Simple Crepe Recipe (Our Family’s French Pancakes)
This simple crepe recipe will change your Saturday mornings forever. They’re delicate yet hearty and can be wrapped or folded around your favorite sweet or savory fillings and toppers.
We like to serve them with fresh, Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream and seasonal fruit, or stuffed with eggs, bacon, and cheese for an elevated breakfast sandwich situation. I think you’re going to love these.
French pancakes are more than a special occasion breakfast in my husband’s very German family (I don’t have all the answers). The Schultheis crew has been serving up this simple crepe recipe for generations – and for good reason. The process of griddling the cakes has a way of slowing time, filling the house with the familiar fragrance of butter, flour, and egg that brings everyone eagerly to the kitchen.
French pancakes usually mean Popeye’s in town and he’s agreed to make a double (triple?) batch for the littles and their tired parents. (Shout out to my very sweet father-in-law who allows everyone to call him Popeye, not just the grandkids.) He also happily triples or quadruples the recipe to satisfy the insatiable appetite we all seem to have for this wonderful tradition.
Why You’ll Love This Simple Crepe Recipe
It’s really quite simple: they take very little in terms of ingredients and the batter comes together in a jiff! While griddling the cakes is an act of patience, it’s a helpful tool for slowing down the moment and enjoying the process. Also, you don’t need a special crepe pan to make these (I know, they lied.) I use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, you can use a non-stick pan if you prefer. Make it work for you!
As the crepes finish on the stove top, you can fold them, roll them, or stack them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven at 200F for up to an hour. This keeps them from chilling and you can serve them all, piping hot, at once. If making a double or triple batch, they freeze really well, with parchment squares in between, and can be kept in the freezer for two months to be pulled out and thawed as you need them. Brilliant! Right?!
Simple Crepe Recipe Ingredients
- 2 Eggs (room temperature)
- 1.5 cups Milk (room temperature)
- 1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt (omit if using salted butter)
- Light olive or other neutral oil for greasing the pan
The full recipe yields about 8, 11-inch crepes. Quick note: I’ve doubled the recipe in this photo shoot, so the quantities featured in the images are more than the recipe lists.
Let’s Make Them!
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together until well combined. Add the salt and melted butter, whisk again.
Step 2: While whisking, slowly add the all purpose flour until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once warm, add a small amount of oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
Step 4: Pour ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the skillet. Carefully raise the skillet by the handle and tilt in a circular motion until the batter thinly coats the entire surface of the bottom of the skillet. If there are holes, fill them with a bit of batter from the bowl.
Step 5: Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat until little bubbles appear in the center of the crepe and the edges start to solidify. Flip with a thin spatula and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Place the finished crepe on your lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven at 200F for up to an hour while you finish the rest of the crepes, add to the stack as you finish them.
Step 6: When all of the crepes are ready, fold them into triangles or tubes, or keep flat. Serve with freshly whipped cream and seasonal fruit, chocolate hazelnut spread and sliced banana, or savory meats, veggies, and cheeses. Enjoy!
Making Crepes for One Person
I’ve broken the recipe down in this section so you can make a modest serving of two, full sized crepes, just for you. While the ratios of ingredients aren’t 1:1 with the full batch, it is quite close and the outcome is equally delicious. (Use the standard recipe instructions with the reduced ingredient portions.)
Crepes for One (A Mini Batch Recipe)
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons or ½ an egg (whisk one egg with a teaspoon of water, use half of it)
- ⅛ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon melted unsalted butter
- Tiny pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
- Light olive or other neutral oil for greasing the pan
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
YES. They freeze really well, with parchment squares in between, and can be kept in the freezer for about two months to be pulled out and thawed as you need them.
YES. The batter is neutral (not sweet, not savory) making it the perfect vessel for any direction you’d like to take your brunch. Try with Gruyere and jam – one of my favorite combinations!
You do not need a special pan to make crepes. A simple, well seasoned skillet will do just fine. The trick is to pour just a thin layer of batter over the base so the pancake remains as thin as possible. It may take a bit of practice – but you can absolutely do it! And remember – crepes are meant to be a bit rustic. Perfection not required.
Simple Crepe Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Cast iron skillet well-seasoned
- Thin metal spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 1.5 cups Milk room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt omit if using salted butter
- Light olive oil or other neutral oil for greasing the pan
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together until well combined. Add the salt and melted butter, whisk again.
- While whisking, slowly add the all purpose flour until fully incorporated.
- Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once warm, add a small amount of oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Pour ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the skillet. Carefully raise the skillet by the handle and tilt in a circular motion until the batter thinly coats the entire surface of the bottom of the skillet. If there are holes, fill them with a bit of batter from the bowl.
- Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat until little bubbles appear in the center of the crepe and the edges start to solidify. Flip with a thin spatula and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Place the finished crepe on your lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven at 200F for up to an hour while you finish the rest of the crepes, add to the stack as you finish them.
- When all of the crepes are ready, fold them into triangles or tubes, or keep flat. Serve with freshly whipped cream and seasonal fruit, nutella and sliced banana, or savory meats, veggies, and cheeses. Enjoy!
Notes
- These simple crepes freeze really well, with parchment squares in between, and can be kept in the freezer for two months to be pulled out and thawed as you need them.
- The batter is neutral (not sweet, not savory) making it the perfect vessel for any direction you’d like to take your brunch – sweet and/or savory. Try with Gruyere and jam – one of my favorite combinations!
- A lot of people enjoy the classic combination of hazelnut-chocolate spread and bananas. Spread in the center, fold or roll, and serve with banana slices and cocoa powder on top.
Nutrition
For a seasonal treat, try serving these simple crepes with fresh Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce and Thanksgiving leftovers (thank me later). They’re also a nice brunch table companion for a fresh seasonal salad.
