Crêpes

I’ve had a love affair with crêpes since I was a little girl, which is when I learned how to make them. I would make a “stack,” sprinkle a little white sugar on them, and eat them just like that for breakfast.

My first introduction to crêpes was when my mother made Crêpes Suzette. My French friend Stéphane from My French Heaven gave me some interesting factoids about this fabulous, flaming dessert and crêpes in general!

♥ Crèpes Suzette is a recent thing: In the early 1900’s, Edward VI was having crêpes in a restaurant on the riviera. The chef had flambéed Grand Marnier with them. Edward asked the waitress what it was but she didn’t have a name for the dish. So the king asked what her name was, which was Suzette. They have been called crêpes Suzette ever since.

♥ As for savory crêpes, they are an ancient specialty from Bretagne. They are made with black wheat and are called galettes. Only the sweet ones can be called crêpes.

A galette with ham and egg

A galette with ham and egg

♥ You eat crêpes with apple cider always as they produce a lot of apples there (Bretagne is close to Normandy).

♥ The restaurants where they serve crêpes only are called crêperies. The best ones have a chef who is a Maître Crêpier.

Photo from retagne by Stephane Gabart

Photo from Bretagne by Stephane Gabart

After seeing the above photo, I put Bretagne on my travel bucket list. Besides, I want to one day try the real deal in a crêperie.

There are many different recipes for crêpe batter, and I’m sure they’re all good. The only rule in making the batter for crêpes, to me, is the viscosity. Once you have that, you get proper crêpes. If the batter is too thick, you get pancakes, if it’s too thin, you get nothing.

Here is a basic recipe for crêpes, whether you’re going to use them in a sweet or savory manner.

Crêpes
Makes about 20

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk or half & half
6 tablespoons oil*
Couple pinches of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

Whisk together the egg, milk, and salt together well in a medium bowl. Gradually add the flour, whisking gently, until it is all incorporated and there are no flour lumps.

Set the bowl aside for at least 5 minutes to make sure it doesn’t thicken. If it does, add a tiny bit of milk or to get the consistency back to where it should be.

To prepare to make the crêpes, have a well-seasoned crêpe pan on hand. Mine has angled sides and an 8″ flat bottom, made from steel. I’ve had it for 42 years. I know this, because my mother sent me off to college with the same pan!

Also have on hand some butter, the batter and large spoon (about 1/4 cup capacity is perfect), a spatula, and a plate on which to place the cooked crêpes. I always use a very sturdy but thin, flat spatula to help lift the thin pancakes.

Heat a little dab of butter over medium-high heat in the crêpe pan. I personally prefer butter because of the flavor. You might have to start with about a teaspoon of butter, and subsequently use about 1/2 teaspoon per crêpe.

crep2

Before starting, give the crêpe batter a whisk. Test the viscosity again and adjust if necessary.

crep3

When the butter is hot, add a full spoonful, or approximately 1/4 cup of batter, to the pan. With the other hand, turn and tilt the pan until the crêpe batter has covered the whole bottom of the pan. Cook for no more than 30 seconds, then turn over gently with the spatula and cook for no more than 10 seconds. Place immediately on the plate by sliding or flipping over.

crep4

The cooked crêpe should be lightly golden, especially on the first side, but not browned. Adjust your burner setting accordingly, keeping in mind that if the heat is too low, the batter will just sit there and nothing will happen.

The pan has to be hot enough to “grab” the batter. If the pan is too hot, it will cause the batter to become bubbly and you probably won’t be able to spread it around. Sometimes the first crêpe is a dud because you must test the heat of the pan, and the batter.

Continue with the remaining batter.

crep5

These crêpes will hold well for a day or two in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. Before using, bring to room temperature first, or they will possibly break instead of roll. Even a little heating in the microwave will help make them more malleable.

crep7

Note: If you’re using these for a sweet dish, add a teaspoon of sugar and some vanilla to the batter, and make sure you use a flavorless oil.

By Published On: September 14th, 2015105 Comments on Crêpes

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

105 Comments

  1. Butter, Basil and Breadcrumbs September 14, 2015 at 7:07 AM - Reply

    These look perfect! I’m a crepe girl too, but not the expert that you are, Mimi. I’m very new to them.. like just a couple years new. Thank you so much for sharing this…you’ve inspired me to learn how to make them! <3 Delicious.

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 7:55 AM - Reply

      I’m no expert, but have just been making them for a long time! Can you imagine a kid going off to college with a crepe pan?!!!

  2. Bam's Kitchen September 14, 2015 at 7:10 AM - Reply

    I love crepes but have not made them in over a year, will have to sort that out soon. Love that stack you have there…

  3. Debbie Spivey September 14, 2015 at 7:38 AM - Reply

    I need to try my hand at crepes. I’ve never made them before. These look delicious!

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 7:53 AM - Reply

      Oh, they’re really lovely, and can be used in both sweet and savory ways, which I love. thank you!

  4. sallybr September 14, 2015 at 7:50 AM - Reply

    I used to make savory crepes quite often, for some reason they totally fell off my radar….

    need to bring them back!

    :-)

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 8:10 AM - Reply

      I love making savory crepes because you can make them the day before. I love chicken and ham in a white sauce. oh my. now i need to make some more crepes!

  5. dcclark13 September 14, 2015 at 8:19 AM - Reply

    These look just delicious and I appreciate the step by step instructions, thank you!

  6. apuginthekitchen September 14, 2015 at 8:25 AM - Reply

    Love crepes and your tutorial is excellent. They look wonderful.

  7. Julie is Hostess At Heart September 14, 2015 at 8:28 AM - Reply

    This is a great tutorial. We have really just started eating crepes, and I’ve never made them. Your crepes look delicious!

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 8:32 AM - Reply

      Thank you! They’re very easy. Just very thin pancakes!

  8. Lynz Real Cooking September 14, 2015 at 8:36 AM - Reply

    I love crepes as well! Very nice step by step! Lovely looking!

  9. love in the kitchen September 14, 2015 at 9:49 AM - Reply

    A great tutorial Mimi. I love my crepes with fresh lemon and brown sugar. But I’ll take them anyway I get them!

  10. cookingwithauntjuju.com September 14, 2015 at 9:59 AM - Reply

    I’ve been making sweet and savory crepes for a long time – I have 3 out of 5 recipes posted already. I love them too and all the recipes you can make using them. Any time I made any crepes Gene always expected a couple extra so he could make his Crepes Suzette. He created his own dessert :)

  11. Gerlinde de Broekert September 14, 2015 at 10:18 AM - Reply

    Mimi, I love your photos and your crepes. Your crepe pan is week seasoned. I had the good fortune to spend a week in Bretagne this summer. It was special and I hope you get to go soon. Have a great week.

  12. anotherfoodieblogger September 14, 2015 at 11:32 AM - Reply

    Mmmmm, I love savory crepes but have had some really good sweet ones in the past. My first crepe is ALWAYS a dud, lol! This is a perfect step-by-step for beginners.

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 11:34 AM - Reply

      thank you! it’s what I try to do with my blog in any case, but i’m always thrilled when seasoned cooks/chefs follow me!!

  13. SweetRevelations September 14, 2015 at 11:42 AM - Reply

    Love this! And I agree, my first crepe is always a dud!
    Renee

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 12:38 PM - Reply

      Isn’t that funny how that happens!

  14. hailhop22 September 14, 2015 at 12:30 PM - Reply

    These look wonderful! My picky eater son would probably love them! :)

  15. Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 12:39 PM - Reply

    you learn something new every day… well, more like 20 new things just by reading your post It’s pretty awesome. I had no idea about the names or the flour choice. I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper savoury crepe then. Every restaurant I’ve had them, they are made with AP flour. I gotta try this. Thanks so much for this link! There are many creperies around here in Vancouver but those too like they are made with AP flour. I’ll investigate :)

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 12:43 PM - Reply

      unfortunately i forget more than what i learn on a daily basis! So savory crepes are really galettes, which i never knew, but i only grew up with sweet crepes (french mother). I first had buckwheat groats in the 70’s when i was in college – it was hippy food, and i didn’t like it back then or now. but as i said, when cut with AP, it’s good. I’m really fine with crepes as we both make, them though.

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 12:48 PM

        some pies are also called galettes right? this is so confusing! My mom was born in France but she was very little to bring any french cooking culture into the family. My grandma was from the basque country. She was an amazing cook. She made galettes with AP flour. That’s probably the only flour one could find in Venezuela. My family moved from France to Venezuela during WWII.

      • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 12:51 PM

        oh this is interesting. that’s how you were born there! wish you had a bio on your blog! and yes, a galette is the rustic pie crust with fruits, with the crust folded over. do you follow stephane’s blog? it’s myfrenchheaven.com. i’ll be visiting him soon for the third time, and his blog is my favorite. he can explain such things. in fact, i think i’ll email him about that. it is confusing.

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 12:57 PM

        I was born in Venezuela, in Caracas… where pretty much all Venezuelans are born. I do follow Stephane :) And follow his instagram too. There is a bio on my blog but it’s not very visible. Let me see if I can send you the link. It’s pretty old and not a lot of info on it. I also need a better photo hahahaha

      • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 1:02 PM

        funny, cause i’d just looked again and didn’t find it! thanks, i’ll check you out! Love the old photo – I’m assuming that’s you! I did email Stephane, so we’ll find out what the confusion is all about!!!

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 1:07 PM

        hahaha, yeah, that’s me and that’s my actual age ;) I’ll create an about link on the side menu. It’s not there, you have to click on that share icon, that’s where I have the link now… not very clever of me.

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 12:58 PM
      • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 1:08 PM

        great bio! Now I know what you mean about the photo. I’m a little nuts about bios – i love knowing something about the person behind the blog. on some blogs, you don’t even know if it’s a male or female! It drives me so crazy that i wrote a post on this subject, and a few people added profile photos to their names!! I loved that!
        https://chefmimiblog.com/2014/08/21/a-slight-rant/

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 1:13 PM

        hahahaha this was really funny. Let me fix this bio link ASAP! :) I’m 43, or is it 42? I can’t keep track.

      • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 1:17 PM

        i just followed you on Instagram and realized how young you are! Great photos! I honestly didn’t think you’d have time to read the whole post. I mean, you do have a day job!

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 1:20 PM

        I do have a day job but took a sick day today. Thanks for the insta follow! I’ll follow back! Btw, fixed the Bio situation. Check it out.

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 1:25 PM

        what’s your instagram name? I can’t see you for some reason.

      • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 1:26 PM

        chefmimi – i’m not very active

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 1:27 PM

        those are the cutest kids!

      • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 1:47 PM

        you’re either referring to my beautiful daughters, or my grandbaby! But thank you!

      • Paul Palop September 14, 2015 at 1:48 PM

        :) beautiful family

  16. Chica Andaluza September 14, 2015 at 2:01 PM - Reply

    I don’t make these enough – when I do, I think “ooh, need to make these more often!”. Yours look fabulous :)

  17. anitacuisine September 14, 2015 at 3:13 PM - Reply

    I love crepes …one of my favorite breakfast dish from I was a child ! :)

  18. Promenade Claire September 14, 2015 at 3:46 PM - Reply

    Your post has reminded me that I have some black flour in my cupboard that I bought specifically to make palettes. Just love savoury!

  19. dishnthekitchen September 14, 2015 at 5:45 PM - Reply

    YUM! True story: My daughter forsook crepes because the first ones she tried were on an airplane and contained ricotta and raisins. I made her try a crepe when we went to Paris and she has never looked back since.

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 6:09 PM - Reply

      hahahahahahaha! although i’d love them with ricotta and raisins…

      • dishnthekitchen September 14, 2015 at 11:07 PM

        She actually brought up this story today…unprompted by our conversation. That’s how much it scarred her. It was on Quantas airlines lol

  20. A Famished Foodie September 14, 2015 at 6:30 PM - Reply

    I adore crepes- the pictures of the food and Bretagne look stunning- I’ve added it to my bucket list as well.

  21. Vinny Grette September 14, 2015 at 7:17 PM - Reply

    Wow. I love crepes, but have started making them with one egg to half a banana. Don’t knock it till you try it :). My mom made crepes suzettes with grande marnier. I too want to go to Bretagne!!!

    • chef mimi September 14, 2015 at 8:08 PM - Reply

      YES! I have my mother’s copper crepes suzettes maker – haven’t made them in about 20 years!

      • Vinny Grette September 14, 2015 at 9:35 PM

        Isn’t that crazy… I have my mom’s copper crepe suzette maker, too! If I can find the picture I’ll send it to you – so much fun :).

  22. Loretta September 14, 2015 at 7:40 PM - Reply

    Just lovely, I do so love crepes, and your tutorial is really well done. Will have to bookmark this for future reference.

  23. Gather and Graze September 14, 2015 at 8:08 PM - Reply

    A lovely post Mimi – I adore both crepes and galettes! You have me craving one of each now! ;)

  24. lapetitepaniere September 14, 2015 at 11:51 PM - Reply

    Mimi, I would love some of your delicious crêpes for my breakfast now! :)

  25. Barbra & Jack Donachy September 15, 2015 at 5:29 AM - Reply

    Nice! One of our treasured possessions – that came all the way to Mongolia with us – is our Swedish-made Scanpan crepe pan. Always a fun meal or appetizer… crepes.

  26. Callie | Flour and Fancy September 15, 2015 at 9:41 AM - Reply

    These look fantastic, and I love the tutorial!

  27. Our Growing Paynes September 15, 2015 at 2:06 PM - Reply

    Big fan of Crepe Suzette. I also love galettes. Though the galettes we had were made with buck wheat. Wonder if that is the same as black wheat?

    • chef mimi September 15, 2015 at 3:37 PM - Reply

      That’s a good question. And I don’t have the answer!

  28. The Gourmet Gourmand September 15, 2015 at 10:49 PM - Reply

    Oh wow don’t these look amazing. Had no idea about the history of Crepe Suzette either! That’s such a cool story. :)

  29. Sarah James September 16, 2015 at 10:45 AM - Reply

    Thanks for a wonderful tutorial on how to make crepes Mimi, I love your pan. I’m lucky enough to spend 6 months a year in Bretagne and I love visiting our local creperie for a galette, they are so delicious.

  30. Elaine @ foodbod September 16, 2015 at 11:32 AM - Reply

    Great post, and such interesting facts!!

  31. GiGi Eats Celebrities September 16, 2015 at 5:26 PM - Reply

    I have to try my hand at the crepe making again! Problem is, I could easily eat 5 and want 5 more lol!

  32. David Scott Allen September 19, 2015 at 8:44 AM - Reply

    Beautiful crêpes! Of course, I am catching up in reverse order so now see that they come into play with the b’stila next post! Oh-la-la!

  33. Vivian Wong September 20, 2015 at 8:26 PM - Reply

    Your crepes look fabulous. But what do you do with the oil? To substitute the butter? Thanks!

    • chef mimi September 21, 2015 at 7:12 AM - Reply

      You can use butter in the batter as well. I personally think the oil helps with the smoothness of the batter. And it keeps the crepes from sticking. But I will always cook them in butter!

  34. emmabarrett1508 September 22, 2015 at 4:57 AM - Reply

    I adore crepes. They are my absolute favourite. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful post. I hope you and the family are well. Have a wonderful week. xx

    • chef mimi September 23, 2015 at 6:47 PM - Reply

      Thank you! Give little Alice a big squeeze for me! And Miles, too.

  35. Georgia September 22, 2015 at 5:52 PM - Reply

    Thanks SO much for sharing! I too love crepes, but I have never thought of making them myself (I guess it always seemed too “hard” haha). Now I’ll definitely give it a go :)

    • chef mimi September 22, 2015 at 5:55 PM - Reply

      Nah, seriously – if you can make pancakes, you can make crepes!

      • Georgia September 22, 2015 at 6:55 PM

        Haha okay, I’ll take your word for it ;)

  36. dianeskitchentable September 23, 2015 at 1:44 PM - Reply

    Oh I love, love LOVE crepes! I’m so glad that you wrote about them because I used to make them all the time but just haven’t for ages. I’ve been trying to come up with something other than the same old, same old and I think I’ve found the solution. Now I’m going to have to go through my oldest recipes to try to find this seafood crepe that I used to make that was fabulous. I’m pretty sure it had scallops in it but that’s about all I remember – except that it was at least 25 years ago (I can remember making it in my old house … see how I remember things by associating?). At least that narrows down the possible files and cookbooks to maybe a half dozen.

    • chef mimi September 23, 2015 at 6:49 PM - Reply

      You don’t need a recipe for seafood crepes! Just make a white sauce and add Fontina !

      • dianeskitchentable September 25, 2015 at 3:30 PM

        I’m thinking there was something that gave it a very nice flavor – do you think it might have been thyme? Funny you mentioned fontina since I just got a call from my husband at the grocery store – “What’s Fontina?” That was for another recipe but since I’ve got it, what the heck!

      • chef mimi September 26, 2015 at 2:20 AM

        I use thyme a lot, and personally I think it would work if there are a lot of shallots or onions. Otherwise thyme might overpower the delicate seafood. But maybe it was saffron?

      • dianeskitchentable September 26, 2015 at 10:34 AM

        Possibly saffron, that’s a good suggestion.

  37. ruthann1 September 25, 2015 at 6:35 PM - Reply

    I am so impressed! You made these perfect crepes when you were a little girl? Wow. I’ve always thought those thin, luscious crepes would be too difficult to make at home. But now you’ve given me plenty of tips, and I’m going to tackle them. Maybe for company this weekend. . . .after I’ve practiced of course.

    I think one of the fun things about gourmet cooking is growing the courage to try new things. I wonder if the waitress Suzette possessed an inkling of how famous she would be come.
    Thank you for inspiring me.
    RuthAnn
    inspiringcuisine.com

    • chef mimi September 26, 2015 at 2:17 AM - Reply

      Well thank you for stopping by! The good thing about cooking when you’re young is that you don’t know what’s supposed to be “hard” or not, but trust me, they’re not!

  38. aranislandgirl September 25, 2015 at 8:07 PM - Reply

    You really make me want to try these with my fresh blackberry jam! I am constantly silently annoyed that the locals call these pancakes and snub my fluffy buttermilk babies. Ah well.

    Seafood crepes? Oh ya, must try that too.

    My hubs just killed three of our chickens this week and I am so excited to try spatchcocking. He claims that is my new favourite word and insists it must be a cockeral not a hen, as the name implies that. Whatever. If it makes him happy then why not.

  39. milkandbun September 26, 2015 at 1:05 PM - Reply

    Such thin crepes are called blini in Russia, and I absolutely love them! They are perfect with any filling! I like your tip that you wrote above for Diane- to make white sauce and add fish. I usually just add cured or smoked salmon and cream cheese, but with some sauce on side crepes sound interesting; almost a new dish! :)

    • chef mimi September 27, 2015 at 11:44 PM - Reply

      I think just about anything in crepes would be good! I’ve even made a beef bourguignon filling – no white sauce in sight – and it was wonderful. So, aren’t all blini made from buckwheat?

  40. indianeskitchen June 27, 2017 at 10:28 PM - Reply

    I just love crepes! I was amazed at how easy they are to make yet they look so intimidating!

Leave a Reply. I love 'em!