With only 6 ingredients, this French Crepe recipe is so easy to make! Buttery, light and flaky, crepes are perfect for an elegant brunch or a lazy weekend morning.
What are French crepes?
A crepe is a very thin pancake made from flour, eggs, milk and salt. French Crepes come in two varieties: sweet (crêpes sucrées) and savory (crêpes salées). For this Basic Crepe Recipe, we are focusing on the sweet version.
I am a Francophile. I have loved just about everything French since I first set foot in Madame Stein's classroom in the seventh grade. I wanted to write the title of this post in French, but Keith convinced me that it might be "pouring it on" a bit much. But I love the circumflex. I love saying "crêpe" with a French accent. How could you not love a culture that treasures butter, bread, heavy cream and chocolate?
Ingredients:
- ALL PURPOSE FLOUR: 1 ½ cups
- EGGS: 3 eggs
- MILK: ¾ cup
- WATER: ¾ cup
- SALT: ¼ teaspoon
- BUTTER or MARGARINE, 3 tablespoons, melted
How to make crepes:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the flour and combine.
- Add water and milk and mix until smooth.
- Add salt and melted butter and mix until smooth.
- Over medium heat, place a non stick sauté pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray (you can use any size pan, crepes in photo were made in a 10" pan).
- Once pan is heated, place about ½ C crepe batter in center of pan and with a tilting circular motion spread mix to cover bottom of pan.
- Cook for about 2 minutes until edges of crepe lifts off the pan.
- Flip with spatula and continue to cook for 1 min.
- Remove crepe and place on plate and continue making crepes until batter is gone.
Why this recipe works:
Francophile or not, Keith has mastered the crepe. He truly understands what I have always appreciated about a good, classic French crepe (be it in a French café in Manhattan or a corner crêpe cart in Paris): good, simple ingredients in the right combination and that buttery light, flaky texture. This meal looks complicated, but it is not.
Fillings for French Crepes:
- Nutella: a classic Parisian favorite. Just slather on some hazelnut spread, roll, and enjoy
- Berries: we like chopped up, lightly sweetened strawberries (see recipe below) or a mix of strawberries and blueberries
- Bananas Foster (see recipe below): an incredible dessert style crepe sweetened with brown sugar
- Goat cheese and Leeks: a savory crepe that is a classic French favorite, often served at brunch or lunch with a mixed green salad.
- Ham and cheese: just a slice of ham and some melted Swiss will do the trick. Also great with a salad or some scrambled eggs.
Crepes for Brunch
We are showing you our favorite sweet crepes here. A weekend morning that includes a crepes is a crowd pleaser at our house. I love a fruit and Nutella crepe. Keith likes one stuffed with Bananas Foster. Crepes make a great meal for a large family or a group of friends, as you can set a plate of crepes on the table with bowls of filling options and let everyone create her own (a classic cinnamon and sugar crepe never let me down). Bon appétit!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's):
No! We always use non stick sauté pan and get amazing results (we think a 10" pan yields the perfect sized crepe).
Honestly, both work. But if you want REALLY AUTHENTIC French Crepes, unsalted butter is best.
This is a classic French crepe recipe. It is made to be used for sweet and savory crepes. Therefore there is no sugar in the crepe batter.
While crepes are best enjoyed warm and fresh from the pan, you can wrap them in foil or plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
French Crepes recipe (basic crepes)
With only 6 ingredients, French Crepes are easy to make! Buttery, light and flaky, they are perfect for an elegant brunch or a lazy morning.
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 20 crepes 1x
Ingredients
BASIC CREPE RECIPE:
- 1 ½ C all purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- ¾ C milk
- ¾ C water
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 3 TBSP butter or margarine, melted
STRAWBERRY FILLING:
- 2 C diced strawberries
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 1 TBSP water
BANANAS FOSTER:
- 2 bananas, sliced in ¼" slices
- ½ C brown sugar
- 4 TBSP butter or margarine
Instructions
FOR THE CREPES:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the flour and combine.
- Add water and milk and mix until smooth.
- Add salt and melted butter and mix until smooth
- On medium heat, place a non stick sauté pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray. (you can use any size pan, pictured is a 10 inch pan)
- Once pan is heated, place about ½ C crepe mix in center of pan and with a tilting circular motion spread mix to cover bottom of pan.
- Cook for about 2 minutes until edges of crepe lifts off the pan.
- Flip with spatula and continue to cook for 1 min.
- Remove and place on plate and continue making crepes until batter is gone.
To MAKE THE NUTELLA AND STRAWBERRY CREPE:
- spread nutella on crepe and spoon 2 tablespoon of strawberry mixture on nutella and fold crepe in thirds and place on plate and drizzle chocolate syrup and serve.
TO MAKE THE BANANAS FOSTER:
- Place crepe on plate, spoon in 2 tablespoon of mixture.
- Fold crepe and place on plate and top with 1 tablespoon of strawberry mixture.
- These are also great folded and topped with cinnamon sugar...the classic French way!!!
FOR THE STRAWBERRY MIXTURE:
- In a bowl add the diced strawberries, sugar and water and mix and set aside for 5 minutes or in refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
FOR THE BANANAS FOSTER:
- In a sauté pan melt the butter and add the brown sugar until melted, about 5 minutes.
- Add bananas and turn heat off and mix until coated.
- Set aside until crepes are done.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast or Dessert
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 crepes
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 10.1 g
- Sodium: 111.8 mg
- Fat: 12.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.2 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
- Cholesterol: 96.9 mg
Keywords: French, crepe, breakfast, brunch, weekend, Nutella, chocolate, bananas, foster, banana, sweet,savory, Paris
[…] form): banana splits, chocolate covered bananas, and of course Bananas Foster. Check out his Bananas Foster filling for his famous crepes; it is incredible!). We had just enjoyed a delectable fish fry (during […]