Palacinke Recipe

Looking for a sweet treat? Get ready to try Balkan-style crepes called Palacinke!

Palačinke, more commonly called crepes in English, is a traditional Balkan dish made by every grandma in every Balkan home and every street cafe or sophisticated restaurant! They are among the most popular desserts and snacks you can enjoy in the Balkans.

The “palačinka” is a well-known and popular type of pancake in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. Besides that, a palacinke recipe is well known to be simple to cook too!

It is the unmatched champion of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Balkans. Often served with a hot coffee or tea, this delicious treat is best enjoyed on the spot fresh off the pan! 

There are so many different variations that each Balkan country claims to be the best. With its versatile range of fillings—from traditional jams to chocolate spread and crushed biscuits—a little imagination can go a long way.

Want to learn how to make palačinke? One thing I can tell you for sure—palačinke are easy to make and hard to stop eating! 

What Are Palačinke?

What is a palačinka? What makes it different from other kinds of crepes? Well, the secret behind its success is the dough. It’s more like a paper-thin pancake dough that takes some time to get used to preparing, but once you do, you’ll be making them over and over again! This Palacinke recipe will prove that.

This recipe calls for a batter that is thicker than that for crepes but runnier than a typical American fluffy pancake batter. In the batter, there is no sugar, and the added club soda gives them a light and tender texture.

What’s special about these treats is the versatile choice of filling that they use. You can eat them sweet or savory!

The filling can be anything—fill them with jam, Nutella, sweetened cream, cheese or chicken; top with chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, honey or syrup; have it as a dessert, breakfast meal, or appetizer. 

There are endless possibilities for palačinke. Nowadays, you can purchase premade mixes for palačinke dough that may contain some trans fats; however, homemade recipes are still the most common and considered to be the tastiest!

So, get ready to learn about these homemade Balkan-style crepes, and be careful not to overeat. They are simply delicious!

Palacinke Recipe

These Balkan treats are a glorious bite of joy! Most households have a favorite recipe and filling. Use this recipe below to make delicious palačinke every time!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (450 ml) of milk
• 2 cups (450 ml) sparkling water
• 3 tsp (45 ml) oil
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) salt
• 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (240 g) flour

Palacinke Recipe Step-By-Step Instructions

• Mix The Liquids

Grab a mixing bowl and crack the eggs inside.

Add the salt and sugar and start whisking until the eggs are thoroughly combined.

Pour in the milk, sparkling water, and oil and continue whisking until everything is mixed. 

• Add The Dry Ingredients

Stir in the flour and use a hand mixer or a whisk to continue until no more lumps remain. You should have a thick batter-like heavy cream. Wait a minute or two before adding additional flour if the batter seems thin. 

Resting will cause the mixture to thicken slightly. Although the batter should be thinner than the batter for American pancakes, it shouldn’t be overly watery.

• Prepare Your Pan

Grab a frying pan and place it over medium-high heat. Butter or oil the pan slightly so your pancake doesn’t stick, or if you have a non-stick pan, just pour the batter directly. 

The batter should be poured or ladled until it has thinly coated the whole bottom of the pan. 

• Cook The Crepes

To completely cover the pan and get a big round palačinka, tilt the pan as you pour the batter in to cover the entire surface evenly.

The sides will begin to lift after about 2–3 minutes, and the bottom will be slightly browned. This is how you’ll know that it’s time to flip it over.

Cook for one more minute after flipping the palačinka.

When cooked, remove it from the pan and repeat the process with the remainder of the batter.

• Fold And Serve

Spread your filling of choice on each piece, roll, fold and serve!

Also, there are many choices when it comes to folding your Balkan crepe. You should usually fold both sides to the middle if you have a ton of bulging toppings and eat it with a knife and fork. 

If you are adding less bulky toppings, either roll up the crepe into a cigarette or snake shape and just eat it with your hands or fold it twice and eat it with utensils.

Palacinke Recipe Serving Suggestions

You can put anything you want inside when it comes to filling crepes! 

You can choose to put either sweet or savory fillings inside. Although it is most common to eat them sweet, some people make pizza palačinke. However, they are generally eaten with Nutella, fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.

Serbians enjoy using ground Plazma Keks as a topping for Nutella. In essence, this is similar to graham cracker crumbs. Of course, you can also serve and top with ice cream, whip cream, and syrup, so the combinations are endless! 

To eat these treats as dessert, here are some delicious filling combos I recommend: 

• Banana, strawberry, blueberry, and Nutella
• Crumbs of Graham Crackers and Nutella
• Sugar and melted butter
• Simple, Serbian classic: walnuts and sugar
• Honey and nuts
• Your favorite jam (preferably homemade) topped with ground walnuts

Check these articles out if you’re interested in cooking other Balkan dishes:

Yadranka Pero

Jadranka Y. and Pero K. Foodies, lovers. Jadranka is the queen of pastries and sweets, whereas Pero is the prince of meat and potatoes.

They met at 15, while working in the kitchen of a famous chef here in the Balkans, and have been together ever since.

But they still love each other and are faithful till death or until one messes up their dish. Which happens quite often if you ask anyone of them.

Love is a battlefield and Jadranka and Pero decide who wins, in the kitchen.