Classic French Crepes Recipe

Follow this classic French crepes recipe and learn how to make perfect crepes to enjoy their original taste and flavor. They are great for breakfast, brunch, and even dinner. Call your friends and throw a crepe party with the French crepes on a table.

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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. Interestingly that people eat crepes only in the evening, after 8 PM.

The history of this tradition goes back to 472, when a religious festival of presentation of Jesus in the temple took place in Rome.

According to another myth, every family had to make crepes on Candlemas; otherwise, wheat would be carious for the year.

So 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 and deposited until the following year.

The French recovered the crepe's debris last year to give the gold coin to the first poor man.

So now, why not bring tradition to make French crepes at your home? And why not cook crepes more often than once per year?

Especially if the right crepes recipe is finally here, and there are endless possibilities for fillings – sweet or savory, it’s up to you.

The recipe below will teach you how to make authentic French crepes and their different variations so you can really impress your guests at your next crepe party.

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.

They are typically enjoyed as an appetizer, dessert, served at breakfast, brunch, and dinner in France, where they originated.

They come in sweet crêpe flavors, perfect for dessert, but also have savory options like galettes.

The video of the chef Raymond Oliver making French crepes (crêpes Françaises in French) is a must-watch!

In it, 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 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 for any time of the day because there is something about them that makes you happy.

Finally, if you look for the best crepes, look no further than this universal savory crepe batter.

It can be used in both sweet and savory fillings to create a delicious meal or dessert.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results. 

Also, read about crepes ingredients.

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: it 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: it 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 cooking.

The pan doesn't need any greasing because enough butter will make easy peeling off once crepes are cooked up.

How to make French crepes

To make the crepes batter (pâte à crêpes in French) using a flour sifter, sift all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt into a large mixing 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.

an hour or more allow[s] the proteins and damaged starch to absorb water and air bubbles to rise and escape.

Harold McGee

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.

Place a crepe pan over medium-high heat (do not grease the pan).

Pour in the batter into a thin layer (adjust to fit the size of your pan) and tilt the pan to cover the bottom (photo 5).

Once the edge of the crepe turns brown, flip the crêpe with a flexible turner (photo 6).

Cook the second side until golden. Continue the same way with the remaining batter and

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

Recipe variations

Most French crepe recipes, including Child's crepes, insist on using a food processor, electric mixer, or a 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.

Whisking or blending doesn't matter when it comes to exploring the options for crepe flavors.

To make your 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?

French crepes fillings

One of the classic ways to serve French crepes 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 or ricotta with banana. 

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

Start with savory fillings, including:

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

Then serve sweet toppings, including:

• whipped cream and fresh fruit,
• Nutella and banana,
• chocolate and strawberries,
• lemon curd and whipped cream,
• ice cream,
• homemade condensed milk,
• caramel sauce, and
• toasted 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 them with parchment paper between crepes in a zip-top plastic bag in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Can you freeze crepes? Yes, absolutely! 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 with 15-30 second intervals until heated.

Expert tips

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

Frequently asked questions

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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.