What are crepes? Crepes are basically thin pancakes made without any leavening agent. Sweet crepes are usually served for breakfast or as a dessert. They can also be filled with a savory filling to make a great lunch.
I love crepes because they’re so delicious and fun! Think of how many different fillings and toppings you can experiment with. You could roll them up with some butter and cinnamon sugar, or simply serve with some fresh fruit. And if you prefer a savory crepe, stuff it with grilled chicken and shredded cheese, for example.
My favorite way to enjoy these homemade crepes is to make sweet cheese blintzes.
Are crepes healthy?
Usually, crepes are not the healthiest breakfast option. However, it mainly depends on the filling you choose to use. For a healthy sweet crepe, use peanut butter or greek yogurt, and some fresh fruit. Skip the sugary nut spreads and jams.
Also, my crepe recipe uses a large number of eggs which provides lots of protein and essential amino acids.
What are crepes made out of?
There’s a lot of different crepe recipes out there. But most of them are made out of these simple ingredients: milk, flour, salt, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil.
Milk – Some recipes use a mix of water and milk for the liquid. I prefer to use all milk for a richer taste.
Flour – You don’t need to use any special flour in this recipe. Here, I’m just using good old all purpose flour, and it works great. Everyone’s flour is a little different though, so I recommend letting your batter rest for at least 10 minutes on the counter before adding additional liquid. The batter should have a consistency of heavy cream at the end.
Eggs – My recipe calls for a lot of eggs. That insures the crepes hold up well with any filling you choose to use. They won’t fall apart or get soggy even after you bake them.
Sugar – If you’re making a sweet version of these crepes, make sure to add some vanilla for an additional touch of flavor. Also, feel free to add an extra tablespoon of sugar if you like.
Salt – A pinch of salt balances out the rest of the flavors.
Oil- You can choose to use any neutral oil in this recipe, such as vegetable oil. To get rich and buttery crepes, use melted butter instead.
Can Crepes be made Ahead of Time?
Crepes is a great make-ahead breakfast or dessert idea! There’s two ways you could go about making them ahead of time:
Make the batter the night before. Simply mix the batter in a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge overnight. The next morning, check the consistency of the batter. As flour absorbs the liquid, it can get a little thicker that needed. In that case, simply add more milk until you get heave cream like consistency.
Refrigerate or freeze cooked crepes. If you decide to refrigerate cooked crepes instead, simply stack them on top of each other on a serving plate, cover with plastic wrap and use up within 2-3 days.
To freeze crepes, freeze filled crepes individually on a cutting board first. Once frozen, put them in a ziplock bag. Reheat in the microwave. If not using any fillings, simply stack them on top of each other and layer some parchment paper between each crepe.
Tips for Perfect Homemade Crepes every time – Troublshooting
Why do crepes stick to a pan?
- the pan is not heated through
- forgot to add oil
Crepes are not cooking evenly
- your pan is not heating through evenly
- temperature is too high
Why do my crepes have holes?
- temperature is too high
Why do my crepes tear?
- not enough eggs used
- flipped too soon
Why are my crepes too thick?
- the batter is too thick and needs more liquid
- poured too much batter into the pan
Why do my crepes taste gummy?
- flour is not mixed in all the way
- not mixing the batter frequently while cooking
Homemade Crepes
Ingredients
- 6 Eggs
- pinch of Salt
- 2-3 tbsp Sugar
- Vanilla optional
- 1 1/2 cup Milk plus more as needed
- 250 g AP Flour
- 1/4 cup Oil any unscented kind
Instructions
- Using a mixer or a whisk, whisk the eggs with vanilla, salt, and sugar until foamy.
- Add the flour and 1/2 cup milk (from the total amount). Mix until no lumps left. Add the remaining 1 cup of the milk. Let sit on the counter for at least 10 minutes to half an hour, or leave in the fridge overnight.
- After the batter has rested, check its consistency. It needs to be similar to heavy cream consistency. Add more milk to thin out the batter if needed.
- Add the oil and mix until combined.
- Cook crepes in a non-stick pan over medium to high heat. You want to make sure to add just enough batter to create a thin crepe each time. Rotating the pan and pouring the batter at the same time, spread the batter as evenly and as fast as you can. As soon as you see the edges starting to brown, flip on the other side and cook for an additional 10 seconds or so. Mix the batter from time to time to prevent the flour settling at the bottom of the mixing bowl.
- Serve with your favorite toppings or bake with additional fillings.
[…] want to make sure your crepes won’t tear after you fill them with cheese. For that reason, my crepe recipe calls for a large number of eggs. Eggs act as binding agents in the batter, helping the crepes hold […]