Blini Pancakes

Name: Blini Pancakes
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Buckwheat; 2/3 Cup Flour; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Yeast; 1 cup Milk; 2 tbs Butter; 1 Seperated Egg

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Side recipe with Russian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 67 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon yeast.
Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup warm milk, whisking until the batter is smooth.
Cover the bowl and let the batter rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Enrich and Rest the Batter Stir 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1 egg yolk into the batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk 1 egg white until stiff, but not dry.
Fold the whisked egg white into the batter.
Cover the bowl and let the batter stand 20 minutes.
Pan-Fry the Blini Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Drop quarter-sized dollops of batter into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until bubbles form.
Turn and cook for about 30 additional seconds.
Remove the finished blini onto a plate and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Add more butter to the pan and repeat the frying process with the remaining batter.

Why this works on a weeknight

Blini Pancakes lands at about 38 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Blini Pancakes actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Side Russian Pancake