Here is how to make crepes at home: check out my fail proof and easiest method! It is a step by step picture recipe to help you make the best thin crepes in the world…
Do you know how to make crepes from scratch?
A good old proper crepe from scratch?
Well I will tell you the secret behind the perfect crepe: and that is definitely its thinness. Don’t make them as thick as those classic American pancakes! Crepes are very thin and fragile.
But highly delicious if you do it right.
Thin Crepes
So then let me show you here in this step by step recipe below how to make crepes batter properly, from scratch and in your own kitchen!
And let’s start off with the ingredients first.
What you need to make crepes is actually drop dead simple: you need flour, milk, sugar and eggs. No let me guess: I think that you have all those ingredients in your fridge and pantry at this very moment, right!
Flour, milk, sugar and eggs. Is that it?
Yes!
4 Ingredients
So I have said it before: the crepes have to be very thin.
That is how to make crepes tasty! And to get a very thin crepe, you have to get the ratio between the ingredients spot on. That is an important step to make the crepes extremely light and fluffy.
Someone once suggested to even add a bit of beer or sparkling water to the crepe batter to make it extra light and smooth, just like you would with fish and chips. The bubbles in the beer or sparkling water make the batter extra airy.
Well that is good to know!
How To Make Crepes Easy Recipe
Don’t worry if that first crepe fails, it’s normal.
The pan might not be at the right temperature yet. I normally put my pan over maximum heat for 10 minutes without using it and then I lower the heat until I find the perfect balance between the heat and the pan.
Sure this can take a couple of minutes before you got your first perfect crepe out.
Crepes always make me think of my dad because the only times I remember him in the kitchen is when he was making stacks of crepes, manning 3 pans at a time.
He knows how to make crepes.
Childhood Memories
We kids would hang around in the kitchen eyeing the first couple of crepes he made.
And when he cast them aside we all fought for those little scraps because we knew it would take 2 more hours or so before he would be finished baking the rest of them.
We had them for dinner mainly. My favorite way: spread with brown sugar and rolled up, just like the ones in my picture.
Other popular toppings: marmalade, butter, icing sugar and Nutella.
Crepes Suzette
Another one of my favorites with crepes is crepes suzette or crepes in a sweet orange and grand marnier sauce!
But who says that crepes have to be sweet!
Check out two of my hearty crepes recipes: my sliced crepe soup (German Frittatensuppe) and French stuffed buckwheat crepes with ham, eggs and cheese or Breton galettes!
Are you ready to make some crepes?
Here is how to make crepes at home!
Enjoy!
How To Make Crepes Recipe: Step by Step
How to make crepes: failproof recipe!
- 7 oz self-raising flour (200 g)
- 1,5 oz caster sugar (45 g)
- 2 cups whole milk (480 ml)
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 oz unsalted butter (55 g)
- 2 drops vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt
Add the milk, sugar, butter and vanilla extract (or bean, sliced in half) to a large saucepan.
Place this over medium low heat. Let the milk just warm through enough to make the butter melt. Don’t let it boil. Then take the pan off the heat and let the milk cool down for 10 minutes. Sift the self-raising flour over a large mixing bowl and add the cooled milk mixture.
Stir well. Also add the eggs and a pinch of salt.
Stir well again. Then blend or mix the batter for just 10 seconds to make sure there are no floury lumps in it anymore.
Let the batter rest for 45 minutes at room temperature before baking the crepes. Brush a non-stick frying pan with a little drop of vegetable oil (or melted butter).
Place the pan over medium heat. Add a spoonful of the crepe batter (depending on how large your frying pan is) but not too much, the crepes have the be very thin.
Move the pan around a bit so the batter spreads evenly.
Bake the crepe for about 2 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Then check the cooked side to see if it looks golden enough.
Flip the crepe over using a spatula. Bake the crepe for another 2 minutes or so.
Transfer the crepe onto a clean plate and cover with tinfoil to keep the stack of crepes warm. Brush the hot pan lightly with another drop of vegetable oil, add some of the batter and bake crepes until the batter is used.
Popular in Belgium
So now you know how to make a perfect crepe at home!
No excuses anymore.
But no need to panic here.
Making crepes looks way harder to make than it really is. Sure I grew up with them so I should know how to make them. Crepes are a delicious afternoon snack or dessert.
During my childhood years, we would even have crepes as a sweet dinner!
Savory Crepes
You would be surprised to see that you can find crepes in quite a few European cuisines, sweet and savory.
In France for instance in the Brittany region hearty crepes are a classic dish: they consist of self-raising wheat flour or buckwheat flour.
You can stuff the crepe with grated cheese, onion, bacon, ham, fried eggs, mushrooms tomatoes…
The most popular one is a crepe with a stuffing of cheese, ham and an egg. In France these crepes go by the name of ‘galette bretonne’ or Brittany galette.
A must try!
Galette Bretonne
I have come across a savory stuffed crepes casserole, rolled up crepes placed next to each other in a large baking dish like cannelloni, then sprinkle with white sauce and/or grated cheese.
Place it under a hot grill for a couple of minutes and you have a great crepe au gratin!
Ever heard of a crepe cake?
I was recently in Shanghai and Tokyo and there crepe cake was really popular!
What is it?
It is a tower of very thin crepes stacked up and spread with freshly whipped cream and such. I tasted a slice of green matcha crepe cake and it was delicious!
Pancake Mix
How to make crepes with pancake mix?
Someone asked me this a couple of weeks ago.
And the answer to that question is, yes! I would suggest that you add more liquid (milk) to the batter, and also an extra tablespoon of flour.
Make sure that your crepes batter is thin, and not as thick as pancake batter.
You will have to wing it a little in the beginning. Do write down the amount of extra ingredients that you add so that you can tweak your recipe later on if it needs tweaking.
Crepe Cakes
Crepe cakes are a great alternative for the usual birthday cakes as well.
I am not too fond of sweet cakes and stuff but I do love a good crepe cake! You can get creative when you decide to make one: add a layer of fresh fruits halfway (strawberries look awesome), chocolate or nutella.
Do google it because it looks great, you will get inspired right away.
How to make crepes cake: I love this 5 layer crepes cake recipe by Alison who is behind the blog Two of a Kind!
Nutella Crepes
Oh you want to make chocolate crepes?
I mean, not just with Nutella spread on them but also in the crepes batter?
I have seen those crepes before, they are of a chocolatey brown color.
But do you add Nutella straight to the batter to get that kind of color?
You can add a little Nutella to the warm milk as you make your batter.
However I recommend you add cocoa powder to taste as well. Nutella only will not quite get you that dark brown color. Unless you add half a jar to the batter which I do not recommend.
How to make crepes with Nutella: that is how you do it!
Pannenkoeken
In Belgium and The Netherlands we don’t say crepe but we call them ‘pannenkoeken’, which sounds more like and literally means ‘pancakes’.
But since a pancake is way much thicker than a crepe, it can be confusing sometimes.
If you really want to be sure of what you are ordering, ask whether you will get ‘American pancakes’ or a ‘French crepe’.
How To Make Crepes
So what is the secret behind making how to make crepes?
Or the best crepes ever?
The ratio between the ingredients, not surprisingly. I guess every family has his own recipe for homemade crepes.
Whatever you do, you need the 4 basics: self-raising flour, milk, eggs and sugar.
Period.
After that you can add vanilla extract (or bean) and other flavors.
Like I said in my introduction: you can replace a portion of the milk by sparkling water or beer. That sounds like a good plan!
What versions of crepes can we find in other cuisines worldwide?
- Injera (Ethiopia): a sourdough crepe made from teff flour, a grain native to Ethiopia. It is typically served with stews and other savory dishes.
- Dosa (India): a thin, crispy crepe made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils. It is a popular breakfast food in southern India and is often served with chutney or sambar.
- Jianbing (China): a Chinese street food that consists of a thin crepe made from mung bean flour and filled with savory ingredients like egg, scallions, and cilantro. It is often served for breakfast or as a snack.
- Palatschinken (Austria): thin, sweet crepes that are a popular dessert in Austria, often filled with jam, chocolate, or fruit and served with whipped cream.
How to make crepes
These are just a couple of examples of the many different types of crepes that can be found around the world, but I could go on and on because it doesn’t stop there.
Each country and region has its own unique spin on this versatile dish.
So now that you know how to make the perfect crepes…
It is time to start experimenting in your kitchen!
Here is how to make crepes with my fail proof recipe because it always works!
Good luck and enjoy your homemade crepes!
Those are professional Chef level crepes. Amazing work June! We always go for thin crepes, but end up making them slightly thicker than we want. Perhaps it had to do with our batter. We’ll try this one out, that’s for sure!:)
Excellent work!
Have a beautiful weekend!
xoxoxo
thank you for sharing. i’ll trythis soon
Great crepe recipe, will be using again thank you!!!!