This easy crepe recipe makes the best French crêpes! This basic crepe recipe is the only one you need to make perfect French crepes. Learn tips and tricks.
This recipe is adapted from Crepes: 50 Savory and Sweet Recipes by Martha Holmberg. If you love crepes, this is a beautiful book with creative recipes.
Make easy basic crepes for breakfast
I love this easy crepe recipe because it's so basic and it's simple. But most importantly, this recipe makes the best crepes.
There are so many things I love about this breakfast recipe:
- This is an easy crepe recipe.
- This recipe will give you a simple breakfast crepe you'll love.
- This basic crepe recipe can be adapted for either sweet or savory crepes.
Personally, I think simple and basic is best when you are trying to make a classic French crepe recipe. I love this basic mixture because it's so straightforward and easy.
To put this is in trendier terms, I've Konmari'ed crepe recipes until you are left with the most basic crepe. And the good news is that once you strip away all the complications from crepe making, the result is a delicious and perfect crepe.
Ingredients you need to make this basic crepe recipe
This recipe uses 5 basic crepe ingredients:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Butter
- Flour
- Salt
Five ingredients and that's it! Like I've said, this breakfast crepe recipe is so easy to make. And if I were to take a guess, I'd think that you already have all these ingredients in your kitchen.
How to make these easy crepes?
To make these easy crepes in its most basic form: add all the ingredients in the blender, blitz, then cook the crepes individually.
Cooking the perfect basic crepes
First things first. Preheat, preheat, preheat. Make sure your pan is evenly nice and hot before you start cooking these breakfast crepes. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the recipe won’t work.
Add on a bit of butter, and quickly brush it around the pan. Then pour on the crepe batter and quickly smooth it out using a crepe spreader.
TIP: I always pour on the crepe batter using a measuring cup, so I end up with consistently-sized crepes. I use just under ¼ cup of batter for a 12-inch pan. Pouring crepe batter from the tip of a scoop shaped measuring cup will give you more control.
Because French crepes are so thin, they cook for about 30-45 seconds on each side. Also, they are delicate. So once the first side is done, gently give the pan a shake to release the pancake, and carefully flip it.
TIP: If you accidentally make a small rip in your crepe while flipping (usually caused by the edge of your spatula), you can quickly dab on a bit of crepe batter with a spoon to seal the rip, and allow the batter to cook.
What tools do you need to make this easy crepe recipe?
If you have the right tools, making crepes is so easy. You wouldn't think about making waffles without a waffle maker, right?
So for making basic crepes, you'll need:
- a good crepe pan,
- a crepe batter spreader
In addition, if you have the following tools, making crepes will be so much easier for you:
- a blender (so you don't have a lumpy batter)
- a silicone brush (to evenly spread butter on the crepe pan)
- a crepe spatula (for ease of flipping the crepes)
- pourable measuring cups (to consistently add the batter to the pan)
Cuisinart Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized Crepe Pan
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Crepe PanThe ORIGINAL Crepe Spreader and Spatula KitNorpro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Scoop ShapedLe Creuset Silicone Brush
Finding the best crepe pan
A crepe pan is easy to find and buy. There are so many options on the market though. Personally I go between using a cast iron crepe pan and a non stick crepe pan.
I love this cast iron crepe pan, but it's pricy. If you are looking to treat yourself, I say go for it!
Otherwise here's a great crepe pan with over 3,000 reviews on Amazon, and at a good price. If you can get yourself a crepe pan, it will make flipping your crepe so much easier. The edges are lower and shaped in a way that you can easily shift your crepe around to get your spatula underneath the crepe to flip.
Personally I think it's romantic cooking with a cast iron crepe pan, and I love knowing that the pan will last ages. But it's easier and less finicky to use a non-stick crepe pan.
Tips and tricks for making the best easy crepes
Do I really need a crepe spreader?
Yes! To easily make the best crepes, a crepe spreader is an indispensable tool.
Ok, I know you might think that you can just swirl this easy crepe batter around the pan. While you can do that, a crepe spreader will help you achieve perfect basic crepes.
I made all these easy crepes below with the help of a crepe spreader. That’s the only way I ever get the best crepes.
Because the pan is buttered and hot when you pour on the batter, without a crepe spreader, you really only have a few seconds to swirl the batter around.
Once this easy crepe batter hits the pan, it immediately will start to thicken and cook. It’s hard to get the crepe batter to move as you want it to be, without a crepe spreader.
A silicone brush will best spread the butter on the crepe pan
Before you add on the crepe batter, you'll need to add a bit of butter to the pan.
You swirl melted butter around the pan, but to make sure butter reaches every surface of the pan, I always use a silicone brush. Though people will wipe melted butter around with a paper towel, I find that tricky to do on a hot pan.
TIP: For the perfect crepes, I always use a silicone brush to spread the melted butter evenly. The silicone brush helps butter get across the entire surface of the pan much quicker, cleaner and easier.
Common questions when making basic crepes
Why are my crepes sticking to the pan?
If you are using a cast iron crepe pan, it's likely that the pan is not hot enough. To make the perfect crepe, I preheat my crepe pan for at least 10 minutes before the first crepe.
You may also need to check your technique for spreading the butter on the pan. Using a silicone pastry brush is my preferred method.
Can you leave crepe batter overnight?
Yes, definitely. To get the best crepes, I always rest the batter. 5 minutes is sufficient if you would like crepes that morning, but you can always leave the crepe batter overnight.
Simply cover the batter with a wrap and set it in the refrigerator. Give the batter a mix before cooking the basic crepes the next morning.
Why do you rest crepe batter?
Resting crepe batter allows the bubbles to settle, the flour to absorb the liquid, and the gluten to relax. When I don't have patience, I let it sit 5 minutes. If I can wait a bit in the morning, I'll let it sit 30 minutes to an hour.
On days I plan ahead, I'll make the crepe batter the night before, and refrigerate it to make these basic crepes in the morning.
How do you get lumps out of crepe batter?
I hate lumpy crepe batter! The surest way to get out the lumps is to use a blender or food processor. For these easy crepes, I simply whizz all the ingredients together in the blender.
Voila! You end up with the perfect crepe batter recipe, and it's easy to make.
How to serve this breakfast crepe recipe
Personally, I think simple and basic is a splendid way to enjoy this classic French crepe recipe. Just like how these crepes are so easy and straightforward to make, likewise, I keep the toppings very simple with this breakfast crepe.
My favorite? A squeeze of lemon and a dusting of powdered sugar.
If you are looking for something more, try this easy blueberry jam or a chestnut chocolate spread. The chocolate spread is my homemade nutella-inspired spread.
Alternatively, spread on some Nutella and serve it with bananas or strawberries, and whipped cream.
(If you are serving these basic crepes with sweet fillings, you can add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of sugar into the crepe batter)
Easy Basic Crepes
Print RecipeIngredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ - 2 ¼ cups whole milk
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted, plus more for brushing on the pan
Instructions
- Using a blender or immersion blender, whiz together the 4 eggs, 1 ¾ cups of whole milk and salt until everything has blended, about 10 seconds. Add in the flour and whiz until the batter is smooth, about 20 seconds. Pour in the unsalted butter and whiz until combined, about 10 seconds.
- Transfer the batter into a large bowl, with an opening sized so that you can easily use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop up the batter. Allow the batter to sit for at least 5 minutes, but up to 24 hours. If resting the batter longer than 30 minutes, cover and transfer the easy crepe batter to the refrigerator.
- When you are ready to make these easy basic crepes, remove the batter from the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes. Check the consistency of the batter. It should be the consistency of heavy cream. If the crepe batter feels too thick, whisk in additional milk by the tablespoon, up to ½ cup more.
- Preheat a 10 or 12-inch skillet or crepe pan on medium to medium-high heat (I fluctuate between 6/9 and 7/9 on my stove setting). In a small bowl, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter. When the pan is hot, using a small silicone brush, brush on a thin layer of butter. Alternatively, melt and swirl the butter around the pan.
- Scoop on ¼ of the basic crepe batter in the center of the pan. Quickly, using a crepe spreader, evenly spread the batter in a circular motion until the crepe is thin and the batter has reached the edge of the pan. You can also quickly swirl the pan around so the crepe batter spreads into a thin layer, but I don't always have success getting perfectly round crepes this way.
- Cook the crepe until the edges begin to dry and lift from the sides of the pan, and the bottom is golden brown, about 1 minute. Gently flip the crepe over using a spatula and smooth out any folds. Cook for an additional 20-30 seconds. Slide the crepe off the pan onto a plate to serve, or to a cooling rack if you are making more. You can stack on the crepes as they finish cooking.
- Repeat with remaining crepes, brushing butter on the pan each time before you pour on the crepe batter.
- These basic crepes are delicious served straight off the pan. However, if you plan to store the crepes, you can refrigerate them in as a stack and slowly peel off each crepe as you want to eat it. You can also freeze them with a layer of parchment paper in between, so they do not stick together frozen. Gently heat the crepes on a pan before serving.
Marcella says
Made this recipe to surprise my relatives who love crepes and missed eating them after they returned to the US from Paris. Followed the recipe as indicated but added 1/3 of sugar and was generous with vanilla. They turned out FANTASTIC!!!
The one step that I changed from the recipe was to add the vanilla 20 minutes before I started cooking the crepes. I let the batter sit for 24 hours and added the vanilla the following morning. My parents couldn’t believe how much it reminded them of the crepes they had while in Paris!!! This is definitely a must keep and make again, and again, and again...!!!
Lorraine says
I forgot to add 5 stars!
Lorraine says
This is perfect. Thank you!
Harini says
That's a wonderful recipe for making basic crepes. Looks lovely
Fiona Manoon says
I Have found this recipe quite amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing .
I am going to try this out very soon.
My family will love it. Thanks for posting !!
Teresa says
It looks so good is my favorite.