Perfect Homemade Crepes

Perfect Homemade Crepes mix up quickly in the blender, then cook to golden brown perfection with lightly crisp edges. Fill them with whipped cream and your favorite toppings for an incredible breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

What are Crepes?

Crêpes (pronounced kreip) can be best described as very thin, French pancakes that can be made savory or sweet.

Unlike traditional pancakes that have baking soda and baking powder in the batter to achieve a fluffy thickness, crepes are thin and flat but pliable enough to fold or roll for serving.

You can serve crepes stacked or folded, powdered sugar and melted butter, or drizzled with syrup or sauce. Or fill them with whipped cream – then top with fresh fruit or a drizzle of Nutella. The possibilities are endless!

The Best Homemade Crepe Recipe

Over the years, Jack and I have tested different homemade crepe recipes – trying very hard to recreate some fantastic crepes we enjoyed on vacation a long time ago. I think we’ve done it with our recipe today!

Perfect homemade crepes are as much about the cooking technique as it is the ingredients that go into a crepe batter. With a little bit of practice, it really isn’t that difficult to make homemade crepes and the batter is quite forgiving. You can just take your time and make the crepes ahead of time, then warm them up again for serving.

• This crepes recipe is simply delicious – soft, tender thin pancakes that can be served with sweet or savory topping and fillings.
• You can make them ahead of time so assembly and serving is quick and easy.
• With our recipe and tips below, you can make perfect homemade crepes that rival the kind served at your favorite restaurant!

• Butter – We always cook and bake with unsalted butter and this recipe is no different.
• Eggs
• Milk – We recommend whole milk for this recipe. That extra milk fat found in whole milk adds flavor, moisture, and texture.
• Water – While some crepe recipes call for seltzer water (which presumably gives the crepes a lighter and more delicate texture), we used plain tap water and our crepes came out light and delicate.
• Salt
• All-Purpose Flour – All-purpose flour yields a soft and tender crepe. You could also make crepes with other flours including whole wheat or buckwheat – the flavor and texture will change.
• (Optional) Granulated Sugar – We made unsweetened crepes because we knew that our toppings would be sweet. If you’d like to add a little bit of sugar (1 tablespoon for this recipe), you can.
• Oil – For greasing the pan while cooking.
• Toppings – Whipped cream (ours was unsweetened – simply made by whipping heavy cream), strawberries, Nutella (make your own following this recipe), and powdered sugar.

1. Combine melted butter, eggs, milk, and salt in a blender.
2. Add flour and blend. Scrape sides and blend, again, just to combine.
3. Add water through top of blender while motor is running on low speed.
4. Refrigerate batter for at least one hour and as long as overnight (12 hours).
5. Prepare toppings by whipping cream, warming Nutella, and mixing cut strawberries with a little powdered sugar to form a syrup. Set aside.
6. Place a little canola oil in a small bowl and fold a paper towel into a wad. Have some tongs on hand as well.
7. Heat crepe pan on low or medium low heat. Once pan is hot, grasp the paper towel with the tongs and dip into the oil. Shake off any excess oil and lightly oil the crepe pan. (Wipe up excess oil if needed).
8. Place a wooden crepe spreader in a bowl of water.
9. Working quickly, pour a half cup of batter into the center of the crepe pan and spread to the edges with wet wooden crepe spreader.  (You can also try spreading the batter with an offset spatula, or swirling the pan to spread the batter to the edges.) Note that this process is the trickiest part of making crepes and will take practice to perfect. Don’t get discouraged! If you have broken spots or holes in the crepe, simply spoon on a little more batter to cover up your mistakes. Once you flip it, all mistakes will be covered and no one will ever know.
10. Cook on one side for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes – you’ll start to see the edges pull away from the sides of the pan (this means the crepe is ready to flip). Slide a wooden or metal spatula under the crepe to the center and flip over. It should be pliable enough at this point to stay in one piece. If you try and flip too soon, it will tear. Just keep lifting an edge to check before flipping.
11. After flipping, cook for one more minute. You can then either slide it off onto a platter or lift with the spatula and flip onto the platter. Note that once the crepe is cooked, it is very easy to handle and stays together nicely.

Crepes can be served in a variety of ways – both sweet and savory:

• Fold the crepes and drizzle on some melted butter, then a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
• Spread whipped cream over half the crepe, the fold in half, then in thirds. Top with a drizzle of Nutella.
• Fill with whipped cream (as in the step above) then top with fresh strawberries. We chopped our strawberries, then stirred them with some powdered sugar. As the strawberries sit in the sugar, the juices release and create a simple strawberry sauce.
• You can make a cake with your crepes by piling them flat on top of each other – with or without melted butter in between each layer. Sprinkle some powdered sugar or other toppings. Then cut into wedges as you would any other cake.
• Unsweetened crepes can also be used to make a sandwich. Lay the crepe flat and place lunch meat and cheese, plus shredded or sliced vegetables on top. You can also add mayonnaise or mustard if you’d like. Then roll into a “wrap-like” sandwich.

• Can I make crepes ahead of time?  Yes! In fact, we recommend that you make your crepes ahead of time, then focus on the fillings and toppings when it is time to serve.
• How do I store crepes?  These can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month. Lay the crepes in a flat pile with either parchment paper circles (these work well) or wax paper between each crepe to prevent sticking.
• How do I reheat crepes? No need to reheat – they can be eaten at room temperature – although if you’d like to reheat them in a warmed crepe pan for serving, you can. Then, simply use as you will with your favorite fillings and toppings.
• Can I freeze?  Yes, crepes freeze nicely – for up to a month – with layers of parchment or wax paper so they don’t stick to each other.

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