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 local creperie makes one with strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar. It sounds like a strange combo, but it is my absolute favorite there :)
Okay, these are becoming a problem for me! I’ve made maybe six batches in the past three weeks. Only eat them two at a time, either by themselves or with some turkey bacon. Fillings I’ve tried: honey cream cheese and blackberries, peanut butter and Granny Smith apple slices, peanut butter and banana slices, lemon curd, and pumpkin butter (the latter two sometimes with a little line of whipped cream on top. Sometimes rolled, sometimes folded in half.
I’m lactose intolerant and can’t handle milk unless it’s cooked, so for the last two batches I ran out of milk-milk in the house and subbed in soy milk. Batter needs a lot more whisking but it still tastes good. I use 1 cup all-purpose flour instead of the white/wheat combo and 1/4 cup batter for my 8″ omelet pan.
I’m quoting here from the ingredients list:
ยฝ all-purpose flour
ยฝ what?! I ended up taking ยฝ gallon. Did not work out though.
Ha! Thanks for catching that typo… I can’t believe it’s taken so long for anyone to say anything. :P
Man I cannot eat another crepe after having worked in a crepe restaurant for 2 years. I feel like it ruined crepes for me. ):
Aww, that’s so sad! But it also sounds like a really fun job! How cool. :D
Hi Beth,
I made these today and they were such a hit with my mum and brother. Thank you for sharing your recipe :) I’m surprised that I can cook.
I paired there with a sauteed mushrooms, turkey ham and cheese. Delightful.
xG
Best Crepe Filling: Green apple slices and Brie cheese
Oh, I have to get some more brie, that sounds amazing.
Been making crapes for years. .. they are amazing. My mom used to put vanilla pudding inside with powdered sugar on top. Now I do it for my family and they LOVE it!
Question. Anyone know how long/how/if you can save unfilled crepes? I’d like to make them on the weekend to have during the week.
Made this for our Sunday morning breakfast today. I used some mushrooms I got at the farmer’s market, ham, onions, and some cheese. It was fantastic. I have a couple leftover crepes that I plan on using for dessert later on. :) Thanks for sharing!
I made crepes stuffed with cottage cheese (a la blintzes) and had them with lentil soup for lunch. Pretty yummy :)
On ratios, I use 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup water, 1 egg, 1 cup flour, + some butter :) Almost the only recipe I know by heart, and the first real recipe I learned to make…
My mom always had a stick of butter with which she would brush each crepe as it came off the pan, so each one had a delicious buttery flavor. Yum!
I’ve been in the mood for crepes lately. Thank you for reminding me!
FYI, palaฤinky (or palacsinta as my Hungarian family calls them) is not the same as a crepe, though they’re similar. The main difference is that crepe batter is supposed to “rest” like your recipe indicates, but palacsinta batter is used right away.
Also on a less negative note, the best way to eat palacsintas/crepes is with cool whip and raspberries!
Yum, crepes! I made them when my boys were little with jam inside and powdered sugar outside. Sausage crepes are wonderful for a special brunch or even a light dinner dish. I’ll keep looking for my recipe for the sausage filling.
Also, crepes make an easy substitute for manicotti pasta tubes – so much easier to fill and roll than to stuff the filling in the tube.
My family is Polish, and my mom would always make Nalesniki, the Polish variation. I love them stuffed with just about anything, but I have a nostalgic leaning towards them just rolled up with jelly.