Crepes are French-style thin pancakes which are a popular breakfast option all over the world. They can be either sweet or savoury, the choice is yours. Here is how to make Crepes:
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, yes and I take it very seriously!
While most of the days, there is a simple Indian breakfast, I like to jazz it up a little on weekends.
Saturdays are always booked for Parathas or Puris, but Sunday is a day of fancy Continental breakfast.
So when last weekend I tried my hands on these homemade Crepes, my son liked it so much that I have clear instructions to make it every Sunday now. Haha!
Jokes aside, these homemade crepes might look fancy but they are very easy to make, quick, and most importantly delicious.
These Crepes originated from Brittany, a region in the northwest of France but soon became famous all over the world.
And now every possible Continental breakfast place will have these crepes on their menu for sure.
You will find both the sweet and savory versions of the same, sweet being my favorite.
Just like my other easy to make Breakfast Recipes like Homemade Pancakes, Egg Muffins, or Egg White Scramble, these Homemade Crepes will also become your favorite.
What is a Crepe?
It is a French street-food staple, is a thin-crusted Pancake that is popularly served for Breakfast.
It is made with all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour.
This crispy yet tender pancake can be dressed up with sweet or savory toppings and any number of flavorful fillings.
You can always experiment with the fillings too, and serve it just like you want.
Making a French Crepe Recipe is very easy as it needs only a few ingredients such as All-Purpose Flour/Whole Wheat Flour, Eggs, Unsalted Butter, Milk, Water, and Salt.
If you are making a sweet version, just add Vanilla Extract and Sugar too along with the above ingredients, but if you are making a savory one, add salt and fresh herbs instead of sugar and vanilla extract.
To make this easy Crepe recipe without eggs, you can use vegetable oil as a substitute for eggs.
You can serve sweet Crepes as a dessert after your Continental meals for your Brunch or Weekend meals.
You can also make a Crepe Cake by layering Crepes on one another and fill it with delicious spreads and fresh fruits.
What is the difference between a Crepe and a Pancake?
Crepe and Pancake, are Breakfast recipes that are popular all over the world but there is a slight difference in both of them.
The batter for both of these has a slight variation.
Pancake batter has a raising agent such as Baking Soda or Baking Powder, which makes the pancakes thicker and fluffy when compared to Crepes.
Whereas on the other side, Crepes does not have any raising agent in their batter, which makes them thinner and flat.
Ingredients
It’s easy to make and you will find the ingredients in your pantry itself! What else you need?
To make the Crepes, you will need all-purpose flour, eggs, unsalted butter, milk, water, and salt.
For a healthier version, you can even substitute all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
The texture will differ a bit, but they taste delicious too.
If you are making a sweet version, add in vanilla extract and sugar in the above mixture.
If you are making a savory version, add in salt and herbs in the above mixture.
What can you serve it with?
This is one of my favorite parts about making a crepe for breakfast, that is what to serve it with?
Here are some of the ways you can serve your Breakfast Crepes:
- Serve the sweet Crepes along with simple syrups like Honey, Maple Syrup, or Chocolate Syrup and Castor Sugar to keep it simple and basic.
- Serve it along with spreads such as Chocolate Spread, Almond Spread, Nutella, Caramel Sauce, or Fruit Compotes.
- Sweet Crepes go well along with the above Syrups and Spreads and Fresh Fruits of your choice such as Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry, Mango, etc.
- Serve the savory Pancakes on its own with a dollop of butter or melted cheese.
- Serve the savory Pancakes along with Vegetable stuffings such as Mushroom, Baby Corn, Spinach, etc.
How does these taste like?
Crepe, a famous French Breakfast recipe tastes like Pancakes but is thinner and crispier.
It has less of a sweet taste and more of a subtle egg taste.
To give it more flavor and taste, it is dressed up with sweet and savory fillings.
Which pan to is best to make these?
You can use Non-Stick Pan, Cast Iron Pan, Ceramic Pan or Stainless Steel Skillet to make those perfect Crepes.
While you can easily make them in these pans, you will need a little practice to make it perfect in the Stainless Steel Skillet.
How to make Vegan Crepe?
If you want to avoid Eggs and Milk to make your Crepe, you can follow this Vegan Crepe Recipe.
Ingredients required
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Soy Milk or Almond Milk
- Olive Oil
- Vanilla Extract
Mix all the ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl. Heat a non-stick skillet and coat with oil if needed.
Spread your batter and cook from both sides until they turn slightly brown in color.
How long can you store the batter?
You can store freshly made batter in the fridge for about 24 hours in an airtight container.
Make sure you take out the batter and cook it only when it reaches the room temperature.
Step by Step Recipe
Add flour, eggs, butter, milk, water, and salt in a bowl and whisk well to make a lump free smooth batter. If making sweet crepes, add vanilla and sugar and mix well. If making savory, add the additional salt and herbs and blend well.
Cover the batter and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan. Brush the pan very lightly with butter.
Pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the pan and swirl the pan immediately to spread a thin layer of better in the pan.
Cook for 40-50 seconds and then flip the crepe and cook for another 20-25 seconds.
Fill with your choice of filling. Serve hot.
Best Crepe Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 4 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter (Melted)
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/4 tsp Salt
For Sweet Crepes
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Sugar (Optional)
For Savoury Crepes
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh herbs (Finely chopped)
Instructions
- Add flour, eggs, butter, milk, water and salt in a bowl and whisk well to make a lump free smooth batter.
- If making sweet crepes, add vanilla and sugar and mix well.
- If making savoury crepes, add the additional salt and herbs and blend well.
- Cover the batter and keep side for 30 minutes.
- Heat a non stick pan.
- Brush the pan with butter.
- Pour a ladle full of batter in the centre of the pan and swirl the pan to spread a thin layer of better in the pan.
- Cook for 40-50 seconds and then flip the crepe and cook for another 20-25 seconds.
- Fill with your choice of filling.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Alida @ Simply Delicious
I love a good crepe and these look fantastic! Lovely photos!
msnehamathur
Thnx Alida
kamala
loved your crepe!