How to Make Easy Homemade French Crepes

As an alternative to pancakes for brunch, homemade crepes are elegant and delicious served with a variety of fillings, and so easy to make! Today’s step-by-step guide will show you how to make beautiful French crepes that you can serve right away, or freeze for later. Also included in my recipe is a lightly sweetened whipped cream cheese filling with the most incredible blueberry compote.

Looking for other breakfast ideas? Try my classic buttermilk waffles, baked prosciutto egg cups, or banana bread pancakes!

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What are Crepes?

A crepe is a type of very thin pancake, but unlike pancakes made with baking powder, crepes don’t contain leavening. Without leavening, crepes cook up very thin and flat, perfect for filling with any kind of sweet or savory filling. Crepes originate in Brittany, France, are traditionally made with buckwheat flour, and are considered a national dish of France. I make my crepes with all-purpose flour, though, for a light, delicate texture and beautiful pale golden color.

Why You’ll Love These Crepes

Easy to Make. Making homemade crepes is actually so easy! Simply whisk up the batter at night and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, it only takes a few minutes to cook up a batch of soft, beautiful crepes. Make sure you have a good non-stick skillet, though, or you won’t be very successful at getting the crepes out of the skillet without tearing them.

Simple Pantry Ingredients. You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make French crepes. Just a few standard ingredients that every baker has on hand are all it takes.

Versatile. The versatility of crepes is all about the filling. I like to pair something creamy with something fruity, like vanilla custard with strawberries, whipped cream cheese with blueberries, or even chocolate hazelnut spread with caramelized pears and toasted hazelnuts. You get the idea.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

TIP: Besides serving crepes for breakfast or brunch, you can stack them, filling each crepe with a thin layer of custard or cream, to make a crepe cake.

Equipment Needed

• Blender, or a Bowl + Whisk. You really only need a bowl and whisk to make the crepe batter, but if you have lumps, then a blender is helpful to get the batter perfectly smooth.
• Electric Mixer. To make the whipped cream cheese, you’ll need a mixer (either a stand or hand-held mixer is fine) to whip the cream cheese, sugar and heavy whipping cream until thick and fluffy.
• Saucepan. For making the blueberry compote.
• Non-stick Skillet. Probably the most important tool for making crepes is a non-stick skillet. Without this, you won’t be able to get your crepes out of the pan without tearing them. I recommend a 6-8 inch skillet (measured across the base of the pan), or even a crepe pan, if you’re really serious about your crepe making.

TIP: Don’t use your non-stick skillet for anything except for crepes and scrambled eggs, wash it gently, and please don’t put it in the dishwasher, if you want it to remain non-stick.

Ingredients

Crepes

• Milk. Use whole milk for the best flavor in your homemade crepes.
• Eggs. Eggs bind the batter together, giving it strength.
• Butter. Unsalted butter in the crepe batter adds fat, flavor and richness. You’ll also need a little butter for greasing the pan as you cook the crepes.
• Flour. All-purpose flour gives the crepes structure and a soft, delicate texture.
• Salt. A pinch of salt enhances the flavors. If you use salted butter instead of unsalted, be sure to omit the extra salt in the recipe.
• Nutmeg. Freshly grated nutmeg adds great flavor, but if you don’t like nutmeg, you can leave it out, or add a small pinch of cinnamon or cardamom instead.

Cream Cheese

• Cream Cheese. Use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor in the cream cheese filling.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens the filling.
• Vanilla + Almond Extracts. Flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. Gives the cream cheese a light, fluffy texture.

Blueberry Compote

• Blueberries. Use either fresh or frozen berries, whichever is in season and most convenient. Frozen berries tend to be less expensive than fresh.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness.
• Corn Starch. Thickens the compote.
• Lemon Juice. Adds a little tartness to enhance the flavor of the blueberries.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Instructions (Step-by-Step)

Crepe Batter

• In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, water, eggs and melted butter.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt and nutmeg. Pour in about half of the milk mixture, and whisk the batter into a smooth paste. Whisk in the rest of the milk mixture, whisking the batter until smooth (Images 1 – 4).
• If you have a blender, you can also simply place all the ingredients into your blender, and blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth.
• Cover the bowl of batter with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator, and let the batter rest overnight. This rest time allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid and lets the gluten relax, resulting in very tender, delicate crepes.

Cream Cheese Filling

• With an electric mixer (stand or hand held), beat the cream cheese, vanilla and almond extracts, and powdered sugar, until smooth.
• Add the heavy whipping cream and beat until smooth, thick and fluffy (Images 5 – 6).
• Refrigerate the whipped cream cheese in an airtight container until needed. You can make the whipped cream cheese up to 1 day in advance.

Blueberry Compote

• In a saucepan, toss the blueberries with the sugar and corn starch. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
• Cook the blueberries over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they get very juicy. As the juices start to thicken, stir constantly, and continue to cook for 1 minute until thick like pie filling (Images 7 – 10).
• Let the compote cool to room temperature before using, or refrigerate in an airtight container until needed. You can make and refrigerate the compote up to 3 days in advance.

Cooking the Crepes

• After resting the crepe batter in the refrigerator overnight, the batter will look separated. Just whisk it up again until smooth. If there are lumps of flour or pieces of butter visible, blend the batter in your blender until smooth.
• Heat a 6-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly brush the pan with 1/4 teaspoon butter. The pan should be hot enough that the butter and batter sizzles when it hits the pan, but not so hot that it turns the crepes brown and crispy.
• Measure slightly less than 1/4 cup (about 3 tablespoons) of batter into the center of the pan, then swirl it around until the batter coats the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, until the edges of the crepe look “lacey”, and the center of the crepe is set (Images 11 – 12). Don’t flip the crepe.
• Use a silicone spatula to loosen the edges (if the crepe is done, it should very easily scoot around the pan), then very gently slide the crepe off the skillet onto a plate.
• Grease the pan with another 1/4 teaspoon of butter, and cook the next crepe. Continue cooking crepes until you’ve cooked all the batter. As you stack the cooked crepes, you can keep them warm by over-turning a large bowl on top of the plate.

Serving

• Place a crepe on a plate, and spoon some of the whipped cream cheese in the middle. Top with the blueberry compote. Fold the crepe in half, and then in half again, so it’s folded into fourths. Another way to present the crepes is to roll them, kind of like enchiladas.
• If you like, you can dust the crepes with powdered sugar, or freshly grated nutmeg.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does crepe batter need to rest overnight?

The rest time allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid and lets the gluten relax, resulting in very tender, delicate crepes. You can let the batter rest for just a few hours, but overnight is best. And it also makes the morning so easy, since everything is prepped and ready to go.

Should the batter be thick or thin?

Crepe batter should be thin, easily spreading out to cover the bottom of the pan.

Do crepes need to be flipped during cooking?

I don’t flip my homemade crepes, although many recipes say to. They cook through completely just by cooking them on one side, and it’s just not really necessary to flip them, unless you wanted to brown them on the other side. I like crepes to be pale and pretty, though, not browned.

Should crepes be soft or crispy?

The very edges of crepes should look “lacey” and will be ever so slightly crisp, but the center should be very soft. If they’re browned and crisp all over, then you’re cooking them for too long, or the heat is turned up too high.

Can I make the whipped cream cheese and blueberry compote in advance?

Yes, you can make the whipped cream cheese one day in advance, and the blueberry compote up to three days in advance.

What else can I serve with crepes?

• Vanilla bean custard with strawberries.
• Whipped cream cheese with blueberry compote.
• Chocolate custard with raspberries.
• Bananas with salted caramel sauce or pure maple syrup.
• Sliced peaches, apricots or cherries with whipped mascarpone cream.
• Chocolate hazelnut spread with caramelized pears and toasted hazelnuts.
• Ham and cheese.
• Scrambled eggs, bacon and crispy hash browns.

Should I refrigerate or freeze leftover crepes?

You can store leftover crepes in an airtight container or freezer bag. Refrigerate them for up to 3 days. or freeze them for 3-6 months. When freezing them, I’d suggest layering each crepe with a piece of parchment paper, so they’re easy to get apart if you only want to use a few.

How do I rewarm crepes?

Place a stack of crepes on a microwaveable plate. Reheat at 50% power for 1-2 minutes until warmed.

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