Feb 02 2010
How To Make Crepes.
…without a crepe pan!
I don’t own a crepe pan. If I stuff one more appliance, utensil, pot or pan into my kitchen it will spontaneously combust.
It will also qualify me to be on Hoarders.
Up until New Year’s Eve, I had never eaten a crepe. I know, I know – what kind of foodie am I?
Then Barb made those fantastic, addicting ice cream crepes, and I’m not sure if I should hug her or hate her for introducing me to crepes. After all, we did eat then entire pan of ice cream crepes that she helped me make the next day. And by we, I really mean I.
And on New Year’s Eve, my husband had 6 of her crepes for dessert. I definitely have a partner in crime.
Since I had never made crepes before, I was struck with fear that they would turn out terribly. I can’t make pancakes. I can’t make omelets. For some reason, I felt like both of those things were prerequisites to making crepes.
Oh, and the big one – I HAVE ZERO PATIENCE. What is patience? I don’t even know what that word means. And no, I don’t want to learn. I’d rather sit in my pool of ignorance and throw tantrums mid-cook.
Thank goodness Barb was there to take me down a notch.
My husband was thankful, too.
Anyway …
These crepes are fabulous. I’ve mentioned Barb’s husband, Jack, before and told you what an amazing chef he was. He also headed up the US Olympic chef team for many years – if that doesn’t scream ‘incredible food’, what does?
So, one bright, sunny morning in early January, Barb taught me how to make crepes. Yes – there are a few discrepancies in that sentence, because ‘bright,’ ’sunny,’ and ‘January’ aren’t exactly the proper words to describe Pittsburgh.
Oh, well. I thought you needed a visual.
Since I do not own a crepe pan, I used a large skillet. This ensured that the edges would not be rounded or flipped over. Barb taught me that. Thanks, Barb.
Heat the skillet on medium heat. The first crepe is almost always a ‘test’ crepe. Once you get going, the remaining crepes will turn out beautifully.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out the batter and pour it into the skillet. This way, all of our crepes will be around the same size.
Pour it into the pan like so:
Now comes the fun part. Or, if you are Type A like myself, the anxiety-inducing part that causes slight panic attacks.
Pick up the pan and swirl that baby around:
Until it looks like this:
Then, allow it to cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. You will definitely be able to tell when it is finished. You have 2 options: 1.) Let it cook fully on one side and remove it from the pan, or 2.) Flip it once which gives the other side a golden-brown color. Either way works perfectly fine.
To remove the crepe from the pan, lightly slide a spatula under one side. It may feel like it will break, but it won’t!
They come out looking pretty, like so:
Place a piece of wax paper on top of each crepe while finishing up with the remaining batter. This ensures that the crepes won’t stick together and rip apart.
Then, do naughty, mouth-watering, waist-fattening thing to it, like this:
You are most likely going to see many more crepe recipes pop up, due to my wild obsession with them.
Until then, try out this incredible recipe from Barb. They truly are the best crepes ever. Thanks, Barb! 
Crepes
makes 12-14 crepes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 eggs
Sift dry ingredients together. Mis wet ingredients (except melted butter), making sure eggs are beat throroughly. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir until all lumps are gone. Stir in melted butter.
Heat a skillet on medium heat. Melt butter, add olive oil, or use an oil spray to coat the pan. Add batter with a 1/4 cup measuring cup to the hot skillet. Let cook for about 30-60 seconds.
Remove and store inbetween wax paper while cooking the remaining crepes.
thanks for the how-to! i’ve been wondering how to do that for a long time now…and now i know! crepes, here i come
Oh Jessica… you make this look doable!! I am scared of crepes. Mostly cause every time I think about them I say creeps in my head. Or something.
On my last cruise I had pumpkin crepes with marscapone cheese in them OMG!! Best meal EVER!!!
I need some Super Bowl ideas!!
When I was still in college, my sister and I woke up craving crepes one morning. I looked at an online tutorial, and did the damn thing. It was SO easy. We may or may not have forgotten to adjust the recipe for 2 servings. We may or may not have also finished a jar of nutella between the two us since we didn’t have pretty fruity toppings like you.
Mmm…. Paris has the best crepes ever. That’s where I had my first one. It was a savory one though!
My mouth is watering for your fruit crepe right now though….
Great basic crepes recipe!! I had a friend in grad school who used to have crepe parties on Sunday mornings. She was a great friend
SUCH A simple recipe yet so decadent and delicious! thank you for this jess. I would fill it with ricotta and top with berries just like you did
Yay for Barb! I can’t wait to give these guys a shot!
Thanks for the how-to! I’ve tried making protein crepes before and they didn’t work out too well. I’m a bad flipper!
LOVE crepes…who doesn’t, lol. Fave combo is nutella and banana.
I am going to try this, but I think I’ll fill mine with pulled pork and top them with bbq sauce.
I have never made crepes before! I am super type A too and have always been too nervous to even try. They look so pretty…I may just have to cave! Thanks for the how to…VERY helpful!
I’ve always felt intimidated by crepes! Thanks for the step by step
I have always been intimidated by crepe making, but you make it look so easy, I am going to have to give it a try. They look delicious with berries!
Yum, crepes! I love the endless possibilities! Fruit is always a great topping!
Oh that’s awesome…crepes have always been something I have been intimidated by. They just seem hard….
thanks for the how-to guide!! My future hubby looooves crepes and would be in heaven if I made these for him
Woot for making crepes without a crepe pan! I need a sifter, however….
Thanks for the recipe, girl! The look wonderful!
I will be making these!! Thank you so much!!
Everytime I see your crepes, I think “man I wish I could make those.” And now I can
This was a waste of a comment, wasn’t it?
Thanks for the review. I know I can do it cause I got an A on them in college. Yes, I was assigned crepes in cooking class and they turned out good enough for me to get an A. I haven’t made them since, but I will be doing this soon.
I haven’t had crepes since middle school! A horrid teacher ruined them for me!
I LOVE this idea! I’ve never even thought about making crepes before, because they sound complicated, but this looks super easy. I don’t even know if I’ve HAD crepes before! Thanks for the recipe!
I love Crepes! They always remind me of Paris : ) I think I lived on them in my short 3 day trip there! Perfect dessert. Thanks for the recpie
xo
Jocelyn
http://peacelovenutrition.wordpress.com/
ahh thanks for this jess!
I’m scared to make crepes! This makes me feel a little better about it!
I never made pancakes, never even tasted them (well yeah these are not really something on a regular Lebanese menu) yet I work crepes like a wizard and without a crepes pan. Although I have those cute small pans that give out the cutest 10cm (around 4″ I think) in diameter crepes.
I think they are one of the best things to make and they can be very versatile: you can fill them with pretty much anything!
I think next time you should try to pan flip them it is the funnest part in making them
you must have one with Nutella in the middle!
oh my… it’s one of my favorite indulgences when I go to Germany!
Surely it cannot be that easy! I am in disbelief.
i’ve been waiting for you to post this recipe! it looks so yummy and doughy.
I don’t own a crepe pan and have been WAY too intimidated to try and make them on my own but you make it sound so do-able! Thanks!
Awesome recipe! I can’t be trusted around flippy foods and have stolen my mom’s crepe maker device. It’s fabulous…once you add nutella and all the fruit!
I actually haven’t ever had crepes either. I like my little food box and rarely like to try new things. What do they taste like?
I grew up eating crepes as one of the only “treats” my mom made regularly. Somehow, the fact that it was French justified the amounts of Nutella we’d slather onto them. I still haven’t perfected the flip, but they’re so good! Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica – Hmmm kind of like a very thin pancake? But not very sweet …
K, I shoulda read this before making mine this weekend. Seriously.. we had such a freaking mess in my kitchen. Wax paper will be used next time!!!
i can TOTALLY make this! i loves it!
i can haz it!!!!
these look SO good – i wish I could sneak blogging at work..I have to wait till I get home. Maybe I should start cooking with my students and then I can blog and work at the same time!
Merci beaucoup for the step by step! I don’t own (nor want to buy) a crepe pan and have always avoided trying crepe recipes for that reason.
I sence dairy-free crepes coming up this weekend!!
Would you omit the sugar if you’re making savory crepes or keep it for structure?
Can’t wait!!
I love crepes! They are so awesome! I need to make some!
YUM! they look so so good
ahh thank your for this recipe!! I have always wondered how to make crepes without them turning into pancakes
delicious!
this is sucha useful post- im going to try this when i’m home bc i’m certain we don’t have a crepe pan!!
OOO! I think I’m going to do this for a saturday breakfast!! Yummy! I can’t do an omelet either..you should learn, and then share.
I have made crepes a few times, and I LOVE them!! I make Mexican ones with pibil pork and cheese inside topped with a poblano pepper sauce! They are to-die-for!
These look fantastic! I’ve never made crepes at home before and was actually talking with my hair dresser about them the other weekend – she tops them with Nutella (dreamy…?) I need to get on this crepe thing soon, thanks for the directions on how to make!
“If I stuff one more appliance, utensil, pot or pan into my kitchen it will spontaneously combust.”
OMG me too!!!!!
Mine are big, too. A dehydrator, Vita and a Blendtec, a juicer, spiralizer. We own diff stuff but it’s still the same: stuff!
Your crepes look delish.
And yes, soooo many oats on blogs. I prefer crepes. Or Chocolate!
Love that you went for it here! These would provoke anxiety in me as well. Being such a control freak, it would bug me if I didn’t get the perfect “flip!” If you say crepes are do able then I might need to give them a try.
I’ve always wanted to make crepes…you make it look so easy, although I’m sure I would end up with mushy dough.
Hey Jessica! I love this new blog design!! it’s soooo you!!! full of sweet cup cakes
the crepe looks really good. I had always want to make it myself but end up with pancakes!!
Thanks for this post. I thought crepes would be a lot more fattening, but they don’t seem to be that bad for you according to the ingredients list .
Girl, I LOVE crepes. But the last time I made them, they became scrambled batter. I blamed it on not having a proper crepe pan. Obviously, it was my skills. I’m gonna have to try this out!
I love crepes too! We have them for breakfast, but I’m loving the ice cream idea for dessert!
Fun post!! Crepes were one of the first foodie items I learned as an introduction to stove top cooking in my moms kitchen when I was a child. She used crepes for many an Italian dish.. manicotti for every Christmas celebration. Sunday brunch for other delectable fare. But I never tire of eating them or reading about them!
am anxiously awaiting the bacon crepes.
Now I know what to make my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day….note to self: Find a boyfriend.
I’m so impressed at your crepe making skills! It would definitely be anxiety-inducing for me too
My mom bought a “crepe maker” which is not really a pan, but a convex skillet…it looks so weird, but apparently makes killer crepes.
mmmm a crepe pan was seriously the first thing I had for my kitchen when i moved into my first apartment LOL love them!!
ohhhh crepes! yum… sounds like a perfect lead up to V -day!
This is the way my mom and all my friends make crepes, back in Ukraine we never had crepe pans and we always ate the best crepes I ever had. Now a days there are to many equipment out there that is totally not needed.
You are like my fairygodmother right now
A recipe AND showing me hwo to do it sans gadgets. I can’t wait to make these on Sunday!! I’ll obviously let you know how it goes and give you FULL credit.
Your crepes look wonderful.
Oh you TOTALLY don’t need a crepe pan! I love making crepes! It’s my husband’s favorite breakfast!
omigosh – this looks heavenly. I was in France last year, and crepes were one of the best parts of the trip – I’m gonna have to try this out for sure!
Crepes was one of the first things we learned to cook. Yours looks so tasty! Your tip about putting the wax paper inbetween is going to make it much easier the next time we make them. Thank you.
[...] is out of town this weekend so there was no raining on my breakfast parade. I decided to try the crepe recipe Jess posted and they turned out great! Nom nom [...]
These look great… Thanks for the recipe! I have never made my own crepes, but I do love them. I’ll have to give them a try.
I love crepes. I actually just posted a blog post on crepes too. http://thesilverliningssaga.blogspot.com/2010/02/crepes-roll-up-with-peanut-butter-and.html
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be making it a lot because it’s so easy and quick, and it satisfies your craving.
I think any non-stick skillet would work, though I typically use my 12” skillet.