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. Finally, call your friends and throw a crepe party with the best French crepes on a table.
Have you ever heard about a French holiday, Candlemas or La Chandeleur, meaning "candle" in English? It is an interesting tradition celebrated annually in France.
Jump to:
- What is a crepe?
- Origin of French crepes
- Why you should try this recipe
- Ingredients
- How to make classic French crepes
- Expert Tips
- Recipe variations
- Traditional French crepe fillings
- Storing and freezing
- Recipe FAQ
- Love crepes and pancakes? Try these next!
- Need to adjust your baking pan size?
- 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.
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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.
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.
The 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.
Origin of French crepes
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 the 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 making French crepes at your home? And why not cook crepes more often than once per year?
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 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
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.
Also, read more 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 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.
How to make classic French crepes
To make the crepes 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.
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).
Note: 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.
Flavor the batter with dark rum, add water, and whisk (photo 4). Cover the batter with a plastic film and let it rest for 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 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 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 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?
Traditional French crepe 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 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, and
- 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, and
- 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 them with parchment paper between crepes in a zip-top plastic bag 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.
Recipe FAQ
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.
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.
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.
To make dairy-free crepes, replace whole milk with almond milk, resulting in crispier 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.
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!
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Recipe card
Classic French Crepe Recipe
Follow this authentic French crepe recipe and learn how to make the best crepe batter ever to enjoy the original taste of crepes. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, and even dinner! Just call friends and throw a crepe party with the French crepes on a table!
- Total Time: 60 minutes (plus resting time)
- Yield: 16 crepes 1x
- Category: Crepes
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 5 tablespoons (165 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- 4 large eggs
- 13.5 fl oz (400 ml) whole milk
- 1.7 fl oz (50 ml) water
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dark rum
- 1.4 oz (40 g) unsalted butter, melted
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
-
To make the batter, 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 and mix with a hand whisk.
-
Add half of the cold milk and whisk. Add the remaining milk and pass the batter through a fine-mesh sieve. Flavor the batter with dark rum, add water, and whisk. Cover the batter with plastic film and let rest one hour at room temperature.
-
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 the batter into a thin layer (adjust to fit the size of your pan) and tilt the pan to cover the bottom. Once the edge of the crepe turns brown, flip crêpe with a flexible turner. Cook the second side until golden. Continue the same way with the remaining batter.
Notes
- Sugar is optional in this recipe: add one tablespoon of sugar if desired.
- To make crepes kids friendly, replace 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 crepe
- Calories: 86
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 54 mg
- Fat: 3.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.2 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 48 mg
Keywords: French crepes, French crepe recipe, authentic French crepes, crepe batter recipe, easy crepe recipe
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was originally published on February 08, 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Katie says
Made it for the family and it was a hit!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Katie. I hope you will be making crepes again 🙂
Dannii says
These are the kind of pancakes we have on pancake day. I much prefer them to thick American pancakes.
★★★★★
Irina says
Really?! Dannii, I also respect thick fluffy pancakes, but I love thin crepes.
Anjali says
I've always been super nervous to make crepes from scratch at home but your recipe inspired me to give it a try -- and I'm happy to say these crepes turned out great!
★★★★★
Irina says
It is excellent that you succeeded in making crepes! Bravo, Anjali!
Veena Azmanov says
Your recipe sounds so interesting with the dash of rum to it. Perfect crepes for breakfast.
★★★★★
Irina says
To tell the truth, I can eat crepes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:) Thank you, Veena.
Julia says
I've never seen crepes folded so perfectly! You should come to our house as I don't have patience for this 🙂
★★★★★
Irina says
It is so easy and enjoyable to fold crepes. Thanks for your comment, Julia.
Jen says
I loved these! Thank you for making the process not seem intimidating so I would be confident enough to try.
★★★★★
Irina says
You are welcome, Jen! Please, enjoy it!
Anjali says
I have always been way too nervous to attempt making crepes at home but your recipe has inspired me to give it a try! This looks delicious and pretty easy actually - considering it's crepes!
★★★★★
Irina says
Great! Please, let me know if you have any questions, Anjali.
Emmeline says
Yummy!! Thanks for this great walk through of crepes and how to make them. Very similar to Swedish pancakes actually except for the addition of rum 🙂 Curious about what a crepe pan is though - is it just a flat pan with low edges? (We call this a pancake pan in Sweden but our pancakes are similarly thin)
Angela Allison says
These crepes are simply incredible! And I appreciate the step-by-step instructions. This recipe is definitely a keeper; absolute perfection!
★★★★★
Sarah says
I've never made crepes before, but I feel totally ready now that I've read your post. Your post was so thorough, I think all of the bases are covered!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you so much, Sarah. Please, make crepes and enjoy!
Emily Liao says
This recipe is a great breakdown of how to make the perfect crepe! Now I always make this on the weekends for my family.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Emily, for letting me know that this recipe has become your to-go recipe.
Kelly Anthony says
I love your idea of throwing a crepe party for all my friends to enjoy your authentic recipe.
★★★★★
Irina says
Just make it happen, Kelly! 🙂
Kim Billhimer says
I love crepes stuffed with strawberries and whipped cream or whipped cream cheese for dessert
Irina says
It is a great idea, Kim. I also love fruits served with crepes, and my favorite ones are blueberries.
Janelle says
This crepe recipe is fabulous! Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Irina says
You are welcome, Janelle!
Tawnie Kroll says
The addition of rum was so delicious in these crepes! Such a fabulous recipe, easy to follow and make. Thank you!
★★★★★
Irina says
I am very glad that you loved the recipe and enjoyed the crepes. Thanks!
Dannii says
I love crepes - they are our favourite type of pancakes.
★★★★★
Irina says
Good to know, Dannii! Please, enjoy the recipe.
veenaazmanov says
Delicious recipe for my loving family. Best for my weekend breakfast option.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks for visiting the recipe, Veena. Please, enjoy it!
Cathleen says
I love making crepes at home!! These crepes look amazing, bookmarked to make later 🙂
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Cathleen! Happy crepe making! 🙂
Mahy says
I've meant to make some crepes for a long time now. I just wanted to find "the perfect" recipe. Well, here it is!
★★★★★
Irina says
Oh, I am happy you have got the best recipe on hands now, Mahy! Please, enjoy it!
Priya Lakshminarayan says
These crepes look so yummy. I am going to try it tonight. Thanks for this easy recipe. I love crepes!
★★★★★
Irina says
It is a great idea, Priya. Please, let me know how it went 🙂
Jacque Hastert says
I love the idea of a crepe party! I am going to have to get a group of my girlfriends to do this soon! You make them look super easy and delicious.
★★★★★
Irina says
You will have fun, Jacque. Please, enjoy the recipe and happy entertaining!
Bintu says
I love crepes at any time of day - one of my favorite things to eat by far! Love your recipe; they taste delicious!
★★★★★
Irina says
Bintu, we have something in common: I can eat crepes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Thanks for your kind words!
Karen says
Can Amaretto be used instead of rum?
Irina says
Karen, taking into consideration that rum is not sweet, brandy, cognac, or even bourbon would be perfect non-sweet subs. I have got a crepe recipe with added Grand Marnier - Crepes Suzette; so, I think you could experiment with adding Amaretto as well. Just let me know how it went. 🙂
P.S. The rule is to replace the liquid with the same amount of liquid.
Karen says
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. I will try it today and let you know how it turns out 😀
Irina says
Perfect, Karen! 🙂
Alma Fernandez says
This recipe is great. I would recommend it to everyone.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you very much, Alma. And thanks for sharing your picture on Instagram. 🙂
Lisa says
I love crepes (both savory and sweet). This recipe is legit - especially good with my favorite mushroom chicken and sherry filling.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Lisa, for stopping by. If you make the recipe, please, let me know!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I only use your recipe; it is quite authentic when it comes to a French crepe: light, fluffy, and that addition of rum is fabulous!
★★★★★
Irina says
Claudia, I am glad to hear that you love the recipe! Thanks!!!
Andrea says
I had no idea crepes were so easy to make or that they came in so many different ways to fold or roll them. I can't wait to make them myself.
★★★★★
Irina says
Perfect, Andrea! Please, let me know your favorite way of folding crepes once you make them! 🙂
Carrie Robinson says
I have never made crepes before! I will have to try this recipe soon. 🙂
★★★★★
Irina says
Sure thing, Carrie! You will love these crepes. 🙂 Thanks for your interest in the recipe.
Heidy says
I was very impressed with the way this French Crepe Recipe turned out the other day. My family and friends thought it was a hit. I will be making this again soon! Have a great week!
★★★★★
Irina says
Heidy, I am so happy that the recipe worked for you! Thanks for getting back and commenting. 🙂
Steven says
Can these crepes be used to make feuilletine? Do you have instructions or guidelines for us to follow in making them? Thank you.
Irina says
Hi Steven, unfortunately, I have not tried making feuilletine yet, but it is good to post a recipe one day. I do not think that this crepe recipe would work.
Nicole says
I LOVE how thorough this is! I am looking forward to making these soon! But first, I have two questions for you. 1. I didn’t see what size pan you use listed anywhere? 2. I noticed your recipe varies a bit from the “calculator” you linked, so I was curious why that is? Is this just the best proportions you’ve landed on from your own trials? Thanks!
Irina says
Hello Nicole, I used the 10-inch crepe pan listed in the recipe as an affiliate link to buy on Amazon. As for that calculator, I placed it just for those who are curious. I adapted the recipe from one of the French chefs; that's why it is different. 🙂 I am sure you will love crepes! Happy crepe making and enjoy it!
Bill says
My Grandmother used to make these. However, she called them German pancakes; she said the French stole this recipe along with other recipes and products from the Germans when France occupied Germany in the 1800s. She used an iron skillet turned upside down to make them and apple sauce as a filling.
Irina says
Thank you, Bill, for your comment. Many recipes have different stories of origin. Some of them are clear, some of them are unknown. I hope you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Tanvir says
I read your full recipe. from this, I can imagine crepe is not hard to make. but I have no crepe pan yet. Can I use other pans to make this, or do I need to buy a crepe pan? I recently read a review about crepe pan by De Buyer. Is it good for making crepe?
Irina says
Hello Tanvir, yes, generally speaking, you can use any crepe pan you have or make crepes using any non-stick frying pan. Happy crepe-making!!