I know what most people think of crêpes — they’re difficult, they require planning ahead, they’re fussy (coughFrench), they rip easily, the first one always goes in the trash — but I respectfully disagree, especially about that last bit (it goes in the nearest mouth). In fact, I think think that a great big stack of crêpes and a few easy fixings are the best thing that can happen to brunch. Hear me out:
- The batter takes 120 seconds to assemble (including the 30 to melt the butter in the microwave).
- You can prepare the batter 1 hour or 4 days before you need it; it doesn’t mind rushing or neglect.
- Cooked crêpes are basically magic — you can stack them hot or cold, they don’t stick to each other. It’s like some sort of pancake voodoo.
- They reheat like a charm so don’t you dare spend the morning frying crêpes. Make them all the day before and be amazed that the difference once rewarmed is undetectable.
- Some people like Nutella and berries with breakfast, other people like ham and cheese. Crêpes are the ideal foundation for both.
- The vast majority of things that taste good on crêpes require little more prep than chopping, if that — fruit or jam, cheese, dollops of ricotta or yogurt or cured meats. These, too, are meant to be prepared ahead, if you like to sleep in on brunch mornings as much as me.
- Think taco bars are fun? This is the fancy brunch equivalent. Until you can put sprinkles on tacos (I implore you: just say no), crêpes are going to win this round.
- If you’re besieged by tearing, flimsy exasperating to make crêpes, I think you’re due for a new recipe. Like mine.
My go-to crêpe recipe is four ingredients in one bowl, everything in at once, no fuss. What makes it easier than most is that it’s has a tiny bit more heft to it and a little less terrifyingly fragile laciness, which is to say it’s completely headache-free to cook, an ideal housing for any fillings you can dream up, and nobody — and certainly nobody you’d want over for brunch — will be the wiser.
Which brings me to my two rules for putting out a great crêpe bar (this Sunday, perhaps?):
First, as we discussed, make all of your crêpes in advance and rewarm them when needed — if you’re standing over a hot skillet when people arrive, there’s a 99% chance you are not going to enjoy your party.
Finally, there are, like, a million ways to make crêpes taste good and do not even try to make 10 of them. Do not make yourself crazy. I vote for two sweet and two savory ideas (or, at most, three of each; many ideas listed below the recipe) and really not more than one to two of them should require any work beyond chopping. People who really want a sweet crêpes are almost certainly going to see the chocolate spread option and stop looking; the remaining handful will always be happy with berries and cream. For the savory, one vegetarian and one with meat. Think of it like a good restaurant menu: I feel positively stressed when a menu is too long. I desperately want the chef to just tell me which 5 things s/he makes best and let me choose from there. LET’S BE THAT CHEF.
One year ago: Crispy Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
Two years ago: Blue Sky Bran Muffins
Three years ago: Spring Vegetable Potstickers
Four years ago: Bacon Egg and Leek Risotto
Five years ago: Ribboned Asparagus Salad with Lemon
Six years ago: Blue Cheese Scallion Drop Biscuits and Creamed Chard and Spring Onions and Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Seven years ago: Pickled Grapes with Cinnamon and Black Pepper and Pasta with Fava, Tomatoes and Sausage, Buttermilk Ice Cream and Black Bread
Eight years ago: Jim Lahey’s Pizza Bianca and Brownie Roll-Out Cookies
Nine years ago: Tequila Lime Chicken + Green Onion Slaw
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Chocolate Peanut and Pretzel Brittle
1.5 Years Ago: Smoked Whitefish Dip with Horseradish
2.5 Years Ago: Spinach and Egg Pizzettes
3.5 Years Ago: Apple Cider Caramels
4.5 Years Ago: Homesick Texan Carnitas
Failproof Crêpes
Yield: 11 to 12 9-inch crêpes
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, plus more for buttering pan
1 1/4 cup (295 ml) milk (and sometimes a splash more)
4 large eggs
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Two pinches of salt
In the bottom of a large bowl, melt your butter halfway, then stir until fully melted. (This keep it from getting so hot that it will prematurely cook the eggs.) Add milk, eggs, flour and salt and whisk to combine. It’s going to be a little lumpy. It’s going to be okay. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 4 days until needed.
When ready to cook, cover a large plate or platter with a layer of paper towels. Remove plastic from batter bowl and whisk to remove any remaining lumps.
Quick directions for the confident: Heat skillet over medium-low. Butter skillet. Ladle in 1/4 cup batter, roll around. Cook until golden underneath, flip. Repeat, adjusting heat and re-buttering skillet as needed.
Detailed directions for the nervous: Heat a skillet (a nonstick will give you the fewest headaches; I use this discontinued one) over medium-low. When hot, lightly butter it. Ladle in 1/4 cup batter (this amount for a 9/10-inch) and tilt and roll the pan until the bottom is covered. If this is extremely difficult cover because the batter is too thick, whisk in another splash of milk. If a stubborn hole won’t easily fill with batter, add a drop on top of it to fill it in; it will all be the same in the end.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, until faintly golden underneath. If this happens too quickly, reduce heat to low. Use a long thin spatula (I swear by a flexible fish spatula as well as a small offset, for this an all things in the kitchen) that can really get under the crêpe through the middle and lift and flip it over. Spatula not long enough? Put one in each hand, use the first one to lift as much as possible, and the second one to get under the crêpe further and finish the job. If it folds or crinkles, don’t fret, it’s surprisingly easy to stretch out wrinkles and shimmy the crêpe back flat. If it tears, it likely would have benefitted from another 20 seconds cooking time to better firm up underneath. Cook on the second side for 20 to 30 seconds, then slid out onto prepared platter.
Repeat with remaining batter. I do not need to rebutter a good nonstick between crêpes, only every 3 or 4. Crêpes, even warm, can be stacked and they will not stick to each other.
To store: Wrap stack of crêpes in plastic, foil or place in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
To rewarm: Arrange in a baking dish (overlapped is fine) covered with foil and warm in a 250 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve: With a couple sweet and savory toppings. For ideas, look no further:
Sweet topping ideas
- berries (mascerated in a bit of lemon and pinch of sugar or not) + mascarpone + mint
- lemon wedges + powdered sugar (my Parisian street favorite)
- honey + ricotta (homemade, if you’re crazy enough) + orange zest + sea salt
- nutella (or peanutella) + sprinkles
- dulce de leche (homemade or storebought) + bananas + chopped salted peanuts or pistachios
- cream cheese sweetened with a little brown sugar + jam
Savory topping ideas
- proscuitto or another thin-sliced cured meat + cheese (I show deli ham and emmentaler)
- quick-sauteed mushrooms with cream + chives (shown)
- slow-roasted tomatoes (even good with offseason grape tomatoes) + soft goat cheese
- a seasonal roasted, chilled vegetable (thin asparagus, for example) + mixed green pesto (parsley, arugula and basil would be my choice here)
- avocado + sprouts
- creme fraiche or sour cream and caviar (bet you can’t guess who suggested that)
Yum!
These look and sound delicious! I love the simplicity of the recipe. Do you know if it would work with GF flour?
I make crepes with Pamela’s gluten free flour a lot. You can find the recipe online by searching Pamela’s crepe recipe. We enjoy them!
With pretty much anybody else I’d label “failproof” as hubris, but with your track record, I trust you! And I’ve never consciously noticed that crepes don’t stick together — that has a lot to recommend it.
I could not find where the additional 1/4 cup milk is added. Is this just for drinking or should this be added after refrigerating?
jen — Not sure because I haven’t tried it. I bet someone will chime in with advice. (Or hope!)
Mike — I am basically asking for trouble.
Tara — My bad. You put the whole amount in at once. Now fixed.
I absolutely agree that this is an easy way to do brunch for a crowd! The first ever meal I hosted was while on study abroad with a very minimalist kitchen and almost zero cooking experience. I think we had 9 people, a giant stack of crepes, and toppings. It was perfection! My favorite sweet topping was apples, chopped small, sauteed in butter with cinnamon. Thanks for reminding me to try this again!
Gorgeous photos and delicious ideas as always. You are my culinary hero.
I have a foolproof tip for defeating batter clumps and lumps, and it only takes a few seconds longer. Combine the flour and salt first. Then make a well in the middle of the flour, and crack the eggs into the well. Whisk from the middle, slowly incorporating the flour from the edges. As the mixture starts to get thick, pour the melted butter and milk into the center and keep whisking until fully combined. This works for crepes, pancakes, waffles, you name it.
Ha I JUST made crepes for dinner last night and I had the same brainstorm to host a theme party afterwards. Plus they seem awesomely suited for using up seasonal vegetables–last night’s had asparagus and spinach. For some reason I always make the buckwheat version but will have to try these as well.
FWIW I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet, and once I got going had very little trouble with sticking. I wipe the bottom with a (buttery) paper towel between crepes, and found if I made them a little smaller than the pan (8 inches or so) I had an easier time flipping. I also slid them into a warm oven after assembling (kind of like your latkes) and that was handy for serving all at once for dinner. A tomato- or bechamel-based sauce on top is also awesome and could work for a buffet too!
Some of my best high school memories were crepe days in French class, where we’d get to choose our variety of jams and spreads and whipped cream. It probably kept half of our classmates in the program for at least a year. I love the idea of doing this for an adult party.
Looks delicious! I’m hosting a birthday/mother’s day brunch this weekend, and this looks amazing. I know I can always count on you to tell me what I want to make before I do!
The gluten will really help things stay together – it’s why buckwheat galettes from Brittany are hard to do in the authentic way (100% buckwheat flour). But there are strategies there involving a batter that rests and develops as it sits – the batter also often has hard cider in it – which is always good, no? So I wonder if that would help with the gluten-free crepe quest…
Maybe a dumb question, but when you re-warm them must you do it flat, or can you fold them first (maybe before refrigerating?), arrange in an oven-safe serving platter, and re-warm directly as you intend to serve (so they’re piping hot when they come out)?
Do you rewarm the crepe after you add the toppings? Especially for the savory options?
I’ve always wanted to make crepes, but thought they were too complicated. These look totally doable, thank you! One question, if you use cheese as a topping, can you throw it back in a pan to melt it?
Can you do this in cast iron? Other than that I only have stainless….
OMG Deb! This is almost exactly my great-grandma’s Swedish flapjacks recipe!!! This being the case, I guarantee you that they’re delicious with maple syrup, peanut butter, berries, jam, etc. LOVE
Also, I have made them with KA’s GF flour mix. They become a touch more delicate for sure, but they do work. I may have added an extra egg?
I’ve always been so afraid to make crepes! Your recipe looks really do-able!
I used to work at a creperie in college, and we made the batter in a blender, which helped with lumps. Also, the batter gets easier to work with and thickens up a bit if you let it rest for an hour or so, and it keeps fantastically well in the fridge for a few days. If it gets too thick, you can thin it out with a little more melted butter or some milk. Also, I recommend using a pastry brush to butter the pan–it’s easy to use too much and you end up with greasy crepes.
We did a savory batter with parsley added and a sweet one with sugar and vanilla added. If you want to get really crazy, you can brown the butter first!
Not food related, but who in your fam has the red hairs? Your daughter is so so cute INDEEDY! But yeah, those crepes look deeee-lish!
I know that crêpes are associated with French cuisine, but as someone who enjoys Russian blini, I will be making these on repeat this weekend!
My favorite sweet filling is Creme de marrons (sweetened chestnut cream) and whipped cream. So tasty.
I did make the crepe cake with pastry cream few years ago. Delicious, but it made so much food it was kind of ridiculous. Since then I’ve just made smaller amounts of filling and just folded the crepes.
I have always been intimidated by crepes, but I just might have to try them now! We recently had a birthday breakfast for my cousin instead of our go-to birthday dinner, and something like this would have been perfect!
Plus: blintzes!
This is my next Xmas Brunch. Can I double the recipe?
Don’t mean to steal the thunder but for everyone looking for a gluten free option, look into dosa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa. Eliminate salt and other spices being added. Use just soaked rice and soaked lentils. The batter doesn’t have to be fermented. Use it right away.To have a crisp crepe, let it cook on just one side. For a softer one, cook on both sides.
Lee — Definitely. I usually keep them flat so they don’t have a crease in them, but really, folded is fine.
Jenn, Rebecca — I don’t but you absolutely could.
Brittany — Absolutely. You’ll need to butter between crepes.
Jane M — My husband’s sister has dark red hair (but didn’t as a baby) and my late grandfather and his sisters did, apparently. (I only knew them gray.) I still don’t understand how this stuff works and have been waiting nearly 10 months for an armchair or actual geneticist to explain it to me. :) I mean, I know it’s recessive and both sides need to carry it but I still don’t get how it’s so random.
Yozhik — It was indeed my Russian MIL who showed me that you could stack crepes and they don’t stick to each other.
john — Yes! I use these for blintz wrappers too.
jwg — Double, triple, even moreso. I generally estimate 1 egg: 1 tablespoon butter: 1 cup flour: 1 cup sugar and then drop back the butter a little, scale as needed.
I have always been too nervous and short on time to make crepes. Maybe I need to reconsider. Thanks for this guide and now I can have my own blintzes!
Frenchie here. A few tips: (1) need to re-butter the pan a few times in between crepes. Maybe every 3rd or 4th crepes.; (2) the first crepe will always need to be discarded – just ask anyone in France they will tell you the first crepe is the trial crepe; (3) don’t do savory toppings like this – toppings on crepes need to be cooked on the crepe in the pan for best results. Maybe for sweet topics this works but it’s a stretch.
Frenchie no2 – everything Anne says. The first crepe is for the cook in my family though 😉.
But I have to say I feel queasy at this concept of a tougher crepe. If your crepes tear, you should just handle them more gently. A good crepe is tender like a baby’s bottom. And you can definitely tell when they’re rewarmed, quelle horreur! Half the fun is making them in the moment, tossing them in turn into the gaping jaws standing around the stove
Have you read the cookbook “Eat Me” by Kenny Shopsin, of NYC and Calvin Trillin fame? One of my favorite tips from the book was to dip a flour tortilla in a quick egg wash and griddle it like a crepe. Its saved me several times when I needed a super quick breakfast or after school snack for the kids.
Deb, my daughter has been begging for crepes after she had them at a friend’s sleepover and i’ve hemmed and hawed bc crepes seem so intimidating. I absolutely LOVE crepes — grew up on them (my Romanian mom made them like a boss! but alas she died before I can pick up the skill), and loved eating them when I lived in Paris for 3 yrs (jambon/fromage, my favorite), but I don’t ever make them.
So imagine my joy to see your recipe for failproof crepes on FB today! We will make these on Saturday and fill them with my favorite childhood memory : sprinkled cocoa and sugar on warm crepes, which results in melted, chocolate syrup deliciousness.
Quick Question on reheating. Do you do the whole stack in the oven or individually in the frypan
Crepes are some of my go to recipes, i just put all ingredients in the blender, blend for 30 sec, and then use the blender pitcher to pour in the pan, so less mess and faster :). I also do not put any butter in batter, just a tiny bit in the pan at first. They are some of my favorite things yum
I see you’re using metal spatulas on your non-stick pan. Is your non-stick pan “safe for metal utensils” (and do you find that to be true)? Do you just regard the non-stick pans as disposable and replace them every year or two as they get scratched? Or is this just not something you worry about?
I am very strict about only using wooden or nylon utensils and handwash, and I buy the three-pack of non-stick pans from Costco for ~$40 and just replace them every few years, but my husband is not quite so careful. It’s about time to replace our current non-stick pans since they are scratched and I am considering options (ceramic non-stick, expensive non-stick that is “safe for metal”, or cheap non-stick (to be treated as biannually disposable)). But-for my husband’s love of eggs, I wouldn’t even bother with nonstick….
It’s like you Know. I’ve been trying to decide between your blintzes or your cheddar swirl breakfast buns or a grits bar for a book club brunch this Saturday. Now I don’t have to. Can’t wait to set out a crepe bar! Thank you! BTW, I would call the crepe recipe for your blintzes foolproof, seeing as I set nothing on fire in their production, and none stuck despite me not owning a non-stick pan.
I successfully cooked a huge stack of crepes and toppings during the day while pregnant and taking care of two kids, and then warmed them and hosted a family with four kids for dinner (by then my husband was home). It’s totally doable!! We waited to pull out the sweet toppings until after everyone had had a couple savory ones…otherwise the kids would’ve just had nutella for dinner.
And your sweet potato blintzes are amazing. I was the only one in our family who liked them, and I was thrilled (more for me!!).
Deb, have you tried freezing these (once they’re cooked)?
I’m not Deb, but crepes freeze fine. We took frozen crepes on a winter camping trip when I was in high school. A frozen crepe also works as a frisbee… until it thaws out! ;)
Have the best chicken and artichoke crepe recipe from the 70’s, will have to check on the ingredients, it was a casserole presentation, all rolled and stuffed, but…I am thinking the filling could be made in a smaller amount and used here too.. my wheels are turning. Those kids of yours are gorgeous…great photo.
I love crepes but have never made them. I’m looking for ideas for a beach house dinner party… Do you have any suggestions for a seafood filling…shrimp, scallops, etc with some kind of sauce? Crepes filled with fresh berries and lightly sweetened whipped cream will be dessert for sure!
Wont the stainless steel turner spatula scratch the nonstick pan? I also like the stainless steel ones for flipping crepes( or dosas) and cant work with a wooden one. But they tend to scratch nonstick pans.
My applesauce crepes were one reason my husband married me! Just warm up a some applesauce with a little cinnamon and brown sugar to taste. When the crepes are filled, drizzle with some cream cheese icing (thinned with a bit of milk). So good!
Superb, Deb!! “It’s going to be a little lumpy. It’s going to be okay” is a new life motto.
For all, an additional topping idea: a favorite crepe in France involved smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche (or sour cream), a handful of micro salad greens (lightly dressed or not), a garnish of chopped chives, and the juice of a lemon wedge on top. Works better with a buckwheat crepe, but delicious in any format.
I make crepes for my daughter every weekend. The prep is easy, and with a nonstick pan every one is perfect. I use a long silicone heat resistant spatula with my nonstick pans. I have also recently started making crep manicotti after talking to an old Italian grandmother who gave me her recipe, turns out it is the same as the crepe recipe. They are fantastic. Very similar to pasta but very light and thin. So perfect paired with eggplant tomato sauce. Even on a weeknight, I can come in from work, bang out a batch of crepes and fill with ricotta, roll, bake and serve with salad. A great, easy impressive dinner that really take no time.
I put a cast iron skillet, somewhat larger than the crepe pan, on an adjacent burner and use it to cook the second side of each crepe. You cook the first side in your right-size crepe pan, flip/dump it into the waiting cast iron pan, and refill the primary pan. The second side of the crepe will finish in the cast iron pan and you remove it before the next first-side one is done. It is not hard to adjust the heats on the two burners and establish a kind of rhythm to the process, and it cuts the cooking time of the whole batch IN HALF! because you’re cooking two in the time it used to take one.
Uh, the first one goes into ‘the trash’ if I have a ‘trash mouth!’ (Which I sometimes do.) Lol lol lol.
That’s 5 eggs in your bowl, but who is counting! ;)
YUM! Looks super fun and super tasty! Maybe someone will make that for me this weekend (I’m not a mom and I’m the cooker, darn it!)
fyi–I’ve successfully subbed Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF flour blend in “my” crepe recipe (the one in the Better Homes cookbook, tweaked over the years), so it’d probably work here too. It’s actually one of the few recipes that I think I actually prefer GF–the crepes are super tender!
Absolutely gorgeous! Deb, I think your recipe for Strawberries & Cream biscuits is in this month’s Southern Living.
Around here (Croatia), crepes are something we do without a recipe, just mix together main ingredients for a quick meal. Truly fool proof :)
This is a perfect idea for next Sunday, it looks so delicious!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
http://goo.gl/QHpvNt
I grew up with a crepe brunch nearly every Sunday…Sweet was sautéed apple cubes and savory was seated polish sausage and scrambled eggs. And my teen favorite? Cream cheese, chocolate sauce and kiwi – all at once! So good. Also, we rolled ours into filled tubes and ate wither fork and knife.
…sauteed…!
My mother made amazing blintzes, but, though I love to cook and bake, somehow I haven’t made them, in years. I think I can definitely commit to (at least) making crepes, this week. When I was a teenager (sadly, that means starting around 1965!), there was a restaurant chain, called The Magic Pan, in Chicago. My mom would take me there, occasionally, as a treat (without siblings!). I would always have a creamed spinach crepe, and then, one filled with the heavenly combination of strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar. Now (since I actually hate Nutella), I usually opt for lemon and powdered sugar. I also keep a jar of Ikea lingonberry jam, on hand, for an effortless, filling or topping, that’s not too sweet (pancake places serve it with “Swedish” pancakes).
Blintzes; Crepes filled with Farmers Cheese mixed with egg yolk and sugar and a small squeeze of lemon and salt. Taste for the flavors you wish. Texture should be somewhat firm. Place a 2-3 tablespoons of this onto a crepe as you would for making an egg roll. Fold up as an envelope and fry in buttered pan until golden, serve warm with sour cream and jams. Little piece of heaven.
I fell in love with crepes a few years ago in Paris. Upon my return, I was determined to make them. After a few failed attempts–I decided to watch the Julia Child video on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_38fkfwxY). I’ve never made a bad crepe since!
What a great theme for my cooking club. I can’t wait to make some crepes, especially with your foolproof recipe.
The first one always goes …IN MY MOUTH!
I don’t care if the first one flops, I’m eating it.
I’ve been using this same recipe for years. I prefer to use a smaller pan though and no additional butter in the pan so color is very even.
omg…crepes! and it’s only wednesday. if i make them now i will eat them all myself :) still good timing as an uneventful (read: relaxed and sober) weekend awaits us so this will be perfect to try.
re: genetics – for some reason this is one of the few things i remember from high school biology. at the most simplistic level (i.e., i am not a scientist/geneticist and i do realize it can be more complex than this, but) it’s a 1/4 chance. you and your husband each have two genes representing a trait, we’ll call it Br. (B = dominant gene for brown hair, r = recessive gene for red hair.) so, crossing those two your possible outcomes are: BB, Br, Br, rr. so only when you both pass down the recessive gene does an adorable little redhead get made :) i suspect maybe you knew this but were instead asking what then decides the recessive gene will be passed down, and i’m not sure if that’s truly random or what, but i’ve already typed all the rest up, lol.
in any case, little nuggets in feetie pajamas are just the cutest, i would not be able to resist scooping her up 24/7! (and of course jacob is still the OG cute baby!)
I’m surprised you didn’t mentioned smoked salmon as a savory filling. That’s one of my favorites!
I’m planning to make crepes for Mother’s Day; there’s a NYT recipe involving yogurt and a raspberry-cassis sauce that looks perfect for my raspberry-loving mom.
I’ve been using a recipe with very similar proportions from a French cookbook which says you MUST let the batter rest for at least 4 hours to give the flour time to absorb the milk. It also says “double the recipe while you’re at it” and I always do because these are great for lunchboxes, for those on the never-ending search for lunchbox variations.
These were AWESOME! I halved the recipe and made it last night to great success. I was skeptical that they’d stick, but it was totally fine. Also, I was too impatient to refrigerate the batter for an hour, so I stuck it in the freezer for ~20-25 minutes and it seemed to work great.
I love to make crepe cakes, and will try it with this recipe! what kind of milk do you use? or does it matter? thank you!
stefanie — So helpful, exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.
Jen — Of course a French cookbook says that. :) Trust me from experience, if you’ve got the time, it’s great to let it rest long but you’ll be fine after an hour.
gwyn — I use whole milk. Any kind should work here.
I fill mine with ricotta and spinach and some mozzarella. I roll them up in a casserole and put tomato sauce and béchamel over and sprinkle with parm.
delicious manicotti !!!
Deb, does your family like coconut? If so, you can use grated coconut (fresh or frozen/defrosted but not dried) mixed with a little bit of sugar and cardamom powder as a filling- sooo delicous!!
In my family, we call these “Danish Pancakes” as our Danish immigrant grandmother taught her 10 children and 50+ grandchildren to make and love these. I’ve tweaked the family recipe (nearly identical to yours) in only one way. I use a crepe pan, so must keep it oiled. I have learned that ghee works best as there are no milk solids to burn.
I’m going to have to give this recipe a try, I’ve been using the simple of from Joy Of Baking for the past 10 years. My husband loves them with spicy breakfast sausage. I’m a purist and have eaten them rolled up with just plain white sugar inside for my whole life. Thanks for the post!!
Do crepes freeze well? I’d love to make a whole bunch and save for a future weekend, or midweek dessert…
Sheesh! The first one doesn’t go in the trash, it goes in the chef!
I add 2T. Grand Marnier and mix all in a blender and hold over night or a couple days. Reblend and make crepes. I place a small square of waxed paper between each fresh crepe, and allow the stack to cool. I wrap it really well and freeze for up to a month.
. . . Or generously work grated cheese Into the batter, quick meal with a bowl of salad.
. . . Or cover with ricotta + an egg + raisins/chopped dried fruit/jam/zest of lemon and stack them, bake, and cut into wedges. Vanilla sauce, apple sauce, zabaglione?
Cannot wait to make this recipe. Years ago I filled crepes with creamed chicken and topped it off with hollandaise or Bernaise. Can’t remember, but it was incredibly delicious.
Deb, I second VAlawyer’s question above! I was taught that metal on nonstick pans = death. How do you get around this with your fish spatula?
I have been wrestling with the idea of crepes for about two weeks now, but I have been worried about not having the right pan, or the amount of time that it would take. Imagine how elated I was to find this in my inbox this morning!! I can’t wait to make these! Thank you. :-)
Actual geneticist here (although not for humans). What Stephanie described is one gene Mendelian inheritance (remember the pea pods in science class). This sort of inheritance does explain the way a lot of things are inherited, but as for human hair eye and skin color….it’s complicated and no one really knows all that’s going on yet.
So the current hair color theory is thought to be dependent on at least two different genes a black/brown one and a red one. The type of black/brown gene depends if you have black/brown or blond hair. This black/brown gene determines if you can see the red gene. So a red haired person has the recessive black/brown gene that is “blond” plus the recessive redhaired gene that adds red color.
This theory however does not account for why hair can change color in children or all the different shades of variation there is in hair. For Example: Theoretically having both recessive black/brown genes and both dominant non-red genes mean you are a blond…but it does not explain the different colors of blond hair people have. Some are almost white, some are strawberry, ect.
Freezing crepes — I have not tried it, but I am going to ask my MIL and report back. (Super-scientific research, here, heh.)
Metal spatula and nonstick pan — Guys, what are you doing to your nonstick pans? I think we might not use spatulas the same way because I don’t think my nonstick had a scrape on it before my husband made Jacob an egg sandwich this week but didn’t butter the pan first. ;) I could see how a metal spatula could damage a nonstick surface if something was stuck on the pan and you used it to scrape it off, but nothing actually sticks to my nonstick because, you know, nonstick. I don’t mean to play dumb here; I definitely heard about buying silicone and other cooking implements when nonstick was new and everyone spent a fortune on theirs. I tried it and hated it; they’re too thick and I am convinced that all silicone things never get clean (in the dishwasher at least). So I stopped and my single nonstick hasn’t suffered. Were something stuck on it, however, I wouldn’t use the metal spatula to scrape it off, maybe a wooden spoon or just soak it. I guess what I mean is, I’m careful and haven’t experienced sticking on my nonstick. Sorry so longwinded. I get extra-longwinded when I’m baffled.
Goosey — Thank you, although I fear I read it and I still didn’t understand everything. I think I just have a mental block about this stuff (mostly around how you know whose carrying what and why we would both have recessive red genes rather than another color in our family). I guess I have her whole lifetime (or until the light brown hair coming in in the back takes over) to figure this out so at least there’s that. ;)
In Brittany some years ago they were selling the most wonderful crepe pans but there was no way on earth I could shlep that heavy thing around France so in the shop it stayed. I still miss it!
I love this post but do think that you should mention in the recipe that you do not melt the cheese in this version. The most common savory crepe is ham and cheese, and that is always melted, as your french reader Anne noted. I found myself very perplexed about this, and had to read all the comments to figure out that you really don’t call for melting the cheese. Nobody I know who has ever eaten a ham and cheese crepe would be anything but disappointed to be served the cold version.
Deb,
If you were using buckwheat flour, would it be the same amount? I’m still thinking about some wonderful galettes I had in Nice and even brought back one of those little wooden spreaders, but haven’t put it to use yet.
I agree with Fioa and Anne, the cheese is always melted (or at least warm).
Anne — I’d be nervous to just swap it in because I know it’s tricky to work with. I know David Lebovitz has far more obsessively studied buckwheat galettes — his recipe might help?
Crepe party? What a super fun idea! Love this ❤️
I think this is a brilliant idea and I’ll be putting it to work next time I have family over on a weekend! I’ve been making crepes since I was a kid after our aunt introduced them to us as “French Pancakes” when we stayed at her house. We love them either with peanut butter and syrup (don’t knock it, it’s yummy) or strawberries and whipped cream. Recently, I finally had a savory version and loved that too! Thanks for the tip! :)
I love crepes. And i think they are super easy to make. I throw all the ingredients in a blender bottle (with the metal whisk ball) and just shake and pour it out from there.
My mother uses crepes to make cannelloni – filled with ground beef, rolled up, covered in (homemade) tomato sauce and then baked.
While that’s quite yummy I still love them best with sugar or jam
Mmm, these look good, but I don’t know if I can be persuaded to try any other version of crepes besides the Hungarian version I grew up with– palacsinta! The recipe I use is one tweaked from an old Hungarian church cookbook. It differs from this recipe with slightly different proportions, and uses vegetable oil instead of butter and adds in sugar.
As another reader mentioned reading a recipe that calls for resting the batter for four hours, I prefer to mix the batter and let it rest in the fridge overnight. I actually churn out about 300 palacsinta each August for a Hungarian church’s food festival, which are filled with either sweetened dry curd cottage cheese or apricot jam. Sometimes the palacsinta are made ahead of time and stored in a freezer before being defrosted, filled, heated, and served at the festival. I don’t think a week’s freezer storage affects it too negatively, but honestly, I will only eat them fresh. Thank you for sharing this!
I can’t wait to try these – I’ve been dying to visit one of the crepe shops that have popped up around me, but so far, the timing has always been off (apparently they aren’t open at 2pm in the afternoon?!?!). Anyway, this might be just as much fun. I think I know what my little girl is getting for her birthday breakfast!!
I recently received a crepe maker so I have been making crepes like there is no tomorrow! They are so easy to prepare and with a little lemon juice and sugar the children seem to really love them.
I love your easy and delicious recipe. I will definitely try this too!
I can still remember fancy nights as a kid when my dad would make crepes suzette. I don’t recall him making the crepes (though he must have) – but I remember the sauce preparation because he flambed it! My job was to rub sugar cubes on orange rinds to flavor them.
I never liked the crepes – too grown up for my young taste buds, I guess, but the idea of nutella crepes does appeal now, 40 years later! And your recipe does make them seem achievable. Thank you!
I have made crepes for years from the Better Homes and Gardens red plaid cookbook and the recipe has no butter in it, just flour, a small amount of sugar, eggs (half the eggs in your recipe), salt and milk. Although they have been really good when freshly made, they do stick to each other, and even to waxed paper between the crepes, as I found to my dismay one year. So I will be trying yours for sure because I love crepes and these just might make a big difference in my life! One interesting thing about that old recipe is that they do not suggest you brown the second side. Just brown the first and take it out of the pan. Put the filling on the side that is not browned and serve. For those of your readers who are nervous, this might be a way to avoid the “fear of flipping”!
And then you can make fazzoletti di crespelle, the most wonderful Italian dish with the filled crepes (folded over twice into a triangle with the filling inside) overlapped in a baking dish like shingles and then spread with bechamel and cheese, and baked until golden brown here and there. Hmm, that’s going into the weekend rotation ;)
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’ve been looking for a good one to keep the batter in a fridge for a few days and treat self! I actually made it with buckwheat flour (had to add a bit more flour as it’s coarse) instead of white one for a more earthy flavor. Fantastic with a little honey and a good Greek yogurt – filling and so tasty!!
Sprinkles on tacos??? Just say yes if you do it this way!
http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2016/05/you_can_now_eat_ice_cream_tacos_in_toronto/
This looks great! One of my favourite ways to have an inexpensive and fun dinner with friends in university was to make crepes and have everyone bring one or two of their favourite toppings. It was easy to prepare and my friends with different dietary needs all had something to eat.
Crêpes are the no-brainer, easy-way-out solution for kids’ parties in France. Cakes are too much work, too fussy, too easy to mess up. So much easier to make crêpes. It’s funny to see how the perceptions are flipped.
Husband makes a foot-tall pile of crêpes every Feb. 2 (le Chandeleur, the day all of France eats crêpes), and would more often if I let him, which, not wanting to buy a new wardrobe in a larger size, I don’t. It takes a week to eat that pile.
The expression goes: “La première crêpe est pour le chien.”
Deb, as a single person living alone, I always have a stack of crepes in my freezer. It’s one of my favorite go-tos for a quick meal when I can’t decide what I’m hungry for. I can attest that crepes freeze beautifully, with a piece of parchment or waxed paper between them and sealed well. No idea how long they keep frozen because they never last that long.
When I see I’m getting low (down to about 6 or so), I make another batch and put them underneath so I’m always rotating.
In answer to questions about milk, I don’t do well with dairy milk so I use either almond milk, coconut milk, or a mixture of the two. They do just fine.
My current favorite sweet crepe is banana “ice cream” (fabulous), sliced bananas, toasted chopped pecans and really good chocolate syrup. A little dollop of coconut whipped cream is the perfect finishing touch. In the fall, it’s chopped or thinly sliced apples and salted caramel. Banana iced cream, sliced strawberries (or other fruits or berries) and coconut whipped cream also makes a wonderful filling.
Savory crepes are often a few slices of nice ham or roast beef or chicken, maybe some roasted asparagus or avocado. A nice cheese if I dare. A nice fried egg on top. Sometimes beans.
I’m going to try your recipe as soon as my crepe supply gets low enough. The idea of not having to wait is mighty appealing.
Thanks!
I make crepes frequently, and I always freeze the extras. Just put a sheet of waxed paper between each crepe, then put the whole stack in a ziploc freezer bag. (I use scissors to trim the extra wax paper, but I’m anal that way.) Try to lay the bag flat in the freezer so the crepes don’t freeze in weird shapes — they’re harder to separate when that happens. Nuke them for maybe 20-30 seconds and you’re good to go.
Jane, I’m hoping you will see this and answer more questions about non-dairy crepes! What fat do you suggest in place of the butter?! This lactose-intolerant in a family that loves butter wants to know!
Ghee should work! I know you asked this question two years ago but I’m stoney boloney and drooling over everyon’s great ideas, but hey! Just in case you hadn’t figured it out, ghee. You are welcome.
You can use vegetable oil without any problem. I probably wouldn’t do the full 3 Tbsp – I make almost this same re ole with 1 Tbsp oil – but you could experiment a bit and see what works for you.
I’m here to say that your crepes are not failproof – or more accurately, not foolproof. My batter wound up with lumps – the butter resolidified when I added the milk and eggs, and I had quite a few flour lumps too. :( I’m pretty sure my problems were related to a) not having a whisk and using a fork, and b) not using room temperature eggs and milk, maybe? I strained the batter and it made fine crepes, but I was sad. I’m totally owning this – I’ve never made crepes before, and probably missed some key piece of information. Three children and an hour until dinnertime can do that to a girl…
A great way of keeping the crepes warm without an oven is this Dutch way: Put a pot with some water in it on a neaby hub and let it cook gently, put a plate on top and stack the crepes on the plate. They will keep warm, but the plate will become very hot – so be careful!
Looks deliciously amazing! :)
These look amazingly delicious. And clearly my husband should make them for me for Mother’s Day. Foolproof recipe, check!
We had the same problem with the butter seizing up, even using a whisk. Were the milk and eggs supposed to be room temperature? It wasn’t specified in the recipe (I double checked). We ended up switching to a different recipe using a blender.
If the butter is seizing up I somewhere heard this really cool trick: quickly mix the eggs with the melted butter (or browned butter!) on their own. The proteins do some kind of voodoo and the mixture won’t clump when you put it into the next liquid (like milk). It changed my life.
Wow – those are so thin. I’ve been making making crepes for a long, long time and mine never look like that!! ; o )
Crepe bar for my GF’s 60th birthday party tonight! Thanks for the idea. Will be trying some GF (using king arthur GF flour) and will report back on success, as at least one person in attendance is a GF GF :) I have loved crepes since going to Colorado as a kid. There was a crepe wagon that became a regular stop on the way back from the hill. Delicious! I dreamt of growing up and being a ski bum with a crepe cart…maybe that dream should be revisited! Will be doing a mushroom filling – any suggestions for a ramp filling???? Maybe with the mushrooms?
I made the batter last night and we had these today for mother’s day. They were fantastic. So easy to make. Thank you for the terrific recipe!!
These are truly a foolproof party item. We hosted a really memorable housewarming crepe party a few years ago using your old crepe recipe and people are still talking about it. Last time, we reheated them quickly on the stove which was not difficult, but reheating them in the oven sounds like even less work.
I agree making crepes in advance saves alot of time! The best thing about crepes is that they are so versatile, I even put ground meats in mine.
I made this for my mom today and she LOVED it!! We did cream cheese + lox + arugula, ham + brie, sugared strawberries + whipped cream, and nutella + bananas. Incredible! And SO easy! We’re going to make it again for a bridal shower! Thanks Deb.
My favorite crepe filling is caramelized onion, goat cheese, toasted pecans, a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of salt and fresh thyme. So very good!
Made these. They’re perfect. No need for another recipe.
I am just here to say that I received my first newsletter from you today, and it’s GLUTEN FREE themed! I got diagnosed with celiac disease less than a year ago and am still struggling to reconcile my love of cooking/baking with the disease. THANK YOU for this perfectly timed newsletter! Keep it coming :)
Delicious recipe I am going to try this soon thanks for sharing :)
Love this brunch idea! You always have the best hosting tips, Deb ;)
For all those asking about Gluten-free options (& perhaps diary free)…I have celiac and now that my newborn doesn’t tolerate milk protein, am also dairy free :/ But, was determined to make these. Almond milk is a good substitute & I used the America’s Test Kitchen flour from the How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. For butter, I used a vegan butter substitute…My husband said they tasted just like regular crepes!
In general, for crepes, I found this article to be particularly helpful & worked well for me in the past, substituting GF oat flour for regular flour. http://ruhlman.com/2013/02/crepes-and-the-power-of-ratios/
Buckwheat crepes are another favorite of ours, but of course have a much different flavor. (Just sub buckwheat flour for regular flour)
These were amazing! My husband made them for a mother’s day brunch, after I expressed that I didn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all morning. He never does this kind of stuff, and they were still amazing! We did nutella (the Justin’s version), raspberries & plain yogurt for the sweet ones. For savory we did prosciutto, swiss, homemade pesto (basil & spinach) and roasted grape tomatoes. Swoon! My father in law was loudly declaring how delicious they were. We officially have a new mother’s day brunch tradition.
One more piece of advice for those doing GF crepes – definitely weigh the flour instead of measuring! Even before transitioning to a GF diet, I almost always weighed flours instead of using a measuring cup. When cooking with gluten-free flours, I find it to be essential :)
I, too, had super-lumpy batter. Even after whisking a couple of times while the batter was resting in the fridge. Then I strained it, rinsed the strainer, and what was strained out were a gazillion bits of coagulated butter. Bleah.
Had I known that the lumps were (mostly) butter and not flour, I might have gone ahead and made the crepes with the lumpy batter.
I did make crepes with the strained batter. Subsequent checking of ‘Ratio’ by Michael Ruhlman, ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ by Julia Child, and a couple of YouTube videos brought to light that most crepe recipes don’t even include butter. Julia Child says to make the batter in a blender, and let it rest for at least 2 hours. Next time I will try it with everything starting at room temperature, include the butter (because butter), but use the blender.
The crepes seem okay. I will use them for tonight’s supper. But fail-proof? Not so much. Thanks, anyway, though: You got me to try doing it at all.
Thanks to this recipe, I didn’t feel bad asking for crepes for my Mother’s Day brunch. Yum! :) Thank you!
Solidifying butter — Sorry I didn’t warn about this. You can tell if the lump is flour or butter by, well, squeezing it. It has no effect whatsoever on the final crepe; you just whisk so it’s distributed throughout and more often than not, those bits have melted again before you’re even done making crepes.
I had the same problem as Heidi (comment 99). I have a whisk but I think the problem was the cold eggs and milk. I made the batter yesterday for tonight. I am planning to let it sit out of the fridge for and hour and then give it a whirl in the blender. I have not made crepes in a long time. Usually the batter is much thinner and did not have problems in past. So I am hopeful the batter will be fine at room temp .
That is essentially the recipe that my mother has used for forty years, with only the addition of sugar in our case. (Crepes are a sweet thing in my family.)
I find it easier to use a hand-blender to mix it all – a little more inconvenient with the clouds of flour flying around, but much easier to get it smooth, and also to measure the consistency. But I always do the butter first, add a little milk, add the eggs, then add the rest of the milk, and only put the flour in at the end, so all the liquid ingredients are smooth before the flour goes in.
Mmmm, crepes…
just made these for my ‘little’ girl’s birthday breakfast (she’s 19…what the heck happened!!!) and they turned out perfectly, she’s a lemon and sugar fan and absolutely loved them (I got to eat the raggedy ones as I went too :)
Just made crepes for the first time… Every. One. Perfect. Thank you!
My crepes cooked easily in cast iron pan after batter was chilled in fridge. I did add cup plus of milk to thin the batter and let the batter come to cool room temp. They were fun to make! I found that once I got going I did not have to rebutter the cast iron. That was a plus…
We made these for mother’s day and they were a hit! Thanks for a new crepe recipe :)
Perfect recipe, perfect instructions. I’m a reasonable cook but have never had any luck with batters and frypans … until now. These were amazing. Thank you!
This is what happens if you suddenly have a great desire for crepes and must have them cooked right away. Thus I mixed up half the recipe (just for myself and my husband) and cooked them without waiting the hour or any time at all. Guess what? They turned out perfectly. So I can not figure out what the waiting part in the refrigerator is all about. I took the chance because I have made crepes for years and never had any wait time. I did mix them up with a hand mixer so the batter was smooth when I started. No waiting turns out to be just fine in this recipe. Could they be better somehow with the wait? I served them with my own homemade vanilla yogurt and fresh blueberry sauce and I would do it again! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
I made this recipe tonight for a savory crepe dinner based on wonderful dish I had in Mexico. My crepes tonight were filled with squash blossoms, zucchini and corn in a béchamel sauce, rolled like enchiladas and topped with shredded Gruyere. I made a 1.5 recipe, and this made about 20 crepes. Recipe was perfect. Whoever posted the hack to flip the crepe on the second side onto a cast iron skillet IS A GENIUS. I knocked the crepes out so easily and the stored perfectly, stacked in the fridge until I was ready to assemble to casserole. No sticking at all. Thank you, Merci, Gracias!
My favorite crepe that I get when I visit my local French bakery is spinach and goat cheese drizzled with honey on top. Mmmm… I think I know what I’m getting on my lunch break now.
My favorite crepe that I get when I visit my local French bakery is spinach and goat cheese drizzled with honey on top. Mmmm… I think I know what I’m getting on my lunch break now.
I have made these twice since you posted this. Lately we are using up a whole ham that I cooked for my husband and myself. I know but it was only $5 for the whole thing so of course I bought it. We have been having sautéed green’s and ham cubes. The filling is hot so we toss in a some finely diced cubes of cheddar. The cheddar softens and almost melts, but no extra steps. Delicious! The easiest of all for dessert is after putting batter in pan sprinkle about 1 tsp of raw sugar on just before you flip it. After flipping sprinkle on anothe tsp or so of sugar. The sugar on the outside caramelizes and the inside gets a nice crunchy texture from the sugar.
Deb,
I have a crepe question. I make mine from milk, eggs, flour, 1 tsp sugar, salt, oil and water. I always want to try yours out but then I don’t feel like melting butter. In terms of technicality I cannot complain about mine. They come out without holes and I have no trouble flipping them over. What do you think the difference would be between mine and yours? Would yours taste better? Should I try yours?
Two things:
1. I’ve used your crepe recipe for blintzes, substituting (1:1) pure buckwheat flour, and it worked splendidly well. Make sure you have a good nonstick pan.
2. Have you ever frozen crepes? I’m prepping for a Ukrainian-themed dinner, and I need to make about 100 crepes. I’ve Googled, and all the recipes say to put a sheet of wax paper between each crepe, which I could do, but I wonder if you have any experience freezing a stack of crepes?
Marina — Great to hear about the buckwheat flour. I’m going to ask my MIL about freezing crepes because I’m sure she’s done it. More in a few days. :)
Even the first one was perfect.
My go.to. crepe from now on.
Thanks!
Made a big pile of crepes this afternoon because I finally had a day off and jamming nag everything in my fridge into a crepe for the rest of the week sounded delightful. Tonight’s fillings were thinly sliced London broil with goat cheese and this asparagus/portobello/sundried tomato salad from Whole Foods with some goat cheese thrown in for good measure. Tomorrow morning I am threatening marscapone, berries, and Cap’n Crunch. ALL OF THE THANK YOUS
I made these for Mother’s Day and they were loved by all. My brother is not a fruit fan so he filled his with (baked) bacon, a drizzle of chocolate syrup and a drizzle of maple syrup. He ate 3 that way so I assume they were tasty. Thanks for the crepe suggestion!
I’ve had a lot of success with other recipes from your site, and I absolutely adored those recipes. I’ve always wanted to make crepes, but they intimidated me. When I saw that these were “failproof,” I was eager to give them a try. Unfortunately, these were not failproof for me… I followed the instructions to a T, including not sweating the slightly lumpy batter when I refrigerated it. When I pulled the batter out (1.5 hours later), the lumps had solidified into thick chunks. I whisked and whisked and whisked, trying to get rid of the chunks. I had some success, but eventually gave up and made crepes anyway with the batter. The crepes cooked well, but were full of the little chunks. I haven’t ate the crepes yet – was planning to serve them for dinner tonight – so I don’t know if the chunks are actually crunchy or just visible brown spots in the batter. I did do a taste test of a small crepe chunk and it was very egg-y tasting compared to other crepes I’ve had. Unfortunately this recipe was a miss for me. :(
The same happened for me, and here is what I would do next time: mix all the wet ingredients together, and then incorporate the flour.
Deb, I know every recipe fir crepe batter says to refrigerate for some period of time before cooking, but I will admit to rarely doing this as my crepes are usually made fir hungry children on a weekend morning with no advanced planning. I use an immersion blender in a 4 cup measuring cup or larger container I can pour directly out of, blend and start cooking. Almost no clean up. They come out great, texture and flavor is wonderful, so I never stress about skipping the chilling.
I have been freezing crepes for years. I stack with parchment or wax paper in between. Then you can take one out at a time and reheat quickly (very quickly) in a pan or the microwave.
We made these this morning! Totally didn’t notice that they needed to be chilled for an hour before making, so I skipped that step. Maybe the inventor of crepes is rolling in his/her grave, but they were still delicious!
PS We made ours with a half whole wheat, half white flour mixture. Earthier flavor, but the kids gobbled ’em up anyway.
So… I stacked these without putting parchment or anything between them. I wrapped them really well in plastic and let them cool overnight in the fridge. I then popped them in the freezer. I put the whole stack in the microwave and defrosted them in 2-minute increments. No sticking, no tearing!
What do you think about making a gateau with this crepe?
I just made these… cakewalk!! And delicious! I’ve never made crepes nor had the desire before I saw this recipe. My daughter was hungry, I had everything I needed (including a jar of Nutella!!) and this could not have been easier. The only dumb thing I did was pour cold milk into the melted butter… duh! 30 seconds in the microwave fixed that mistake. The only change I made was I used 1 cup skimmed milk and 1/4 cup cream – no whole milk in the house. I keep thinking of all the things I could put in these to make a meal. Any leftover with a bit of cream, really – add a salad and you have a very fast and satisfying weeknight dinner!
I made these for breakfast this morning: perfection. Unfortunately I may have created a monster because now my son wants them again tomorrow!
Happy to report that making four times this recipe yielded about 100 crepes (smaller than 9 inches though), which were made the night before our crepe party in pans on the stove. They reheated easily in the oven and went really well with fruit, lemon/sugar, and nutella. Can’t say we’ll be making crepes again for a long time though…it was admittedly a little overambitious! Great recipe, though.
I tried searching for this post without the thingy above the first ‘e’ in crepe and it didn’t show up in the search results… Don’t worry, it was easy enough to find in the breakfast category instead since I knew it existed! But maybe you can tag it as “crepe” as well?
Thanks for letting me know — I can see how that would be a problem!
Wanted to let you know that when I searched “crepe” and even “crepe party” in the site’s search function, this post didn’t come up. When I searched “smitten kitchen crepe party” on Google, it was the top result. Maybe some kinks still getting worked out?
Yes. A few people have mentioned this and it’s this recipe specifically because I put the accents into the title. Will need to figure out a workout. Sorry for the trouble.
This is really perfect. Exactly what is needed, since BFF said she wanted to have a crepe party and I generally end up doing the cooking…. which is normally okay, except I wasn’t keen on doing a crepe party for all the reasons which you have just knocked out. Excellent! Thanks!
Because of the french spelling of the title, this recipe is not coming up when I search for crepes on your site. But I found it!
Thanks — I know, it’s an annoyance I need to find a work-around to.
I think I messed up! I added the flour the the butter first and stirred a bit, and then added the other ingredients. The flour completely clumped up, and when i put it in the fridge, the butter got cold and didn’t mix it. I sort of strained it and hoped for the best, and it worked ok! Next time I will mix the wet ingredients and then add the flour. I served with maple syrup and strawberry jam.
This happened to me too! I ended up just making the batter as is, and as long as the lumps aren’t too big, they disappear when you actually fry the batter.
Read the recipe, people!
I did this for my neighborhood holiday party, and it was a HUGE success! When I added the ingredients, things did seem to get chunky and lumpy but I kept mixing and all was good once I added it to the skillet. I thought there would be a huge learning curve on how the crepes turned out, but they truly were failproof. Everyone loved it!
I just tried this with gluten free flour and it worked very well! I used 1/3 sorghum flour, 1/3 brown rice flour, and 1/3 almond meal, no xanthan gum or anything else. They worked beautifully! I think the crepes are a little more fragile than wheat crepes (it has been a while since I have made those so I am not sure) and they were a bit thicker than the ones in Deb’s pictures, but they folded into quarters without tearing, and were easy to flip without breaking when I let them cook long enough (~60 seconds per side). Thanks for the recipe!
I made this recipe for my book club last weekend and can attest to its ease. I’ve never made crepes before and now question if I might be French I was so good at it. (You will be too.) Though time-consuming, the resulting crepes were absolutely fantastic and so fun for everyone to DIY toppings. Each crepe took around three minutes to make, but I prepped the day before and just rewarmed the crepes in the oven.
I followed Deb’s advice and did two savory (ham + swiss and roasted cherry tomatoes + goat cheese) and two sweet (strawberries + sweetened cream cheese, and bananas + nutella).
Notes:
1. DON’T FEAR THE LUMPS! They disappear upon cooking.
2. I used a 12″ nonstick skillet, which meant I ladled around 1/3 cup of batter for each crepe. Tripling the recipe gave me 24 crepes. I allocated three per guest, which was generous but I’m enjoying the leftovers ;)
3. Buy that fish spatula! It made flipping a breeze.
AMAZING RESULTS!! thank you!
I used my black iron frying pan (10 “) because it’s the closest thing I have to a “non-stick” frying pan. It worked just fine. The only hard part was holding up the pan to spread the batter around- it’s pretty heavy- good arm work-out! The crepes are amazingly easy to make, I had no sticking problems. One recipe and I had enough for dinner with a spinach and goat cheese filling as well as dessert with butter and cinnamon sugar. YUM. I am no longer crepe-phobic!
Anyone who says a recipe is “failproof” has not met me!! I made it all wrong.
What happened?
Sorry but this is too funny! Thanks for the laugh, I hope they still tasted nice :)
The first crepe recipe that actually worked for me!! I’m no longer scared to make them. I whizzed everything in the blender the night before and stored the batter in a tupperware. This morning they cooked up with no problem at all. We added parsley and scallions to the batter and filled them with white cheddar. Thanks, Deb! Nice to meet you in Boston last week :)
Thank you so much for this wonderful crepe recipe! I have been visiting your site for several months now and have made a handful of your recipes, all of which have been a delight to both make and eat, but this is my first time leaving a comment. This was a triumphant moment for me because I had struggled with crepes so many times in the past to the point that I had all but given up and hadn’t even attempted them for the last few years. Today after a slight mishap with the first one (I turned on only half the burner when heating the pan so the middle cooked but the edges were still liquid) I turned out a batch of the most deliciously delicate yet sturdy golden brown eggy soft crepes I have ever tasted! I cant wait to make them again for my boyfriend, which I have been promising to attempt for the last several weeks as we currently find ourselves in a semi-weekly breakfast making challenge. Thank you so much for this recipe and for sharing your knowledge and skills with us!
You’ve convinced me to try making them! We had an amazing time learning how to make them on our trip to France, but I never got the courage to try doing it on my own.
You guys are going to hate me. I actually made a slightly different recipe – it had one less egg and only 1.5 tbsp butter. However, what I wanted to point out is that on a non-stick pan I only had to butter for the first crepe. After that, pan had a slightly buttery sheen as each crepe was removed. I suspect the butter from the batter renders out a little. Second, I realized that once the first side is cooked enough, I can just lift up the crepe with my fingers and flip it over. No need for a spatula, let alone two.
This recipe worked great for (a nervous) me. I really appreciate giving ingredients by weight.
These were so easy to make! My son requested crepes (to go with the giant jar of Nutella from Costco) for dinner at 6pm on a Thursday. I knew I would find the perfect recipe with you Deb! Now we are excited to host a brunch crepe party!
I have been cooking a very long time and have made a far number of crapes but I must say that these are far my best effort.when my husband of 50 years asked for crapes for our Christmas night dinner I balked (did not want to spend a lot of time over the stove). During my search I stumbled across your recipe, and it sounded perfect. My one deviation was to use canned skim milk. The results were wonderful.thank you very much.
Janice
I am making three ends of entree filled crepes for a shower
curry chicken chicken seafood can I fill the newly made crepes with stuffing and freeze for a few days how would I rewarm these? I appreciate any help I see lots of suggestions for freezing the crepe but not with filling
I think it will hold up, as I use them for blintzes and they hold up for freezing and rewarming.
Does anyone know if these will work with almond milk?
I’m pretty sure I’ve done it and it was just fine!
Thank you for taking the intimidation factor out of making crepes! There were no crepe casualties, and the “build-your-own” collection of toppings was a huge hit. My batter was a little lumpy, but cooked up fine as promised. This recipe is a keeper!
If you mix in this order: butter – eggs – flour – milk, you will not have any lumps. That way I didn’t have to put it in the fridge for an hour either, but just made them right away. Maybe they’re more delicate due to lack of batter rest, but it worked fine!
How many crepes per person would you plan for? Wondering if this is feasible for a baby shower….
Probably 3, maybe 4 if people are heavy eaters or there aren’t a lot of other dishes around.
The first time I had crepes was at a work/brunch Christmas party. They were so good, I made them for Christmas breakfast and have done so every year since, maybe for about 17 years. We fill ours with fruits of all kinds, yogurt and whipped cream. I serve bacon and sausage along side. If I were to change it up, I’d be in trouble. Will try your recipe this year, and hopefully will be able to make them ahead.
This was my first time making crepes and they were delicious (and so easy!)! I made manicotti with them and they were great! Lighter than using pasta and seemed to be a bit healthier. I will be making these crepes again. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Made crepes for the first time today using this recipe on my husband’s request. They were a huge success with the adults and children alike! ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you for brightening our day during the COVID lockdown.
I was wondering if the egg whites are a requirement for these to work out correctly :)
As a South African who grew up with crepes (think Dutch, not French), I recommend that you try mixing cinnamon and sugar together, and sprinkle that over your crepe. If you feel fancy you can add a squeeze of fresh lemon, but I actually like the simplicity of plain cinnamon sugar.
I love these but it seems like the “toppings” won’t heat up and will be cold. Any suggestions? For example, would be good for the cheese to be melted and not just clumped cheese.
You could have some crepes already ready with the warm ham and cheese — would probably just take 5 minutes in the oven or on a stove in a non-stick skillet.
I wanted to encourage those of you who are still on the fence about this. For my son’s graduation party last weekend we made 15 batches of this recipe! We were given confidence by this blog! We prepared and filled mini crepes for a crowd of 100 (ended up with leftovers–yay!) by following this recipe and these tips. It was super helpful to have a new set of ceramic pans that made turning easy. (Our old crepe pan could not have kept up!) To make so many, we started in our mini pans (~4″), then when ready to flip we loosened them with a spatula, and flipped onto the electric griddle. There we could finish cooking and get the next batch started right away. Thank you for giving us the confidence to take this on! It was a lot of fun to do with my teens!
I have followed your blog for a decade and have made dozens of your recipes but have never commented – until now! Everything you say in this recipe is true! I was SHOCKED that I made a crepe myself, when I thought it was a treat I could only indulge in at a fancy brunch place or on a street in Paris. I could cry at how easy you made this!
I recently had them with sauerkraut and raclette and it was delicious!
Great recipe! Thanks you for using grams as well as cups for measurement. Can I suggest you use Centigrade as well as Fahrenheit for temperature?
Deb, how are the “other side of the world” recipes different? What does that even mean lol?
I believe it’s simply a matter of seasons: when it’s winter in these here northern parts and we’re all craving warm comfort foods, the folks down under are in the middle of summer and would rather have ice cream recipes.
Thank you!! This has been perplexing me for ages!
I grew up eating (and making) palacsinta, and as a result, have never understood why people think crepes are fussy or difficult to made. I’ve made them while camping, for heaven’s sake. I don’t think I’ve ever followed a recipe for them, but this recipe sounds about right. A proper pan – with short sides – makes it easier to flip them, but really, any flat round pan will do. And yeah, the first one is gonna end up “rongyos” (raggedy), but that’s a feature, not a bug.
My first try making crepes and they were failproof like you said. I’m so happy they were easy.
I know this is quite awhile after you published this recipe, but I made it tonight. The first side cooked fine, but the second side stayed shiny and kind of damp no matter how long I left it on. It was like condensation. Any ideas on that?
I never understand the direction to let the batter rest. I never ever do so (too impatient and last minute) and it always turns out fine, straight from mixing to hot pan..
Why do we have to wait an hour before using the batter? I’ve made crepes in the past and used the batter immediately with no issue.
We make these every few weeks for dinner. I didn’t want another pan so I do 2 crepes at once on my cast iron griddle. The process is fast, they never stick and flip easily. I do use the fish spatula Deb recommends …on everything.
I learned how to use ss frying pans today because my nonstick pan showed it’s age and destroyed a less-than-superior crepe recipe yesterday. These turned out PERFECTLY! Pivotal moment in my life. Google or tiktok mercury ball test stainless steel, make these, and marvel.
Welcome to the next phase of your life!
I made these and they were delightful. I put the batter together at 10:30 at night when I was exhausted, but it took 5 minutes and almost no effort. It was worth it! I struggled with the first few but once I got the heat set and the pan properly buttered everything came out smoothly after that!
Thank you, Deb! Made these years ago for a HS seniors’ graduation brunch and you better believe I made 200 in advance. Guests were very impressed and loved all the options. Now that same child is getting married on my front porch in a week. You bet we’re having crepes and I’ll be experimenting with a vegan version for guests. Testing this weekend – may make everyone vegan! Thanks, Smitten Kitchen, for family favorite recipes that deliver.
Thanku for this! I’m not going to be intimidated by crepes anymore!! 💛
HI there I just made your “Fool Proof crepes” they were excellent and easy. my batter was very lumpy, and though i stirred it as instructed before i made them it was still lumpy but still delicious. thank you i will be making these on the regular in alternate with my waffles. My french husband will be tasting these tomorrow morning. I am sure he’ll love them,
thanks again