Truth be told, crêpes are better than pancakes. Thinner, with crispy lace edges, and so delicious, there’s something about the delicate French cousin of the American pancakes. You can make them sweet or savoury, roll or fold them up, and stuff them with all kinds of delicious toppings. And once you start making crêpes at home, there’s no looking back!
Typically, a specialty crêpe pan is used to make French crêpes, but you can just as easily making them in a non-stick pan too. The technique takes a bit of practice — you need to work quickly, and swirl the pan with a flick of your wrist, and do it fast so that the crêpe batter spreads across and gives you the thinnest crêpe you can make. The first one or two crêpes might be a bit of a disaster — there’s even a saying in France that the first one is always a fail! But don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of the technique pretty quickly, it only sounds more complicated than it is.
Success tips to make the best crêpes:
- The consistency of the batter is important. As opposed to pancakes, crêpes require a smooth, runny batter that has pouring consistency.
- Chill the batter — make it at least 30-60 minutes ahead of time. Because the batter does not have any leavening agent, this step is important.
- Use a non-stick pan or a specialty crêpe pan, making sure it is really hot. Brush a little butter or oil for the first crêpe, but you don’t any more after that!
- Work fast! Once you pour a ladle of batter in the pan, twirl the pan quickly, otherwise it’ll stick in the centre.
- When the edges of the crêpe start turning brown, release the sides using a spatula and flip it over to cook on the other side.
- The first crêpe is always a disaster — this is because usually the pan isn’t hot enough, or you haven’t got the timing correct. That’s okay, just keep going!
This French crêpe recipe is for basic sweet crêpes — you can omit the vanilla and sugar and instead add a pinch of salt if you’re making savoury crêpes. You can also jazz it up with flavourings of your choice: add some lemon or orange zest, orange blossom water, or even cocoa powder/matcha for flavoured crêpes.
Once you have your crêpes ready, they form the perfect canvas for all kinds of delicious toppings and fillings.
Crêpe fillings and toppings:
- Nutella and bananas or berries
- Mixed berries and whipped cream
- Honey and ricotta
- Caramelised bananas and salted caramel or dulce de leche
- Any kind of fruit compote (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peach, mango)
- Whipped cream flavoured with orange liquor, or a floral cream like lavender and lemon
Or you can keep it simple (and SO delicious) like in this recipe with honey, whipped cream, and a dusting of powdered sugar!
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ - 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- A tiny pinch salt
- 1 cup flour
- honey, whipped cream, powdered sugar
- or toppings of choice
- In a large mixing bowl, add the milk, oil, melted butter, vanilla extract, and ½ of the water, mixing well. To that, add the sugar and salt.
- Add the flour bit by bit and whisk to incorporate, making sure no lumps form. The batter should be a smooth runny consistency — add more water as required. Cover and chill the batter for 30-60 minutes in the fridge.
- To make the crêpes, heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with a bit of butter or oil for the first crêpe. Pour a ladle of batter into the centre of the pan, and twirl the pan to spread the batter.
- When the edges start getting brown (you’re looking for crispy lace edges), use a spatula to release the sides and flip the crêpe. Cook for a few minutes on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve the crêpes with a drizzle of honey, some fresh whipped cream or ricotta, and a dusting of powdered sugar, or toppings of your choice!
