Crepes rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 27 recipes to cook with them.

What are crepes?

Crepes are thin, lacy pancakes from France, poured in a barely-there layer and cooked fast on a hot pan until the edges crisp. They are made from a loose batter of flour, eggs, milk, and a little melted butter.

There is no leavening. So they stay flat and flexible instead of rising the way an American pancake does.

That flexibility is the whole point. A crepe is as much a wrapper as it is a food. Sweet ones get folded around fruit and cream, while savory ones cradle eggs, cheese, chicken, or seafood and turn into a light meal.

Working With Crepe Batter

The single most useful habit is resting the batter. Whisk it, then let it sit covered for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour, in the fridge. Resting lets the flour fully hydrate and the gluten relax, which gives you tender crepes that don't tear.

The batter should be thinner than pancake batter, closer to heavy cream. If it coats the back of a spoon thickly, whisk in milk a tablespoon at a time until it runs freely.

To cook, heat a nonstick or seasoned pan over medium-high and brush it lightly with butter. Pour in a small ladle of batter and immediately swirl the pan so it spreads into a thin circle before it sets.

Cook about a minute until the edges lift and the underside is golden. Flip, and give the second side just 20 to 30 seconds. Stack them on a plate as you go; they steam each other soft and won't stick.

Sweet and Savory Fillings

For dessert, the classics are simple on purpose. A smear of jam, a dusting of sugar and lemon, or fresh berries with whipped cream let the crepe stay the star, as in Strawberry-Cream Crepes or the richer Strawberry Cream Filled Crepes (Paulette Valois).

Flambeed versions like Crepes Fitzgerald turn the same wrapper into a restaurant dessert.

Savory crepes lean heartier. Fold them around a creamy filling and bake them in sauce, the way Chicken Enchilada Crepes and Spinach-Mushroom Crepes do, or roll them tight around smoked salmon and cream cheese for an appetizer. Crepes with Salmon Filling is a good template for the dinner version.

A crepe also works as a thin flatbread for other cuisines. Moo Shu Vegetables with Chinese Pancakes uses the same idea, a soft wrapper rolled around a stir-fry.

The most common mistake is overfilling. A tablespoon or two per crepe keeps it foldable, while a heaping mound splits the wrapper and weeps. Sauce the outside, not the inside, when you want it saucy.

Crepes vs Pancakes and Substitutes

A crepe is not a thin pancake. American pancakes carry baking powder and a thicker batter, so they puff and stay fluffy. Crepes have no leavening and a pourable batter, so they cook flat and bendable.

If a recipe wants a wrapper and all you have is pancake batter, thin it heavily with milk and skip any baking powder. The texture won't be identical, but it will fold.

For a closer stand-in, blintzes use nearly the same batter and fold the same way, just usually filled with sweet cheese. Store-bought crepes from the produce or bakery aisle work in a pinch for fillings and stacks.

For a gluten-free version, a batter built on buckwheat flour gives you a French galette, the traditional savory crepe of Brittany, with a nuttier flavor that suits ham and egg.

Storing and Make-Ahead

Crepes are a make-ahead cook's friend. Once cooled, stack them with a square of parchment between each one so they peel apart cleanly, then wrap the stack tightly. They keep in the fridge for about three days.

For longer storage, freeze the layered stack in a zip-top bag for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or reheat straight from frozen: warm them one at a time in a dry skillet for 20 to 30 seconds a side.

Raw batter keeps too. It improves with an overnight rest and pours fine for up to two days. Whisk it before cooking, since the flour settles.

Quick facts

In Chinese

薄饼

British (UK) term

Crepes

en français

des crêpes

en español

crepes

Recipes using crepes

There are 27 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 27 recipes