If you haven’t read the Inspiration section of this website prior to reading the rest of this post, I highly recommend you do. Mainly because it explains the copious amounts of sinful butter in this recipe. Well, it sort of does. It more or less justifies it as an essential in Ukrainian cuisine.

Nalysnyky (pronounced NAL-YES-NAH-KEH) is a staple on our family dinner table on all holidays. They are often made ahead of time and frozen until the day of the dinner event. I actually have never had them otherwise until I made this recipe with Claudia for the blog.  I have to admit, if you can, eating them fresh is the way to go. Nalysnyky is essentially cheese filled crepes (slathered in butter of course and baked). This recipe takes a total of one hour from start to finish and truly is worth every minute.

 

Beat eggs one at a time. Add the milk, water, flour and salt and beat enough just to blend and get rid of any lumps.

Pour 1 tbsp canola oil in a hot non-stick pan and scoop 3/4 of a ladel full of batter and swirl around creating a thin circular layer. Flip when side is golden brown (approximately 45 seconds). Oil pan in between each crepe as needed.

Makes approximately 8 – 10 crepes. Beautifully golden brown!

Next, melt 1/4 cup of butter and ensure your cheese is at room temperature.

Mix egg yolks, whipping cream and salt with cheese.

Add your dill.

Lightly spread an even layer of cheese on each crepe.

Roll up gently.

We cut each crepe in three equal pieces. However, you can easily keep them in tact. I find the pieces are easier to fit into the bowl if they are sectioned.

Remember that melted butter? How could you forget! Spoon a small amount into the bottom of a large foiled casserole dish.

Now start layering in your Nalysnyky.

Make sure to butter in between each layer and on top of your final layer. You don’t want any layers to stick together.

Claudia claims all TV food ads use glistening chemicals to ensure their products look appealing. She is proud of her use of butter for this effect in this photo.

Wrap the sides of the foil loosely over the top of the Nalysnyky.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

The final product.

The Nalysnyky puffs up nicely as it bakes.

Cheesy deliciousness.

One traditional recipe from Claudia’s Cookbook down, a few hundred more to go!

Nalysnyky
Yields 10
Delicious Ukrainian cheese and dill-filled crepes.
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr
For the crepes
  1. 4 eggs
  2. 1 heaping cup milk (1% works well)
  3. 1/2 cup water
  4. 1 cup flour
  5. 1/2 tsp salt
For Cheese filling
  1. 2 cups Quark Whole Milk Cheese (if you cannot find this, you can substitute cottage cheese)
  2. 2 egg yolks
  3. 2 tbsp whipping cream
  4. Salt to taste
  5. 1 tbsp dill (or more to taste – use fresh if you have. If not, the dried stuff works great as well)
Instructions
  1. Beat eggs one at a time. Add the milk, water, flour and salt and beat enough just to blend and get rid of any lumps.
  2. Pour 1 tbsp canola oil in a hot non-stick pan and scoop 3/4 of a ladle full of batter and swirl around creating a thin circular layer. Flip when side is golden brown (approximately 45 seconds). Oil pan in between each crepe as needed.
  3. Melt 1/4 cup of butter and ensure your cheese is at room temperature.
  4. Mix egg yolks, whipping cream and salt with cheese. Add your dill.
  5. Lightly spread an even layer of cheese on each crepe. Roll up gently.
  6. Cut each crepe in three equal pieces.
  7. Spoon a small amount of melted butter into the bottom of a large foiled casserole dish.
  8. Layer your Nalysnyky into the casserole dish. Make sure to butter in between each layer and on top of your final layer. You don’t want any layers to stick together.
  9. Wrap the sides of the foil loosely over the top of the Nalysnyky.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
  11. Serve and enjoy!
Claudia's Cookbook http://www.claudiascookbook.com/
by | 78 Comments

78 Comments on Nalysnyky

  1. Carla
    June 23, 2010 at 11:08 PM (15 years ago)

    Oh, way cool. I love that there’s pictures.

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      June 23, 2010 at 11:13 PM (15 years ago)

      Thanks! My vision is to have tons of images for this blog! I love them and it’s way easier to see what you are supposed to be doing while cooking.

      Reply
  2. Chef Dennis
    June 24, 2010 at 9:09 PM (15 years ago)

    they look so good!! great job with the crepes and the cheese filling
    is perfect…
    thanks for sharing
    Dennis

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      June 24, 2010 at 9:56 PM (15 years ago)

      Thank you so much Dennis! I just peaked at your blog as well – your dishes look fantastic. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!

      Reply
  3. Alison Zulyniak
    July 5, 2010 at 7:10 PM (14 years ago)

    There is nothing better than Ukrainian dishes. I’ve started to document my grandmas down on paper because recipes don’t exist…it all in their heads and they go by feel. Looking forward to visiting your blog again!

    ~Prairie Story …care of Alison Zulyniak

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      July 5, 2010 at 8:39 PM (14 years ago)

      I felt the same way about my Mother’s recipes! Good to hear you are doing the same and documenting them. I look forward to reading your blog and learning your family favourites as well! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
      • Nataliya
        April 12, 2013 at 5:04 AM (12 years ago)

        Thanks very much for your effort and wonderful recipes!

        Reply
        • Claudia's Cookbook
          April 14, 2013 at 8:13 PM (12 years ago)

          You’re very welcome Nataliya! Thanks for visiting the blog!

          Reply
  4. Lolita Toma
    November 1, 2010 at 4:51 PM (14 years ago)

    Are there different knds of fillings you can use because my friend made it with this sweet creamy filling, and I’m wondering how she did it! CAN U PLEASE HELP ME!!

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      November 1, 2010 at 6:08 PM (14 years ago)

      Your friend probably made you crepes! There are many different sweet fillings you can use for crepes. This recipe from Bitchin Kitchen – Ricotta Crepes with raspberry coulis are my favourite: click here for the recipe!

      Reply
  5. kylewith
    February 11, 2011 at 5:35 PM (14 years ago)

    A friend said she was making some of these and I hadn’t a clue what they were which is how I got here.

    They look absolutely amazing.

    Reply
      • Cora
        August 25, 2020 at 8:26 PM (4 years ago)

        I made these and they are wonderful!!!

        Reply
  6. Theresa
    January 5, 2012 at 9:43 PM (13 years ago)

    I came across this blog looking for some recipes from Prairie community cookbooks because I wanted the recipes for food I grew up with as a kid in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The church cookbooks are the best but I think running into your blog was even better! Fantastic photos and the Ukrainian recipes bring back such memories. We always had the wheat at Christmas but I never ate it either. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      January 6, 2012 at 2:44 PM (13 years ago)

      I love church and community cookbooks! They have the best recipes and we have tons of them in our home. Good to know I’m not the only “brat” who doesn’t like wheat 🙂 Thank you very much for the comments Theresa!

      Reply
      • Laurie K
        May 16, 2012 at 9:18 AM (13 years ago)

        As a little girl, I could never get enough of the Kutia that my Granny made! To this day, I love it and most “grainy” foods! I guess I’m an exception to the Kutia rule! LOL!
        BTW, the Nalysnyky is making me drool!

        Reply
        • Claudia's Cookbook
          May 19, 2012 at 3:39 PM (13 years ago)

          Thanks for your comments Laurie! I think I’m the exception to the rule for NOT really liking Kutia 🙂

          Reply
      • Christine
        January 11, 2015 at 12:32 AM (10 years ago)

        My mom makes a variation of these but savory without the whipping cream, I love them, now I can make them myself, thanks for posting these yummy recipes, there’s nothing like good home cooked Ukrainian food!!!

        Reply
        • Claudia's Cookbook
          January 11, 2015 at 3:04 PM (10 years ago)

          You’re welcome, Christine! Thanks for sharing!

          Reply
  7. M.
    December 23, 2012 at 1:06 AM (12 years ago)

    I cannot find Quark cheese anywhere and everyone seems to have a differing opinion on what would be the best substitute; I’ve heard: 1. yogourt cheese…basically straining plain yogourt; 2. marscapone cheese; 3. a mixture of ricotta and sour cream; 4. cottage cheese, where some specify dry curd and some say “smooth dry curd”…
    I ended up buying dry curd cottage cheese…
    what’s your recommendation? I really want to make these for Christmas Eve:)
    thanks very much
    ……….M.

    Reply
    • Del
      November 10, 2018 at 6:46 PM (6 years ago)

      I use dry cottage cheese that I freeze solid. Once it is frozen and thawed can be mashed into very fine cottage cheese curds (reminiscent of the old fashioned cottage cheese my aunties would make).

      Reply
    • Tammy
      December 22, 2018 at 10:48 PM (6 years ago)

      I’ve been making them for years and use dry curd with about 2 heaping tbsp of regular cottage cheese to cream them up just a bit

      Reply
  8. Claudia's Cookbook
    December 23, 2012 at 5:14 AM (12 years ago)

    Hi Meryl,

    The traditional way is to actually use dry curd cottage cheese. So what you bought is perfect. What we recommend you do is put the dry curd cottage cheese in the food processor and pulse it to get it more smooth.

    Another option we recommend is ricotta cheese on its own as well. We have done that before and it tastes great. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

    Reply
  9. Robin
    January 6, 2013 at 6:10 AM (12 years ago)

    We’ve always used ricotta for the filling, and we bake ours in cream, which soaks into the creeps nicely. And, of course, all of the dill we can chop in the filling and in the cream.

    Reply
    • Judy Filewich
      November 28, 2017 at 7:13 PM (7 years ago)

      We also use dry curd cheese dill and green onions and then pour whipping cream over these lovelies and then bake them yum yum

      Reply
  10. ashton
    February 28, 2013 at 3:04 PM (12 years ago)

    I’m not Ukrainian. I’m Norwegian and frankly Norway’s cuisine is mostly fish… I hate fish. love seafood, shrimp, crab, etc. fish though? YUCK! My boyfriend (and therefore my son as well) is Ukrainian though and I have always loved Ukrainian food. It’s popular in our area. Cabbage rolls and perogies… my 2 faves! never heard of this though but it sounds delicious and I’m planning on making it. Hoping it might impress the boyfriend with my skills at Ukrianian cooking 😉 Though I cannot stand cooked cottage cheese, it makes me sick. blech (Hate lasagna for that reason too) and Quarks cheese is impossible to find in Canada I’m going to try it with the Ricotta. sure sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • ashton
      February 28, 2013 at 3:06 PM (12 years ago)

      P.S. hope you don’t mind. I’ve shared this recipe on Pinterest as well, it links directly to your website here so hopefully alot more people will try it too 🙂

      Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      February 28, 2013 at 5:24 PM (12 years ago)

      Hi Ashton – thank you very much for your comments! I hope you impress your boyfriend with this recipe 🙂 It’s delicious. Ricotta cheese works very well for this recipe and I also prefer it to cotage cheese. Thank you also for sharing it on Pinterest. I love that site and appreciate the additional promo 🙂

      Reply
  11. Corinna Caudill
    February 17, 2014 at 7:02 AM (11 years ago)

    Absolutely LOVE your blog – so well done! We’re featuring you on our “Food and Recipes” tab on our blog. 🙂 Чудово!

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      February 17, 2014 at 8:20 PM (11 years ago)

      Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the link back to my blog. So happy you like the recipes! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Lisa
    March 19, 2014 at 7:21 PM (11 years ago)

    I was taught by my Ukrainian Mom. A mixture of dry cottage cheese, minced onion, S&P, egg & a little mashed potato. Sometimes I will put dill in. They are rolled & layered in a pan, heavy cream is poured over the Nalysnyky & baked. When they start to bubble over a bit, you know they’re done. Good idea to put pan on cookie sheet to catch any spillage. Served with sour cream & chopped green onions.
    My favourite is always the next day when they’re fried in butter. OMGoodness!!!

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      March 22, 2014 at 3:51 PM (11 years ago)

      That sounds delicious Lisa! I will have to try that soon! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  13. Natalka
    March 28, 2014 at 9:19 AM (11 years ago)

    Thank you for this recipe, it turned out delicious despite having to use the cottage cheese substitute. My grandmother is Ukrainian, however my mother is not. When I was young we moved to the States and my mother continued the tradition of Ukrainian Christmas (though a bit shy of the 12 dishes). Now that I am married and living very far from home I have attempted to continue the Ukrainian Christmas tradition (with my very American husband) and was delighted to add this recipe to my second Ukrainian Christmas. It was one of the few dishes that didn’t have leftovers.

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      March 28, 2014 at 11:15 AM (11 years ago)

      So glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe Natalka! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  14. Steve
    December 13, 2014 at 1:34 PM (10 years ago)

    Thank you for sharing the recipe!! My Mother has made this dish for me for more than 40 years every Christmas and it is my all time fave dish in the world!!!! This year I am going to surprise her and make it myself ….. I will let you know how I did in a few weeks..

    Cheers
    Steve

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      December 14, 2014 at 12:52 PM (10 years ago)

      Fantastic Steve! Please let us know how you and your Mother like the dish!

      Reply
  15. Daniela Tereshchuk
    March 20, 2015 at 4:53 PM (10 years ago)

    Thank you for posting these recipes! I love Ukrainian culture and food!!! Your recipe is easy and delicious!!!!

    Reply
  16. Lisa
    June 17, 2015 at 6:15 PM (10 years ago)

    Hi there, could someone tell me if these can be frozen and how to do it so it doesnt affect the texture.? Thank you

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      June 18, 2015 at 4:00 PM (10 years ago)

      Hi Lisa, Yes, you can absolutely freeze them! Space and lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze them individually. Once completely frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. From frozen, place them in your pan and add some melted butter in between each layer and bake.

      Reply
      • Annette Shavchuk
        May 31, 2019 at 6:04 PM (6 years ago)

        How long and at what temperature do you suggest when baking them frozen?

        Reply
  17. Heather
    June 25, 2015 at 11:17 AM (9 years ago)

    I am also from Manitoba, with a Mom of Ukranian descent. This and Nachinka are my two favourite Ukranian dishes. In our family, the variation is to bake with a cheese sauce instead of the traditional dill and cream sauce. Lots of sharp or old cheddar in the sauce, and the flavour is totally different, but still wonderful. Thanks for posting this!

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      June 30, 2015 at 10:08 PM (9 years ago)

      That sounds so delicious, Heather! Thank you very much for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
  18. yessmine
    July 2, 2015 at 10:43 AM (9 years ago)

    hi, this recipe is great, hmm, can the cheese filling be done with ricota instead of cottage cheese? thank you

    Reply
    • Marlene
      October 4, 2023 at 3:41 PM (1 year ago)

      Do nalesmika need yo be cooked before freezing or can I freeze them prepared and filled and then cook later.

      Reply
  19. Jocelyn
    January 7, 2016 at 5:17 PM (9 years ago)

    Hi. When mixing the filling it says to add salt, but there is no second amount listed with the ingredients for salt?

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      January 9, 2016 at 9:36 PM (9 years ago)

      Hi Jocelyn – sorry about that. It’s to taste. I’ve updated the recipe. It’s really all about how salty the cheese you are using is. Cottage cheese tends to be on the saltier side, so we don’t add much to that. The Quark cheese is a little more bland, so we add a bit more salt.

      Reply
  20. Pat
    January 14, 2016 at 2:34 PM (9 years ago)

    Hi, I read your blog on nalysnyky.. I made them once years ago & they were good. I was at a cousins house once & she served mushroom nalysnyky. They were delicious! Do you have a recipe for the mushroom ones? My background is Ukrainian /Polish but my husband was German / Irish & he didn’t necessarily like all things Ukrainian. Thank you.

    Reply
  21. PHILINE
    April 10, 2016 at 10:56 AM (9 years ago)

    I too could never find Quark cheese , so I use 1/2 cottage and 1/2 cream cheese for excellent results, I’ve even substituted the dill flavored cream cheese to get extra dill flavor. In regards to baking, I place a baking pain with 1/2 inch water on lower shelf and the outer crepes stay moist

    Reply
  22. Denise
    November 20, 2016 at 6:44 AM (8 years ago)

    Good morning Claudia, I plan on cooking Nalysnyky for a Ukrainian friend for Christmas. I just had a question on what type of butter (margarine or unsalted)? Thank you so much for the recipe and your time. Hope you have a great day!

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      November 20, 2016 at 2:48 PM (8 years ago)

      Hi Denise! We use salted butter. Let us know how you like them!

      Reply
  23. mandi
    December 23, 2016 at 10:29 AM (8 years ago)

    hi Claudia, I just want to say thank you for having this recipe up here! when I was little my baba would make this for me and now that I’m older I am making it for my family. I have been making it for the last 3 Christmas and every time I come back to your site. so thank you!

    ps my dad can’t get enough of this stuff when I cook it up.

    Reply
    • Claudia's Cookbook
      January 4, 2017 at 12:06 PM (8 years ago)

      You are so welcome, Mandi! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  24. alvin funk
    January 26, 2017 at 11:56 PM (8 years ago)

    Good luck….and that is always great food………..

    Reply
  25. Marissa
    November 20, 2018 at 11:55 AM (6 years ago)

    I have made this recipe two times and all I can say is it’s easy and addictive once you have a bite you can’t stop eating them. The first time I made them I used cottage cheese but didn’t like the consistency of it.

    Reply
  26. Leslie
    December 17, 2018 at 8:20 AM (6 years ago)

    I had these when I visited my family in Ternopil, Ukraine. They were served with a generous dollop of sour cream – real soured cream. Nothing like our sour cream. Very delicious. I was very happy to see your recipe. Can’t wait to try !!!

    Reply
  27. Florence Pich
    December 24, 2018 at 11:18 AM (6 years ago)

    So absolutely love the step-by-step step instructions, I am an Canadian girl married to a Ukrainian man and really want to be able to make his favourite dishes. I made these and they turned out so well he said wow just like Moms. Thanks.

    Reply
  28. Kathy
    July 9, 2019 at 8:55 AM (5 years ago)

    What size pan is best to use ?

    Reply
  29. Peter Frankow
    October 13, 2019 at 2:57 PM (5 years ago)

    It’s interesting to see the regional differences in the type of cheese being used. Our family uses the dry curd cottage cheese which was made on the farm in the old days of the homesteaders. I just made 40 for Thanksgiving dinner today.

    Reply
  30. Yvette
    January 2, 2020 at 12:47 AM (5 years ago)

    Hi Claudia. I plan to make these for Ukrainian Christmas Eve this coming Saturday. Can you please clarify if it is whipped cream, or the liquid whipping cream you use? Thank you.

    Reply
  31. Shev Liteplo
    November 28, 2020 at 10:33 PM (4 years ago)

    I thought a cream sauce is put on top afterwards?

    Reply
  32. Jo-Anne Fritter
    December 1, 2021 at 8:25 AM (3 years ago)

    I like to add some white sugar and some cinnamon to the crepe batter and also white sugar, dab of vanilla and cinnamon to the crepe filling. I bake them for approx 20 min @ 350F, then cool. Once cooled, I either freeze them, or use them right away.
    I fry up the cream with onions,salt/pepper and lots of dill, and once it thickens, bubbles for a bit, I add the Nalysnyky straight in, to allow them to soak up the cream.
    This has been our family’s Nalysnyky recipe for 50 yrs.

    Reply
  33. Celia Norris
    April 4, 2022 at 1:59 PM (3 years ago)

    can they be made ahead in a casserole dish frozen and then thawed and cooked

    Reply

10Pingbacks & Trackbacks on Nalysnyky

  1. […] In the Ukraine, Cheesefare Sunday feasts feature nalysnyky (crepes) that are rolled up with the cottage cheese that must be finished before Great Lent. This type of nalysnyky is eaten as a main course, as observant Orthodox adherents have given up meat already by Cheesefare Sunday. Nalysnyky can also be filled with fruit or orange sauce as a dessert See how nalysnyky is made at Claudia’s Cookbook. […]

    Reply

  2. […] In the Ukraine, Cheesefare Sunday feasts feature nalysnyky (crepes) that are rolled up with the cottage cheese that must be finished before Great Lent. This type of nalysnyky is eaten as a main course, as observant Orthodox adherents have given up meat already by Cheesefare Sunday. Nalysnyky can also be filled with fruit or orange sauce as a dessert See how nalysnyky is made at Claudia’s Cookbook. […]

    Reply

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