The Best French Crêpe Recipe

Why Are Crêpes Important To French Culture?

Each year on February 2 is what French people call ‘La Chandeleur’ – Candlemas in English – or the day when a whole country eats crepes!

It is a tradition, and most French families will eat French crepes for the occasion.

No one knows for sure why crepes are associated with a once-religious holiday, but there are a few hypotheses.

It is possible that crepes – essentially large and thin pancakes – symbolize a round, yellow sun coming back after the winter.

Another possibility is that it’s around that time that winter wheat harvests happen. If flour was made in too large batches, making crepes was a way to use it.

It is such a deeply rooted tradition that I still make crepes on that day even though I moved to New Zealand years ago. The tradition says that we must eat them only after 8 pm.

So now, you probably want to know what exactly is an authentic French crepe, right?

Well, there are actually two authentic French crepe recipes depending on the filling you are going to use.

Sweet Crepes or Savory Crepes

Yes, it’s typically French to serve sweet crepes for breakfast or snacks.

But, savory crepes are also served in the French Brittany region as a meal filled with eggs, ham, and cheese. However, savory crepes are made with different flour.

• Sweet crepe recipe – thin, golden in color, and made of all-purpose white wheat flour.
• Savory crepes – thicker, heavier, grey-brown in color, and made of buckwheat flour. Try my buckwheat flour crepes to make a savory crepe recipe.

How To Make Crêpes

It’s very easy to make a crepe batter crepe. All you need are 6 ingredients, a mixing bowl, a whisk, and a non-stick crepe pan.

Making The Crepe Batter

Add the flour, eggs, salt, vanilla extract, melted butter, and sugar into a large mixing bowl. 

Use a whisk or an electric mixer to gradually beat the milk until a smooth batter forms with no lumps.

A crepe batter is always thinner than a pancake batter recipe, and that’s normal.

Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the non-stick crepe pan.

Sweet French Crepe Fillings

The most popular French crepe fillings are not quite healthy as French people love sweet crepe recipes!

But you can put any number of toppings on a French crepe. The typical amount is 1 to 4.

1. A Spread

The most commonly used on their own or associated with other ingredients are:

• Icing sugar
• Sugar or erythritol for a sugar-free topping
• Jam – strawberry, blueberry, apricot, or use my sugar-free chia seed jam for a healthier twist
• Fruit puree – often apple compote
• Honey or maple syrup or sugar-free syrup
• A chocolate spread – Nutella is the most popular chocolate hazelnut spread sold in France. For a healthier, sugar-free Nutella, check out my sugar-free Nutella recipe.
• Peanut butter – homemade or natural peanut butter.

2. Dry Ingredients

• Coconut
• Sliced almonds
• Sugar or powdered sugar
• Cinnamon

3. Other sweet crepes fillings

• Fruits – fresh fruits like fresh berries and bananas are often associated with chocolate spreads or cooked apples with cinnamon and sugar.
• Alcohol – French crepes with Grand Marnier are very popular. It is a crepe filled with crystal sugar and then covered with the French spirit Grand Marnier. The crepe is then flambeed and served hot. It is a very spectacular dessert in French restaurants. Other alcohols used in crepes are Cognac in combo with apples. Try my Crepe Suzette Recipe for all the details!
• Whipped cream or cream cheese

Savory Crepe Fillings

If you prefer your crepe savory, there are many ways of making a delicious salty breakfast or lunch with this recipe.

Prepare your crepes and fill them with:

• Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraiche, and Dill: place the salmon and crème on your cooked crepe while still on the hot pan, fold the sides, and add the dill just before serving.
• Bacon, Sour Cream, and Onions: Cooked the bacon on another pan, spread the sour cream on the crepe, add the bacon and sliced onions. Cook for about a minute and serve.
• Ham and Cheese: Place some of your favorite cheese on the crepe still on the hot pan, add a layer of sliced ham, and spread some more cheese. Fold the crepe in half and cook for another minute.
• Egg Crepe: Prepare a sunny side up egg, place it on the crepe (still on the pan), and add a touch of bearnaise sauce or my 3-Ingredient Alfredo Sauce.
• Mushroom Crepe: This is my favorite version. Prepare my Mushroom Sauce and pour it on the middle of the crepe, cook for another minute, and serve hot.

How To Fold A French Crepe

After you cook the crepe, bring it to a plate, add fillings and toppings and fold it.

Most French people roll their crepes, and we eat them with our fingers. Restaurant chefs folded crepes in a triangle shape.

But whether you fold or roll, always add the fillings in the open crepes.

Then put the crepe back into the pan to melt and warm the filling before folding and serving them. Here you go! You now know everything about authentic French crepes!

However, don’t hesitate to ask me more by leaving a comment! I will love to help you design your best crepe parties!

Are French Crepes Healthy?

They’re not low in carbs, that’s for sure! French crepes are made with refined white-wheat flour, sugar, and milk, and all of these ingredients are high in carbohydrates and sugar.

However, it is a traditional recipe, and as a French person, I am proud to host this on my low-carb recipe blog to remember my roots.

Healthy French Crepes Alternatives

I know it is not the healthiest recipe in the world, and since I eat low-carb now, I created my own low-carb crepe alternatives. Traditional French crepes don’t taste like eggs.

However, low-carb crepe alternatives have a stronger egg flavor. So if you don’t mind the carbs, stick to this recipe.

Otherwise, have a look at my low-carb crepe recipes below.

Coconut Flour Crepes

Almond Flour Crepes

Pumpkin Crepes

Gluten-Free Crepes

Protein Crepes

Chickpea Crepes

Keto Crepes

Frequently Asked Questions

Find below my answers to the most common questions on this crepe recipe.