Varškės Spurgos are Lithuania's curd-cheese doughnuts — small, round, golden fritters made from curd cheese (varškė), egg, flour, and sugar, deep-fried until puffy and dusted with powdered sugar. Eaten warm with jam or sour cream, they are the Lithuanian answer to Polish pączki and Spanish buñuelos.
Varškės Spurgos (curd doughnuts) are a Lithuanian festive sweet, made for name days, birthdays, and Sunday treats. They belong to the widespread Eastern European fried-dough tradition (Polish pączki, Russian ponchiki), but the Lithuanian version uses curd cheese (varškė) in the dough, which makes them lighter, tangier, and more tender than the all-flour versions. The curd cheese also makes them more nutritious — they were a way to get dairy into a sweet treat. They are fried golden, dusted with powdered sugar, and eaten warm.
A small, golden, puffy ball, the outside crisp, the inside soft and slightly tangy from the curd cheese. Bite in: it is light, not greasy, with a sweet-tart balance from the cheese. Dust with powdered sugar, dip in jam. They are the most addictive Lithuanian sweet.
The curd cheese (varškė) in the dough does three things: it adds moisture (keeping the doughnuts tender), acidity (a tangy flavor), and protein (structure). The dough is a simple mix of curd, egg, flour, and sugar — no yeast, so no rising time. The fritters are dropped by spoonfuls into hot oil (180°C) and fry in 2-3 minutes to golden. The oil must be hot enough that they crisp immediately (or they absorb oil and go greasy).
Variations
Some add vanilla or lemon zest; some add raisins; some fill them with jam (injecting after frying); the size varies.
On the Palate
Where Varškės Spurgos sits in the Lithuanian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · 50 min active + 25 min waiting
- 18 min
Mix 400 g dry curd cheese (varškė), 2 eggs, 80 g sugar, 150 g flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt to a soft, sticky dough.
- 215 min
Rest 15 minutes.
- 33 min
Heat oil to 180°C.
Watch outGet the oil to a steady one-eighty before dropping the dough — too cool and the fritters drink oil and go greasy, too hot and they brown raw inside.
- 41 min
With wet hands or two spoons, drop walnut-sized pieces into the oil.
- 58 min
Fry 2-3 minutes, turning, until deep golden on all sides.
Watch outFry until deep golden all over, turning as they go — they must color evenly or the thick center stays raw and doughy.
- 62 min
Drain on paper.
- 72 min
Dust generously with powdered sugar.
- 81 min
Serve warm with jam or sour cream.
