Classic Crepes {Easy to Make at Home}

Quick Summary

These classic Crepes are thin, buttery, light and slightly crisp around the edges. They are made with basic ingredients and easy to make at home. Fill them with your favorite ingredients, savory or sweet, and enjoy for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

Crepes are such a special treat and are easy to make at home. You don’t have to fly to France to enjoy the best crepes in the world, you can make them in your own kitchen!

If you haven’t had crepes before, they are basically ultra-thin pancakes that can be made with sweet or savory fillings. Our boys call them, “fancy French pancakes.”

We love setting out a variety of fun fillings and topping so everyone can customize their own crepes. Crepes are fun to serve for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. We love making them for holidays, special occasions, or just because it’s the weekend.

Crepe Ingredients

Crepes sound fancy, but they are made with super basic ingredients.

Butter– melted and cooled to room temperature
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Salt
Whole milk– I recommend using whole milk so the crepes are rich in flavor.
Water
Eggs
Vanilla extract– If you are making savory crepes, omit the vanilla.

How to Make Crepes

Crepe batter is easy to whip up! The batter does need to chill for at least one hour, so make sure you plan ahead. Refrigerating the batter relaxes the gluten and will help create light, airy crepes. I usually make the crepe batter the night before, so when we wake up, the batter is ready to go! It will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

To make the crepe batter, place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend. It’s as simple as that!
When you are ready to cook the crepes, remove the batter from the refrigerator. Give the batter a quick whisk. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat and lightly coat the pan with butter.
When the pan is hot, pour a ¼ cup of batter into the center of the pan, tilting and swirling the pan until batter evenly coats bottom. The batter is supposed to be thin.
Cook until the bottom is set and lightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Lift one edge of crepe with an offset spatula, then use your fingers to gently flip crepe. Cook on second side until just set and speckled with brown spots.
Transfer the cooked crepe to a large plate, making sure it is laid out flat. Continue cooking crepes until the batter is gone, making sure you add more butter to the pan, so the crepes don’t stick.

Sweet Crepe Filling Ideas

I am usually team sweet when it comes to crepes. Here are a few of our favorite fillings:

Fruit (berries, bananas, pears, apples)
Confectioner’s sugar
Whipped cream
Nutella
Nut Butters
Granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice
Cinnamon sugar
Salted caramel sauce or hot fudge sauce
Jam or lemon curd
Toasted coconut
Almond slices

Savory Crepe Filling Ideas

If you want more of a filling, hearty meal, you can make a savory crepe. They’re absolutely delicious! Try filling the crepes with:

Sautéed veggies or roasted veggies
Greens
Scrambled eggs
Thinly sliced meats (turkey, ham, roast beef)
Cheese (ricotta, goat, feta, cheddar, brie, Havarti…use your favorite)
Cream cheese, smoked salmon, dill, and capers

How to Store Crepes

Once cooled, your leftover crepes can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Since they’re so thin, I like to place a piece of parchment paper between each crepe to keep them from sticking together.

You can also freeze crepes for up to two months.

Crepes can be reheated in the oven wrapped in foil or microwaved for just a few seconds until they’re warmed through.

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast/Brunch

Crepes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup water, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, omit when making savory crepes
Butter, for greasing the pan

In a blender, combine the melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, milk, water, eggs, and vanilla extract, if using. Put the lid on tightly and blend for 20 seconds or until well combined and smooth. The consistency should be similar to heavy cream. Chill the crepe batter, covered tightly, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. It will keep for up to 48 hours.
When you are ready to cook the crepes, remove the batter from the refrigerator. Give the batter a quick whisk. Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat the pan with butter.
Pour a ¼ cup of batter into the center of the hot pan, tilting and swirling the pan until batter evenly coats bottom. The batter is supposed to be thin. Cook until the bottom is set and lightly golden brown, about 1 minute.
Lift one edge of crepe with an offset spatula, then use your fingers to gently flip crepe. Cook on second side until just set and speckled with brown spots, about 45 seconds.
Transfer the cooked crepe to a large plate, making sure it is laid out flat. Continue cooking crepes until the batter is gone, making sure you add more butter to the pan, so the crepes don’t stick.
Serve the crepes with desired fillings and toppings. You can roll or fold the crepes into fourths, creating a triangle or fill with desired fillings then fold. Some of our favorites include whipped cream, berries, confectioner’s sugar, Nutella, banana slices, jam, lemon curd, and cinnamon sugar. See the post for more suggestions.

Store leftover, cooled crepes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze crepes for up to 2 months. Place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each crepe to make sure they don’t stick. Thaw, still wrapped, in the refrigerator.
To reheat crepes, wrap the crepes in aluminum foil and place in a 350 degrees F oven for about 5 minutes. You can also reheat them in the microwave.

Calories: 86kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 67mg, Potassium: 43mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 152IU, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg