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    How to make crepes in a regular skillet

    Published: Feb 20, 2018 / 168 Comments

    295.0K shares
    • Facebook957
    Recipe Print

    This is my time tested recipe for how to make crepes in a regular skillet, from scratch, at home. Step-by-step photos and instructions on everything about crepes: how to make crepe batter, how to flip crepes, how to make sure they don't stick to the pan, etc. Easy crepe recipe for French-style crepes!
    How to make crepes

    Because I make the crepes so often at home, I became somewhat of an expert in my family on how to make crepes, and mind you, being an expert in crepes does not amount to many privileges here, except for the privilege of making lots of crepe batter and practicing flipping them (the crepes) on a frying pan. I literally could flip them with my eyes closed. The easy crepe recipe I have below is for classic French style crepes: thin, slightly sweet, perfect for all kinds of delicious crepe fillings!

    Crepes and I go back together long ways. You see, I grew up eating crepes on a weekly basis: my mom would usually cook them during the weekend, and my sister and I would eat them for breakfast, almost always with home-made sour cherry preserves. The sour cherry preserves were prepared by our parents during summer, with cherries from huge sour cherry trees in our garden. My sister and I would pit the cherries. 

    And, yes, the crepe batter recipe and the process of making crepes are so easy. In fact, the only "hard" part is using the right frying pan and a little bit of practice to flip the crepes. If you never made crepes, I highly recommend using non-stick pan, which will virtually guarantee that crepes won't stick to the pan. I personally like to use stainless steel skillet, as it results in a much better crepe texture, but using stainless steel will require some practice (as far as how hot you need to get that pan to make sure crepes won't stick). With non-stick, it's easier.

    The below crepe batter recipe and tutorial describe how to make crepe batter from scratch, without lumps, how to get just the right batter thickness. For crepes, the less thick the batter is, the better. If the batter is not thick enough, though, you will end up with crepes that will be very hard to flip to the other side - they will be too thin. So, it's a fine balance: just how thick the crepe batter should be. Below I provide precise measurements that I use for my easy crepe recipe that always result in amazing crepes that are slightly sweet, soft, easy to flip and easily moldable in various shapes (pockets, tubes, etc., more recipes to come!). One of my most favorite ways to serve crepes as a dessert is crepes with agave-ricotta cheese filling, topped with pears roasted in honey.

    Ingredients you'll need for this easy crepe batter recipe:

    2 cups milk
    1 ⅓ cup flour
    1 egg
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    ½ teaspoon baking powder
    2 tablespoons sugar

    How to make crepes:

    First, make the crepe batter:

    Mixing the crepe batter

    Pour crepe batter onto the heated and greased frying skillet (grease the skillet only once, for the first crepe)

    Pouring crepe batter onto the heated frying pan

    That's what it looks like when you pour the crepe batter onto the heated and greased stainless steel skillet

    Pouring crepe batter onto the heated frying pan

    Pouring crepe batter onto the heated frying pan

    Cook a crepe on one side until the liquid crepe batter becomes more solid:

    Crepes cooking on one side

    Here, you're cooking a crepe on one side until the crepe becomes more solid. Here is the crepe almost ready to be flipped over:

    Crepe is almost ready to be flippped over

    All liquid crepe batter is gone, now you have just a nice bubbled side of the crepe:

    All liquid batter is gone, just nice bubbled side of the crepe is there

    Now it's time to flip the crepe to the other side, using the metal spatula:

    Flipping the crepe

    Gently pick up the crepe around its circumference, using the metal spatula:

    Flipping the crepe

    And ... flip it!

    How to flip the crepe

    Crepe successfully flipped to the other side:

    Crepe successfully flipped to the other side

    Crepe is cooking on the other side

    Cooking crepe on the other side

    Pick up the sides of the crepe around its circumference to check for doneness

    Checking for crepe doneness

    Pick up the whole crepe and transfer it onto the plate

    Checking for crepe readiness and flipping it onto the plate

    Enjoy the crepes!  So, yes, making crepes in a stainless steel skillet is definitely possible!  I've been doing it for years.  It just takes practice.  Of course, if you're new to making crepes, it's probably easier to stick to non-stick skillets. 🙂  I really hope you find this easy recipe and my instructions for how to make crepes useful!

    How to make crepes, easy crepe batter recipe

     

    how to make crepes from scratch in a frying pan
    4.88 from 74 votes

    How to make crepes in a regular skillet

    Step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make French-style crepes from scratch in a regular frying pan.  This easy crepe recipe has everything you need:  ingredients on how to make crepe batter, step-by-step photos, and detailed instructions for how to flip crepes, how to make sure they don't stick to the pan, etc. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, French
    Servings 10 people
    Calories per serving 118 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 ⅓ cup flour
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 2 tablespoons sugar

    Instructions 

    • Mix all the ingredients for crepe batter in a large bowl and whisk the mixture until lumps dissolve.
    • Heat frying pan until very hot (on high heat on stove top), spray it with oil spray and, using a soup ladle, pour small amount of batter into the frying pan as you roll the pan from side to side just enough to cover the bottom of the pan evenly with a thin layer of crepe batter. Depending on the size of your soup ladle, you could use a whole ladle-ful, or less. It also depends on the diameter of your skillet. The key is to cover the bottom of the pan with just a slightly thick layer of batter, don’t coat it too thickly, do it slowly. 
    • Let this thin layer of crepe batter cook for 1, 2 or 3 minutes, depending on your pan. The subsequent crepes will require much less time to cook than the first crepe, as the pan heats up even more with each crepe. 
    • After cooking the crepe batter on one side for 1 to 3 minutes, flip the crepe to the other side, using the metal spatula, and let it cook for another minute on the other side. This way, you cook each crepe 1-2 minutes on each side. 
    • To flip the crepe, use the metal spatula and pick up the sides of the crepe around its circumference, gradually reaching towards the center of the crepe from all sides, until the crepe separates from the pan. 
    • How to know when it’s time to flip the crepe? When you first pour the crepe batter, it will be wet in the frying pan but gradually bubbles will be forming and the crepe batter will start to get dry. When it’s all bubbles on top and no liquid crepe batter – it’s time to flip! You can see it on my photos above.
    • Your subsequent crepes might require much less time to cook, and the more of them you have to make, the faster you will have to flip the crepes, because the frying pan will get more and more heated up. When you cook crepes, your stainless steel skillet is always on high heat. This will minimize sticking.  If you use non-stick, you can keep it on medium heat.
    • As each crepe gets done, transfer it to the plate and add each new crepe on top of previous crepe in the stack. Sometimes I like to brush each crepe with softened butter and then top it with the next one.  It tastes really good, and also helps crepes not stick to one another. 

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    How to make crepes in a regular skillet
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    118
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    3
    g
    5
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    13
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    21
    mg
    7
    %
    Sodium
     
    27
    mg
    1
    %
    Potassium
     
    108
    mg
    3
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    17
    g
    6
    %
    Sugar
     
    4
    g
    4
    %
    Protein
     
    3
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    105
    IU
    2
    %
    Calcium
     
    69
    mg
    7
    %
    Iron
     
    0.8
    mg
    4
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Comments

    1. Lauree

      November 25, 2022 at 5:45 pm

      Excellent instructions. Made crepes perfectly the first time using them. So easy and tasty! Thank you. I always loved getting Swedish Pancakes at IHOP, so now we can do this at home.

      Reply
      • Lauree

        November 25, 2022 at 5:53 pm

        We got darker and lighter crepes, and all tasted delicious. We put butter on them and folded them as shown. We had warm cherries in cherry sauce, very yummy. Will use warmed jam next time and make the lingonberry butter too. We used our regular non stick pan having greased it with some coconut oil. Had a little coconut oil on paper towel to add a little additional greasing of add'l crepes, if needed.

        Reply
        • Julia

          December 06, 2022 at 1:36 am

          Thank you for sharing the feedback about using a non-stick pan and coconut oil - helpful to me and other readers! 🙂 I love serving crepes with cherries or with jam, too - so yummy!

          Reply
      • Julia

        December 06, 2022 at 1:34 am

        Lauree, thank you for such a wonderful comment - glad you found this recipe and that the crepes turned out well! 🙂

        Reply
      • Booby

        January 18, 2023 at 8:09 pm

        Wondering if the sugar can just be left out? We made these as savory crepes, with Swiss cheese, spinach, and pesto.

        Reply
        • Julia

          January 22, 2023 at 3:07 pm

          Yes, you can totally omit the sugar without any loss of flavor. Season it with salt to taste, if you like. Love that you served these with pesto - sounds so good! 🙂

          Reply
    2. Larry

      June 23, 2022 at 9:59 pm

      That crepe is burned, period. IMO, baking powder is also not needed; sugar only for dessert crepes, not savory.

      Reply
    3. Bibi

      April 30, 2022 at 10:12 am

      I made it it was awesome thanks for the tips

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 06, 2022 at 4:59 pm

        You're welcome! Glad you found the recipe helpful! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Kay

      January 09, 2022 at 3:27 pm

      Crepes look way too brown. They should just barely cook on each side. Personally I don’t use sugar in savory crepes. Just my preference. Thanks for your recipes.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 11, 2022 at 10:51 pm

        Kay, thank you for the feedback! Yes, the crepes can be lighter in color - it depends on how long you cook them.

        Reply
    5. Jaime Chew

      December 04, 2021 at 6:59 pm

      Love this recipe! Such helpful tips - thank you!

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 12, 2021 at 6:13 pm

        You're welcome! Enjoy!

        Reply
    6. Bennie Hines

      November 18, 2021 at 10:51 pm

      With the stainless steel pan, do you keep the gas burner on high using a restaurant range ? High is 24,000 btu.

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 19, 2021 at 1:56 pm

        I am not familiar with these terms. I have a regular stove.

        Reply
    7. Miranda

      November 10, 2021 at 12:38 pm

      Delicious! Made them with one of your creamy fillings, ricotta and pears. So good! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 10, 2021 at 8:06 pm

        So glad you liked them! The ricotta cheese filling is always so delicious!

        Reply
    8. Sharon

      November 06, 2021 at 2:12 pm

      Very good recipe! Husband and kids ate all of them!
      Thanks for posting!

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 10, 2021 at 8:41 pm

        I am so happy to hear it!

        Reply
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