Lesya Nalysnyky (or stuffed crepes) are a beloved dish in Ukrainian cuisine with a rich history dating back centuries. The tradition of making nalysnyky has been passed down from generation to generation, and each family has their own unique recipe and filling. Nalysnyky are very versatile as they can be filled with meat, cottage cheese, cabbage, mushrooms, or fruit, and be served as the central dish at any holiday party or just casually.
For us, nalysnyky is a delightful dish that you can eat and eat without stopping! Their exquisite taste is the reason the Ukrainian stuffed crepes became so popular in Ukraine. However, they are also very cost-effective, relatively easy to make, and have a very strong visual appeal. Ukrainian stuffed crepes are nourishing and can make a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner and will feed a family for a couple of days.
Crepes are also a very old dish and deserve a couple of words about their origin. Everyone knows the famous French crêpes – the dessert served with whipped cream, honey, jams, or fruit. However, we didn’t know that the history of crepes dates back to 600 BC when they were first mentioned by the Greek poet. In Slavic history, thin pancakes were cooked in the 9th century, and the name for the Ukrainian “mlyntsi” (crepes) has the same root as “mlyn” (a mill). We don’t know when “mlyntsi” became “nalysnyky”. However, it was someone’s brilliant idea to stuff thin pancakes or crepes with different kinds of filling (not only sweet, but also savory) and then twirl them into small tubes. These stuffed tubes were named “nalysnyky”.
Ukrainian cuisine is full of rich and diverse flavours, and nalysnyky are just one of the many delectable dishes that make up this culinary tradition. If you are interested in learning more about the roots and history of Ukrainian food, we invite you to check out our page on Ukrainian Culinary Traditions. Discover the stories behind the ingredients and techniques used in Ukrainian cooking and gain a deeper understanding of why the Ukrainian cuisine is so beloved and special.
How to Make Ukrainian Crepes?
Before we make nalysnyky, let’s roll up our sleeves and prepare good crepes. The crepes should be thin but at the same time strong enough to hold up the stuffing. The recipe and tips below have worked for us, and, hopefully, they will work for you too. Also, we have prepared recipes of our favorite stuffings for nalysnyky – minced turkey, cottage cheese, cabbage, and cottage cheese with poppyseed. Right in time for the holiday season!
How to make Ukrainian Crepes
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
- 1 ladle
- 1 spatula
- 1 whisk
- 1 electric blender
Ingredients
To make 16 crepes you will need the following proportions.
- 400 g white flour
- 460 g milk
- 330 g water
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 tspn salt
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 50 g butter
For 12 crepes you will need these proportions.
- 300 g white flour
- 350 g milk
- 250 g water
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- ½ tspn salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 30 g butter
Instructions
Method of Preparation:
- In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, and salt and beat them with an electric blender on slow speed or just with a whisk.
- Stir in 100 g of flour and mix well.
- Add 100 g of lukewarm milk as you continue to whisk the batter.
- Gradually add the rest of the flour, milk, and warm water. Beat the batter until it is smooth and liquid, without any lumps.
- Add vegetable oil to the batter, mix and leave it for 20 minutes. Don’t skip this step as it helps the batter become firmer. In 20 minutes whisk the batter again.
- Preheat the skillet on high heat, reduce to medium, and brush it lightly with vegetable oil. You will need to do it only once in the beginning. Pour some batter with a ladle into the skillet and swirl it nicely until it covers the pan evenly. Keep the crepe on one side for one minute until the color changes to wax, then with a spatula flip the crepe over and fry it for an additional 30 seconds.1
- Place the ready crepes on a plate and coat them with butter. Continue the process until you finish the batter.
Notes
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Meat?
Would you like to try something new and stuff the crepes with meat? Surprisingly, the combination of slightly sweet crepes and salty meat with fried onions is quite delicious. This dish is very filling and will make a good snack, lunch, or even dinner.
The ingredients are affordable and quick to cook. The proportions that we offer below will make 16 nalysnyky. We mince the cooked meat with the meat grinder, so the filling is smooth and easy to spread over crepes; however, this step is optional. No need to put the nalysnyky in the oven as the meat filling should be 100% ready before you stuff the crepes. In the video below we show how to make Pâté-Stuffed Crepes. The recipe for this hot flavorful appetizer is very similar to the recipe for Ukrainian crepes stuffed with meat:
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Meat?
Equipment
- 1 meat grinder optional
- 1 Skillet
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Meat filling – Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground turkey or any other kind of meat
- 1 onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 5 spring onions
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried chives
- 1 tspn salt or to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
- 30 g butter to coat nalysnyky
Instructions
Method of Preparation:
- Chop finely onion, spring onions, fresh dill, and grate garlic cloves.
- Preheat the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add vegetable oil. Add the chopped onion and grated garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh meat and fry for 5 minutes. Break the lumps with a spatula and make it an even mixture. Add black pepper and dried chives to the meat, cover it with the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add salt to taste.
- Once the meat is ready, put it aside to cool in a bowl.
- Set up the meat grinder.
- Mince the cooked meat in a grinder to make it a smooth mass.
- Add chopped spring onions and fresh dill to the meat and mix well.
- Spread the filling evenly over the crepes without going too far to the edges.
- Fold one side of the crepe, roll it up a bit, then fold it from the left and right sides and roll again to close it.
- Continue to stuff nalysnyky until the filling is finished. Put them aside on a plate and coat them with softened butter.
- Serve warm.
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Cabbage?
The cabbage filling is a great substitute for meat and nalysnyky with cabbage can be part of a vegetarian menu. The proportions that we offer below will make 16 nalysnyky. Use sauerkraut instead of white cabbage if you have it; however, it is not always available, and we used just white cabbage that we slightly marinated to make it taste a bit sour. After you have the nalysnyky stuffed with cabbage, you may want to fry them slightly so that your crepes taste crispy.
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Cabbage?
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
- 1 food processor optional
- 1 Chef's knife
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Cabbage filling – Ingredients:
- ½ white cabbage
- 1 big onion
- ½ carrot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of dried chives
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar spices optional
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar optional
- black pepper
- 1 tspn salt or to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
- 50 g butter
Instructions
Method of Preparation:
- Cut finely cabbage or chop it in a food processor. Put in a bowl, add salt, and mix and squeeze it with a hand to make it softer and juicy.
- Add apple cider vinegar, mix well, and let the cabbage sit for 10 minutes. This step is optional.
- Meanwhile, chop finely onion, and grate garlic cloves and carrot.
- Preheat the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add vegetable oil. Add the chopped onion and grated garlic, then add carrots. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Stir in cabbage, add black pepper, paprika, and other spices. Fry the vegetables for 5 minutes on medium fire, then reduce slightly the heat, cover the vegetables with the lid and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir the mixture a few times.
- Add salt to taste.
- Once the cabbage is ready, put it aside on a plate to cool.
- Spread the filling evenly over the crepes without going too far to the edges.
- Fold one side of the crepe, roll it up a bit, then fold it from the left and right sides and roll again to close it.
- Continue to stuff nalysnyky until the filling is finished. Put them aside on a plate and coat them with softened butter.
- Serve warm.
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Cottage Cheese?
The traditional Ukrainian nalysnyky stuffed with cottage cheese are sweet, unlike similar savory crepes in other traditions. For 500 g of homemade cottage cheese (made from 4 liters of 3.5% fat milk), you will need 16 crepes (adjust proportions according to the amount of cottage cheese). We don’t add sour cream to the cottage cheese as the filling should be dry enough not to melt in the oven. If you would like to see a step-by-step video on how to make Ukrainian crepes filled with cottage cheese, please follow the link below:
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Cottage Cheese?
Equipment
- 1 potato masher
- 1 whisk
- 1 Skillet
- 1 spatula
- 1 oven pan
Ingredients
Cottage cheese filling – Ingredients:
- 500 g farmer’s or homemade cottage cheese should not be wet
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Method of Preparation:
- In a bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt and mash them with a potato masher.
- Spread the filling evenly over the crepes without going too far to the edges.
- Fold one side of the crepe and roll it up. Cut the stuffed nalysnyk into two pieces in the middle.1
- Butter the oven pan slightly and place the nalysnyky.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake nalysnyky for 20 minutes in 400 F (200 C) oven.
- Serve warm.
Notes
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Cottage Cheese and Poppy Seeds?
Nalysnyky stuffed with cottage cheese and poppyseed is a homemade, healthy, and delicious dessert for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or any other holiday. We decided to make them look fancier and rolled the crepes up in two layers and then cut them into three pieces. This way the nalysnyky appear like pastries and look fancier on the festive table. Inspiration never ceases with Ukrainian nalysnyky!
How to Make Nalysnyky Stuffed with Cottage Cheese and Poppy Seeds?
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
- 1 whisk
- 1 oven pan
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Cottage cheese and poppyseed filling – Ingredients:
- 450 g farmer’s or homemade cottage cheese should not be wet
- 3 tbsp raisins washed, dried
- 2 tbsp poppyseeds soaked overnight
- 2 tbsp egg whites or 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Method of Preparation:
- Soak poppy seeds overnight and rinse them in the morning. Soaking helps the seeds become softer and release their special flavor.
- In a bowl, mix well cottage cheese, egg whites or egg, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt.1
- Cut raisins and add them as well as poppy seeds to the cottage cheese. Mix well.
- Spread the filling evenly over one crepe, then over the other one, and put one crepe on another.
- Fold one side of the crepes and roll them up in one nalysnyk. Cut the stuffed nalysnyk into three pieces.
- Brush the oven pan with butter and place the nalysnyky on the pan.
- Cover the nalysnyky with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes in a 400 F (200 C) oven.
- Serve warm.
Notes
How to Prepare the Batter for Nalysnyky?
To prepare the batter for nalysnyky you need to have the right proportion of white flour, milk, water, eggs, vegetable oil, or butter. It seemed so easy when our mothers used to make them! When we decided to restore the recipe, we experimented with different proportions until our mlyntsi turned out to be great. Even a small detail, such as cold or warm milk, seemed to make a difference. The consistency of the batter should be like that of coffee cream. In a nutshell, you will have to mix eggs with sugar and salt and beat them with a blender or whisk, add flour, then gradually add lukewarm milk and water. After you add vegetable oil, let the batter sit. For more details, follow the steps in our instructions, and don’t skip them if you want your crepes to be thin and firm.
What is the Vegetarian Substitute for Nalysnyky with Meat?
The vegetarian substitute for nalysnyky with meat is nalysnyky with cabbage. You have probably realized by now that Ukrainians generally like cabbage and use it a lot in various recipes. They use fresh cabbage in salads, and sauerkraut in salads and stews, they cook cabbage rolls, cabbage stews, and soups with this versatile vegetable. It is because cabbage is affordable, delicious, and healthy! Cabbage is packed with vitamins and minerals, has lots of fiber, and is low in calories.
How to Serve Nalysnyky?
You can serve nalysnyky with sour cream, or with whipped cream, honey, maple syrup, or jam. Get creative and top nalysnyky with fruit, such as strawberry, blueberry, or raspberry! The leftovers can be saved in the refrigerator and warmed up on the skillet the next day.
Thank you!
Thank you for visiting our article on Ukrainian nalysnyky! We hope that our recipes have inspired you to try your hand at making these delicious treats at home, and you have enjoyed learning more about Ukrainian cuisine and culinary traditions. Please share your thoughts about this post with other readers and us. Thank you again for your support, and we look forward to sharing more delicious recipes and culinary adventures with you in the future!
