Papanași — Fried Cheese Dumplings with Sour Cream and Jam

Romanian Non Fasting Published April 21, 2026

Non-Fasting Recipe: This dish contains meat, dairy, or eggs and is intended for feast days and non-fasting periods.

Romanian dessert royalty: fried dumplings made from fresh sheep's cheese or urda, shaped like a ring
with a small ball set on top, served warm under a river of sour cream and a bright spoonful of
sour cherry or blueberry jam. Papanași are the traditional finale to a Romanian country meal.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (farmer's cheese, eggs, sour cream)

SERVINGS: 6 (12 papanași — 6 rings + 6 balls)
TIME: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 500 g farmer's cheese or ricotta, very dry and fine
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 60 g sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- Sunflower or neutral oil for deep frying

For serving:
- 300 g thick smântână (or full-fat sour cream)
- 300 g sour cherry jam (visne), blueberry jam, or wild strawberry preserves
- Powdered sugar for dusting

METHOD:
1. If cheese is wet, drain overnight in cheesecloth.
2. Mash cheese thoroughly with a fork until smooth and even.
3. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.
4. Add flour gradually until the dough is soft and just pulls together — not wet, but not firm. Rest 15 minutes.
5. Heat oil in a deep pot to 170C (340F). (Lower than standard frying — papanași need time to cook through without burning outside.)
6. Dust hands and work surface with flour. Shape dough: for each papanaș, form a ring about 8 cm diameter, 2 cm thick (like a small doughnut). Make a small 3 cm ball to go on top.
7. Fry rings and balls together in batches of 2-3 (do not crowd). Cook 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown. They should float and puff up significantly.
8. Drain briefly on paper towels.
9. Assemble each papanaș: place a ring on a plate, drizzle with sour cream, top with a big spoonful of jam, then perch a small ball on the hole of the ring. Dust with powdered sugar.
10. Serve immediately while warm.

NOTES:
- The cheese must be dry. Ricotta in the US is usually too wet; drain overnight in cheesecloth. European farmer's cheese is properly dry.
- The classic shape (ring + small ball) is purely traditional and decorative. In a rush, simple rounds are acceptable.
- Sour cherry jam (visnie) is the canonical topping. Blueberry is second place. Strawberry works but is less traditional.
- Eat warm. Cold papanași are rubbery.

NUTRITION (per papanaș set, approximate):
Calories: 560 | Protein: 18 g | Carbohydrates: 64 g | Fat: 28 g | Fibre: 1 g