There’s a misconception about Crepes that I’m hoping to correct here. Are you ready? In spite of what you may think or been told, crepes are incredibly simple to make. Ok, I said it. And if you’ve never tried your hand at making these French-style pancakes before, my oh my are you in for a treat. They’re one of my favorites! These heavenly, light, thin pancakes are the perfect base for all types of fillings like mashed bananas, almond butter, fruit preserves and, dare I suggest, Nutella!

Crepes on blue plate. One filled with Nutella, one with fruit preserves and one with peanut butter. Pin

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Fun Culinary Adventure: Making crepes is a fun way to do something new in the kitchen with ingredients you most likely already have on hand. You get to play with different flavors and fillings which is so much fun, especially for kids.
  • Easy to Make: Making crepes can seem daunting, but I promise it’s easier than you may think. You can make a batch of these without any special equipment or hard to find ingredients.
  • Versatile and Kid-Friendly: The best part about this recipe is that you can fill them with anything you love! They’re perfect for satisfying many different taste preferences. If your little one wants Nutella and the adults want fresh fruit, everyone can be happy!
Three crepes. One filled with Nutella, one with fruit preserves and one with peanut butter. Pin

The Ingredients

  • Flour: Can’t have crepes without flour! It provides the overall structure for this recipe.
  • Large eggs: Eggs help bind everything together!
  • Milk: This ingredient helps create the perfect texture.
  • Water: Crepes need to be liquid-y, so adding water helps thin out the batter.
  • Vanilla: This adds flavor and fills the kitchen with an amazing smell! If you want to make savory crepes, you can leave this ingredient out.
  • Butter: Melted butter is a key ingredient for making crepes. Make sure you have more on hand for greasing the skillet!

*See the recipe box below for full ingredients and measurements

Crepes folded with no fillings. Topped with powdered sugar and strawberries. Pin

How to Make Homemade Crepes

  1. Combine Ingredients in Blender: Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
  2. Refrigerate: Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour or overnight (this helps the bubbles to settle and the crepes not to tear).
  3. Butter and Heat Small Skillet: Grease a small sauté pan or crepe pan with butter. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and swirl to cover the pan.
  4. Cook: Cook crepe for 1 minute, flip and continue to cook another 30 seconds or until just starting to become golden.
  5. Make Crepes One At a Time: Remove to a plate and continue to make remaining crepes.
  6. Serve with Desired Fillings: Spread crepes with apple butter, almond butter, mashed bananas, fruit preserves or any other favorite filling. Fold in half or roll into a cigar shape.
Crepes on blue plate. One filled with Nutella, one with fruit preserves and one with peanut butter. Pin

Can You Make Crepes Ahead of Time?

You sure can! Here’s how to make crepes ahead of time! Whip up your batter up to a day ahead. Seal it tightly in your blender or pour it into a mixing bowl, cover it, and pop it in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to make the crepes, just pull it out and start cooking them the next day.

While crepes are undeniably best fresh off the griddle, you can stash any extras in the fridge for a day or two. Simply reheat them in the microwave for a quick fix. Alternatively, arrange them on a baking sheet (yes, they can overlap!), cover them with foil, and warm them gently in an oven at 250°F for about 10 minutes.

To freeze crepes: After step 5, allow to cool, place crepes on a sheet tray, layer a piece of parchment paper between each crepe. Place in zipper bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours and heat in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side and follow remaining steps.

Crepes on blue plate. One filled with Nutella, one with fruit preserves and one with peanut butter. Pin

Filling & Topping Ideas

I’m a big fan of letting your taste buds guide you into what to put into your crepes. Strawberries with Nutella has always been a go-to for me. But any combination of the fillings and toppings below will be great!

  • Nutella or homemade Chocolate Sunbutter
  • Strawberries, raspberries or mashed bananas
  • Strawberry Preserves or any favorite jam/preserve flavor.
  • Melted peanut butter or almond butter
  • Chocolate chips
  • Powdered sugar
Close up of crepes. Some plain and some with various fillings. Pin

Tips for Perfect Crepes

  • Refrigerate the Batter: This step is crucial and will make a huge difference in the texture and consistency of your crepes. Letting the batter chill in the refrigerator for an hour (or even overnight) helps the crepe batter becomes smoother and more cohesive, resulting in crepes with a tender, delicate texture. Plus, chilling the batter gets rid of the air bubbles, ensuring a smoother surface and more even cooking.
  • Twirl the Pan: Pour the batter right into the center of your hot, buttery pan. Then, give it a lift and a twirl. You want the batter to spread out nice and thin. The thinner the crepe, the better the texture.
  • Butter The Pan Between Each Crepe: While it may seem like a small detail, buttering the pan between each crepe is key to achieving that golden-brown exterior and preventing sticking. Additionally, the butter adds flavor and helps create a beautifully crisp exterior on the crepes, enhancing their overall texture and taste.
Crepes. One filled with Nutella, one with fruit preserves and one with peanut butter. Pin

I love making homemade crepes for a fun, special weekend brunch. This kid-friendly recipe will have the whole family excited for waking up for breakfast. Let me know in the comments what fillings you add in your crepes and tag me on social media if you make these!

Pin

Crepes

Crepes are thin, French-style pancakes that are the perfect base for your favorite fillings like Nutella, fresh fruit, preserves or peanut butter.
5 from 1 vote
Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: French
Servings: 14
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 7 minutes

Equipment

  • blender
  • small sauté pan or crepe maker (linked in notes)

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (this helps the bubbles to settle and the crepes not to tear).
  • Grease a sauté pan or crepe pan with butter. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and lift and swirl to cover the pan.
  • Cook for 1 minute, flip and continue to cook another 30 seconds or until just starting to become golden.
  • Remove to a plate and continue to make remaining crepes. Add butter to the pan between each crepe.
  • Spread with apple butter, almond butter, mashed bananas, fruit preserves or any other favorite filling. Fold in half or roll into a cigar shape.
  • Serve.

Video

Notes

  • Refrigerate the Batter: This step is crucial and will make a huge difference in the texture and consistency of your crepes. Letting the batter chill in the refrigerator for an hour (or even overnight) helps the crepe batter becomes smoother and more cohesive, resulting in crepes with a tender, delicate texture. Plus, chilling the batter gets rid of the air bubbles, ensuring a smoother surface and more even cooking.
  • Twirl the Pan: Pour the batter right into the center of your hot, buttery pan. Then, give it a lift and a twirl. You want the batter to spread out nice and thin. The thinner the crepe, the better the texture.
  • Butter The Pan Between Each Crepe: While it may seem like a small detail, buttering the pan between each crepe is key to achieving that golden-brown exterior and preventing sticking. Additionally, the butter adds flavor and helps create a beautifully crisp exterior on the crepes, enhancing their overall texture and taste.
  • To Make Ahead: Whip up your batter up to a day ahead. Seal it tightly in your blender or pour it into a mixing bowl, cover it, and pop it in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to make the crepes, just pull it out and start cooking them the next day.
  • To Store: While crepes are undeniably best fresh off the griddle, you can stash any extras in the fridge for a day or two. Simply reheat them in the microwave for a quick fix. Alternatively, arrange them on a baking sheet (yes, they can overlap!), cover them with foil, and warm them gently in an oven at 250°F for about 10 minutes.
  • To Freeze: After step 5, allow to cool, place crepes on a sheet tray, layer a piece of parchment paper between each crepe. Place in zipper bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours and heat in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side and follow remaining steps.
  • Tools For this Recipe (affiliate links): Blender | Sauté Pan or Crepe Maker

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 15mg | Sugar: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. They won’t stick together, but they could get a little soggy if they are stacked on top of each other while hot. 🙂 I usually put them on cooling racks on plates and only slightly overlap them if I need to!

  2. When you are making them to eat right away, can you stack them one on top of another, or do you need to put something between them? I saw the note about parchment paper if you are going to freeze them, but I’m wondering if they stick together if you stack them while hot.

  3. Hi, I just made the batter for tomorrow morning. Can these be frozen after being made? Im sure I can refrigerate them for a few days. I’m excited to try them with my son tomorrow.

  4. I have made these a lot over the last few months and my family loves the recipe. I’ve found that because of the butter in the recipe you don’t need to use parchment paper between the layers when freezing. I just put in foil and freeze

  5. I made these tonight with Whole Wheat flour. My 3 1/2 year old son ate 3 with cinnamon sugar. They were a huge hit!

  6. Just made a bunch up. for breakfast made crepe egg cups.
    after making crepes form them in cupcake pan and add egg and other goodies like turkey and veggies and bake. yumm

  7. Also, I’ll be using the leftover crepes for our lunch at the beach with shredded roasted chicken, cheese, cream cheese and capers, etc. YUM!

  8. Loved them! I used a pan with a high lip in the middle and it was perfect because I was able to make two 1/2 crepes at a time for my 7,5, and 3 year olds. They were just the right size for their hands and didn’t need my help applying nutella, powdered sugar, or weelicious strawberry jam! 😉

  9. Funny, cause I just got thru making some wonderful, light sourdough crepes with all whole wheat and then got on FB and saw this original post. I think just about any bread can be made with whole wheat flour. You might need to adjust your liquid and maybe add a bit more yeast to risen breads. WW is just about all I ever use, even for cinnmon rolls!

  10. I made these tonight for the second time ever. Filled some with pepperoni & cheese (pizza crepe), some with leftover taco makings and some with chicken salad and feta! These crepes are fantastic. I made a bunch extra & put them in the fridge for breakfast crepes and blintzes in the morning. YUM! Thanks, Catherine. I’ve always been too intimidated to try to make crepes. These are so easy. By the way, I use non fat milk and they work great.

  11. So, did you intentionally leave out salt? I’m glad I tasted the first one (it fell apart, but the process got much easier as I figured out how to do it), because I was able to add ~1/4 tsp salt. It made a huge difference.

    I also used whole wheat pastry flour, and the crepes were fabulous!

  12. its better to put it in a blender because this way all the ingredients combine and there are no lumps from the flour but you can still whisk it 🙂

  13. For a small pan, just use 1 tbsp of the batter and spread it thin. If you are using a larger pan, just use 2 tbsp 🙂

  14. How big is the pan when you use 2 tbsp of batter? These were yummy, but I think I made them too thick!

  15. I LOVE crepes.
    One version my friend’s dad used to make for us in Canada was
    to squeeze 1 wedge fresh lemon on each crepe and sprinkle with a
    pinch of raw sugar.
    Mmmmm!
    This is a great site.
    Much appreciated,
    Tara

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