Easy Original French Crêpes – Thin and Delicious
These Easy Original French Crêpes are thin, delicate, buttery, and delicious. Made with simple ingredients, they’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or filling with your favorite sweet or savory toppings.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted, plus extra for the pan
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Prepare the Batter: Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and gradually whisk in the milk until smooth.
- Stir in the melted butter, vanilla extract, and water. Mix until the batter is thin and pourable with no large lumps.
- Rest the Batter: Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for about 20 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate and helps create tender, delicate crêpes.
- Heat the Skillet: Place a nonstick skillet or crêpe pan over medium heat. Lightly brush the surface with a small amount of butter.
- The pan should be hot but not smoking.
- Pour and Swirl: Pour a small ladleful of batter into the center of the hot skillet. Immediately lift and gently swirl the pan so the batter spreads into a very thin, even circle.
- Cook the First Side: Cook until the surface looks set and the edges begin to turn lightly golden and pull away from the pan.
- This should only take a short time, so watch the edges carefully.
- Flip the Crêpe: Use a thin spatula to gently loosen the edges. Carefully flip the crêpe and cook the second side briefly until lightly golden.
- Repeat and Stack: Continue cooking the remaining batter, lightly buttering the skillet as needed. Stack the finished crêpes on a plate and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel.
- Serve: Serve the crêpes warm with powdered sugar, fresh berries, butter, maple syrup, chocolate spread, whipped cream, or your favorite filling.
- For savory crêpes, fill them with cheese, ham, mushrooms, spinach, or eggs.
Notes
- For the thinnest crêpes, make sure the batter is quite pourable.
- Allowing the batter to rest helps produce a smoother and more tender texture.
- The first crêpe can be used as a test to adjust the skillet temperature.
- Keep the heat around medium to prevent the delicate crêpes from browning too quickly.
- Stack finished crêpes under a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and flexible.
- For dessert crêpes, serve with berries, powdered sugar, Nutella, whipped cream, or maple syrup.
- For savory crêpes, reduce or omit the sugar and vanilla and fill with cheese, vegetables, eggs, or cooked meat
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 135 kcal
- Total Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1 g
- Total Sugars: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Calcium: 55 mg
- Iron: 1 mg
- Potassium: 80 mg
Note: Nutrition is an estimate and can vary depending on the exact ingredients, brands, toppings, and portion size.