These gluten-free crepes are easy to make and can be enjoyed all day from morning till night, sweet and even savory.
Gluten-free crepes are one of our daughter's absolute favorite things to make. She often calls them her "fancy French breakfast treats." She's utterly obsessed with the American Girl dolls, and if you know anything about them, then you'll know when I say she says, "Grace would love her crepes."
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What is a Crepe?
A crepe is really just a thin pancake. They originated in France but don’t let that fool you into thinking they are hard to make because they are really easy, I promise!
This special treat can be made to be savory or sweet just by changing up the fillings and toppings.
Ingredients.
- 1:1 Gluten-free Flour - You want to use a lighter gluten-free flour blend. I tend to use King Aurthor 1:1 blend, but I've also had luck with the Pillsbury gluten-free flour blend. I just can't find that one as often where I live.
- Sugar - I like to add just a little bit of sugar, just like I do in my regular gluten-free pancakes, for a little more depth of flavor and a pinch of sweetness.
- Salt - I usually cook and bake with good sea salt.
- Eggs - Eggs are the ingredient that really holds these gluten-free crepes together.
- Milk - You want to use milk with a little bit of fat, like whole milk, to help add some softness to the crepes.
- Butter - Just like with the milk, the butter adds fat for some added softness so your crepes will fold without tearing, as well as more flavor.
- Vanilla - While it's not necessary to add some vanilla to these gluten-free crepes, I love the added flavor it gives them.
Cassava flour crepes.
If you want to make these gluten-free crepes, completely grain-free, you can make these as cassava flour crepes by switching out the gluten-free flour blend for cassava flour and a bit of arrowroot starch.
1 ½ cups 1:1 gluten-free flour ------> ¾ cups cassava flour + ½ cup arrowroot starch
Dairy-free crepes.
In order to make these gluten-free crepes also dairy-free, swap out the milk for unflavored dairy-free milk like almond or coconut. Swap the butter out for ghee or something like Earth Balance sticks or Smart Butter.
Egg-free crepes.
While eggs are the backbone of traditional crepes, it's actually possible to make completely egg-free crepes. I've had luck with using an egg substitute like Just Eggs, just measure out enough to equal the 3 eggs. You can also try using a banana instead of the eggs. I do suggest using a very overripe one if you are going to do that, so it melts into the batter as you blend it.
Steps.
Step 1. Toss all of the ingredients into a blender.
Step 2. Blend until you have a nice thin batter.
Don't have a blender? You can also mix your crepe batter in a stand mixer, food processor, and even by hand with a whisk. You just want to make sure you mix until all the ingredients are completely combined, and the batter is smooth, without any lumps.
Step 3. Pour the batter into a skillet, and swirl it around the pan to coat.
Step 4. Let the crepe cook for about 1 minute or just until it's lightly browned on the other side. Then flip and cook the crepe for an additional 30-45 seconds on the other side.
Step 5. Carefully slid the cooked crepes flat onto a plate to rest while you cook the remaining batter.
Step 6. Serve topped with and filled how desired.
The best pan for crepes.
Making crepes really doesn't require any sort of fancy pan. You can buy a crepe pan, which is basically a round skillet with very low sides. They also make electric crepe griddles, which are nice to have if you are using your stove to cook other things, but again not totally necessary.
If all you have is a regular, not stick type of skillet, you can use that. Just note that it might be a little more tricky getting the crepe out of the pan, but they still taste delicious.
Crepe Fillings
Sweet Crepes
- Cream Cheese and Berries
- Whipped Cream and Powdered Sugar
- Bananas and Nut Butter
- Apple Pie Filling and Ice Cream
- Cinnamon and Sugar
Savory Crepes
- Sauteed Veggies
- Ham and Cheese
- Eggs and Bacon
Tips and tricks.
- Measure the gluten-free flour carefully. - Always fluff gluten-free flour before measuring. While I would normally tell you to measure by weight, this recipe is a little more forgiving so you can get away with spooning the fluffed flour into a measuring cup. Just be sure NOT to scoop the flour with the measuring cup directly, and don't pack it in.
- Your batter should be thin. - This gluten-free crepe recipe batter should be about the consistency of half and half. Not as thin as milk or as thick as cream, and definitely not as thick as traditional pancake batter. If your batter is not thin enough, (most likely due to a gluten-free flour measurement), add a tablespoon of water to the batter and blend again.
- If you know you plan on making savory crepes, you can omit the sugar and vanilla.
- Rest the batter. - Resting the batter in the fridge for about an hour, up to overnight, before making your crepes; it can help them from tearing as much when you go to cook them.
- Keep the heat at medium-low. - Crepes do not need high heat to cook. Even at medium-low heat, they still don't take long to cook at all, and it will help keep your crepes from burning.
- Keep the skillet greased. - Crepes can stick a little, especially if you don't use a nonstick type of skillet. I like to rub some butter or bacon grease over the pan between every few crepes to keep them from sticking.
- Keeping crepes warm. - If you are making crepes for a crowd, you might notice they do cool off very quickly because they are very thin. The trick to keeping them warm is easy. Place the finished crepes on a baking sheet in a preheated 200-degree oven until you are ready to eat them.
Folding Crepes
There are three main ways crepes are typically folded. Folded in Half, Rolled, and into Triangles.
My personal favorites are to fold them into triangles because it just makes them look so pretty. To make them this way, simply fold the crepe in half and fold it in half again. You can either add your fillings before folding or simply on top.
Storing leftovers.
Leftover crepes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 five days.
If you want to store them for longer, crepes freeze really well. I like to let them cool and then stack them with parchment paper pieces in between in a sealed zip-lock bag. Warm them in a skillet when ready to defrost and eat them. They taste just as good as the day you made them.
More gluten-free breakfast recipes.
If you like this gluten-free crepes recipe, then you should check out these other gluten-free breakfast recipes next.
- Easy Omelets
- Fluffy Gluten-free American Pancakes
- Double Chocolate Muffins
- Baked Vanilla Donuts with Chocolate Frosting
📖 Recipe
Easy Gluten-free Crepes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour
- 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter Ghee, or dairy-free alternative for dairy-free.
- 1 ½ Cups Milk Sub a dairy-free milk for dairy-free.
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar Omit for savory crepes.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients into a blender and blend. The mixture will look runny, but I promise it comes together when you cook it.1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour, 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter, 1 ½ Cups Milk, 3 Large Eggs, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla, ¼ Teaspoon Salt, 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- Warm a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a little bit of butter or ghee to help keep the crepes from sticking.
- Pour about a ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the skillet and swirl it around to spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Let the crepe cook for about a minute, or until the bottom of the crepe starts to get golden in color.
- Take a spatula and carefully flip the crepe and continue to cook on the other side for around 45 seconds to a minute longer.
- Remove the crepe from the pan and let it cool.
- You can roll, fold, stack or fill the crepes however you want.
Notes
- Measure the gluten-free flour carefully. - Always fluff gluten-free flour before measuring. While I would normally tell you to measure by weight, this recipe is a little more forgiving so you can get away with spooning the fluffed flour into a measuring cup. Just be sure NOT to scoop the flour with the measuring cup directly, and don't pack it in.
- Your batter should be thin. - This gluten-free crepe recipe batter should be about the consistency of half and half. Not as thin as milk or as thick as cream, and definitely not as thick as traditional pancake batter. If your batter is not thin enough, (most likely due to a gluten-free flour measurement), add a tablespoon of water to the batter and blend again.
- If you know you plan on making savory crepes, you can omit the sugar and vanilla.
- Rest the batter. - Resting the batter in the fridge for about an hour, up to overnight, before making your crepes; it can help them from tearing as much when you go to cook them.
- Keep the heat at medium-low. - Crepes do not need high heat to cook. Even at medium-low heat, they still don't take long to cook at all, and it will help keep your crepes from burning.
- Keep the skillet greased. - Crepes can stick a little, especially if you don't use a nonstick type of skillet. I like to rub some butter or bacon grease over the pan between every few crepes to keep them from sticking.
- Keeping crepes warm. - If you are making crepes for a crowd, you might notice they do cool off very quickly because they are very thin. The trick to keeping them warm is easy. Place the finished crepes on a baking sheet in a preheated 200-degree oven until you are ready to eat
Michelle says
These are super yummy! Can I refrigerate the batter for a day so I can make more tomorrow morning?
Sara Vaughn says
Yes, you can. I would let it sit at room temp for a while before trying to make it the next day so that it will flow better since the cold will make the batter stiffer.