Authentic French Crepes Recipe

Follow this tutorial – authentic French Crepes recipe – and enjoy the original taste of crepes. They are a real breakfast hit! But why limit crepes to breakfast? Just call friends and throw a crepe party with the French crepes on a table.

The crepes and I have a long story and a very deep relation. I do not even remember when I first started making crepes, but it was a long time ago.

Over the years, I have been searching for the best crepe recipe and have been trying to perfect my skills. Once my Mom told me that “nobody could compete with me in the speed of making crepes”. Surely, she was joking, but I am good at crepe making.

Jump to:

• What are French crepes?
• History of French crepes
• Authentic French crepes recipe ingredients
• Cooking crepes
• How to fold French crepes
• How to make French crepes step by step
• Expert tips
• Frequently asked questions
• More delicious breakfast recipes you will love
• Authentic French Crepes Recipe

What are French crepes?

French crepes are large and very thin pancakes. The crepe batter is made with no leavening agent added; so, the crepes are thinner than American or other kinds of pancakes. Crepes are usually classified into two types: sweet crepes and savory crepes (galettes).

There is a unique video of making French crepes by a legendary chef Raymond Oliver in 1954. He was making crepes with lots of alcohol (rum, beer, pastis (anise-flavored spirit) and lichette (white wine). This video makes me laugh each time I watch it.

History of French crepes

Every year, on February 2, French people celebrate the holiday called Candlemas – La Chandeleur in French. This word comes from the word “candle” translating from French.

History of this celebration goes back to 472 when a religious festival of presentation of Jesus in the temple took place in Rome. Each believer of the Candlelight procession had to pick up a candle from the church and bring it home keeping it lit as a symbol of purification.

At that time, another tradition regarding French crepes emerged. According to a myth, if one did not make crepes on Candlemas, the wheat would be carious for the year. The cook had to flip a crepe in the pan with the right hand while holding a gold coin in the other hand.

Then, the gold coin was rolled into the crepe before being carried in procession by the whole family to the room where it was deposited at the top of the cabinet until the following year. French people recovered the debris from the crepe last year to give the gold coin to the first poor man.

Nowadays, “La Chandeleur” is a Crepe day in France. French crepes are flipping all over the country on that day! There is a tradition to eat them only in the evening, after 8 PM. Moreover, many people still respect a custom with a gold coin.

Authentic French crepes recipe ingredients

Flour

Authentic French crepes are mostly made with plain wheat flour, although buckwheat flour is another alternative, especially in Brittany, to make savory crepes (galettes). There are some crepes’ recipes made with chestnut flour that is sweeter and nuttier than the bitter flour version – buckwheat flour. 

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 to be the secret in making the perfect French crepes. If you want, you can refrigerate the batter overnight, for up to two days before use. 

Eggs

Whole eggs are essential ingredients of crepes, although Julia Child uses yolks only. Eggs provide structure and moisture in crepes. The fewer the eggs, the more delicate crepes will be made; the more eggs, the thicker crepes will result. 

Milk

Whole milk is the most popular choice, although skim milk is also used to make the lighter version of crepes. Julia Child calls for half of the milk and half of the water in her crepe recipe.

Cold milk is usually added to a crepe batter, but chef Philippe recommends to boil the milk and to cool it before use. It allows skipping the step of resting the batter for one hour. I am not entirely clear about the chemistry of this step.

Flavorings

Julia Child suggests adding orange liqueur to a crepe batter, Michel Roux uses orange flower water instead, Richard Olney adds cognac. Salt is added to enhance flavors and sweetness of crepes. If you make sweet crepes, either add some sugar or make unsweetened crepes with sweet fillings. If you make savory crepes, omit any sugar. 

Making a crepe batter

Most recipes, including Child’s recipe, insist to use a food processor * to mix up all the ingredients, but I find that using a hand whisk * and getting the batter through a sieve provides the best texture of crepes.

Resting the batter for one hour is the key in crepe making. As per Harold McGee, “an hour or more allow[s] the proteins and damaged starch to absorb water and air bubbles to rise and escape”.

Cooking crepes

Cook crepes in a hot crepe pan *. Adding melted butter before cooking prevents crepes from sticking to the pan and gives tenderness to the texture of crepes (do not grease the pan at all). Some recipes recommend brushing the pan with clarified butter * or using oil as a medium.  

Spreading the batter

To cook uniformly-thin crepes, the batter has to spread over the pan perfectly. When you ladle the crepe batter, it sticks to the center of the hot pan.  When you lift and tilt the pan, the batter covers the bottom and starts cooking from the center. It means that the spread is not uniform.

The last research calculated the method of cooking the perfect crepes. Nicole Sharp explains:

For optimal crêpe-making, add the batter to the center of the pan. Then immediately tilt the pan to one side to spread the batter to the edge. Keeping the pan inclined, rotate once to fill in the full circumference. Then continue the rotation at a slighter incline to fill in any holes until the pan is horizontal and the crêpe is cooked through.

Click here to have a look at “animation, where the color map indicates the crêpe thickness and the arrows show the effective direction of gravity.” It looks like the motion of batter spreading is “kind of a figure-eight motion.”

Browning off

The aroma and color of crepes originate due to the Maillard reaction, in which hot sugars and protein amino-acids react to brown color.

How to fold French crepes

French people simply roll crepes and eat with fingers. Restaurants serve crepes being folded as triangles. Different fillings are used in the open crepes or being wrapped into the crepes. 

How to make French crepes step by step

If you like math, you might appreciate a special calculator for making crepes, which takes into consideration the number of crepes, their thickness, and the diameter of your pan. Otherwise, follow this authentic French crepes recipe. 

To make the batter, using a flour sifter *, sift flour with salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, add eggs (photo 1) and mix with a hand whisk * (photo 2).

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

Flavor the batter with dark rum, add water and whisk (photo 4). Cover the batter with a plastic film * and let rest one hour at room temperature.

Just before cooking crepes, melt butter in a crepe pan * and, add to the batter and whisk. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.

Place a crepe pan * over medium-high heat (do not grease the pan). Pour in the batter (adjust to fit the size of your pan) and tilt the pan to cover the bottom (photo 5). Once the edges turn brown, flip the crepe with a flexible turner * (photo 6). Cook the other side until golden. Continue the same way for the rest of the batter.

Expert tips

• Sugar is optional in this recipe: add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar if you desire.
• To make crepes kids friendly, replace the rum with the same amount of water or another flavoring.
• If you serve crepes on the same day of making, do not use parchment paper * to stack crepes.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a milk alternative?

To make dairy-free crepes, replace the whole milk with almond milk: it will result in crispier crepes.

How to store crepes

Place parchment paper * between cooked, cooled crepes and refrigerate a stack of crepes in a zip-top plastic bag for up to 5 days.

How to freeze crepes

Freeze a stack of crepes with parchment in between for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge for 1-2 hours. To reheat, use a microwave at high for 15 to 30 seconds.

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The recipe was originally published on February 08, 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.