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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Romanian Papanasi Recipe

    Published: Sep 4, 2020 · Modified: Aug 9, 2022 by Daniela Apostol · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

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    Romanian Papanasi Recipe with sour cream and jam, or fried no-yeast cheese doughnuts, a dessert that tastes like heaven, and we are so proud of it. It only takes a few basic ingredients to put it together, but be sure that everybody will fall in love with them.

    A papanas on a white plate
    Jump to:
    • What are papanasi?
    • How to make Romanian papanasi
    • Traditional Romanian meal

    What are papanasi?

    Papanasi (read papanashi) are a traditional Romanian dessert made of cow's cheese, eggs, bicarb of sofa and flour, and flavoured with lemon zest. They are similar to a fried donut that is topped with a donut ball, and served with lots of sour cream and jam.

    You will find papanasi in any Romanian restaurant, and anywhere else where traditional Romanian food is served. As a nation, we love cheese, and cow's cheese is my favourite - I even have my own recipe on how to make cow's cheese or farmer's cheese at home. From appetizers, to mains or desserts, we like adding cheese in lots and lots of dishes.

    Now, there are two types of papanasi, the fried ones, and boiled papanasi. Of course, the boiled ones are healthier, but you will agree with me that fried are tastier. Right?

    Overhead shoot of a papanas on a white plate

    How to make Romanian papanasi

    If you can't find cow's cheese, feta cheese is a very good substitute.

    • Crumble or grate the cheese
    • Add the egg, bicarbonate of soda, lemon zest, sugar and flour, and mix to get a dough.

    NOTE! At this stage the dough will be pretty sticky. Leave to rest for 15-20 minutes, and the dough will be soft, and very easy to work with.

    • Transfer to the work surface and divide it into 4 balls. Use flour to dust if the dough is still sticky.
    • Each ball will be divided into 2, one ball will be bigger. From the bigger ball, we will shape a round donut with a hole in the middle, where the second one will be the shape of a ball (see photo below).
    • Heat up the oil, and deep fry until light brown.
    • Repeat with the rest of the donuts.
    • Once cooled, serve with plenty of sour cream and jam
    Collage of 6 photos to show how to make Romanian papanasi

    Traditional Romanian meal

    If you ever visit Romania, you'll be welcomed with lots of delicious food and lots of plum brandy, which is our traditional drink. Red wine is another favourite of ours.

    We absolutely love food, and every important holiday is a good excuse to cook a proper feast with lots of dishes, both sweet and savoury. So, how about we put together a proper Romanian meal?

    We can start with some amazing appetizers like aubergine salad, or some chicken liver pate. We can't possibly not taste the delicious "Ciorba Radauteana", or chicken soup with sour cream and garlic.

    As a main meal, our sarmale, or meat and rice rolls in cabbage (or grape leaves) have no rival. They find their way on the table more often than you think.

    As for desserts, apart from papanasi, we can enjoy some "Salam de biscuiti" or chocolate salami, or a good old cremeschnitte (Cremsnit). Or, why not some no-yeast beignets (Gogosi).

    A good savoury snack are these amazing cheese crackers (saratele). And the list is endless.

    Half of a papanas to show how it looks inside

    If you’ve tried my ROMANIAN PAPANASI or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

    4.67 from 3 votes
    A papanas on a white plate with ramekins of sour cream and jam in the background
    Print
    Romanian Papanasi Recipe
    Prep Time
    45 mins
    Cook Time
    10 mins
    Total Time
    55 mins
     

    Romanian Papanasi with sour cream and jam, or fried no-yeast cheese doughnuts, a traditional dessert that tastes like heaven, and we are so proud of. It only takes a few basic ingredients to put it together, but be sure that everybody will fall in love with them. Best donuts ever, with little effort, but maximum flavours.

    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Romanian
    Keyword: Romanian desserts
    Servings: 4 papanasi
    Calories: 1189 kcal
    Author: Daniela Apostol
    Ingredients
    • 200 g cow's cheese (or feta cheese)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup plain flour
    • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
    • zest of one lemon
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 cups vegetable oil to fry
    • sour cream
    • jam
    Metric - US Customary
    Instructions
    1. Grate or crumble the cheese and add it to a large bowl.

    2. Mix in the egg, sugar, lemon zest and bicarbonate of soda.

    3. Add the flour and knead until you get a dough that is still very slightly sticky. Shape it into a ball.

    4. Let the dough to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
    5. Divide the dough into 4 smaller balls.
    6. Each ball will then be devided into 2, we will need about ¾ of that dough for the main doughnut and ¼ for the small ball that goes on top.
    7. We will then have 4 doughnuts and 4 small balls in total.
    8. To make the doughnut, just use your thumbprint to make a hole in the middle of the dough and give it a nice round shape.
    9. Heat up a large pan and add the oil.
    10. Add one doughnut and one ball and let them fry on each side for about 2 minutes until golden.
    11. Remove with a spatula and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorbe any excess oil.
    12. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and balls.
    13. Serve with sour cream and jam.

    Recipe Notes
    • To see the measurements in cups and ounces, please click on the US CUSTOMARY link.
    • The amount of ingredients listed can be adjusted depending on the number of servings you need, just click on the number next to SERVINGS.
    Nutrition Facts
    Romanian Papanasi Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 1189 Calories from Fat 999
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 111g171%
    Saturated Fat 15g75%
    Cholesterol 85mg28%
    Sodium 731mg30%
    Potassium 78mg2%
    Carbohydrates 37g12%
    Sugar 14g16%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 270IU5%
    Calcium 257mg26%
    Iron 1.9mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Save

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janie

      August 06, 2016 at 10:16 am

      Well, I've never heard of a papanasi before, but they sure do look tasty!
      Janie x

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        August 06, 2016 at 1:45 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
      • Maria

        October 25, 2018 at 4:36 pm

        I had Papanasi when I was in Bucharest and they were probably the best doughnuts I've ever tasted. The waitress was laughing at my expression of delight as I ate them! I've been trying to discover what they were called an how I could make them and now I've found out, I will definitely be trying this recipe.

        Reply
        • Daniela Anderson

          October 25, 2018 at 5:55 pm

          We absolutely love papanasi, this is a super simple recipe, hope you like it.

          Reply
    2. Holly

      August 06, 2016 at 2:53 pm

      I love the sweet and savory components of these Cheese Donuts! I typically don't care for super sweet desserts so this one sounds perfect for me. Yum!

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        August 06, 2016 at 3:55 pm

        Thank you, Holly! Glad you like my recipe.

        Reply
    3. Natascha

      August 06, 2016 at 6:33 pm

      Oh my GOODNESS! These look divine! I would definitely fry them because I think if I am going to be naughty and eat a rich dessert, then I really want to enjoy it! They look easy to make too! I would love to try these! Thank you so much for sharing this and for participating! I will share this post next week! ?????❤❤??

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        August 06, 2016 at 6:36 pm

        Thank you, Natascha! I loved taking part in your challege. Also enjoyed eating them haha they are yummy ?

        Reply
    4. Laura M Duran

      January 22, 2022 at 9:41 pm

      So delicious! Thank you.

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        January 22, 2022 at 10:59 pm

        I am glad you like the recipe!

        Reply

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