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Basic Crepes Recipe

Basic Crepes Recipe

Name: Basic Crepes Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 eggs; 1 1/3 cups milk; 2 tablespoons butter, melted, or oil; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired

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By Pillsbury Kitchens

Updated Jul 25, 2024

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Calling all breakfast food lovers! Ready to serve up your very best morning meal yet? If you’ve been wanting to learn how to make a crepe, you’re in the perfect place. We’ve got an easy crepe recipe for you that takes just 5 ingredients and 30 minutes. Our basic crepes recipe makes a stack of thin, ultra-delicious crepes ready to be packed with your choice of sweet or savory fillings. Give it a try—it’s one of the best crepe recipes around because it’s so simple and versatile.

Homemade crepes are simple, satisfying, and easily customizable, and we’ve got you covered with all the crepe filling ideas you could need. Try mushroom and Swiss, or hazelnut spread and raspberries. The options are endless! They can also be served as a dessert after lunch or dinner. And if you want something to add to your morning spread, we’ve got plenty more breakfast and brunch recipes where this one came from. Now grab your whisk and let’s learn how to make crepes!

What Are Crepes?

What are crepes, exactly? (Besides delicious, of course.) They’re light, delicate pastries made by pouring a thin layer of batter into a hot pan or griddle. The result is a round, flat pancake that can be rolled or folded and filled with a range of delicious toppings.

Crepes are popular world-wide, but they originated in France. You’ll often see them served as a sweet or savory breakfast food, but they can also be a yummy dessert or snack any time of day! Our recipe for basic crepes comes together easily and is super simple to customize, so try serving up all different kinds of homemade crepes whenever the mood hits!

How to Make Crepes

Here’s a quick look at how to make crepes. Read on for our full basic crepes recipe, which includes helpful images that’ll keep you on track!

Make Crepe Batter

Learning how to make crepe batter is simple—you just need a few fresh ingredients and pantry staples (listed below). Combine them and beat until smooth.

Cook Your Crepes

Once you’ve assembled your batter, all you have to do is pour a very thin layer into a greased, heated pan and cook each side to a beautiful golden brown.

Fill and Serve

With a stack of tasty homemade crepes on hand, it’s time to get to filling! Whether you choose sweet or savory crepe fillings, you’ll have a delicious dish ready to be served in no time.

Best Crepe Fillings and Toppings

The beauty of this basic crepes recipe is that it’s oh-so-easy to customize to your preferences. Are you craving something subtly sweet or hearty and savory? Whatever the case, we’ve got you covered with plenty of crepe filling ideas. Read on for a look at some of our favorite crepe fillings, toppings, and flavor combos, and check our other crepe recipes for even more options.

Chocolate and Strawberries: Grab the chocolate sauce or hazelnut spread and slice up some big, juicy berries—the rich, sweet decadence of strawberries and chocolate is a hard duo to top. Want to capitalize on those flavors with something a little different? Our recipe for Strawberries and Chocolate Sugar Cookie Crepes uses sugar cookie dough to enhance the delicate nature of the dish and make melt-in-your-mouth crepes topped with delicious berries.

Bananas and Caramel: Another favorite flavor matchup, sliced bananas and caramel sauce perfectly complement the subtly sweet nature of these homemade crepes. Take the decadence to the next level with a Banana-Filled Caramel-Chocolate Crepes recipe that pulls out all the stops with the help of fudge brownie mix and caramel ice cream.

Bacon and Eggs: In the mood for something savory? Crispy bacon and scrambled eggs make mouthwatering savory crepe fillings. In fact, this crepes recipe is a great way to jazz up your typical brunch spread—turn those classic plates of bacon or ham and eggs into toppings and fillings for your homemade crepes! Experiment with other brunch meats like sausage and even smoked salmon to switch up the flavor. Our recipe for Ham and Swiss Savory Crepes is a great option if you like your crepes stuffed with meat and melty cheese.

Vegetarian Crepes: You can make sweet or savory meatless crepes, depending on your preference. Simply opt for fresh fruit and sweet toppings like whipped cream or caramel sauce, or reach for savory crepe fillings like grilled mushrooms and cheese.

What to Eat with Crepes

Whether your homemade crepes are the star of the brunch table or a delicious addition to a holiday dessert spread, we’ve got plenty of ideas for what to eat with crepes. Prepping your holiday menu? Check our Christmas breakfast recipes for even more ideas to serve alongside this yummy dish!

Fruit Salad: This crepe recipe is great filled or topped with fruit, but why not add even more fresh, colorful options on the side with a colorful fruit salad? A tasty bowl of fruit is also a great way to bring some sweetness to a plate of savory crepes.

Breakfast Meat: Fry up some bacon, ham or sausage patties to balance out sweet homemade crepes or complement savory ones!

Potato Wedges: A great breakfast potato dish can level up any meal. Sprinkle breakfast potatoes with fresh herbs and seasonings that complement savory crepes for the perfect side.

More Desserts: Making this crepes recipe to serve as a holiday dessert? Your stack of delicate pastries will be right at home next to scrumptious sugar cookies, colorful dessert cups, mini pie bites, and more. Take a peek at our Thanksgiving dessert recipes and Christmas dessert recipes for some next-level holiday treats to pair with your homemade crepes.

More About This Recipe

While crepe is the French word for “pancake,” the two are slightly more different than their namesakes suggest. Traditional American pancakes are thicker and fluffier (thanks in part to the addition of baking soda) than their French counterparts. Crepes are delicately thin pastries most often served for breakfast or dessert, with sweet fillings like fresh fruit and whipped cream or Nutella and sprinkles, or on the savory side with bacon and eggs or ham and cheese. One of the best things about crepes is that you can make them ahead of time: you can make the batter in advance since it keeps well in the refrigerator, and pre-made crepes reheat like a dream (how’s that for an effortless brunch idea?). They’re usually served rolled or folded, but you could even make a crepe cake, also known as gateau mille crepes, out of several crepes stacked on top of each other if you’re feeling ambitious. However you choose to serve them, crepes are a classic dish every home cook should know—they’re one of those dishes that looks fancy, but is actually crazy-easy (especially with these no-fail recipes!).

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Crepes Made Of?

A few simple crepe ingredients come together to create a delicate batter for this basic crepes recipe.

Eggs: Eggs add flavor and richness while acting as a binding agent to hold the crepe batter together.

Milk: Milk adds some all-important moisture to your crepe recipe batter, thinning it out to the appropriate consistency and creating soft, tender crepes.

Butter: This versatile dairy product adds even more richness and flavor to this simple crepe recipe while also preventing your crepes from sticking to the pan while cooking.

Flour: This pantry staple gives your batter structure, producing a delicate final dish.

Salt: Our recipe for basic crepes calls for just a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors of the batter and also balance the sweetness of fillings like fruit or complement the flavor of more savory fillings like ham.

Where Do Crepes Originate From?

Are crepes French? If not, where do crepes originate from? The short answer is yes, crepes or crêpes are a staple French dish, originating centuries ago in the Brittany region of France. Traditional homemade crepes were made from buckwheat flour, which was more affordable than wheat flour and easily accessible at the time. These original French crepes were known as “galettes” and often served with savory crepe fillings like eggs, ham, and cheese. Nowadays, you can find street carts selling crepes across France, and the popularity of this delicate dish has spread across the world!

Can You Freeze Crepes?

Wondering how to freeze crepes? Whether you ended up with leftovers or you want to make this crepe recipe ahead of time, the freezer is a great option for storing crepes until you’re ready to chow down.

How to Freeze Crepes: To freeze your homemade crepes, place each one between pieces of plastic wrap, then wrap the entire stack in foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

How to Thaw Frozen Crepes: To thaw, place the entire package in the refrigerator overnight. Then remove the foil and plastic wrap and bake in a 250°F oven for 5 minutes or until warm. Enjoy!

Can You Use Pancake Mix to Make Crepes?

Fresh out of flour but really craving some homemade crepes? If you don’t have all your crepe ingredients but you do have pancake mix on hand, you can make something similar! Making crepes out of pancake mix is possible, but keep in mind that the texture and overall thickness of the end result won’t be quite the same as our crepe recipe batter.

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