How To Make French Crepes
Crêpes are one of my most favorite foods and certainly my number one pancake choice. This wasn’t always the case, as I’ve previously mentioned in my How To Make Buckwheat Crepes post. But now just the smell of crepes cooking makes me crazy and very impatient for the first bite.
I think its pretty difficult to find someone that doesn’t enjoy crepes, wouldn’t you agree? I mean what’s not to love about a super thin pancake that smells of butter and can be filled with just about anything. For me savory fillings are the first flavours I envision when I think of crepes. Most of the crepes I’ve eaten have been with savory fillings and that’s how I prefer to enjoy mine. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll ever turn down a crepe dripping with warm Nutella and packed with slices of bananas, because I love those too.
Regardless of how you prefer to eat crepes I believe it is one of those foods that everyone should know how to cook. It’s really quite simple and the ingredients are staples in our kitchens, so there’s no excuse not to learn. Plus crepes are a sumptuous food with which you can impress both your family and friends. With a little planning you can turn the meal into an elegant French treat.
Before we get to the recipe there are a few things I want to point out. First is that when it comes to crepe recipes the variations are as vast as the filling options. I don’t believe there is a wrong or right way, but really it comes down to individual tastes. I prefer a thinner pancake so my batter recipe is quite thin. My recipe is based a several authentic French recipes that I tweaked and morphed into the one I’m sharing today, and one I’ve used for many years now. These proportions are what work for me, but feel free to adjust as desired. Cook one crepe and if it’s too thin incorporate more flour, and if you feel it’s too thick add a bit more milk.
I believe it is very important to let the batter rest at least 1 hour, as this helps in thinning the batter and incorporating ingredients well. If you’ve ever visited a small creperie stall in Paris you’ll notice their batter sits out for long periods of time. Another great tip is to not go crazy on the butter, you only need a light coating. Lastly make sure your pan is hot so the crepes cook faster and also leave those nice marks on the pancake.
Okay, here’s my crepe recipe, enjoy!
How To Make French Crepes
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups or 220 g sifted all purpose flour
- 1 cup or 250 ml whole milk
- 1 cup or 250 ml water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- unsalted butter for pan
Equipment needed:
- 21 cm or 8.25 in. crepe pan or regular nonstick pan
- 1/3 cup measuring cup or ladle
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix all ingredients, except the butter, until there are no lumps and the batter is well combined. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, one hour is better, or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Heat the crepe pan or regular pan over medium high heat, melt a little bit of butter, just enough to lightly coat. Scoop batter into either a 1/3 cup sized measuring cup or a ladle, pour the batter into center of pan. Lift and swirl the batter until you’ve created an even sized circle. Cook for 2 minutes flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. The crepe will be slightly crispy around the edges and browned in center. Remove from pan, set aside and continue making crepes until all batter has been used up. Every 3 or so crepes add a little more butter to the pan.
Notes
Now you’re ready to fill the crepes with whatever your heart desires, maybe it’s a fried egg, or Nutella and bananas, or perhaps a little drizzle of honey or a squirt of lemon juice. Whatever it is I hope you and yours enjoy this little taste of France. Bon appétit mes amis!
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Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
So I have been really craving Crêpes a lot lately, and decided finally to make them for dinner. I went through many recipes, and so many of them just weren’t appealing. I found a recipe for a filling that sounded interesting, and it included a Crêpe recipe, but I found your recipe too… There was just something about yours that was extra appealing. So I made the filling from the recipe, but I used your Crêpe recipe.
Let me tell you, they were perfect! The texture and taste was amazing. My family loved them very much, and so did I. I have to say, this is one recipe that I will be using forever. Thank you so much for giving me a way to satiate my Crêpe craving!
Also, I photographed it, so uh, you may just find them on my website. =]
Hi Dawn,
That’s wonderful, I’m glad to hear that my recipe will now become your go to crepe recipe. Enjoy your crepes!
I’d love to see your photo!:)
I made these today for the first time and they were absolutely perfect. Thanks so much for the fantastic recipe. I was wondering how well this recipe doubles or even triples? I have a big family reunion coming up and I love the idea of making my own Crepe bar.
Thanks so much!
Hi Jordyn! My pleasure and glad you enjoyed the crepes as much as we do. I think it would double and triple well, but I have not done it myself. Go on give it a try and see. Have a great family reunion!
Great recipe! better than the one I been using for years, batter come out nice and smooth using the blender.
Thank you
Thank you Miriam! It’s worked perfectly for me for so many years, that’s why I shared it here. Enjoy those crepes:)
Hi!! Lovely pictures! Makes me hungry now. I’m supposed to be making some crepes later, both sweet and savoury and chanced upon your site. I have a question though, why do some crepe recipes calls for water and some uses just milk? Does the water have any special effect in the batter? Also, I have tried some crepes that are more chewy than others. What in the batter makes it chewy? Sorry for the many questions! I went through many recipes and saw the variations and I’m just dying to know the difference! Hope to get a reply, thank you in advance! X
Hi Claire,
Thank you! The use of water versus milk, or a mixture, is a matter of personal preferences. You may even find some recipes that use cream. I have used both only milk and the mixture of milk-water as called for in the recipe for many years and have never found there to be any problems. The consistency of the batter can be affected by how much liquid is in it and also how long you’ve allowed it to sit. In my personal experience, the less liquid and sitting time make tougher crepes that are very difficult to handle. The amount I use is a result of many experimenting to achieve a pliable and slightly chewy crepe.
I hope this answered your questions. And I’m sorry for the delayed response, my comments form (for some crazy reason) trapped your comment in the wrong folder. Have fun and enjoy those sweet & savoury crepes! ~Nancy
Thank you, very nice recipe. I wasn’t able to keep my heat as high as you recomended because of the cast iron pan, but with the adjustment to he heat your recipe was delicious!!! Much better than previous ones I have used.
Hi Tina! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed my recipe and your crepes. Crepes are of my all time favourite things to cook. Thanks!:)
Im from pakistan ,crepes are not apart of our food but I like to make it with your recipe .
I’ve been using this recipe for the past several months now. I always have batter in the fridge and make them as needed, in a frying pan. My family and I eat them every day, almost. Sweet or savory. We love them! We own a crepe maker and crepe pans but with your recipe I never have to use them, saving me a lot of time and first crepes are always perfect and buttery every time! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Lissa for your comment. I’m thrilled that you make these crepes so much! 🙂
If you’ve never tried, you can replace the water with beer or sparkling water. The bubbles will make them even softer. This is how we make them in the North east of France 🙂
I have never tried that, thanks so much for sharing the tip and I can’t wait to try it.:)
Please please please make a youtube page!!!!!!
🙂 I have been wanting to do some videos…so perhaps it’s in the future. Thank you!
Hai. I ve been wondering why you recipe doesnt include butter in the batter? Will i give a better flavour and aroma with butter ?
Thanks
Hi Frans,
I don’t include it because I use quite a bit of butter to grease the crepe pan, this does impart a delicious buttery scent and flavour to the crepes.
You are welcome to experiment with the recipe and test out the butter — I’m sure it will taste great! Just do remember that when you add more liquid to the recipe you may need to compensate in flour. Enjoy! 🙂
hi there! If I want to make sweet crepes, how much vanilla essence can I add to your recipe? 1/2 tsp?
Hi Carine, That’s the amount I would add — of course you could add that half teaspoon then taste it to see if it needs more. Enjoy!
i KNEW IT. NO BUTTER IN THE BATTER. EXCELLENT!
That’s right, Marvin. Thank you and enjoy! 🙂
HI, I am trying this recipe today and I hope it turns out well, but I have a question on making batter? How do you make them smooth, no lumps? Do you use the blender?
BTW, your pictures look scrumptious. They make my tummy growling. 🙂
Hi Hanah! I like to measure out the flour then, if I have time, I’ll run it through flour sifter or a fine sieve. Then to mix the batter I just use a metal whisk until it is smooth — but letting the batter rest really helps avoid any lumps and achieve that perfect smooth batter. I have heard of people using the blender, so you could also try that if pressed for time.
Thanks so much and enjoy those crepes! 🙂
Thanks, this is way better than the number one google result “Alton Brown’s” or whatever. His might not be that bad if he had any idea how to explain how to do anything. It leads you to think you should blend butter into the batter. I think that made it impossible to make crepes out of the batter that I spent a lot on getting nice ingredients for… anyways my second recipe i tried was this and they just keep coming out better and better, you explain everything very well. I think the touch of salt and sugar makes them perfect for anything, but maybe ill tweak the proportions based on what i expect to fill it with. So far I have done strawberry banana nutella powdered sugar and it was perfect and i have done sweet sliced ham and gruyere and it was also amazing. I think for a regular pan you should put the stove to about 6/10 and consider the butter will burn kind of quick unless its good. I think a temp around there allows you to really brown them over a minute or so, and crisp them as you like. The picture of the stack, implies you can stack them and eat them later but i notice they get.. less delicious after sitting for a minute. Well all you have to do it put the right back in the pan for like 20 seconds each side to get them warm again and you can crisp them further. So happy I tried this recipe, thanks.
Hi Sean,
Thanks so much for the feed back and so glad you enjoyed my recipe. Happy cooking and enjoy your crepes!