Main Page
For breakfast
Pancakes on a thin Snowball

Thin Kefir Blini

Delicious, tender, and soft — perfect for a family tea! These thin kefir blini are a hit with kids and grown-ups alike. Serve them with any topping or filling and they're always good! Even if you're just starting out in the kitchen, give them a go.

Julia M.

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Kefir (or Snezhok drinkable yogurt)

Eggs

Water

Sugar

Flour

1.5

Vegetable oil

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 16 % 5 g

Fats 23 % 7 g

Carbohydrates 61 % 19 g

157 kcal

GI: 11 / 0 / 89

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

How do you make thin kefir blini? For delicious, thin pancakes, get out a deep bowl so it's easy to mix the batter. Snezhok is a Russian drinkable cultured-milk drink — you can use plain kefir or plain yogurt in its place.
Step 2:

Combine the eggs and salt in the bowl and beat them lightly with a whisk.
Step 3:

Add the kefir and sugar to the eggs and stir gently.
Step 4:

Pour in the vegetable oil and mix until smooth.
Step 5:

Add the sifted flour to the bowl. Sifting aerates the flour so the batter picks up oxygen. Be ready to use a little more or less flour than the recipe says — go by the consistency of the batter, not the exact amount. Mix everything well.
Step 6:

To thin the batter, add the water a little at a time, mixing it in as you go.
Step 7:

The finished batter will be quite thin. Let it rest for 10–15 minutes, so even the thinnest pancakes won't tear.
Step 8:

Heat a crepe pan until hot. Brush it lightly with vegetable oil before the first pancake. Pour a little batter onto the hot pan and swirl it into a thin, even layer over the whole surface. When the pancake starts pulling away from the edges and turns golden, flip it and cook the other side.
Step 9:

Cook all the blini this way. Lift each finished one off with a spatula and stack them on a large plate. Cover the stack with a lid so they stay soft and steamy — left uncovered, they'll dry out.
Step 10:

Serve with tea or cocoa and your choice of jam, sweetened condensed milk, fruit preserves, or sour cream. Enjoy!

Blini have always been popular and always will be. They're made in countless ways, including for Maslenitsa (Russian pancake week). Make them for a Sunday breakfast to treat the whole family, or enjoy them as a snack any time of day. Thin, light pancakes will win everyone over — and they'll all be asking for seconds. Blini aren't just for sour cream, condensed milk, or jam, either: you can wrap any filling in them, sweet or savory. If you're going savory, cut back on the sugar. In fact, adjust the sugar to taste from the start, since the cultured-milk base is already fairly sweet on its own.
Be ready to use a little more or less flour than the recipe calls for. Go by the consistency of the batter, not an exact amount. To avoid mistakes, read up on flour and how it behaves!
Tip: the wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For how to choose the perfect pan for different dishes, see our guide.
Oils are only healthy up to a point — their smoke point, where the oil starts to burn and form harmful compounds. For how to pick the right frying temperature and the best oil for the job, see our guide.