Photos by Rikki Snyder
Crepes are the little black dress of the food world. In a word: versatile. They’re great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can eat ’em sweet or savory. They’re great straight up, with nothing but a little sprinkle of sugar to embellish them; they’re also fabulous with fillings as fancy as can be.
Crepes are also one of those recipes that can be a bit intimidating if you’ve never made them before–but trust me, they’re easier than you think! We’ve broken it down step by step so that learning how to make crepes — nay, how to make perfect crepes — will be a cinch.
The Ingredients
Pretty much all crepe recipes start with the same formula: milk, eggs, melted butter, flour and water. You’ll also need a bit of extra butter for greasing the pan. Once you’ve got basic crepes down, you may want to expand your horizons, experimenting with other types of flour (buckwheat crepes are amazing!) or even with vegan crepes. For now, we’ve started with this tried and true recipe.
Blend the Batter
Using a blender is the easiest way to get a beautifully smooth crepe batter. Simply place all of the ingredients into your blender, pulse a few times to combine, then whirl for a moment until smooth. Don’t have a blender? No problem. A bowl, a whisk and a little elbow grease will do the trick. Whisk vigorously until the batter is free from any lumps.
Refrigerate the Crepe Batter
Next you’ll want to refrigerate your crepe batter. This allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid and will result in much more tender crepes than if you were to cook them right away. Your batter should rest in the fridge for at least one hour. You can even make your crepe batter the night before and let it rest overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready to make crepes, give the batter a good stir as the flour will have settled to the bottom of the bowl.
Grease Your Pan Well!
When you’re ready to start making your crepes, heat the pan over medium-high heat. Don’t have a crepe pan? Don’t worry! A non-stick pan is the easiest for crepe making, but a well-seasoned cast iron pan will work as well.
After the pan is heated, you’ll need to grease it for the first crepe or two. After that the pan should be sufficiently hot and ‘seasoned’ with the first couple of crepes. If you find that subsequent crepes are sticking, a little top-up of butter should do the trick.
Swirl the Batter in the Pan
Add a small amount of batter — about one ounce — to the center of your pan, and swirl to coat. It may take a few tries to figure out the perfect amount of batter. It should fully cover the bottom of the pan, but should be uniformly thin. If your crepe turns out a bit too thick, add a little less batter next time. Crepe too thin? Add a touch more batter.
The first couple of crepes are rarely beautiful, even for seasoned crepe-makers. Consider them a cook’s snack!
Flip the Crepe Over — Carefully!
Your crepe will cook for about 30 seconds on the first side. You’ll know it’s ready to flip when the edges start to lift from the pan. Carefully slide a spatula under the crepe and flip! Cook for another 10 seconds or so on the second side.
Remove the finished crepe from the pan and onto a waiting plate, cutting board, or wire rack.
Serve with Your Favorite Toppings (or Save for Later)
Now it’s time to serve your crepes! You can make them as plain or as fancy as you like. Just a sprinkle of powdered sugar is fine, or you can get creative. Here are some of our favorite ways to top our crepes:
Sweet crepe fillings
- Strawberries and whipped cream
- Nutella and sliced banana
- Caramelized bananas
- Peaches and cream
- Apples and cinnamon
- Ricotta and lemon
Savory crepe fillings
- Spinach and Gruyere
- Scrambled eggs and cheese
- Tomato and basil
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Spinach and ricotta
- Broccoli and cheddar
If you’re making your crepes for later, you can stack them between sheets of parchment paper and when they’re completely cooled, put them in a large zip-top freezer bag and transfer them to the freezer. They’ll heat up in a few seconds in a non-stick pan or in the microwave.
18 Comments
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
August 19, 2014 at 11:36 amCrepes are the best!! Such a great tutorial!
Katie Trant
August 20, 2014 at 1:03 amThank you 🙂
Caroline
August 19, 2014 at 12:41 pmTry a crepe with just butter on it. Just like people love them in Brittany France… You’ll love it! 🙂
Katie Trant
August 20, 2014 at 1:04 amMmmmm, sounds delicious. Simple, and perfect.
Rivki Locker
August 19, 2014 at 9:06 pmWhat beautiful photos. Love how you illustrated this process. My family adores crepes, but they are such an effort, we usually save them for (very) special occasions. Your photos are tempting me to make them soon!
Katie Trant
August 20, 2014 at 1:05 amRikki takes beautiful photos, doesn’t she! Crepes are great for special occasions, but if you cook up a big batch and freeze them (instructions at the end of the post) you’ve got crepes on hand for whenever you like!
Maria
August 20, 2014 at 12:55 amI like mine with thin-sliced strawberries, a splash of cognac, sprinkle with shaved dark chocolate and thin-sliced almonds. My other favorite is just a splash of Grand Marnier and sprinkle with shaved dark chocolate. Deeeeelish!
Katie Trant
August 20, 2014 at 1:06 amStrawberries and cognac! Grand Marnier with dark chocolate! You’ve just kicked things up a notch! What great ideas, I’ll have to try them out next time I make crepes.
Millie | Add A Little
August 20, 2014 at 2:23 amI love crepes! These look so perfect!
I better get practising on my technique haha!
Katie Trant
August 22, 2014 at 10:13 amGet practicing!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
August 20, 2014 at 4:04 pmSweet, I’m bookmarking this for sure. Usually when I try to make crepes, they turn out more like pancakes, so I could definitely use this tutorial!
Katie Trant
August 21, 2014 at 1:23 amIt’s a bit of a trick getting the right about of batter in the pan, but start with a hot pan, a small amount of batter, and a good swirl to coat. Just keep practicing until you get the perfect crepe!
Joanne
August 21, 2014 at 11:05 pmCrepes are a fairly new foodie love of mine! I even got a special electric crepe maker just so I could make them without fear…but now I feel very tempted to try them out on one of my regular nonstick pans!
Katie Trant
August 22, 2014 at 10:13 amElectric crepe maker?! You lucky girl!
Kim @ Hungry Healthy Girl
August 23, 2014 at 8:49 pmI’ve been wanting to give crepes a try for awhile. Thanks for the great tutorial…. can’t wait to give it a try!
Katie Trant
August 24, 2014 at 2:36 amIt’s easier than you think! Be sure to let us know how your crepes turn out 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
August 24, 2014 at 2:51 pmGorgeous crepes, I love the peach filling!
PJ Emm
February 16, 2020 at 1:22 amAm I missing the actual recipe measurements?