Making classic French Crepes at home is much easier than you might think. With just a handful of simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can make this easy French crepes recipe and fill them up with your favorite sweet or savory fillings.
Soft, thin, delicate, and super delicious, crepes are one of the most versatile French recipes, and also one of the simplest.
Often served as a dessert or sweet brunch item, they are wonderful wrapped or folded around berries and whipped cream, but they’re also amazing when turned into savory wraps with cooked meat and cheeses.
You might also like to learn how to make the very best chocolate chip pancakes, or my easy French toast casserole.
What are Crepes?
Crêpes are ultra-thin pancakes, common in France. They can be made sweet or savory, and found in all types of French eating establishments, from street carts to fancy restaurants.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients – Go check- I bet you already have everything you need to make these classic French crepes. It’s really a very simple recipe, much like American pancakes or German pancake.
- Easy Instructions – If you can flip a pancake on a griddle, you can make crepes! The process is not at all difficult, and I will show you with pictures and words exactly how to do it.
- Versatile Recipe – Crepes can be wrapped or folded around anything you can imagine! Start with berries and whipped cream or butter and syrup, but don’t be afraid to experiment too.
Ingredients In Crepes
Here’s everything you need:
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour makes delightful crepes. I’ve also tested this recipe with gluten-free 1:1 flour, and that works too!
- Milk: To thin the batter to the perfect consistency.
- Eggs: Eggs give the crepes structure and flavor.
- Oil: Use neutral cooking oil, like vegetable oil or canola oil. You can also use melted butter if you prefer.
- Salt and Sugar: Just a bit of each gives this recipe the perfect amount of flavor without being too sweet or too salty.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make The Best French Crepes
- Make the Batter: In a blender or food processor, combine milk with vegetable oil or melted butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and salt. Blend for 20 seconds. Stop and scrape the sides of the blender, and blend again for 10 seconds, or until smooth. Allow the batter to rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
- Add Batter to the Pan: Heat a 9-10-inch non-stick pan on medium-high heat and brush with a small amount of butter. Add ¼ cup of crepe batter to the side of the pan opposite the handle, and very quickly swirl the pan to coat the entire bottom surface with the batter. If you have any holes, add a little bit more batter to fill them in.
- Cook the Crepes: Cook until the edges are golden, then flip the crepe and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove the cooked crepe to a clean plate, and continue cooking one crepe at a time with the remaining batter.
Tip!
When adding ingredients to the blender, start with the liquids. Blend briefly, then add the flour. Mix the ingredients in the opposite order if you’re doing it by hand.
Recipe Tips
- A blender will make the smoothest crepe batter. This is my preferred method! Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender at least once during the mixing process.
- To make crepes without a blender: Start by adding the dry ingredients first, eggs, and then add part of the liquid and whisk, once you get a paste-like consistency then add the remaining liquid and whisk again. If you try to mix everything together at once you’ll end up with a clumpy batter.
- Let the batter rest: However you mix the ingredients, you should try to let the French crepe batter rest for about 30 minutes before cooking it. This gives the gluten in the flour time to relax, resulting in silky smooth crepes.
- Pan Choice: If you don’t have a specific crepe pan, the next best choice is a large non-stick skillet. You can also use a very well-seasoned cast iron pan. The quarter-cup amount of batter used here is perfect for a 10-inch pan. You may need to use more if your pan is larger.
- Make Ahead: The batter for French crepes can be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Whisk until smooth before using.
- Save Time: If you want to make the cooking process go more quickly, and especially if you are doubling the recipe, use two pans at once.
- Make them gluten-free: I tested this recipe with 1:1 gluten-free flour as well as all-purpose flour. Both were perfect!
Storing Tips
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s best to store the crepes rolled up, or flat, separated by parchment paper.
How To Freeze Crepes
To freeze, roll the crepes up and then flash freeze for an hour. Once firm, transfer them to a zip-top bag. You can also freeze the crepes with fillings inside. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy the crepes, allow them to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature until they are soft and pliable. Reheat in a dry skillet if needed.
How to Serve French Crepes
This French crepes recipe can be used in sweet or savory preparations.
For savory crepes, roll them around ham and cheese, shaved steak and mushrooms, or scrambled eggs.
Sweet crepes are delicious with Nutella, fresh berries, whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, fruit compote, and more!
Recipe FAQs
What is Crepes Suzette?
Crepes Suzette is a particular way to serve crepes, as a delicious dessert. Crepes are cooked and then added to an orange-infused caramel syrup. Lastly, the pan is doused with cognac and Grand Marnier and then lit on fire. This type of dish is similar to bananas foster, as it is typically offered to be cooked tableside since the preparation is so entertaining!
What is the secret to perfect crepes?
I think that the most important tip is to let the crepe batter rest for at least 20 minutes. You can skip this step, but your crepes won’t be as smooth as they could be.
What type of flour is best for crepes?
You can use regular all-purpose flour to make crepes. Pastry flour can also be used. Sometimes crepes in France are made with buckwheat flour, which is a non-wheat flour that will produce a different type of crepe. I’d advise against using whole-grain flour, as the crepes will not be light and fluffy.
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Keep this recipe in your back pocket! (Pin it!) Your family will love enjoying these classic French Crepes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
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French Crepes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk any type
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine milk with vegetable oil or melted butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and salt.
- Blend at medium speed for 20 seconds, stop and scrape the sides of the blender jug with a spatula, and blend for 10 more seconds. Allow to mixture to rest for 20-30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat a 9-10 inch pan on medium high heat, and brush with a very small amount of butter, add ¼ cup of crepe batter to one side of the pan (preferably the top corner/opposite to the handle) and very quickly swirl to coat the pan with batter. If there are any holes, add a little more batter to cover them.
- Cook until the sides of the crepe become golden, then flip and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove onto a clean plate, or cutting board or sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining batter (no need to add butter to the pan each time before adding the batter).
- Serve with whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, fresh fruit, fruit compote, honey, ham and cheese, etc.
Notes:
- Use a blender or food processor to make crepe batter with no lumps.
- Allow the batter to rest for 20-30 minutes if you have the time. This lets the gluten in the flour relax, and results in silky-smooth crepes.
- These crepes will hold any filling you like! Try them with sweet or savory fillings.
- A non-stick pan is the best choice for making crepes unless you have a crepe pan. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet can also be used.
- ¼ cup of batter is perfect for a 10-inch skillet. You may need to adjust the amount if you’re using a different size pan.
- To make the process go more quickly, try using two pans at once.
- To Freeze: Roll the crepes up and then flash freeze for an hour. Once firm, transfer them to a ziptop bag. You can also freeze the crepes with fillings inside. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Make them gluten free: I tested this recipe with 1:1 gluten-free flour as well as all-purpose flour. Both were perfect!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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