Crepes Francaise (Authentic French Crepes)

Name: Crepes Francaise (Authentic French Crepes)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 cup + 5 tablespoons (165 g) all-purpose flour; 1 pinch of salt; 4 large eggs, room temperature; 13.5 fl oz (400 ml) cold whole milk; 1.7 fl oz (50 ml) water; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dark rum; 1.4 oz (40 g) unsalted butter, melted

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Crepes Francaise are authentic French crepes made with a few basic ingredients in no time. Learn how to make perfect crepes and enjoy their original taste and flavor for breakfast, brunch, and dinner.

A batch of French crepes on a wooden board.

Have you ever heard about a French holiday, Candlemas or La Chandeleur, meaning "candle" in English? Every year, on February 2, the French celebrate a crepe day or le jour des crêpes.

Jump to:

What is a crepe?
Why you should try this recipe
Ingredients
How to make crepes Francaise
Expert Tips
Recipe variations
Traditional French crepe fillings
Storing and freezing
Recipe FAQ
Love crepes and pancakes? Try these next!
Recipe card
Comments

French culture is renowned for its delightful pastries, with crepes and madeleines being prime examples. Adding to this delicious lineup are apple Tarte Tatin and Ile flottante is a sure delight in any celebration.

Enjoy a timeless taste of France with this easy, authentic crêpe recipe. It is perfect for impressing your friends and family alike. There is no wonder why this has been one of our most requested recipes.

Crepes Francaise with honey aside on a plate.

What is a crepe?

Crepe (crêpe in French) is a large and thin pancake made with no added leavening agent. Crepes are much thinner than American pancakes or other kinds of pancakes.

This video of the chef Raymond Oliver making French crepes (crêpes Françaises in French) is a must-watch. He uses lots of alcohol (rum, beer, pastis (anise-flavored spirit), and lichette (white wine) to make a crepe batter.

Why you should try this recipe

This easy and quick crepe Francaise recipe makes classic crepes with authentic French crepe texture, flavor, and taste.

Crepes are a delicious and versatile breakfast, snack, or dessert. They can be enjoyed at any time of the day because there is something about them that makes you happy.

The recipe makes the universal savory crepe batter. It can be used in both sweet and savory fillings to create a delicious meal or dessert.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Read more about crepe ingredients before you start.

Flour: use all-purpose flour to make classic French crepes. Since the flour contains gluten, resting the batter for up to one hour allows the flour to absorb the liquid and gives the gluten a chance to rest. This step is considered the secret to making the perfect French crepes.

Salt enhances the flavor and the sweetness of crepes.

Eggs: the recipe calls for large eggs. Eggs provide structure and moisture in crepes.

Milk: whole milk is the most popular choice, although skim milk is also used to make the lighter version of crepes.

Rum brings a fruity flavor to crepes. Replace it with other alcoholic liqueurs such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or Kirsch. If you make French crepes for kids, replace alcohol with apple or orange juice.

Butter: melted butter is the key to making delicious crepes, but adding it to the batter also helps with cooking. The pan doesn't need any greasing because enough butter will make it easy to peel off once the crepes are cooked up.

Rolled thin crepes with a wooden ruler on a board.

How to make crepes Francaise

Step 1. To make the crepe batter (pâte à crêpes in French), use a flour sifter and sift all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl.

Step 2. Make a well in the middle, add eggs, and mix with a hand whisk (photo 1).

Step 3. Add half of the cold milk and whisk. Add the remaining milk and pass the batter through a fine-mesh sieve (photo 2).

Pro tip: Most French crepe recipes, including Child's crepes, insist on using a food processor, electric mixer, or blender to mix up all the ingredients. But using a hand whisk and getting the batter through a fine-mesh sieve makes a smooth batter and provides the best texture of crepes.

Flour and eggs mixture with a hand whisk in a bowl.

PHOTO 1

PHOTO 2

Step 4. Flavor the batter with dark rum, add water, and whisk. Cover the batter with a plastic film and let it rest for one hour at room temperature.

Step 5. Just before cooking crepes, melt unsalted butter in a crepe pan (a nonstick pan), add to the batter, and whisk. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.

Step 6. Place a crepe pan over medium-high heat (do not grease the pan). Pour the batter into a thin layer (adjust to fit the size of your pan) and tilt the pan to cover the bottom (photo 3).

Step 7. Once the edge of the crepe turns brown, flip the crêpe with a flexible turner (photo 4).

PHOTO 3

PHOTO 4

Step 8. Cook the second side until golden. Continue the same way with the remaining batter and stack them up on a plate. Serve crepes warm.

Expert Tips

Sugar is optional in this recipe: add one tablespoon of sugar if desired.
To make crepes kid-friendly, replace the rum with the same amount of water or another flavoring.
Don't skip the resting time: it is the key to making authentic French crepes.
If you serve crepes on the same day of making, do not use parchment paper to stack crepes.

Recipe variations

To make homemade crepes more interesting, you can add sugar, orange flower water, vanilla extract, or even orange or lemon zest.

The possibilities really do seem limitless, so have fun experimenting and see what happens - maybe try adding some almond extract, too? And what might happen if you try crepe filling?

Traditional French crepe fillings

One of the classic ways to serve crepes Francaise is to sprinkle white or vanilla sugar over one-half of the warm crepe and fold it into quarters.

Or you can roll your crepes with sweet cheese filling and fresh strawberries like these Nalesniki or ricotta with banana, like in Clatite (Romanian pancakes).

But if you decide to run a crepe party, offer different delicious crepe fillings to please everyone.

Savory crepe fillings:

ham and cheese
bacon and eggs
crème fraîche and grated Emmenthal
small grilled mushrooms
sauteed vegetables
diced tomatoes

Sweet French crepe fillings:

sugar-free whipped cream and fresh fruit
Nutella and banana
chocolate and strawberries
lemon curd with whipped cream
ice cream
hazelnut praline paste
peach compote
homemade condensed milk
caramel sauce
toasted or candied nuts

It is recommended not to mix more than three ingredients while creating your original topping.

Storing and freezing

Crepes are best when they are still warm from the pan. But what to do with leftover crepes?

Store crepes with parchment paper between crepes in a zip-top plastic bag or covered with cling film in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Can you freeze crepes? You can freeze a stack of crepes with parchment in between wrapped in plastic film for up to two months.

To defrost, bring crepes to the fridge overnight or the counter, allowing 1-2 hours at room temperature.

To reheat, simply pop into the microwave oven at 15-30-second intervals until heated. Or place a heat-resistant plate with crepes over a bain-marie or water bath, cover it with a second upturned plate, and reheat crepes.

Recipe FAQ

How to make light crepes

If you want to lighten crepe batter, reduce the amount of milk and replace it with beer or cider. You can also replace half of the milk with water to make light crepes.

What if you do not have time for the batter to rest

If you are short on time, slightly heat the milk before incorporating it into the principal preparation. Once you make crepe batter, you can start to cook crepes right away.

How long does crepe batter last?

Crepe batter is best when made fresh. It will last for up to two days if refrigerated, but it won't have the same flavor and consistency as right after making it.

Can you use a milk alternative?

To make dairy-free crepes, replace whole milk with almond milk, resulting in crispier crepes.

How to fold crepes

How to fold crepes depends on the filling and time of the day you will eat them. You can fold a crepe in half, in a double fold, in a roll, in a half roll, mini roll, in a pocket, or into a cone.

Can you make crepes ahead of time?

You can make crepes 2 days in advance. Layer cooled crepes with parchment paper, cover the stack with plastic wrap, and store in an air-tight container in the fridge. Once ready to serve, reheat crepes in the microwave. To reheat, simply pop it into the microwave for 15-30 seconds intervals.

Love crepes and pancakes? Try these next!

Chocolate French crepes
Crepes Suzette
Vanilla Dutch Baby
Beggar's Purses
Farmer's Cheese Pancakes
Or browse all the crepe and pancake recipes

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Recipe card