The Best Breakfast Crepes

Breakfast crepes are super simple and incredibly delicious! Thin, buttery, delicate french style pancakes with crisp edges are perfect for rolling, folding, and stacking! Fill them with your favorite sweet or savory fillings and enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or yes, even dinner!

Following this guide to the perfect crepe with a salted caramel filling needs to be next on your list! It’s the perfect menu item for a special occasion, breakfast in bed, or an after-dinner dessert. Once you get down this basic crepe recipe, you can make:

• Chocolate Crepes with Fresh Raspberries
• Lemon Crepe Cake
• Boston Cream Pie Crepes

What are breakfast crepes?

For the sake of argument, let’s say they’re pancake’s thinner more delicate cousin. Breakfast crepes have a similar flavor profile to pancakes but dare I say crepes are a bit more versatile because of how thin they are. This allows them to be folded and rolled, unlike a pancake.

They can be made sweet or savory depending on what you fill them with and can be served for anything from a fancy brunch to lazy weekend dinner. Some enjoy them filled with whipped cream and strawberries, while others enjoy them filled with scrambled eggs and sausage.

The only limit to how a crepe can be enjoyed is your imagination. They’re totally versatile, completely customizable, and a real treat!

A recipe for beginners

You may have seen crepes being made in restaurants by people using electric crepe makers and a wooden spreader. It’s kind of neat to watch, isn’t it?! If you don’t have all the gadgets (because I don’t know many that do) it’s all good, you absolutely don’t need them.

Making homemade crepes is so much easier than you think! Yes, they look all kinds of fancy, but they’re actually quite as simple as putting a handful of simple ingredients into a blender to create a smooth batter, and voila! The trick is to get them to their signature thinness and this breakfast crepe recipe will guide you every step of the way.

Appliance Tips

Blender – This easy recipe requires the use of a blender if you have one. It’s as simple as tossing in all of your ingredients to make the batter. If you don’t have one, mixing by hand in a bowl is just fine.

Omelette pan – Use a non stick round pan. Small/medium in size is perfect. After trying all kinds of different pans, I highly recommend an omelette pan.

Spatula – You’ll need a spatula for flipping. A silicone spatula is great. An offset spatula also works, just be careful not to tear the crepe.

Ingredients

• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is all you need to hold the structure of the crepe.
• Sugar – You don’t need much at all, but adds a subtle sweetness.
• Baking powder – Traditional crepes use no leavening agent, so if you want to omit this, you can. I use it when I want to give my crepes a bit more body.
• Salt – a bit to bring out the flavors.
• Milk – This batter is not thick and should be on the thinner, runnier side. To avoid a thicker batter, use lighter milk. Add a bit of water to it if you’re using milk with higher fat content.
• Eggs – Used as a binding agent.
• Vanilla – A subtle hint of vanilla is never a bad idea!
• Melted butter – The only way to achieve a buttery texture and crisp edges. Plus additional butter for cooking.

How to Make this Breakfast Crepes Recipe

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend just until smooth. Scrape down sides to make sure everything is incorporated, without over blending.

Step 2: Heat a bit of butter in your non-stick round pan. You will want to add more butter between every few crêpes to keep them from sticking. Pour a bit of batter from the blender while simultaneously rotating and spreading the batter into a thin layer across the pan.

Step 3: Watch the batter in the pan as it cooks.  As soon as the wetness disappears from the top of the crêpe, run a spatula around the edges and under to loosen it from the pan. Cook on the other side for just a few seconds longer before turning the crepe out onto a plate.

Cook all the crepes at once or, fill and sprinkle with powdered sugar and eat as you go!

It takes some practice to get the hang of pouring the batter into the pan with one hand while rotating the pan with the other to spread the batter into a smooth, thin pancake along the entire bottom of the pan. Watch this video for a visual on this crepe-making technique.

You may find your first few crepes are a bit of a disaster. That’s totally normal. Through trial and error, you’ll get it! And I mean, eating “ruined” crepes is really just an excuse to eat more crepes!

Can I make them ahead of time?

To make crepes ahead of time, stack with a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper between each one.  Seal the stack in a large Ziploc bag.

What else can I fill breakfast crepes with?

Sweet

• Butter and lemon
• Nutella and bananas
• Fruits and pastry cream
• Maple syrup and powder sugar
• Apple pie filling
• cream cheese filling
• ice cream

Savory

• Scrambled eggs and bacon
• Ham and cheese
• Spinach and feta
• Sausage and veggies

The sky is the limit! For a larger party or holiday meal, serve these crepes alongside our favorite Cheesy Egg Bake or German Pancake.