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I must give my 86-year-old Grandmother all of the credit for this crepe recipe. This is her signature breakfast dish that she is kind enough to make for our entire family (all 25 of us) each time we get together.
Our family has gotten so big that in recent years she got smart and started working on making our crepes weeks in advance. So she now brings big frozen pre-made batches of this delectable dish to satisfy everyone’s cravings, which means she can spend less time in the kitchen and more time playing with all of her great-grandkids! Enjoy these crepes for breakfast, or freeze them to enjoy at lunch.
Why Is This a Healthy Crepe Recipe?
All I did to make this a healthier choice was to slightly modify my grandma’s recipe to include whole-wheat flour and honey instead of sugar. I am thrilled to say that those minor changes barely changed the consistency of the batter, and the end product still tastes delicious!
Enjoy Whole Wheat Crepes for Breakfast or Dessert
This is by far my oldest daughter’s most favorite breakfast, and just the four of us will devour an entire batch. So if you want to impress your guests with this dish you may want to double the recipe (and once you get really good you could try to have two pans going at once). While I grew up eating these crepes for breakfast (there is only a tablespoon of sweetener in the whole batch), I think they are just as fabulous as a dessert, too.
If you want to serve them for an after dinner treat, try rolling them up with strawberries and whipped cream inside and top them with chocolate sauce. Alternately, you could put baked apples (seasoned with butter, honey and cinnamon) inside too. We suggest making a crepe desserts spread with different ingredients for family and guests to build their own! The possibilities are endless!
How to Cook Crepes for Breakfast or Dessert
I am not going to lie and say this recipe is “easy” like most of the others I have posted. Making good crepes does take time and practice, but I assure you that it will be worth the effort if you just have a little bit of patience until you get it right.
Be prepared to mangle a few if it's your first time making them—my daughters and husband gobble up these "happy accidents," ha ha! Once you've mixed your ingredients (and let stand for 15 minutes), here is the actual process of cooking the crepes. Good luck, and enjoy!
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Whole-Wheat Crepes
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted, + extra for cooking)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in blender and mix well. Let stand about 15 minutes.
- Melt and swirl around a small pat of butter in an 8 or 10-inch frying pan over medium heat.
- Angle pan and pour enough batter on one side to thinly and evenly cover the pan. Very quickly swirl the batter around to cover the pan in one thin layer.
- Immediately use your cooking spatula to push down the thin edges of the crepe around the perimeter.
- After about 1 minute (and once it is golden brown on the bottom) carefully flip it over without tearing the crepe.
- Fry for 1 more minute on the other side (until it is golden brown as well) and then roll up each crepe.
Serve with 100% pure maple syrup.
Anne says
We have a recipe for a really delicious warm blueberry sauce that we often use for pancakes, crepes, etc. However it calls for LOTS of white sugar. Any suggestions for how to easily swap out the sugar? The sauce has blueberries, cinnamon, lemon peel, corn starch, water, and sugar. I am not sure if just putting in honey or something would work the same and if it would how much do I put in (the same amount of sugar?).
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Anne. This should help: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/4516i4d5/substituting-honey-for-sugar.html. ~Amy
Dani says
We tried the crepes today for the first time and loved them! So did our two-year old son and guests! Okay, we still need to work on flipping them, but that just means they can only get better!
Thanks for sharing your grandma's recipe. What a treasure!
Jamie Dunson says
A staple in our home now, love how easy they are to make but a bit time consuming if you want them just right.
Cassie says
I am a newlywed with a picky husband. I had absolutely no cooking skills and never made anything "homemade" when I got married. We ate all processed pre-made junk. I wanted so badly to break away from this but didn't know how. Its been quite a challenge learning, but this blog has been a life saver!! Every recipe I have tried so far came out delicious and boosted my cooking confidence. Even though I messed up the first few crepes, I got the hang of it in no time. I made these crepes for dinner (we love breakfast for dinner) and we both adored them! I'm definitely be making these again! Thanks for all the great recipes and articles!
Billie Yates says
Do you have suggestions on how to add an acid medium to be able to soak the wheat before cooking these? Thank you!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
No, Billie, I'm sorry. That is not a practice we have taken on just yet. ~Amy
Ree says
If I want to subsitute honey with cane Sugar, how much sugar should I add? I am out of honey and refuse to buy anywhere other than my saturday farmers market. But I want to do this for my sweet girl tomorrow. How many crepes does this recipe make?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ree. While that is not something we are likely to do, this might help: http://www.recipegoldmine.com/kitchart/kitchart38.html. It serves four. ~Amy
Athena says
Delicious!! I substituted half coconut milk half almond milk because its what I had. I also left out the vanilla because I'm out!! Worked out good though because I made them as a main course with savory toppings; sautéed kale, creamed beet greens with turkey bacon, and caramelized onions&mushrooms with thyme! Topped with a fried egg, these were outstanding!! I did make two fruit compotes for sweet ones; plum and peach and a raspberry coulis. My husband had the bright idea of filling with cream cheese and the fruit. Wow! I used Whole Foods WW pastry flour. What a great recipe! Thank you!!
Lauren says
We made these crepes with strawberries, bananas and fresh organic whipping cream sweetened with maple syrup. It was divine!! What a delicious, fun and healthy meal for the whole family. Thank you Lisa for sharing your grandmother's delicious recipe!!
Leslie says
Another great recipe!
Lori says
We usually make crepes using white flour and white sugar but I'm trying to find better alternatives without my kids turning up their noses at them. These were fantastic and my kids couldn't tell the difference with the small changes. I served them with some frozen berries I had warmed in a saucepan with a little honey and they were a hit! I plan to make another batch to freeze for school lunches or an easy breakfast before school. Next up, your homemade pop tarts!
Monica says
Made these this morning for my husbands birthday! They were amazing!
Miosoti says
This recipe rocks! Just got back from Paris last week and wanted to treat my kids to some of the delights I experienced. Super easy recipe, especially if you have the right pan and spatula. Mine were seved with Nutella and banana, fleur de sel caramel, or lavender honey (last two from my visit to the organic market on Rue Raspail in Paris). True love!
Aarica says
...For Breakfast or Dessert....OR DINNER!!! We love having "B for D" (Breakfast for Dinner). I made these Crepes a couple of weeks ago and my hubby is already asking for them again. I love being able to freeze the leftovers and having a nice little snack for my daughter or a nice breakfast for me. We use them for everything. Thanks for the great recipe.
Angel says
Just made this morning! Loved! My 6 and 3 year old ate several, so I know they were awesome! Thank you!
Audrey says
Fixed it!! I switched to a non stick pan instead of my stainless steel. Whew!
Audrey says
I really don't know what I did wrong--my crepes stuck to the pan
something terrible. Even with varying amounts of butter.
They just turned into a goopy, stuck mess :(
Aleksandra says
I'm from Europe and I grew up eating these pancakes. I eat them with cheese, ham, sour cream, mayonnaise or sweet with nutella, jam, nuts, honey. We make them with eggs, flour (Any kind),a little oil or butter and the liquid of your choice it can be any milk (cow, coconut, almond, oat), then regular water or sparkling water. You do not need sugar in the mixture, and do not need oil to the pan, just only good non stick pan. For extra flavor you can add the lemon zest. Yum yum yum :)
Mohita says
What kind of pan are you using in the picture? I'm looking for something that's a good non stick pan for crepes but not the regular non stick Teflon-y coated ones.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Mohita. That is a stainless steel pan. It is not a non-stick. Lisa uses All Clad: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-kitchen-essentials/#appliances. ~Amy
Juliana says
I've tried crepes once before and it was pretty much a failure. This time, with whole wheat (I used ww pastry flour), they were much, much more successful, and "real". Thanks! Less than a third of them were notably torn, and I think only a couple of them were torn/messed up too much to roll.
Do you think the batter could be made the night before and refrigerated, then made into crepes in the morning?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Yes, Juliana. I've done just that! :)
~Amy
Ashton says
I made these for my family this morning with the berry sauce, and they came out fantastic. Thanks for the recipe.
Lindsay says
Hi! I when I make manicotti, instead of the store bought noodles, I make crespelles and fill them. The technique is the same and I have found that 2 T of "batter" is the perfect amount to swirl in a 6" skillet. Cant wait to try these tonight!! Sliced bananas inside with berry sauce?? YUM!!
Lisa says
I bake a lot of whole spelt flour. do you think Spelt flour would work in this recipe? thanks. can't wait to try them.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lisa. You should absolutely try spelt in this recipe and let us know what you thought! ~Amy
ashley says
hi! do you have the calories posted for your recipes?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Ashley. No, sorry. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. There are tools available online to help you calculate, however. ~Amy
Layne says
How many crepes does this recipe typically make(or how many servings)?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
HI Layne. Lisa estimates 12-15 crepes. ~Amy
Jill Grant says
I make crepes gluten free dairy free for my son and they taste just as good. I use either almond or coconut milk with GF all purpose flour. He loves these.
Rachel D says
We had this for breakfast today-my kids ask for them often. I make a sauce with organic Greek yogurt and a bit of honey to serve with fresh strawberries, bananas, blueberries, etc. My kids love anything that's "build your own." I cook them in cast iron with a bit of olive oil in the beginning, and they are super easy to flip.
Patricia says
Amazing, delicious, healthy
I ate with blueberries just like the picture and tasty great
Stacey says
Just made these for the second time this morning and they get better each time as I'm able to make them thinner and crispier!! Picky almost 2 year old loves them as well (as long as she has pure maple syrup to dip them in!)
Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe, and making it healthy!! These will definitely be a breakfast (lunch, dinner, dessert) staple around here from now on!
Enjoying them with fresh organic blueberries and a maple syrup latte then off to the Farmers Market to replenish our egg and syrup supplies.
Angela says
Can I use something other than milk? Like more water and half and half or something. I have no more milk and I'm going in to have my baby tomorrow and am trying not to have to buy more milk until after! If not, I can go get a little container, but I'm trying to not have to do that because it's more expensive that way anyway! Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Heather. You could try changing the liquids. I have not done it so I'm not sure how it will work. Jill
Kareena says
I just made these crepes for my husband who LOVES crepes, and he didn't even know they were whole wheat! And I didn't tell him either. Thank you so much! They were tasty!
Danielle says
Thank you for all of your recipes! These are so yummy! Mine ended up a little thicker because I am not yet able to successfully flip the thin ones. I'll have to practice. I added a TB ground flax to the recipe. Then after letting it sit for 15 minutes I added chia seeds. I ate mine with berry sauce (your recipe) and sliced bananas.
fati-south africa says
i made a double recipe and loved them. my daughter and i are on a diet and dis is so ideal.i dont wanna deprive her as she is still young, so this a great way for her to feel like she is getting tasty foods. she loves them with fruit and i dont mind when she has it for breakfast and lunch as its a lot more healthier than the junk and processed foods.
thank you for the lovely recipe
Lori C. says
Just curious on how your grandmother froze these. Did she put wax paper in-between or just stack them up when cooled and freeze in a bag? Thanks for sharing her recipe! It looks delicious!
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Lori. I actually roll them up and then freeze them. For that, I just wait for them to cool and then put them in a baggie or foil and either put them in my refrigerator for the next few days or freeze them. If I were going to freeze them unrolled, I would probably put a piece of wax or parchment paper in between each one. Jill
Sara says
Hey Jill since it seems that you have frozen some. How is that you reheat them again?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Sara. I usually try and defrost mine in the refrigerator the night before and then just reheat them in a toaster oven. Jill
Maggie says
Have made this recipe for 3 Sundays in a row. My kids LOVE them and so do I. Looks like it's become our Sunday morning breakfast tradition. Thank you!
Taryn says
Just made the whole wheat crepes, but left pout the honey and vanilla. Instead, I made them savory, with Italian herbs and stuffed with spinach and Alfredo (home made of course). Family loved them! Also, they were very filling, fun dinner. Thanks for the recipes!
Pearloki says
Love the recipes on your blog! Just a quick question, is the 1 Tablespoon of melted butter to mix in with the other ingredients or is it just for coating the pan to cook the crepes on? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Pearloki. The 1 tablespoon of butter is to be mixed in with the other ingredients, and then a little extra for the pan. Jill
Reeba says
i am 11 years old i tried making 3 times the the fouth time my mom showed me then i got it right
Jill says
Yummy!!! Just as another described....this was my first attempt. After the first 2 crumbled, fell apart, and were soggy I was getting worried and upset with myself that I couldn't do it. But by the 3rd crepe it was perfect. Very easy...I did have to turn my heat down to about low. Thank you Lisa for the easy directions! I seved with blueberries and strawberries. :)
stephanie says
I make these, minus the honey and vanilla, as my manicotti "pasta". Just keep them flat and then fill them with the cheese, cover with homemade sauce and bake.
Amanda says
These look SO good! Do you need to use a stainless pan, or will a non stick work? Can't wait to try!
Lisa says
Non stick will definitely work...good luck!