Easy Crepe Recipe – Light, tender and slightly sweet crepes that make for a fancy breakfast filled with your favorite fresh fruit, Nutella, or dusted off with powdered sugar and whipped cream on the side. Simply, easy, tasty and fancy! PERFECT for Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.
Bonjours Mes Amis!!! How about some crepes? Oui ?
There’s something really comforting about pancakes and/or crepes. Here in our house, we never skip a week without some sort of pancakes; they are my son’s favorite. I alternatively serve him with these African Style Pancakes or these thick and Fluffy Pancakes. Not a tiny trace of pancake will be left on his plate. He’s obviously obsessed with it!
But this time, I’m going to do it MY WAY! Oh yes! Mother’s Day is fast approaching. Annnd it so happens to be my birth month. Je suis tres contente!!! (So happy )
This French version of pancakes are thin and delicate. Crepes bring so many memories while growing up. I was raised in a French colonized country, hence the love of crepes. It wasn’t like a breakfast thing …. more of an afternoon snack or dessert.
If you are throwing a Mother’s Day brunch, this should be on your menu.
It’s easier to fill them up and fold. You can choose whatever you want to go with it. You can make them savory, fill it with a sunny-side up egg, spinach, ham, cheese and even bacon. Or if you have a sweet tooth craving like me, you can fill it with nutella, jam, strawberries, bananas, whipped cream- your call. The possibilities are ENDLESS!
The chocolate filled ones I made in my hometown Yaounde, Cameroon. Oh yes, everyone wants me to make these for them, even when I travel. Couldn’t find strawberries so I made it with chocolate and pineapple on the side. I’m a tropical girl and love pineapples.
The ones with strawberries and whipped cream came out of my Los Angeles kitchen. All are quite tasty. Perfect for Mother’s Day in bed.
While pancake batter is a little thicker and richer, crepe batter is thin and smooth. A blender does a good job of making it smooth. It also doubles as a storage for the batter while keeping in the fridge.
No blender? No worries!
Whisk all the ingredients vigorously in a bowl for a lump-free batter.
Letting the batter rest for an hour or overnight in the fridge helps to achieve a light and airy crepe that won’t tear off easily when cooked and folded. This tip will be helpful if you are cooking for a crowd. I make it the night of the event, let it rest in the fridge and fry the next day. For the most part, I fry immediately after mixing.
So if you are just like me , you can skip the resting stage-
Tilting the pan so the batter can spread easily across the hot pan also creates a paper-thin smooth consistency that crepes are known for. Make sure to cook them using a hot pan with a cooking oil or spray, but I prefer melted butter ’cause it adds a hint of buttery flavor.
Now you know how to whip up a batch of crepes, all you have to decide is what to fill them with. I guess that’s the hardest part. But hey, why not serve them up with a variety of filling. That’ll do the trick. 😉 Go ahead and channel the inner French cook in you.
Happy crepe-ing!
Watch How to Make It
Tips and Notes:
- This crepe here is the sweet version. If you want to have a savory crepe, omit sugar and vanilla and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the batter, depending on your preference.
- Let the crepe batter sit in the fridge for an hour or overnight to relax the gluten which ensures smooth, light and airy crepes.
- Make sure to use a pan with thick bottom so it’ll heat evenly. Start by slowly heating the pan to the desired temp. Before pouring the batter, make sure the pan is hot enough, otherwise your crepe will end up sticking to the pan.
- Don’t flip the crepe too early. Wait til the bottom is light brown and the edges are starting to brown.
- This recipes makes around 6-8 crepes depending on what size of pan you use.
- For sweet crepes, you can fill it with Nutella, fresh fruit, jam and top it with whipped cream or powdered sugar.
- For savory crepes (see note 1), you may fill it with ham, cheese, bacon, egg, spinach or whatever suites you.
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups flour
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
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In a blender, mix in eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar ,salt , water , flour and butter .
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Let the batter rest for about an hour or more in the refrigerator or overnight.
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Heat a skillet over medium high heat, then lightly coat the hot pan with vegetable oil, cooking spray, or clarified butter.
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Pour about a ⅓ cup of batter, depending on your fry pan or skillet. Tilt pan so the batter spreads across the bottom of the pan. Cook the crepe for about 1 ½ minute, until the bottom is light brown.
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Lift with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve crêpes warm with fresh fruit, whipped cream and powdered sugar.
I cannot wait to try. Can the crepes be made ahead and put in the freezer for later use
Thank you
Yes they can. Defrost them in the fridge the night before, for faster reheating.
Made this today, and it was a winner!!!
I sure will be making it again.
Awesome! Glad you loved it, Kechi.
I have made these at least 10 times…and every time my family is sooooo happy!!
Favorite toppings are banana with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and Nutella with strawberries. My husband likes them plain with a little syrup.
They are delicious. Thank you!
Oooohhh sounds delish!!! This is an all-time favorite at my house too! Glad you love it :). Thanks for the feedback, Janet!
Best and easiest recipe for crêpes that I’ve come across!
Awesome! Glad you love it, Elijah :).
Woww looks yummy, but please do you allow the paste to stay overnight in the refrigerator before frying?? I didn’t get that part well..
Hi Odette. Leaving the batter to rest overnight or for an hour in the refrigerator before frying leads to really light airy crepes that do not tear off easily when cooked and folded. But most times, I fry the pancakes almost immediately and they still taste great 🙂 !
Can I ask you which flour do you use plain or self raising
I use plain flour .
Just tried my own Crepe now and it came out perfect. Thanks my kids enjoyed it.
Wohooo! Thanks for letting me know.
Hello,
If i do not have butter can I use oil instead?
Yes you sure can.
Very watery. I followed the recipe and it came out super watery, couldn’t use it…
Sorry to hear it turned out that way for you. This has been my go-to crepe recipe though, and it works perfectly fine every time.
I used a bit more milk than the recipe calls for, but I didn’t use the half cup of water because they looked liquidy enough …they turned out great! My students all the way over in Shanghai loved them!!!
Perfect and delicious crepes everytime thank you x
Crepes are my all time favorite so I’m so glad you love them as well!
This recipe was perfect! Thank you.
You’re very welcome!
Delicious! Easy! But one recipe makes a TON! I got excited and doubled it and I have crepes coming out my ears.
I hear you Emily. I always make 2 batch and Freeze the batter to use later. So happy to hear it worked out well .
Easily the best crepe recipe I’ve made! Delicious and buttery, with a light and crisp texture suitable for any sweet filling.
Yes it is. Thanks for the feedback Eli
I haven’t tried it yet but it looks awesome!
Ur a great cooker!
Thank you. Looking forward for you to try this. Enjoy!
Delicious , yummy (pity about the high calories) had to stop myself from finishing
the batch.
Okay this was the best crepe recipe I have ever encountered. Thank you!!!!!
Yaaay! Thank you for the glowing feedback. Glad it turned out well for you.
Thanks Imma,
Love me some crepe. I used liquid peak milk and prestige unsalted butter…. the result was just what I wanted. Thanks so much for the tips.
You are awesome
I’m so happy it turned out well for you. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
What can I replace the eggs for veg option
Hi, Shilpa. I haven’t tried making this recipe eggless. However, you can check some crepe recipes online that are egg-free like this one here >> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18100/eggless-crepes/
Thank you for this recipe. My daughter requested it for her birthday and they recipe turned out perfect and was easy to make. They tested delicious.
Belated happy birthday to your daughter, Jenny! Glad you all liked it.
Absolutely delicious!! Your recipe was on target and very closely characterizes my grandmother’s (who was raised in a community of French settlers in Louisiana. This is a keeper for breakfast with family and friends.
Thank you for the glowing feedback! I appreciate it. 🙂
How long does batter keep for?
Mine usually last up to 24 hours, without an after taste.
My family is from Kilsborg, Sweden so we grew up eating Swedish pancakes, your recipe is indentically like ours, tender, sweet and just the right texture. This is right on!…we top with powdered sugar and lingonberry jam.
Awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know, Carl!
Hello. So sorry to hear about your first comment. Writing isn’t my forte, too, but reading books and writing everyday certainly helps a lot to improve your writing skill. I also join some writing groups on FB and follow writing blogs like copyblogger.com. Hope this helps. 🙂
Nice one there
Thank your for stopping by, Patrick!
Hi Imma 🙂
Your crepe recipes makes me ‘homesick’ for Africa, where I too was born, although not as far North as you were, but way down in Pretoria. What we call pancakes there are like your crepes 😀
Thank you for your super ideas – great to eat at any time – always such a treat!
Heather.
Thanks for stopping by, Heather! I was there for a few weeks and I’m already missing it now that I’m back in the U.S. 🙁
Nice one, I always love your recipes
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