Classic French Crepes (Easy Basic Crepe Recipe)

A complete guide on How to make Easy French Crepes (Homemade Basic Crepes). A super easy recipe to make the best crepes that are soft, buttery, and delicious! Very versatile as a sweet or savory option for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or dessert!

A simple crepe recipe that is absolutely foolproof! Perfect for sweet or savory basic crepes.

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Soft, buttery, versatile, and maddeningly delicious, what’s not to love about French Crepes? Add this to your arsenal of easy recipes that will be loved by all!

A stack of freshly made crepes on a black wire rack

What’s the difference between crepes and pancakes?

Crepes are the European cousin of American pancakes. They are larger, thinner and more delicate than pancakes, because the batter is also thinner with no leavening agent to give them any lift and make them fluffy like pancakes. They taste very similar to pancakes, but not as fluffy.

In the UK however, pancakes are similar to crepes, except they are a little thicker than regular crepes. But the batter for French crepes and UK pancakes is similar and has no leavening agent.

Most people make sweet crepes, but crepes can be savory too! Traditionally, crepes are made with buckwheat flour and filled with savory fillings (called Galette Bretonne). But you can make savory crepes with flour based crepes too.

Crepes do have a interesting history as well, which you can read about here.

Here I’m going to show you how EASY it is to make classic French crepes, and share some basic tips on making perfect homemade crepes! You’ll learn how to make sweet crepes or savory crepes, PLUS I will share ingredient substitutions to make crepes gluten free or vegan as well.

How to make perfect French crepe batter

Ingredients

Milk – Milk makes the difference for the flavor of the crepes. You can use 2% or full fat milk for best results. You can also use plant based milk instead. Water can be used as well, but I prefer to use milk or a mix of water and milk.

Eggs – I use large eggs. Each egg is about 52 – 55 g, without the shell.

Melted butter or oil – Butter is the best option for flavor, but you can easily substitute with oil as well. I like to add a little fat to the batter to make the crepes a little softer and a touch richer in flavor.

Salt – The crepes will taste very bland without salt. So make sure to add salt to the batter.

Sugar – Just a little bit of sugar helps balance the flavor of the crepes. But if you’re making sweet crepes, feel free to add more sugar to make the crepes sweeter.

All purpose flour – This batter only needs a little flour. Too much flour will thicken the batter and you won’t be able to cook nice, thin crepes. You can easily substitute the AP flour with wheat flour, buckwheat flour (traditional flour for savory galettes), or other GF flours.

Step by step instructions

Homemade basic crepes are ridiculously easy to make, and difficult to mess up. Really. The main ingredients for French crepes are flour, eggs and liquid (milk or water). According to Ruhlman, the ratio for these ingredients is 8 : 8: 4 (that is 8 oz of eggs or about 4 eggs, 8 fl oz of milk or 1 cup, and 4 oz of AP flour or scant 1 cup).

However, I find that this ratio gives me crepes that are a bit too eggy for my taste, so I add more milk and less eggs to my crepe batter.

So my ingredient ratio for crepe better is 6 : 10 : 4 (that is 6 oz of eggs, 10 fl oz milk, and 4 oz of flour).

There are two ways to make crepe batter.

With a whisk (in a bowl) or a blender.

With the blender, you can add all the ingredients and blend the batter until smooth. But with a whisk, there is a particular method in terms of how to mix the ingredients to prevent lumps.

Using a bowl and whisk

Whisk the mix with the salt and sugar. Add all the wet ingredients into a jug and stir to combine. Add about half of the milk mixture into the flour and whisk to create a smooth, thick paste. Only mix until the flour has no lumps. Add the rest of the liquids and mix in. This will ensure that the flour will not form lumps for the crepe batter.

Ingredients to make Classic French Crepes or Basic crepes - Flour, Eggs, Milk, Oil, Sugar and Salt.

Milk and Eggs placed in a jug, measuring 2 cups, or 16 fl oz. This will be mixed with the flour to make perfect crepes.

Using a blender or stick blender

You can use a regular blender or stick blender. However, I prefer using a stick blender. Place all the ingredients in the blender, making sure to add the dry ingredients first at the bottom. Then blend for about 1 – 2 minutes until you have a smooth batter.

For perfect results, I recommend leaving the crepe batter to rest for a little while to allow the gluten to rest. You can even make the batter the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight as well.

The crepes are then cooked on a skillet over medium heat, allowing the crepes to be cooked quickly. This quick cooking time allows your homemade crepes to be soft and buttery, without drying out.

How to cook perfect homemade French crepes

While there are fancy crepe pans in the market, you absolutely don’t need an expensive crepe pan to make PERFECT basic crepes. A regular non-stick skillet / pan works just as well. You could use a French skillet pan to make the crepes as well, just make sure to butter the pan well so that the crepes don’t stick. If you’re new to making crepes, a regular non-stick pan is the best option.

Here, I used a 10 inch pan to make 10 inch crepes. But you can also use an 8 inch or 12 inch pan, depending on what you have at hand.

As a rule of thumb, here are the measurements I use to make classic French crepes in different-sized pans.

8 inch pan – about 3 tbsp of batter (about 45 – 50 mL)
10 inch pan – about 1/4 cup of batter (about 60 mL)
12 inch pan – about 1/3 cup of batter (about 75 – 80 mL)

This is enough to create a thin layer of crepe batter on the bottom of each of these pans.

When the pan is hot, brush the surface with butter or oil. I prefer to use butter.

Crepe batter swirled on to a hot non stick pan. The batter has just been set, but the edges are not colored yet.

Add the measured batter into the pan. Swirl the pan as you add the batter. Work quickly to spread the batter evenly around the pan all way to the edges, so that you have a smooth edge. Continue to swirl the pan (and occasionally shake it gently), to move the batter around and fill the middle of the pan as evenly as possible.

Once the bottom of the pan is evenly coated with the batter, place it back on the heat and cook.

For basic crepes, wait for the edges to brown and crisp up slightly. Then it's ready to flip over (or ready to eat). — **Wait for browning edges before you flip over the crepe for classic French crepes**

Crepes have been flipped over to cook for a few more seconds on the other side as well. This step is optional. — **Wait for browning edges before you flip over the crepe for classic French crepes**

At this stage, you have TWO OPTIONS

For extra soft crepes:
- Only cook the crepe until the surface of the crepe is set and there are no dry spots (only takes about 30 seconds). Then gently lift the crepe off of the pan (be careful as the crepe will be very soft), and flip it over to cook for just a few seconds on the other side, if you like.
- However, when I make crepes like this, I don’t cook the crepe on the second side at all.
- This crepe will have very little browning (if at all).
- This is how I cook crepes for Sri Lankan Fried Savory Rolls (Chinese Rolls).

A crepe that has not been cooked on both sides. Very light caramelization, and the crepes are soft. This is one way to cook crepes.

For more traditional crepes:
- Cook the crepes until the edges are starting to brown lightly, and they look a little crisp (about 40 – 50 seconds). Gently lift the crepe off of the pan, and flip it over to cook for about 10 – 15 seconds on the second side, until you have brown caramelized spots.
- This crepe will definitely have caramelization on both sides.
- These are the kinds of crepes that are made at creperies and used in typical French crepe desserts, like crêpes suzette for example.

After cooking the crepes, stack them up on a wire rack or plate and cover the homemade crepes with a clean cloth napkin. These easy crepes can be served warm or at room temperature with any kind of topping or filling. These really are delicious blank flavor canvases that can be served with so many complementary options.

Tips for making the best French Crepes

By mixing only some of the liquid with the flour at first, you’re making sure that there are no lumps in your batter.
Due to the high liquid to flour ratio, the flour shouldn’t develop too much gluten. But letting the batter rest at least 20 – 30 minutes before cooking will give you the best crepes that are soft, buttery and delicious! You can even let it rest in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Use butter instead of oil to butter the pan. It adds a lovely buttery flavor to the crepes while preventing them from sticking to the pan.
Cook with even, medium (to medium high) heat. Make sure that the pan is evenly heated and there are no hot spots.
Use a measuring cup to portion out the batter for each crepe. This will ensure even thickness with each crepe.
Use a rubber spatula to get under the crepe to flip it over and/or remove it from the pan. Start by loosening all around the edges first, before flipping over the crepe.
Stack the cooked crepes on a wire rack, and cover them with a cloth napkin to prevent them from drying out.

A stack of cooked classic french crepes on a white plate, showing both caramelized sides of the crepes.

How to store extra crepes, or make them ahead of time

I personally like to make the crepe batter the night before, and keep it covered in the fridge for the following morning.

However, you can make the crepes ahead of time as well. Plus, if you make extra crepes, you can store leftovers for a later date too. Here’s how.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Making crepes is a bit time consuming, so it’s definitely good news that you CAN make it ahead of time.

To store these crepes, I like to layer each crepe between parchment paper, then wrap (or cover) the whole stack with plastic wrap, and store in an air-tight container.

If crepes are exposed to air, they will dry out. So it’s important to keep them covered with plastic wrap to prevent this.

Keep these crepes in the fridge for up to 3 days, and you can preheat the crepes in batches in the microwave (parchment paper is microwave-safe). Make sure to set the microwave cook time to between 15 – 20 seconds at a time to prevent the crepes from over-heating and getting soggy.

Can I freeze crepes?

If you want to keep the crepes for longer than 3 days, then you can freeze them for later. When the crepes have cooled to room temperature, wrap them the same way as mentioned above, then place them in an air-tight container that is also freezer-friendly. This way, you can store the crepes for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Let them defrost at room temperature or in the fridge, and warm them in the microwave as needed.

When you’re ready to serve/eat the crepes, simply cover the crepes with another plate on top and microwave for about 30 seconds. The top plate allows the crepes to heat through steam, so that they don’t dry out. Remove the top plate as soon as you’re done microwaving so that the crepes don’t become soggy.

A stack of delicious crepes, folded over into quarters, on a plate.

How to fill crepes (and other filling ideas)

You can use a variety of fillings for crepes! Make them into sweet crepes with sweet fillings and toppings OR savory crepes with savory fillings and toppings.

Sweet fillings and toppings

Lemon and sugar
Whipped cream and berries
Nutella
Banana
Cinnamon and sugar
Honey
Roasted nuts
Chocolate sauce or ganache
Sweetened Greek yogurt
Whipped cream cheese
Banana and caramel/butterscotch
Chocolate and strawberries
Lemon curd, or passion fruit curd and whipped cream
Ice cream, toasted nuts and chocolate sauce

Savory fillings and toppings

Cooked meat (I love creamy chicken and mushrooms)
Cooked seafood
Bacon or ham
Sauteed mushrooms
Sauteed greens
Eggs
Cheese
Cheese sauce or a béchamel sauce
Herbs
Herbed or spicy whipped cream cheese
Ham and cheese
Bacon and eggs
Curried meat filling to make Sri Lankan fried savory rolls (Chinese rolls)

To fill crepes, you can either,

Place the filling in the middle, from edge to edge, and roll up the crepe into a tube with the filling in the middle. You can also top the crepes with a cheese sauce and grill it for a crepe casserole.

OR, place the filling only in the middle and fold over the edges of the crepe a little way towards the middle. This is what is done to make a crepe bretonne.

OR, spread the filling or sprinkle the filling over half of the crepe. Fold the crepe first in half, and again into quarters. This is what I did to make the lemon and sugar crepes below.

Step one for making lemon and sugar crepes. Lay out the crepe on a plate or flat surface. — Place one crepe on a plate

Step 2 for making lemon and sugar crepes - Sprinkle the sugar on one half of the crepe. — Sprinkle vanilla sugar over one half of the crepe

Step 3 of making lemon and sugar crepes - Fold over the crepe in half. — Fold over the crepe in half

Step 4 to make lemon and sugar vanilla crepes - Fold the crepe in half again. Serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice. — Fold over once more, and serve with fresh lemon juice

Frequently asked questions about making crepes

Why are my crepes rubbery?

There are two reasons for crepes turning out rubbery – too much gluten (flour), or cooking the crepes too slow. My French crepe recipe eliminates these two problems!

With a liquid to flour ratio of 4:1 in this recipe, there’s no risk of the gluten in the flour being overworked because of the increased amount of liquid content. Plus, the resting time of 20 – 30 minutes for the batter also helps to keep the crepes soft.

How can I make my crepes less rubbery?

With this recipe, your homemade crepes will NOT be rubbery. With a liquid to flour ratio of 4:1, there’s no risk of the gluten in the flour being overworked because of the increased amount of liquid content. Plus, the crepes are cooked over medium heat allowing them to cook quickly without drying out.

Can I adapt this crepe recipe to be gluten free?

Yes, you can make gluten free crepes. Buckwheat flour (gluten free) is also commonly used to make crepes in place of AP flour. But you can also use all purpose gluten free flour. The crepes will be more delicate, but will taste much the same.

If you’re looking to make crepes with almond flour, then I highly recommend looking for a KETO crepe recipe on google, that has been tested with almond flour.

Can I make vegan crepes?

Yes you can! Substitute the eggs with almond milk (or a similar plant-based milk). For each egg, substitute with ¹/4 cup of plant-based milk. I would also add about ¹/4 tsp of baking powder. This is so that the leavening agent will mimic the slight lift the eggs will provide to give the crepes that soft mouthfeel.

You can also replace the milk and butter in the recipe as well. You can use almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, or any plant-based milk and any plant-based butter to make these crepes. Some recipes even make crepes with just water, but I much prefer the added flavor of milk.

You can follow the crepe recipe in my vegan crepe cake recipe here.

Can I make these with self rising flour?

Yes, you can make these crepes with self rising flour, but keep in mind that the crepes will be thicker, because the baking powder in the flour will create lift in these crepes. While they won’t be classic crepes, they will still be delicious!

Can I use whole wheat flour to make homemade crepes?

If you prefer whole wheat flour over AP flour, you’re welcome to make this substitution. But do note that the batter will taste nuttier and not as smooth as crepes made with AP flour. The finer the whole wheat flour, the better the homemade crepes will be.

Can I make crepes in advance?

Absolutely! The batter can be made and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Basic crepes can also be made and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or up to 2 months in the freezer. Follow my instructions in the relevant section in the post above to properly store these simple crepes.