In the battle between crepes and pancakes, I’ll side with crepes any day. Why? Because they’re endlessly versatile (serve them up with sweet or savory fillings) and their thin and delicate texture means I can enjoy a lot more of them before feeling overly stuffed. 😅 I mean sure, a big stack of fluffy pancakes always has its place, but crepes for me are just tops. Especially when they’re as easy as this recipe for homemade crepes. Need more convincing? Keep reading…
What’s the Difference Between Crepes and Pancakes?
Crepes, like pancakes, are made with a simple batter comprised of flour, eggs, milk, and butter. The main difference between crepes and pancakes is the ratio of ingredients in the batter which creates different textures once cooked. Crepes are very thin and flexible, making them perfect for filling, folding, and rolling. Their delicate flavor also pairs well with both sweet and savory ingredients. American pancakes, on the other hand, are thick, fluffy, far more cake-like, and are almost always served with sweet toppings.
Ingredients for Crepes
Crepes are incredibly easy to make and don’t require any unusual ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy homemade crepes recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour gives the crepes body and a nice flexible texture. You can substitute up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, if desired.
- Eggs: The eggs serve three purposes in crepes: binding, leavening, and flexibility. They act as the glue that holds the batter together, they create some steam action when cooked which helps leaven the crepes just a touch, and they keep the crepes nice and flexible.
- Milk: Milk serves as the liquid in the batter. I used whole milk for a richer crepe, but you can substitute with any milk, dairy or non-dairy, that you like.
- Butter: Butter keeps the crepes rich and delicious, and add a nice flavor.
- Water: A little extra water helps hydrate the flour to keep the crepes nice and soft.
- Salt: Salt helps flavor the crepes so they don’t taste pasty or too much like flour.
- Oil: Oil is used to cook the crepes so they don’t stick to the pan and so they brown nicely on the surface.
Make Sweet or Savory Crepes
Our homemade crepes recipe below is neutral in flavor and pairs well with either sweet or savory fillings. If you want your crepes to be a little sweeter and more dessert-like, you can add 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and ½ tsp vanilla extract to the batter for a sweeter finish.
Filling Ideas for Crepes
The best part about crepes is filling them with all sorts of fun ingredients! Scavenge your fridge and pantry for anything you might need to use up, and come up with your own fun flavor combinations, or try one of these filling ideas for crepes:
- Yogurt and jam
- Ham and cheese
- Lemon curd and whipped cream
- Nutella and berries
- Spinach and goat cheese or Swiss cheese
- Peanut butter and chocolate chips
How to Serve Crepes
Once you’ve chosen some fun fillings for your crepes, you can either fold or roll those fillings up in the crepe. To fold the crepes, cover half of the crepe with your toppings, fold the crepe in half to close, and then fold in half once more so it’s in a quarter-round. To roll the crepes, place your toppings down the center, or slightly to one side, then fold one side over the toppings, then continue to roll to the other side.
How to Store Leftover Crepes
…If there are any leftovers! Leftover crepes are stored well in the fridge for quick use later in the week, and you can even freeze crepes for longer storage. Keep refrigerated crepes in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or other air-tight food storage container for 4-5 days. To freeze, make sure to place a piece of parchment between each crepe so they don’t stick together once frozen. Thaw frozen crepes in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, then microwave briefly until warmed through.
Easy Homemade Crepes
Servings 6 crepesIngredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.07)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature* ($0.46)
- 1 cup milk, warmed* ($0.20)
- 3 Tbsp melted butter ($0.33)
- 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil, for the skillet ($0.08)
Instructions
- Add the flour, salt, eggs, milk, melted butter, and water together in a large bowl until it forms a smooth and slightly thick batter.
- Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate up to two days.
- When ready to make your crepes, heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Once hot, brush with about ½ tsp oil.
- Pour about ⅓ cup of the batter into the skillet and begin to tilt the skillet in a circular motion to allow the batter to evenly cover the surface of the skillet.
- Allow the batter to cook until mostly set, then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. The total cook time for each side will vary depending on your skillet and stove top. You may need to adjust the heat up or down as you go.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil between crepes as needed. As you cook the crepes, stack them on a clean plate and cover with a towel to keep warm. Once all of the crepes are cooked, fill, fold, or roll the crepes then serve.
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Crepes
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, 2 large eggs (room temperature, 1 cup milk (room temperature), 3 Tbsp melted butter, and ¼ cup water.
Whisk the ingredients together until it creates a smooth batter that is thin enough to run off the spoon. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to two days.
Heat a 10-inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, brush about ½ tsp oil over the surface of the pan.
Pour about ⅓ cup batter into the center of the pan, then immediately tilt the skillet around in a circle to allow the batter to thinly cover the surface.
Getting the batter to evenly cover the surface may take a little practice, but don’t worry, even if they’re not perfectly shaped they still taste great! And it can make for a fun Saturday morning game. Once the batter is mostly set, it’s time to flip the crepe.
Flip the crepe and cook until golden brown on the second side. The time needed to cook the crepe until golden brown on each side will vary depending on your skillet and characteristics of your stove, so you may need to play around a bit and adjust the heat as you go.
As you cook the crepes, pile the finished crepes onto a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm. This recipe will make about six crepes.
Once they’re all cooked, it’s time to fill and enjoy! To roll the crepes, place your fillings down the center or slightly to one side, then fold one side in over the toppings and continue to roll to the other side.
To fold the crepes, place your fillings over one half of the crepe, then fold to close.
Fold in half one more time to create a quarter-round.
And then once the crepes are filled and folded or rolled, you can top them with even more ingredients like powdered sugar, whipped cream, or maple syrup.
What is your favorite crepe filling? Share in the comments below. :)
My favorite filling for crepes would be Nutella with powdered sugar and whipped cream. I have a jar of Nutella sitting in my kitchen cabinet, and I will definitely make these crepes. :-)
Bacon and Nutella from Crepes a la Carte! And while making them myself would certainly save me some money, it would be detrimental to my waistline if the crepes are too easy to access.
My favorite savory crepe is diced ham, chopped onions, gruyere, and a touch of sour cream. (hangover cure)
My favorite sweet crepe is just lemon butter and a dash of powdered sugar. I could eat those all day if given the opportunity. :)
Could you just use one cup of regular flour? Or do you have to do the 1/2 whole wheat?
Just trying to use what I already have :)
Yes, you definitely can. :)
I make mine in the blender–it mixes up really fast, and has a convenient pour spout. And easy way to clean the blender when you’re done (especially when there’s no chunks stuck to the side) is to fill it with warm water, a few drops of soap, and blend it all together. Then rinse and let it dry.
One of my favorite fillings is ripe pear slices with a little bit of brie, then you put it back in the pan and let the cheese melt. :D
That’s an amazing way to clean out the blender..Definitely going to try that out. Thanks Ruth!
I can’t wait ti make these with my girls! our favorite is lemon juice and powdered sugar!
The reason that crepes take longer than pancakes for me to make are that I can only make one crepe per pan, whereas pancakes I can make 8 at a time on my griddle. I do have two crepe pans so that I can get two going at a time, but it is still time-consuming.
I am vegan and gluten-free, and make a buckwheat crepe that is very nice. I like sweet crepes… berries or peaches and coconut whipped cream… maybe a drizzle of chocolate…
My very very favorite combination is: nutella, strawberries and bananas sliced super thin, chocolate chip cookie dough (stay with me!) and topped with whipped cream. The cookie dough gives it a little bit of a salty kick to counteract the Nutella. Sooooo so good!
I also do turkey and cheese with tomato and sometimes a little bit of ranch dressing because, Nutella be damned, I am sometimes a plebian.
xox
I would call that “Pfannkuchen” which directly translates pancake. They are not the same in EU and US though. And french people are probably sighing right now. Great recipe as always thanks!
I agree, to me those are just ‘pancakes’. In Austria people call them ‘Palatschinken’ (note the similarity to the Czech word). I don’t think I’ve ever had the fluffy American style pancakes before.
My favourite are Swedish pancakes: filled with lingonberry jam (it’s a pretty tart jam) and whipped cream.
Would almond milk work just as well as regular milk for those who are lactose intolerant?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would. They will be a little more thin, probably, because it has less fat, but I think it would do.
Almond milk gives it a great flavour and consistency! I almost prefer it with that than with cow’s milk :)
Almond milk works great! It gives it a nice subtle almond flavour and great texture. I actually prefer it over cows milk for crêpes. I’ve only done this for sweet crêpes though, not savoury.
I made them with almond milk before and it works just fine.
Can’t forget nutella and well, anything!
When I make crepes, I dump all the batter ingredients into my blender. Mixed in 30 seconds!
OH CREPE! I must make these sometimes.
My mom’s recipe for crepes is even easier-1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 1 egg–so simple I can remember it! I like to fill mine with jelly, strawberries, and syrup-these were a staple at our family breakfast table!
There is a crepe restaurant near me, and I like their goat cheese, spinach, and honey crepe!
Nice! I’ll have to try that ratio!
We use that simple recipe in Canada too, less fat! :)
We eat them with old cheddar cheese and maple syrup!
Favorite toppings are ice cream, nutella, and various types of preserves! I’ve never had a savory crepe but I have a feeling I would never go back to sweet crepes if I did.
My favorite for savory is turkey, mozzarella, and spinach.
I’m not much of a sweets person but banana and nutella is good.