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
- ⅓ 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…
I am dying to make these as i saw a delicious recipe on YouTube involving crepes it was a standard bechamel with gruyere cheese,chives and ham added that is placed in the middle of the crepes rolled put in a baking dish topped with remaining sauce and an extra layer of cheese and baked until bubbly and browned the usual recipe i use for crepes is quite thick and dosent spread far even on lowest heat and tend to tear when i roll them so i will be trying this with the recipe i stated i hope i dont break them in the pan thankyou for posting this recipe
I love this recipe, so easy and they tasted great! Always making these and I can never seem to find a good recipe, they always come out wrong. So I’m thankful I found this one! 😀
Thank you, Laura! Glad to hear you enjoyed it — still a favourite in our house 🙂
Can I store filled crepes (filled with nutella or apricot jam)?
Hi Monica,
I would advice against storing filled crepes. They will turn soggy after a long period, if you’re doing it for I’d say under a half hour it should be ok, but really think it’s best to fill right before serving. Also this way your crepes can be slightly warm when you serve and taste better.
Thank you for the advice. I’m taking a stack of crepes to my granddaughter in college who loves crepes stuffed wit nutella or apricot jam. I will take them unfilled and will also take a small jar of nutella and jam.
That is so sweet of you, Monica. Your granddaughter is going to be so happy to receive that gift from you.
These are the best. Just picked fresh strawberries and made a cream cheese filling.