Air Fryer Cornmeal Blini with Smoked Salmon and Dill Cream

Name: Air Fryer Cornmeal Blini with Smoked Salmon and Dill Cream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: ½ cup (85 g) cornmeal (polenta); ½ cup (65 g) buckwheat flour; ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour; ¾ teaspoon (4 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk; ¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral oil (vegetable or canola); ¾ cup (180 ml) sour cream; 3 tablespoons (9 g) fresh dill, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) kosher salt; to taste freshly ground black pepper; 8 ounces (225 g) sliced smoked salmon; 2 tablespoons (20 g) capers, drained (optional); ¼ small (30 g) red onion, thinly sliced into rings (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crispy golden blini made with a blend of cornmeal and buckwheat flour, air-fried to perfection and topped with tangy dill cream and delicate slices of smoked salmon. These tender-yet-crunchy Russian-inspired pancakes come together quickly and make an elegant appetizer or brunch dish.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 12 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 32 min
Makes: 12–14 blini (3–4 per person)

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the blini
½ cup (85 g) cornmeal (polenta)
½ cup (65 g) buckwheat flour
¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream
2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
For the topping
¾ cup (180 ml) sour cream
3 tablespoons (9 g) fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
to taste freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces (225 g) sliced smoked salmon
For garnish
2 tablespoons (20 g) capers, drained (optional)
¼ small (30 g) red onion, thinly sliced into rings (optional)

Equipment (7)

Air fryer with 3–4 quart capacity
Medium mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Spatula
Spoon or small ice cream scoop (2 tablespoon/30 ml capacity)

Steps

Before you start

Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C) for 5 minutes
Gather all ingredients at room temperature
Line your work surface with parchment paper for assembly

1
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Whisk together until evenly mixed, breaking up any lumps in the flours.
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Ready when: All dry ingredients are evenly combined with no lumps
Tip: Sift if your flours or cornmeal seem compact; this ensures lighter blini.
2
Make wet batter
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 room-temperature eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, and 2 tablespoons oil until smooth and well combined.
- Don't overmix.
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Ready when: Wet ingredients are smooth and fully incorporated
Tip: Room-temperature eggs blend more smoothly and create a lighter batter.
3
Combine batter
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together gently with a spatula until just combined.
- The batter should be thick but pourable, with some small lumps remaining.
- Do not overmix, or the blini will be tough.
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Ready when: Wet and dry ingredients are just combined with visible small lumps remaining
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as you don't see dry flour streaks; lumps will cook out and keep blini tender.
4
Portion blini for air fryer
- Using a 2-tablespoon (30 ml) ice cream scoop or spoon, drop 12–14 portions of batter onto a parchment-paper-lined work surface or plate, spacing them slightly apart.
- The batter will be sticky; wet your scoop between each portion if needed.
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Ready when: All batter is portioned into 12–14 roughly equal mounds
Tip: Slightly flattened mounds (not smooth spheres) will cook more evenly in the air fryer.
5
Air fry blini in batchesOven 375°F / 190°C
- Working in batches, carefully transfer 4–5 blini at a time to the preheated 375°F (190°C) air fryer basket, spacing them so they do not touch.
- Air fry for 6–7 minutes, shaking the basket gently halfway through, until the blini are golden brown on the outside and set in the center.
- Transfer to a warm plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
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Ready when: Blini are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean
Tip: Don't crowd the basket; overcrowding steams them instead of crisping them. Keep the first batch warm on a plate in a 200°F oven while finishing the rest.
6
Make dill cream
- In a small bowl, stir together the ¾ cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
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Ready when: Dill cream is smooth and evenly colored with visible dill specks
Tip: Make this while the blini fry; the flavors will meld slightly if it sits for a few minutes.
7
Assemble and serve
- Arrange warm blini on a serving platter.
- Top each blini with about 1 teaspoon of dill cream.
- Gently fold a small piece of smoked salmon on top of each.
- Garnish with capers and thin red onion rings if using.
- Serve immediately while the blini are still warm.
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Ready when: All blini are assembled and garnished
Tip: Work quickly so blini are still warm. If they cool, you can briefly warm them in a 300°F oven for 2 minutes.

Good to know

Tips

Air fryer blini do not need oil spray thanks to the sour cream and oil in the batter, but if they start to stick, a light mist of cooking spray on the basket before the first batch prevents sticking without excess oil.
For extra richness and an authentic Russian touch, serve a small bowl of good-quality caviar or lumpfish roe alongside for guests to add to the top of each blini.
Keep finished blini warm by placing them on a rack over a baking sheet in a 200°F (90°C) oven while you cook the remaining batches; this prevents them from becoming soggy.
The cornmeal adds slight crunch to the exterior while buckwheat flour provides authentic earthy flavor and tender crumb; if you prefer a lighter, fluffier blini, reduce cornmeal to ¼ cup (40 g) and add another ¼ cup (60 g) buckwheat flour.

Make ahead

Blini can be made up to 1 day ahead; cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Dill cream can also be made up to 1 day ahead. Reheat blini in a 300°F (150°C) air fryer for 2–3 minutes before topping and serving. Do not assemble more than 30 minutes before serving or the blini will soften.

Storage & reheating

Store cooled blini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Dill cream keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Smoked salmon is best served fresh. To reheat, place blini in a 300°F (150°C) air fryer for 2–3 minutes until warm and re-crisped. Do not freeze blini as they lose their texture.

Substitutions

buckwheat flour → all-purpose flour. Use ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour in place of buckwheat flour if you don't have it on hand. The blini will be slightly less earthy but still delicious; increase the baking powder by ¼ teaspoon for extra lift.
sliced smoked salmon → crème fraîche and smoked trout, or gravlax. Any cured or smoked fish works beautifully. Adjust portions as needed. Crème fraîche can replace sour cream in the dill cream if you prefer a tangier topping.
fresh dill → fresh chives or tarragon. Use the same amount of finely chopped chives or tarragon for a different but equally elegant flavor. Parsley can substitute if neither is available, though it is milder.
cornmeal (polenta) → polenta (coarse cornmeal) or additional buckwheat flour. If using polenta, reduce it to ⅓ cup (50 g) as it is coarser. Or increase buckwheat and all-purpose flour by ¼ cup each and omit cornmeal for an all-flour blini.