all, there are three (sometimes four) primary components – crepes, cheese filling, fruit accompaniment, and the optional sour cream. I love that each can be made in advance for simple and quick preparation and easy serving for a hungry crowd.

The first component uses my Healthy Vegan Crepes recipe, which makes 8-9 inch thin, light, and spongey whole grain crepes – perfect for filling with fresh fruit, Blueberry Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, sautéed veggies, yogurt, sautéed cinnamon apples, powdered sugar, nut butter, chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, plant-based cheese, whipped cream, and more!

Made without any eggs, butter, or dairy, these plant-based crepes are durable and forgiving, flexible yet strong, and perfectly light. They make the perfect vessels for the Cheese Filling. I love that they don’t have to be perfectly uniform in size since they’re going to be rolled up and placed in a casserole dish.

As mentioned before, traditionally, the cheese filling is made with cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, or cheese curds, eggs, sugar, and butter. While I do use a small amount of sugar, this recipe doesn’t contain any of those other ingredients. Instead, my Cheese Filling contains firm fofu, soaked cashews, and Non-dairy Yogurt.

Before you leave this post, please let me explain. The firm tofu truly mimics the cheese curds or cottage cheese quite nicely. And the soaked cashews are blended with a little lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, raw sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutritional yeast (or nooch) to mimic a cream cheese-like texture and flavor. I like adding a little yogurt to help smooth out the flavors and lighten the filling a little. You can use any non-dairy yogurt you like, though I have successfully used my Non-dairy Yogurt, coconut yogurt, and soy yogurt. The key is to use unsweetened and unflavored plain yogurt.

To make the “cottage cheese”, simply lay a clean tea towel or cheesecloth over a bowl. Crumble the tofu with your hands over the towel until it resembles the texture of cottage cheese. It’s important to create both smaller and larger pieces. Then gather the corners of the towel and wrap them together, twisting in the center to squeeze out any excess liquid.

The next step is to make the “cream cheese”. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews in fresh water. Then add the cashews to a blender, along with the yogurt, lemon juice, white vinegar, sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutritional yeast. Attach the lid and blend the mixture until very smooth. Remove the lid and pour the sauce over the crumbled tofu and fold together until well combined.

This next step is super important. Use a spoon to taste the Cheese Filling. Then adjust the flavors to your liking. If you think it needs a bit more tang, add in a little more lemon juice or vinegar. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add in a little more sugar, and so on. You can also add in more vanilla and a little salt, if desired. It should taste mildly sweet, reminiscent of cream cheese.

Now that we have the Crepes and Cheese filling, we can assemble the Cheese Blintzes. The process is fairly straight-forward and simple. And your reward is delicious.

There are two ways to make or roll a Cheese Blintz. The first is done by spooning two to three tablespoons of the Cheese Filling onto a crepe. While you can place it in the center, it may easier to spoon it more off-center or onto a third of the crepe. Spread the mixture into a short line, fold in two opposing sides, then roll the crepe up to form a roll or packet.

The second method starts off the same, but instead of folding in the two sides, you simply roll it up. If it helps to visualize, the two methods are similar to the way a burrito is rolled up versus an enchilada or taquito. I have always made the burrito-style packets so that is what I show in my pictorials and instructions. If you prefer the longer slender enchilada or taquito method, then simply roll them up that way. It truly is personal preference.

As you complete each blintz, arrange them side by side in a greased casserole dish or two casserole dishes, depending on the size of your dish. Once all of the blintzes are rolled, you can either bake them for twenty to twenty-five minutes or you can cover and refrigerate them until the next morning. They’re delicious warm and fresh from the oven. But they’re also easily reheated for a quick and easy leftover breakfast.

To serve, you can dust the Cheese Blintzes with powdered sugar or cinnamon, and serve with fruit toppings and sour cream, if desired. I personally enjoy serving mine with my Blueberry Sauce or my Strawberry Sauce. Both fruit sauces are plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free. I think this makes them the perfect accompaniment for these Cheese Blintzes. If you prefer, you can also opt to serve these Cheese Blintzes plain or with maple syrup. The choice is yours.

And finally, the fourth (optional) component for these Cheese Blintzes is Easy Vegan Sour Cream. This light and versatile sauce is perfect drizzled over the Blueberry Sauce or Strawberry Sauce. But it’s important to not add any garlic powder or onion powder when making it. The flavors just don’t work well with fruit or sugar.

One final note. While these Cheese Blintzes are excellent made a day or two before you serve them, they also freeze very well. You can easily do this by placing the uncooked blintzes individually on a tray or cookie sheet and placing them in the freezer. Once frozen, wrap the Cheese Blintz individually with parchment paper or wax paper. They can then be stacked and kept frozen in an air-tight freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months.

To prepare the frozen Cheese Blintzes, place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Then unwrap and place each one in a greased casserole dish and proceed with baking. You can also cook them in a pan on the stove, but I’ve always baked them in the oven. To cook Cheese Blintzes on the stove, cook over medium heat in a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet for five to eight minutes on each side until golden brown. Traditionally, butter is used to brown them in the pan but this is optional.

I hope you enjoy these Cheese Blintzes as much as I do.

I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!

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Ingredients

12 Healthy Vegan Crepes
Cheese Filling (recipe follows)
Blueberry Sauce or Strawberry Sauce*
Easy Vegan Sour Cream** (optional)

Cheese Filling Ingredients

8 oz Firm Tofu
1½ cup cashews, soaked in hot water for 1 hour
10-12 ounces Non-dairy Yogurt*
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar**
¼ cup raw sugar
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Make the cottage cheese. Layer a clean tea towel, paper towel, or cheesecloth over a bowl. Crumble the tofu with your hands over the towel until it resembles the texture of cottage cheese – be sure to have some smaller and larger pieces. Wrap the ends of the towel together and squeeze out any excess liquid.

Drain and rinse the cashews in water. In a blender, process the soaked cashews, yogurt, lemon juice, white vinegar, sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutritional yeast until very smooth. Pour over the crumbled tofu and fold together until combined. Taste and adjust flavors (lemon, salt, vinegar), if desired. It should taste good.

Assemble the Cheese Blintzes by spooning the cottage cheese blend into the center of a crepe. Spread the mixture into a line and roll up the crepe to make a blintze.
Place one crepe on a cutting board or plate at a time. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the cheese filling on the bottom half, fold the edge of the crepe over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll up into a little packet. Arrange the rolls side by side in a greased casserole dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Dust with powdered sugar or cinnamon, if desired, and serve with Strawberry Sauce or Blueberry Sauce and a dollop of sour cream.

Notes

* When making the Easy Vegan Sour Cream so serve with this recipe, do not add the garlic powder or onion powder.

** You can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

These blintzes are delicious served with Blueberry Sauce or Strawberry Sauce. But you can also serve with apple pie filling, cherry filling, or Vegan Lemon Curd.

Adapted from My Jewish Learning