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These thin French pancakes are surprisingly fun to make, once you get the hang of it! Here’s our basic crepes recipe and a few ideas on to enjoy them.
Have you made crepes? These thin French pancakes are irresistibly fun to make, once you get the hang of it! They’re also extraordinarily versatile: they can be eaten as an entree, stuffed with anything from cheese to vegetables to meat, or as a dessert, topped with fruit, whipped cream, and of course, the ever popular Nutella! Here’s our basic crepe recipe.
Tips for this basic crepe recipe
Making basic crepes can be tough if you’ve never done it before, so expect to scrap your first one or two! But once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze. The main idea for basic crepes is to create a paper thin pancakes that you cook in a skillet.
The batter is made of the usual suspects: flour, eggs, milk and oil. In this recipe, we’ve used some whole wheat flour to get a more robust, nutty taste.
Once you’ve mixed up the batter, you heat a small skillet and pour in about ¼ of the batter. Roll around the skillet to make sure the entire bottom is coated, then cook it quickly, just about 30 seconds.
Then flip the crepe: we’ve found using chopsticks makes that easy! Cook for another 15 seconds. Remove the crepe to a covered plate and then keep on cooking.
Watch how to make basic crepes
Since making basic crepes requires a bit of technique, we’ve also developed a video to show you the how to cook and flip them (since it’s a bit easier than describing in words). Take a watch to our video below:
Erin of Naturally Ella was kind enough to work with us on this recipe. We developed it as a meld of our favorite method from Julia Child, and the Grilled Cheese Crepe recipe from Erin’s blog. We also added half-wheat flour, which we’ve been doing with a lot of baked goods lately. (Substituting half buckwheat flour also works, and adds good flavor.)
Crepes fillings
There are hundreds of ways to serve basic crepes in delicious ways. These crepes work with either a savory or sweet preparation. Here are a few recipes for how to serve crepes:
- Strawberries and peaches
- Grilled cheese crepes
- Berries and sweetened whipped cream
- Nutella and strawberries
- Ham and gruyere
- Mushrooms and spinach
- Smoked salmon and dill
- Sauteed peppers and onion with vegetarian gravy
- Sweetened mascarpone or ricotta
- Bananas and chocolate drizzle
Dietary notes
This basic crepes recipe is vegetarian.
Frequently asked questions
Crêpes are thin pancakes, traditionally made from wheat flour, milk, eggs, and butter. They can be enjoyed sweet or savory, with a variety of fillings and toppings.
A non-stick pan or a well-seasoned cast iron crêpe pan is ideal, but any flat pan can work in a pinch.
Wrap them loosely in foil and warm them gently in a low oven or microwave until heated through.
Nutella, whipped cream and fresh fruit, jams and jellies, fruit compotes, sweetened ricotta cheese, or cinnamon sugar are all delicious options.
Ham and cheese, scrambled eggs with cheese and vegetables, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, roasted vegetables with goat cheese, or chicken and béchamel sauce are all great choices.
Basic Crepes Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 to 10 8-inch crepes 1x
Description
These thin French pancakes are surprisingly fun to make, once you get the hang of it! Here’s our basic crepes recipe and a few ideas on to enjoy them.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (or buckwheat flour)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
- 8-inch skillet and chopstick, for cooking
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup whole wheat flour, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Vigorously whisk in 2 eggs, ¾ cups milk, and 1 ½ tablespoons oil until smooth.
- Assemble your crepe making station with an 8-inch skillet, plate, a towel or piece of wax paper, chopstick, bowl of batter, and ¼ cup measure.
- Cook the crepes: Heat an 8-inch skillet to medium low heat and lightly oil it with a paper towel. Pour in just under ¼ cup batter and rotate the pan so that the batter covers the pan (see the video above). Wait for about 30 seconds until the crepe cooked. Use the chopstick to loosen the edges of the crepe, then flip it and cook for another 15 seconds on the other side. Place the cooked crepe on the plate, and cover with a towel. (Tip: If you’ve never cooked crepes before, you may need to scrap one or two before you get the hang of it. You also may need to reduce the heat mid-way through the cooking, and/or oil the skillet again.)
- Category: Essentials
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
My Hungarian mother-in-law made crepes a few times during the year: it was a very special treat. The crepes were filled with jam, rolled and topped with powered sugar mixed with diced nuts. This brings back so many good memories: thank you.
I don’t own any non-stick cookware. We have quite a number of birds that we love dearly. The fumes put off by non-stick ware is poisinous to them. We lost several birds “mysteriously” until I heard about this and was able to remember baking or cooking with teflon at the time of their deaths. It makes me think of the canary in the mine shaft. What are people inhaling when using non-stick ware. Is it cumulative. I know I feel a lot better with it out of my house. The miners left the mines when the canary died. I’ve been able to replace almost everything. I even found an art deco waffle iron on etsy from the 30’s that works better than anything we ever owned. All of this is leading up to a question, How would you prepare a non-stick pan to make the crepes? Oh, the new Green non-stick ware also puts off killing fumes to birds no matter what they say.