Crepe batter is a must-have recipe in French cuisine that should be in your recipe book. If crepes are so popular, it’s not only because of their easy and economical recipe but also because of their versatility.
Crepes can be filled and topped in countless ways, both sweet and savory. With a few simple tips, you can make a perfect, lump-free crepe batter by hand.
Foolproof fluffy crepes
In France, Chandeleur (or Candlemas), celebrated on February 2nd, is synonymous with a delightful tradition—crêpes! This day, marking the midway point between winter and spring, symbolizes the return of light and warmth.
Families gather to enjoy thin, golden crêpes, filled or topped with sweet or savory treats. It’s a cherished custom that celebrates good food and the promise of brighter days. It’s also the perfect occasion to try out this fail-proof crêpe recipe!
You might say that we eat crepes all year round, and quite often too. I admit, if you’re like me, you can’t resist them because we simply love them. But you’d agree that any excuse is good to bring out the crepe pan, try new recipes, explore different flavors, and just mix it up a bit.
Crepes with salted caramel are simply delicious, or if you prefer citrus flavors, lemon crepes or Crepes Suzette will delight you.
Traditional crêpes festival
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At Chandeleur or at Mardi Gras, it’s common to cook crêpes at France and Belgium. This tradition is immortalized in the traditional French canon. The legend says that to ensure prosperity throughout the year, you must flip crêpes with a coin in your hand while reciting this rhyme :
The day before Candlemas…
Winter comes and goes
If you know how to hold your pan
Your money in abundance
But beware of the bad star
If you put your crêpe on the side.
Fluffy crepes
I have been using this batter for years and find it excellent, though my favorite and adopted recipe is Chef Pierre Hermé’s for ultra-fluffy crepes. This recipe is based on the late Mr. Paul Bocuse’s, with a slight modification to make the crepes even lighter and finer. You can try both recipes and choose the one you like.
How to serve crêpes
The simplest and accessible to everyone is to sprinkle the crepes with sugar. Both children and adults enjoy them this way, with just a bit of sugar, and they are just as delicious! However, crepes can be decorated in a variety of ways.
You can top the crepes with strawberry jam, apricot jam, etc.
You can top them with fruit marmalade, homemade fruit confit.
For those with a sweet tooth, nutella crepes are the favorite! They’re topped with Nutella and banana slices, Nutella and crushed caramelized almonds, or melted chocolate with praline and a bit of crumbled crispy crepes for extra crunch. It’s so good.
Feuilletine or feuillantine are crushed French crispy crepes, known as “Gavottes”. You’ll find them in the cookie section of supermarkets..
And to take indulgence to the next level, you can make a crepe cake or crepes topped with chocolate spread and sprinkled with crumble for some crunch, accompanied by a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce. It’s really delicious and very easy to make.
All you have to do is try these crêpes and enjoy. 
Preparation steps
| NB: Find the complete recipe with detailed ingredient quantities in the recipe- card at the end of the article, which you can also print out. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images. |
1. Place the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well in the center, and break the eggs into it. Add the salt, vanilla sugar, and either the powdered vanilla or the zest. Pour in a bit of milk.
2. Whisk well and continue gradually adding the rest of the milk while stirring from the center outward. The batter should be very smooth.. If you still have lumps, you can blend the mixture with an immersion blender. If using butter, melt and add hot after mixing well. Add it a little at a time.
3. Leave the batter to rest for an hour. It will thicken slightly; thin it out with water for very light crepes.
4. Lightly grease your pan with a paper towel coated with a little oil, or use softened butter to grease the pan.
5. Pour a small ladle of batter into the pan and swirl to cover the entire bottom. Flip the crepe over to the other side as soon as it loosens and the edges are golden brown.
Cook the crepe on one side and flip it over.
6. Lightly brown the other side and remove.
crepe cooked on both sides
7. Place on a plate and stack the crepes on top of each other as you cook them. They’ll stay warm and soft.
Precautions to take for fluffy, successful crepes
1. Reserve the pan exclusively for crepes. Do not cook anything else on it.
2. Use a silicone spatula to flip the crepes, to avoid scratching the pan with a metal blade. A damaged pan will cause your pancakes to stick.
3. Don’t cook your crepes over high heat as they should remain soft. Watch the edges closely to ensure they stay flexible and don’t become brittle.
4. Stack them one on top of the other to keep them soft and moist, or fill and fold them as you go. Your children will enjoy filling them.
5. Place them on a plate and continue cooking your crepes. Spread with Nutella and sprinkle with a few caramelized chopped almonds.
How to store crêpes?
1. Tack them in batches of 6 and place them in freezer bags. You can keep them for a week in the fridge, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
2. you’ll just have to take them out a little earlier to bring them back to temperature and reheat them.
Crepes spread with Nutella and topped with caramelized crushed almonds.
How to make savoury crêpes
crepes can be served sweet or savoury. Savoury crepes with fillings are just as delicious and popular as sweet crepes. You can make crêpes topped with béchamel sauce and stuffed with the filling of your choice. You can make stuffed crepes with ground meat. Once the crepes are filled, just bake them in the oven to heat through and melt the cheese.
You can fill them with any stuffing you use for filling filo cigars. I love crepes with chicken and béchamel, or crepes with shrimp and béchamel sauce. You can really fill the crepes according to your preferences. You can also make crepe casseroles. Crepe casserole with Bolognese sauce is delicious. I haven’t shared these savory crepe recipes with you yet, but I will soon.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Paul Bocuse’s crêpe batter, and that it inspires you to try it out. You can send me your photos via my email or on my facebook page
Basic French Crepe Batter Recipe
Ingredients :
- 250 g (8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 liter (17 fl oz) milk
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon for savory crepes
- 50 g (1.8 oz) butter or 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or zest of lemon, orange, etc.
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water (optional) my little touch for very light and thin crepes.
Instructions :
Preparing crepes batter
- Place the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well in the center, and break the eggs into it. Add the salt, vanilla sugar, and either the powdered vanilla or the zest. Pour in a bit of milk.
- Whisk well and continue gradually adding the rest of the milk while stirring from the center outward. The batter should be very smooth.
- You can blend the batter with an immersion blender if you still have lumps. If using butter, melt and add hot after mixing well. Add it a little at a time.
- Leave the batter to rest for an hour. It will thicken slightly; thin it out with water for very light crepes.
- Lightly grease your pan with a paper towel coated with a little oil, or use softened butter to grease the pan.
- Pour a small ladle of batter into the pan and swirl to cover the entire bottom. Flip the crepe over to the other side as soon as it loosens and the edges are golden brown.
- Cook the crepe on one side and flip it over. Lightly brown the other side and remove.
- Place on a plate and stack the crepes on top of each other as you cook them. They'll stay warm and soft.
Precautions to take for fluffy, successful crepes
- Reserve the pan exclusively for crepes. Do not cook anything else on it.
- Use a silicone spatula to flip the crepes, to avoid scratching the pan with a metal blade. A damaged pan will cause your pancakes to stick.
- Don't cook your crepes over high heat as they should remain soft. Watch the edges closely to ensure they stay flexible and don't become brittle.
- Stack them one on top of the other to keep them soft and moist, or fill and fold them as you go. Your children will enjoy filling them.
- Place them on a plate and continue cooking your crepes. Spread with Nutella and sprinkle with a few caramelized chopped almonds.
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