Basic Crepes Recipe

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