How To Make French Crepes

It’s easy to make perfect French Crepes every time with a few simple tips & tricks! Follow this recipe to make delicious crepes at home + get inspired with 15 filling ideas! From sweet to savory, Nutella & Strawberry to Ham & Cheese, you’re going to love these easy ideas!

Before going to France in 2018, I had made crepes a total of two times. Once for Fathers Day brunch in 2012 and another time in French club during high school.

I was always intimidated to make my own crepes. Will the batter be lumpy? Will they be thin enough? How will I flip them?

Well after returning from France in 2018 with my souvenir crepe pan, I decided it was time to perfect my own crepes! Now after dozens of attempts, I’m here to share all of my tips and tricks for making the perfect French crepe recipe at home!

Don’t worry, you don’t need a special pan from France to make these crepes at home. You can simply use a 10 inch skillet and it will work just fine!

What you’ll need

• All purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• 2% Milk
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• Crepe Pan or 10 inch Nonstick Skillet
• Spatula
• Blender – I use my NutriBullet

Step by step instructions

1. Prepare the batter. Add flour, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and melted butter to a blender. Pulse for 10 seconds, or until all of the ingredients are combined and no lumps remain. Place the batter in the refrigerator for one hour.
2. Make the crepes. Heat a crepe pan or 10 inch non stick pan on the stove over medium high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. When hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet. Immediately lift the skillet by the handle and turn the skillet in a circular motion to thinly spread the batter evenly in the skillet. After 1-2 minutes, place a spatula under the edges of the crepe to loosen it up, then flip. Cook for an additional 30-60 seconds on the second side. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate.
3. Repeat all of the steps above to continue making 16 crepes, or until you run out of batter.

Tips and tricks

• Always blend the crepe batter. This will give you the perfectly thin batter you’re looking for, without any lumps!
• Always refrigerate the batter. I picked up this tip from Alton Brown while perfecting my recipe. Refrigerating the batter allows the bubbles in the batter to subside and makes the crepes less likely to tear during the cooking process.
• Be sure to spray the pan with cooking spray between each crepe. To make the crepes easy to flip during the cooking process, be sure to spray your pan with cooking spray between each one.
• Use 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the batter. I have found that this is the perfect amount of batter to make one thin crepe in a 10 inch pan.
• As you cook the crepes, place them on a plate and cover them with a clean towel. The longest part of the cooking process is making each crepe, one by one. To keep the cooked crepes warm during this process, as you remove them from the pan, stack them up on a plate and cover them with a clean towel.

Frequently asked questions

Crepe filling ideas

I originally made these crepes simply by topping them with cinnamon and sugar. But after eating both sweet and savory crepes in France, I was inspired to come home and try all different types of fillings! From sweet to savory, you cant go wrong with any of these 15 filling ideas for dessert, breakfast, brunch or lunch!

1. Cinnamon Sugar – combine 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl. After removing each crepe from the pan, spread softened butter over it, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
2. Nutella Strawberry – my personal favorite filling! Spread 2-3 tablespoons of Nutella in the middle, then top with 1-2 sliced strawberries. Optional – add a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top!
3. Ham & Swiss – with the crepe still in the pan, place 2-3 slices of ham in the middle, then top with 2 thin slices of swiss cheese. Allow the cheese to melt slightly over the ham before removing it from the pan.
4. Berries & Cream – add 2-3 tablespoons whipped cream to the middle, then top with your favorite fresh berries, like strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.
5. Goat Cheese Honey Apple Walnuts – spread 2-3 tablespoons goat cheese in the middle, top with 4-5 thin slices of apple, 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
6. Tomato Mozzarella – with the crepe still in the pan, place 3 slices of tomato in the middle of the crepe, then top with 3 thin slices of mozzarella cheese. Allow the mozzarella to melt over the tomatoes slightly before removing it from the pan. Optional – add fresh basil leaves to make a caprese crepe!
7. Peanut Butter Banana – spread 2-3 tablespoons peanut butter in the middle, top with banana slices from 1/2 of a banana.
8. Chocolate Strawberry – add 2-3 sliced strawberries to the middle, drizzle 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup over the strawberries. Optional – top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or whipped cream.
9. Goat Cheese Spinach Sun Dried Tomato – spread 2-3 tablespoons goat cheese in the middle of the crepe. Top with 4-5 baby spinach leaves and 1 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes.
10. Brie & Jam – spread 2 ounces of brie cheese in the middle, top with 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite jam, like strawberry, fig or blackberry.
11. Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese – spread 2-3 tablespoons cream cheese in the middle, top with 3-4 slices of smoked salmon. Optional – top with 3-4 baby spinach leaves of 1 teaspoon capers.
12. Monte Cristo – with the crepe still in the pan, place 2-3 slices of ham in the middle of the crepe, then top with 2 thin slices of gruyere cheese. Once the cheese has melted slightly, remove it from the pan and top with 1 tablespoon raspberry preserves and a dusting of powdered sugar.
13. Lemon Ricotta – spread 2-3 tablespoons ricotta cheese in the middle, top with 1 tablespoon lemon curd. Optional – top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
14. Caramel Apple – place 1/2 sliced apple in the middle, top with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
15. Peaches & Cream – place 1 peeled, sliced peach in the middle, then top with 1 tablespoon creme fraiche or whipped cream.

More breakfast recipes

While crepes can be served for breakfast, lunch or dessert. We most commonly serve them as breakfast around our house. If you’re looking for more delicious breakfast ideas, try these tested and perfected recipes!

• Peanut Butter Waffles
• Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
• Strawberry Pancakes
• Bisquick Sausage Balls
• Sous Vide Egg Bites
• Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
• Avocado Omelette

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