Experience the joy of Traditional French crepes with this quick and easy recipe. These super soft and fluffy crêpes are perfect for any occasion, ready to be filled with your favorite sweet or savory filling. Let's start cooking!
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What are Crêpes?
Classic French crepes are a staple of French tradition, often prepared on Candlemas Day in early February. These round, thin pancakes are beloved worldwide for their delightful simplicity and irresistibly soft, airy texture."
To whip up a basic crepe recipe, you'll require just three simple ingredients: flour, milk, and eggs. Unlike American pancakes, these delectable treats don't include yeast, resulting in their wonderfully thin and delicious texture.
Homemade French crêpes are every kid's favorite snack, and the best part is, you can fill them with almost anything, whether it's sweet crepes or savory crepes. They're not just for snacks; you can even turn them into fabulous desserts.
Why you'll love this recipe
Craving for More French recipes? Give these a try, French meringue, French Apple Cake, French almond cake.
Ingredients Notes
You need these ingredients to make my best plain Crepe recipe:
- Flour: All-purpose flour or wholemeal flour to make the Breton version or a gluten-free flour mix to make a gluten-free crêpe batter.
- Milk: semi-skimmed dairy milk or vegetable milk like homemade almond milk for a vegan version.
- Eggs: At room temperature, they blend in better.
- Butter: Optional use unsalted butter melted, it brings a softer texture, you can replace it by oil but butter gives a better taste.
- Sugar: Optionally, you can replace it with a bag of vanilla sugar or a natural sugar like honey or maple syrup.
- Salt: A flavor enhancer, it brings out all the flavors.
How to make French Crepes recipe
Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full recipe instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Place the flour in a large mixing bowl with the salt and sugar and make a well in the center.
Step 2: Pour the eggs into the well and whisk gradually to incorporate the dry mixture.
Step 3: Drizzle in the milk with one hand and with the other continue to whisk gradually until you have a smooth, lump-free mixture.
Step 4: Add melted butter and mix again until smooth.
Baking crepes
Step 1: Heat a non-stick crêpe pan over medium heat and grease the bottom of the pan with a little butter or coconut oil and pour a small ladle of crepe batter into the hot pan.
Step 2: Pour the batter into the center of the pan, then immediately lift it off the heat and tilt and swirl the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly in a thin layer.
Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, when the edges of the crepe begin to lift and the bottom is golden, use a spatula to flip it.
Step 3: Place cooked crepes on a plate covered with a kitchen towel to keep them warm while you make more.
Enjoy! Crêpes are best served hot. Enjoy them immediately after cooking.
Serving suggestions
Feel free to mix and match these suggestions to create your own unique crêpe creations, whether you prefer sweet or savory crêpes. The possibilities are endless!
- Nutella and Banana: Spread Nutella on a warm crêpe, add sliced bananas, and fold it for a heavenly combination.
- Strawberries and Cream: Top crêpes with fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream for a fruity delight.
- Ham and Cheese: Create a savory option by filling crêpes with ham and cheese, then melt it under the broiler.
- Lemon and Sugar: A classic choice, sprinkle freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dusting of sugar over crêpes.
- Chocolate and Berries: Drizzle warm chocolate sauce over crêpes and add a handful of mixed berries for a decadent treat.
- Caramelized Apples: Cook apple slices in butter and brown sugar until caramelized, then use as a delicious crêpe filling.
- Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese: Layer crêpes with smoked salmon and a smear of cream cheese for an elegant appetizer.
- Ice Cream: Top crêpes with your favorite ice cream, sauces, and toppings for an indulgent dessert.
- Whipped Cream and Berries: Add a dollop of whipped cream and a medley of fresh berries for a light and delightful treat.
Tips for this recipe
Secret tips
Anti-Lump Tip: Blend the crêpe batter with a blender or a immersion blender or strain it through a fine sieve.
Storage instructions
In the fridge: The remaining batter can be kept for 1-2 days in the fridge , covered with plastic wrap, or in a glass bottle with a lid. After cooking you can keep them at room temperature for 1 day.
Freeze: You can keep the crepes in the freezer for up to 3 months, let them come back to room temperature slowly.
Variations & Substitutions
Recipe Questions
To have fluffy crepes, you need the right ratio of liquid and dry ingredients and you should let the batter rest for a while before cooking them.
The trick is to trickle the milk into the other ingredients and gradually mix the liquids with the dry ones, if the milk is incorporated too quickly then you will get lumps.
French Crepe recipes are lighter and thinner, while pancakes are thicker, so pancakes often contain baking powder and baking soda, while crepes do not.
It is not essential to make crepes, the fact of letting rest the paste in the refrigerator makes it possible to have a well-homogeneous paste and more tasty crepes.
Preferably use a special non-stick crepe pan or a crepe machine to cook crepes successfully at home.
More Crepe & Pancake Recipes
I hope you love this French crepe recipe. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
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French crepes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 crepes
Description
Classic French crepes recipe, quick and restless for soft and flavorful crepes at home (about 10 crepes)
Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) Flour - all-purpose
- 1 tbsp Sugar - granulated
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 eggs - room temperature
- 500 ml (2 cups) milk - or plant-based milk
- 50 g (¼ cup) Butter - unsalted and melted
Instructions
- Pour the flour, salt and sugar into a large container and make a well in the center.
- Place the eggs in it and using a whisk, start by mixing the center only, then while gradually pouring in the milk continue to mix the batter until you get a smooth, homogeneous crepes batter.
- Then add the melted butter and continue to mix again.
- The dough should have the consistency of a liquid cream, if it seems too thick, add small quantities of milk and if on the contrary it seems too liquid, add a little flour.
- If your dough is grainy, you can use a blender to smooth it out.
- Heat a crepes pan over medium heat, grease your pan with a little butter.
- Place a small ladle of batter in the hot pan.
- Cook the crepes for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until they peel off and start to have a nice golden color.
Notes
Conservation: in the fridge before cooking for 2 days max or at room temperature after cooking for 1 day.
Chocolate crepes: Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: breakfast, Dessert, snack
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Calories: 154
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 56
- Fat: 4
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 23
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 71
Just made them and they were delicious!! Made them for my grandson for his lunch!
I’ve never made crepes before, I’ve watched people make them - but this was my first attempt. These were delicious! They’re just the right amount of sweetness that I could enjoy them by themselves, but mainly they’re my husbands favorite and he loved them! Going to make them again!