Healthy Syrnyky Recipe: Oven-Baked Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Active time: ~20 minutes | Total time: ~45 minutes | Serves: 4 (about 12 pancakes) | Difficulty: Easy

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Quick Overview

1. Drain the farmer’s cheese well; lower-fat cheese is often moister
2. Mash it with the egg, a tablespoon of sugar, vanilla and salt, then work in whole wheat flour
3. Shape thick rounds and set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet
4. Brush lightly with oil and bake at 180°C (350°F), turning once
5. Serve warm with plain Greek yogurt and fresh berries

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What This Version Changes — and What It Keeps

The dough is the same as in our Traditional Syrnyky: farmer’s cheese mashed with one egg, a little sugar and flour, shaped into small thick rounds. The rounds keep their size, and the raisins stay optional.

Five things change. The syrnyky bake in the oven instead of frying in oil, a method published Ukrainian recipes already use.^1,2 The cheese is 2–5% fat instead of 9%. White flour gives way to whole wheat, the sugar drops from 2 tablespoons plus vanilla sugar to a single tablespoon, and plain Greek yogurt with fresh berries replaces sour cream or jam at the table.

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Why These Swaps Work

Baking removes the frying oil. The traditional recipe fries the syrnyky in 3–4 tablespoons of sunflower oil;^3,4 a Cleveland Clinic dietitian points out that even pan frying “requires a fair amount” of oil, and gram for gram fat has more than twice the calories of protein or carbohydrates.⁵ One published Ukrainian recipe bakes syrnyky on parchment at 180°C, 15 minutes on one side and 5–7 on the other.¹ In the oven they come out less greasy, though a little drier, which is why a light brush of oil and a yogurt sauce help.²

The lighter cheese stays inside the tradition. Published Ukrainian recipes call farmer’s cheese of 5–9% fat the most versatile for syrnyky,^6,7 and the oven recipe above uses 5%.¹ Going down to 2% saves more: 100g of 2% cottage cheese has 84 kcal and 2.3g of fat, and full-fat cottage cheese carries about 1.5g more saturated fat than 2%.⁸ Fat-free cheese is not a better choice here, since it also has less protein.⁸

Whole wheat flour adds fiber. Refining wheat strips away virtually all of its fiber, and bran and fiber slow the breakdown of starch into glucose.⁹ The oven recipe lists whole grain flour among the flours that work.¹

Less sugar is a small step for syrnyky. Published traditional recipes already range from 1 to 3 tablespoons for 500g of cheese,^7,3 and cutting added sugar when baking is a standard piece of advice.¹⁰ Sugar in the dough also makes syrnyky burn, so recipes suggest sweetening them at the table instead.³ Vanilla and a little lemon zest carry the flavor.⁷

Greek yogurt replaces sour cream. Swapping Greek yogurt in for sour cream cuts saturated fat, and Greek yogurt has about twice the protein of regular yogurt.¹¹ Harvard’s Nutrition Source suggests plain yogurt with fresh fruit stirred in, rather than sweetened yogurt.¹⁰ A yogurt sauce is the topping already recommended for oven-baked syrnyky.²

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Healthy Syrnyky Recipe

This recipe was compiled by Heritage Healthy Kitchen from published recipes and the sources for the swaps, all listed at the end of this article. Figures that are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s own estimates rather than taken from a published source are marked as such.

The amounts of cheese, egg and flour follow the published traditional recipes;^3,4,7 the cheese, the sugar and the oven method follow the sources for the swaps above.^1,7 The oven temperature and times come from a published oven recipe.¹ The amount of oil for brushing, the lemon zest quantity, the number of pancakes and servings and the storage time are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimates.

Ingredients (serves 4, about 12 pancakes)

• 500g (about 2 cups) farmer’s cheese (syr), 2–5% fat
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of ½ lemon (optional)
• A pinch of salt
• 3 heaped tablespoons whole wheat flour (60–100g, depending on how moist the cheese is), plus a little for shaping
• 30g (about 3 tablespoons) raisins (optional)
• 1–2 teaspoons sunflower oil, for brushing

To serve

• Plain Greek yogurt and fresh berries

Method

1. Prepare the cheese. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Drain the cheese in a cheesecloth-lined sieve and press out the liquid; if it is grainy, mash it until fairly smooth.^3,1
2. Mix the dough. Mash the cheese with the egg, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, if using, and salt. Add the flour and mix into a soft dough that holds together; moist cheese may need an extra spoonful.³ Stir in the raisins, if using.
3. Shape. With lightly floured hands, take 50–60g of dough at a time and shape rounds about 4cm (1½ inches) wide and 2cm (¾ inch) high.³ Set them on the parchment, not touching.
4. Bake. Brush the tops lightly with oil.² Bake for 15 minutes, turn them over and bake 5–7 minutes more, until golden on both sides.¹
5. Serve. Serve warm with plain Greek yogurt and fresh berries.^11,10

An air fryer also works for syrnyky;⁷ cook them in a single layer and check them early, since times vary by machine.

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Kitchen Tips

Lower-fat cheese is often wetter, and wet cheese makes the dough spread. Drain it well before you start rather than adding flour until the dough firms up; extra flour makes syrnyky less tender.^4,3

Oven-baked syrnyky are a little drier than fried ones.² Take them out as soon as both sides are golden, and serve them with the yogurt rather than plain.

Most of the sodium in syrnyky comes from the cheese. Packaged cottage cheese can be high in sodium, so check the label and pick a low-sodium one where you can.^8,12

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Nutritional Comparison

Per serving (one quarter of the recipe, about 3 pancakes, with raisins, without toppings):

Nutrient	Traditional (9% cheese, fried)	This version, 5% cheese	This version, 2% cheese
Calories	359–438 kcal	246–301 kcal	217–265 kcal
Protein	17–20g	17–21g	16–20g
Total fat	17–21g	9–11g	5–6g
Saturated fat	6–8g	3–4g	about 2g
Carbohydrates	34–42g	27–33g	28–34g
Fiber	about 1g	2–3g	2–3g
Sodium	up to about 510mg	up to about 510mg	up to about 500mg

Nutritional values are estimates based on standard ingredient databases (USDA FoodData Central). Without raisins a serving has about 20 kcal less. Two tablespoons of low-fat Greek yogurt add about 25 kcal; the same amount of sour cream adds about 60 kcal.

With 5% cheese a serving has about a third fewer calories than the traditional one and about half the fat; with 2% cheese, about 40% fewer calories and less than a third of the fat. Protein stays the same, and fiber rises. Sodium does not change, because it comes almost entirely from the cheese.

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Storage and Reheating

Shaped, unbaked syrnyky freeze well: set them apart until firm, then move them to a freezer bag and use within two weeks.³ Bake them straight from the freezer at 180°C (350°F), on parchment, for 20–25 minutes, turning once.²

Baked syrnyky keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; warm them in the oven or a dry frying pan over low heat. These two figures are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use 2% or 5% cheese?
Either works. Cheese of 5% fat sits at the bottom of the range published Ukrainian recipes use;^6,1 2% saves about 30 kcal and 4g of fat per serving more. Avoid fat-free cheese, which also has less protein.⁸

Do baked syrnyky taste like fried ones?
Close, but not the same. Baked syrnyky come out less greasy and a little drier, which a light brush of oil and a spoonful of yogurt make up for.²

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat?
Yes, the dough works the same way, but most of the extra fiber is lost.⁹ Oat, buckwheat and corn flour are also listed as options in a published oven recipe.¹

Can I leave out the sugar completely?
Yes. One published oven recipe leaves the sugar out and uses stevia instead;¹ without any sweetener, the berries and vanilla on top carry the sweetness.

Is this version lower in sodium?
Not really. Almost all the sodium comes from the cheese, so the way to lower it is to choose a low-sodium cheese.⁸

Do these syrnyky still belong on the Masnytsia table?
Yes. They are a dairy dish without meat, like the traditional ones; the week and its dishes are described in our Traditional Syrnyky article.

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The Traditional Version

The pan-fried original, with its history and its place on the Masnytsia table, is in our Traditional Syrnyky article.

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Further Reading & Sources

The recipe is a compilation based on the published recipes listed here; these links are provided for readers who want to explore further.

The base recipe and the oven method

1. Solomiia Tsurenko. (30 September 2023). Korysni syrnyky v dukhovtsi bez tsukru ta pshenychnoho boroshna [Wholesome oven-baked syrnyky without sugar or wheat flour]. Novyny.live, after the YouTube channel Prosti retsepty z Mariieiu Shcherbatiuk. Published oven recipe (400g of 5% farmer’s cheese, 1 egg, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 3 tablespoons of corn flour or oat, rice, whole grain or buckwheat flour; baked on parchment at 180°C for 15 minutes, turned and baked 5–7 minutes more).
2. Yana Sulyma. (4 May 2026). Yak pravylno smazhyty zamorozheni syrnyky [How to fry frozen syrnyky]. klopotenko.com. In the oven syrnyky come out less greasy than in a frying pan but slightly drier; lightly greased, on parchment at 180°C; serve with a sauce based on sour cream or Greek yogurt.
3. Yevhen Klopotenko. (26 April 2023, updated 9 September 2026). Retsept syrnykiv [Syrnyky recipe]. klopotenko.com. Published recipe (400–500g of 9% farmer’s cheese, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons sugar, 10g vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, 3 heaped tablespoons of flour, 50–60g portions 4cm wide and 2cm high); the sugar can be cut further and the syrnyky sweetened at the table; a lot of sugar makes them burn; moist cheese is drained, grainy cheese mashed smooth.
4. Yevhen Klopotenko. Syrnyky (Farmer Cheese Pancakes), excerpted from The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen (Voracious, 2024). The Splendid Table, 13 September 2024. Published recipe (450g farmer’s cheese, 1 egg, 36g sugar, vanilla sugar or a drop of vanilla extract, salt, fried in 3–4 tablespoons of sunflower oil); cheese neither too dry nor too watery; toppings beyond sour cream and jam, such as fresh fruit.
6. Yevhen Klopotenko. (13 December 2024). Zapecheni syrnyky u makitri [Syrnyky baked in a clay pot]. klopotenko.com. Farmer’s cheese of 5–9% fat is the most versatile for syrnyky.
7. Yuliia Skoryk. (19 June 2026). Syrnyky bez nerviv! Yak yikh hotuvaty i shcho oboviazkovo dodaty [Syrnyky without the stress: how to make them]. Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia. Published recipe with 1 tablespoon of sugar for 500g of 9% cheese; cheese of 5–9% fat; lemon or orange zest for flavor; syrnyky can also be cooked in an air fryer.

The swaps

5. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. (22 January 2024). Are Air Fryers Actually Healthy? Registered dietitian Julia Zumpano: oils are high in calories, and “even pan frying meat or vegetables requires a fair amount” of oil.
8. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. (23 August 2023). Why Cottage Cheese Is Good for You. 100g of low-fat (2%) cottage cheese: 84 kcal, 2.3g fat, 11g protein, 321mg sodium; full-fat cottage cheese has 1.5g more saturated fat than 2%; nonfat has less protein; cottage cheese can be high in sodium, so choose low-sodium.
9. The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Whole Grains. Refining strips away virtually all of wheat’s fiber; bran and fiber slow the breakdown of starch into glucose.
10. The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Added Sugar. When baking, reduce the added sugar; choose plain yogurt and add fresh fruit.
11. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. (9 November 2020). Is Yogurt Good for You? Greek yogurt has about twice the protein of regular yogurt; swapping it in for some of the sour cream cuts saturated fat; dress plain yogurt with fresh fruit or vanilla.
12. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (7 July 2023). Is cottage cheese healthy? Cottage cheese may contain high levels of sodium and fat; choose lower-fat types without added sugar.

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Disclaimer

The information in this article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Heritage Healthy Kitchen makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content on this site. Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on the specific ingredients, brands, and measurements used. This content is not intended as dietary, medical, or professional nutritional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any dietary needs or health conditions. Heritage Healthy Kitchen is not responsible for any outcomes resulting from the use of recipes or information published on this site.

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