Crêpes aren’t just for a fun weekend brunch — they freeze beautifully and help you make an easy dinner. Once frozen, they snap apart easily and warm in the oven in two minutes. Fill them with anything from your favorite ingredients to leftovers, and dinner is ready in no time.
They’re also a wholesome, budget-friendly option because all you need is milk, flour, and eggs. Crêpes are simple to make once you know the key to mixing the batter.
I learned how to make crêpes from a French chef named Marie, who taught me that the key to perfect crepes isn’t in the exact measurement of the ingredients but in the consistency of the batter. She didn’t measure — she simply started with flour, added two eggs, then poured in milk until the batter was as smooth as heavy cream. “The batter should fall off the ladle like a ribbon,” she told me. I later asked my French in-laws and another French chef for their crêpe recipes, and they all told me the same thing: “I don’t have a recipe. I just make them.”
So let’s make some — and get the kids involved too!
Over the years, I’ve shown many kids how to make them, and they're always amazed at how easy crêpes are. One of my son’s friends said, “I thought they’d be hard to make since they seem so fancy.”
Here are the guidelines for a simple French crêpe recipe to get you started. Once you’ve made crêpes a few times, you’ll know the “recipe” by heart.
Add the flour to a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, make a small well in the center of the flour.
Crack the eggs into the well and whisk the eggs and flour just until combined.
Add about 1 cup of the milk and whisk the milk, eggs, and flour until they are well combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy at this point, but adding the eggs to the flour first and then a bit of milk produces a smoother batter with fewer lumps.
Add the rest of the milk and whisk well. The goal is to have a batter with a consistency slightly thinner than heavy cream. Again, as Chef Marie said, "The texture should be like cream and flow off the ladle like a ribbon."
Heat an 8- or 9-inch crêpe pan or nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat and lightly coat with butter. Only a tiny amount of butter is needed; I use about 1/8 of a teaspoon. The butter should sizzle in the pan but not turn dark brown. If the butter browns, reduce the heat.
Using a ladle, pour just enough batter into the pan to evenly coat it, about ½ - ¾ of a ladle. Make a circular swirling motion with the pan to evenly distribute the batter. If there are empty spots, drizzle more batter over the spots. If the batter doesn't swirl easily, it is too thick. Add a bit of milk.
Cook each crêpe for about 2 minutes. When the sides start to curl up, use a spatula to flip it. Cook on the other side for less time — 30 to 60 seconds. The crêpe should be nicely browned but not too dark.
A famous saying is that "the first crêpe is for the chef," because that first crêpe often sticks to the pan. Once the pan is well seasoned with butter and heated, the cooking process goes more smoothly.
Continue to make more crêpes by adding another small amount of butter and the crêpe batter. You may need to adjust the heat down as the pan gets hotter. Again, if the butter browns when added to the pan, reduce the heat.
Once on the plate, add your favorite topping to the crêpe, fold, and enjoy. You can find serving ideas in the notes below.
Use the crêpe batter immediately, or put it in the fridge for at least an hour. As the batter sits, the lumps dissolve, making it practical to prepare the batter ahead of time. After sitting, the batter will separate and may thicken a bit. When this happens, whisk it before using and add a bit more milk if needed.
Making a full batch of crêpes takes about thirty minutes, so it can be more convenient to make what you need for a meal, store the leftover batter in the fridge, and finish cooking the crêpes later. Then you can either store them in the fridge or freeze the extras.
To freeze crêpes, stack them on a plate as you cook them and let them cool completely. Once cooled, put the stack of crêpes directly into a gallon-sized plastic freezer baggie and freeze. When you need a crêpe or two, take the stack from the freezer and slowly pull the top crêpe up — it will snap right off the stack. Even if one happens to break, it will still taste delicious!
Serve your crêpes with
Crêpes baked with leftover chicken and cheese.
Fruit soup and homemade whipped cream
Pesto and ham and Michel Cluizel chocolate hazelnut spread
Boursin and smoked salmon
You may also be interested in finding a French crêpe pan and French flour to make your crêpes.
