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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.
Tami says
I've tried freezing crepes before and they end up sticking together. Do you have a trick for freezing? Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. I use wax paper to separate. :)
jessie says
I freeze mine in a single layer on a silicone baking sheet, once frozen peel them off and then put them all in one freezer bag.
Hannah says
Are these freezable? Or at least could be saved for the next day? I want to make them for my kids lunch box!
I made it with spelt and coconut sugar (that's what I had at home) came out great!!!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. They are good the next day and can be frozen. :)
Courtney says
If you leave out the vanilla and honey (or maybe just less honey), could you make savory crepes? Maybe filled with cheese, bacon, and spinach, etc? Has anyone attempted that? I wanted to ask before I tried!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Courtney. Yep, it will work for savory crepes as well.
Courtney says
If you leave out the vanilla and honey (or maybe just less honey), could you use it to make savory crepes? I'm thinking fill it with cheese, spinach, bacon, etc.? I wanted to see if anyone else had tried it before I attempted it!
April Pettifer Cole says
You could probably skip the honey and add herbs of choice. Cook with olive oil instead of butter. You could use Greek yoghurt and chopped veggies and/or bacon
Kristin says
While eating whole wheat crepes for dinner, my daughter came up with the idea of a crepe bar for her next birthday party. Different fruit, whipped cream and possibly even homemade chocolate sauce for guests to make their own (in liu of birthday cake of course). The crepes, would be paired with farmer's market bacon/sausage and smoothies, YUM! Reminded me of your s'mores bar, but actually doable for a January birthday, LOL
Blagica says
Oh wow, I just tried these, and the remained whole and didn't break, and they were amazing! Thanks for the recipe, will definitely use it again :)
Jessie says
I like them filled with cottage cheese mixed with one egg, little bit of honey with some preserves drizzled over the filled crepes (especially blueberry or bumbleberry!)
Stacy says
I have never made crepes before but I found this recipe very easy to prepare. Although they do take time, are they ever worth it! I served them with frozen blueberries and your homemade whipped cream (which I could eat all by itself!). I followed directions exactly except didn't tilt pan when adding batter and they turned out perfectly from the very start. I did use a non stick pan. I will be making these for my daughters when they come home from school.
Susanne says
This recipe is delicious, I switched to this recipe from my German crepe recipe, which has more eggs and milk. I love the vanilla and honey! I also add ground chia seeds and replace the butter with olive oil. Thank you!
Wendy says
Thank you for the recipe! I make these for breakfast when my daughters have friends over for a sleepover. Their our favorite!
Cherry says
Liked the nutritional aspect of using 3 eggs (other recipes I've tried only use 1 or 2). More protein for my growing daughter. Used half wholemeal, half white flour and you couldn't even tell them apart from regular crepes with just white flour. Used olive oil, not butter. Not sure I'd use the 3/4 c water though (why water?), probably will use 1/2 c extra milk instead next time, will also make the mixture less runny. And used an electric beater, not a blender (easier to clean up). Was looking for how many servings this recipe makes before I started, would have been helpful to know beforehand.
SuhaIl says
I tried this recipe and make some changes. I used egg beaters instead of eggs and skim lactose free milk and they came out pretty good. I'm the only one in the house that eats this and I have extra mix. My question is: can I place the mix in the fridge or is better if I make the crepes and freeze them?
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe and for response
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. Sorry that we are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. Since there is no leavening agent in the batter, they will work fine the next day when kept in the fridge. :)
roberto says
I made these this morning. They were great. I used fat free milk. Th e batter was a little watery. The ones I used to make were more like a thin paste so I thought I messed up the recipe but nope. These were really good. Thanks.
Claudia says
Don't throw the mangled ones out! Slice them into strips (freeze if not using right away) and you have noodles for your next bowl of soup!
I grew up on crepes in lieu of thick pancakes. Spread with light layer of your favorite fruit jam (mine is apricot), roll up and dust with icing sugar! I dare you to have just two!
Melisa says
sounds amazing.. Is there a way to make this gluten free?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hello Melisa. We've not made these gluten free but you could experiment with a gluten free flour. These might help: http://glutenfreegirl.com/2013/02/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-whole-grain-flour-mix/ and http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-gluten-free-whole-grain-flour-blend-2-lb. ~Amy
Renee says
I made these this morning with some modifications based on our dietary restrictions (GF/DF). I used a GF flour blend (this one is my favorite - I keep a canister of it in the pantry: http://injohnnaskitchen.com/johnnas-favorite-gluten-free-flour-blend/), hemp milk in place of the whole milk and the water, grapeseed oil in place of the oil. They turned out great!
Renee says
Grapeseed oil in place of butter. Oops ;)
Lexie says
These were incredible! I made them on a whim bc I have a ton of pears that need to be used up, so I cooked them with cinnamon and honey and put inside the crepe...amazing! This recepie is definitely my new go-to! Thank you!
Lauren says
I love this recipe!! Mine came out a little rubbery, any suggestions? Could it be the fact that I substituted agave for honey?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Lauren. Be sure not too over-mix, pour too thickly, or skip the "resting" step. Each could cause a more rubbery texture. ~Amy
Amy says
What kind or whole wheat flour do u recommend?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. Lisa typically uses King Arthur brand. :)
Crystal Levine says
I didn't read through all of the comments, so someone may have already mentioned this. But, I make whole wheat crepes for my kids' lunches all the time (minus the vanilla and honey). They like peanut butter and banana or spinach and cheese. For pb&b, I have found it is easiest just to spread peanut butter on the crepe and roll up a whole banana inside. They love it!
Fatima says
Hi guys
These are honestly the best creeps I've made. From day one I've frozen them, I just add plastic layer between each crepe so it easy for the kids to remove and warm up when they want them(which is almost all the time). Honestly, they could have them for breakfast, lunch and supper.
I make them on a tawa(Indian frying pan) and I have no problem getting them perfectly shaped.
Thanks again for an amazing recipe
Fatima- south Africa
Rachelle says
I LOVE this recipe. My 5 cup blender barely fit the ingredients when I doubled the recipe!
Christy says
We love these crepes!! I go exactly by the recipe. I have been making them for a while but I finally have figured out how to make them into the shape that the picture shows. They mostly turn out scrambled looking but I am proof that with practice, you can do it. Either way, scrambled or not, they are still delish and with cinnamon sprinkled on top, reminds me of french toast! I plan on trying out freezing them to see if they still taste the same as freshly made. Thank you for the recipe!! :)
Brenda says
Any suggestions to make these gluten free? Would you just use GF flour in place of the Whole wheat? Thanks so much! Can't wait to try them!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Brenda. We've not tried but I think that should work. Let us know. ~Amy
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Heather. They are easiest in a non-stick but I've also made them on stainless. ~Amy
Heather says
For best results with crepes, what type of pan? Should it be non-stick?
Genavie says
Made these for breakfast for me and the hubs. He's not big on sweet stuff so I made a savory version with sautéed spinach, onions and mushrooms with a little Tabasco...delish! I also thought the batter was a bit thin at first but the. I used a little more butter in the pan in between and that made things a lot easier. Thanks for the GREAT recipe ☺ï¸
christy says
Made these for the first time this morning..I need some practice to make them to look as good as yours did! But even though they were all scrambled up, my kids and I loved them!! It's a keeper like so many of your other recipes! Thank you!! P.S. I had an idea to sprinkle some cinnamon on top after they were done and I think it was yummy with it!
Donna says
If I want to half this recipe how many eggs would I add? Also can I add just egg whites?
I've made these before and they are A-MAZING!!! But it makes to many for just 1 person!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Donna. If you are using just egg whites, I would use 2 eggs. They are likely to cook up a little more fluffy with whites only. ~Amy
Caroline says
These are lovely! Added some cinnamon to the batter also and was lovely
Melysa says
When I made these they were too liquid-y and didn't dry our enough to flip, so I ended up adding another cup of flour and 1 tsp baking powder and putting them on a griddle. They turned out well (still thin like a crepe) after that adjustment. Did anyone else have that issue?
Sarah says
Just made these this morning! I made savory and sweet crepes with the same batter and all were wonderful! Thank you for a great recipe.
Michelle says
Wow, thanks for the recipe! These crepes are delicious!
Sara says
made these with berries for breakfast and used the leftovers with these apples for dessert http://www.texanerin.com/2013/11/healthier-sauteed-apples.html Super yummy and way healthier, thanks for the recipe
Donna says
I just made these this morning and they are delicious! My kids both liked them better than our old white flour and sugar version. My husband even liked them. Thank you so much for such a great website!
Carne du plessis says
thanks so much for shariong this recipe.tried it this morning and it was super! keep up the awesome site..you are inspiring! happy 2014!
Laura Chin says
I work for a lovely family from Mexico, the mom has a GF crepe every morning with an egg and sometimes a piece of meat inside with some kind of salsa/sauce. She's very trim so it must be doing her good!
Charity says
How did your grandma reheat the frozen ones?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Charity. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and heat them on a skillet or griddle. ~Amy
Charity says
Great! Thank you! Can't wait to try this! :)
Robin says
Forgive me if I'm overlooking this somewhere, but how do you freeze them?? I would love to pull these out on a busy school morning for my kids for breakfast! Thank you :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Robin. I separate mine with parchment and put them in an airtight zipper bag, removing as much air as possible. ~Amy
Robin says
Thank you!!!
Laura Mendonca says
Hey Lisa, we just did grain-free crepes for Christmas brunch....my favourite filling was a bit of organic marscapone cheese spread on the crepe, topped with caramalized organic pears, walnuts, a small amount of your fav blue cheese, drizzled with a honey caramel (very small amount). It was A-Maze-ing!
Colleen says
What is the easiest way to make these dairy free? I also can't use almond milk because of allergies in my house. Would coconut milk flavor it to strongly?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Colleen. Almond milk or coconut milk should work. Almond milk is thinner and has less flavor than coconut milk. ~Amy
Cynthia M. says
While nutella and banana would be a classic dessert crepe, I could see whipping some cream cheese with vanilla, lemon juice and sweetner of choice and making a 'cheesecake' filling and topping with strawberries. Don't know if cream cheese is real food, but it would be delicious.