If I were to keep a list of items cooked most often in my kitchen, crepes would come in first. I love whole wheat crepes for breakfast in place of pancakes, wrapping ice cream for dessert, or using in place of bread for wraps, sandwiches or even enchiladas. Most recently, we’ve taken to smearing nut butter and a date-chia strawberry jam for toddler friendly roll-ups.

The key to whole wheat crepes is the consistency of the batter and the heat of the pan. The batter should be thin enough that it easily covers the pan. The pan should be warm enough that as the batter hits the pan, it begins to cook. Get the master crepe recipe under your fingers and the possibilities are endless.

Whole Wheat Crepes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 8″ crepes 1x

An easy recipe for whole wheat crepes, perfect for a light breakfast, sandwich wrap, or even enchiladas. 

• ½ cup white whole wheat flour ((70g))
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 large eggs ((112g))
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk (See note)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Whisk together flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. Alternatively, combine everything in a blender and puree until well combined. 

Heat 8″ skillet over medium-low heat and lightly grease with butter. Place a scant ¼ cup of batter in pan. Tilt/swirl the pan so that the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan in a thin layer. 

Cook for about 30 to 60 seconds, until the edges begin to peel away from the sides of the pan and look golden. Flip and cook for another 20 to 30 seconds. Adjust heat higher/lower depending on how fast the crepe is cooking. Layer done crepes, slightly overlapping, on a plate or wax paper.

Tips & Tricks: I don’t always weight my flour. When this happens, I start with 1/2 cup of milk and add extra as needed because I tend to measure light.

To freeze crepes, separate crepes with wax paper and place in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Store for a couple of months and thaw before using.

If making sweet crepes, you can add a few teaspoons of your favorite sweetener. I like to remove 1 tablespoon of the milk and add 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey.

Whole Wheat Crepes

Variations

Crepes are extremely forgiving. You can really use a crepe for any type of diet you’re trying. I love oat crepes, cornmeal crepes, and more recently thanks to two friends, chestnut flour crepes. A few options for mixing up the flours:

Alternative Flours: The nice part about using different types of wheat flour is that it’s a 1:1 substitute. Rye, Einkorn, spelt, and even barley flours make for wonderful crepes.

Gluten-free: Gluten-free crepes range from grains like oats, legume flours, and nut-flours. As long as the better consistency is similar to the traditional recipe, they usually work out just fine.

Grain-free: I’ve experimented with some grain-free crepes but a couple recipes you can check out include these coconut flour crepes or these almond flour crepes.

Vegan: Vegan crepes have even fewer ingredients than the traditional recipe. You can drop the butter for a vegan substitute or oil, almond or soy milk, and skip the egg to increase the almond milk by 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

How to use crepes

The best thing about crepes is that you can really stuff anything into a crepe and have it be delicious. The lightness of the crepe means it’s great for dinners through desserts.

Breakfast (sweet): Top with fresh berries, sautéed fruit, or curd for a pancake-like breakfast. Drizzle with a bit of melted butter, maple syrup, and toasted nuts/seeds.

Breakfast (savory): stuff the crepes with roasted or steamed vegetables and top with a fried/poached egg.

Dessert: Wrap a scoop of ice cream or custard in a crepe and serve with a drizzle of chocolate sauce, caramel, or berry sauce.

Grilled Cheese: Add cheese, greens, and/or vegetables to the crepes and grill again to melt the cheese. Really any type of traditional grilled cheese can be turned into a grilled cheese crepe.

Sandwich Roll-ups: Hummus, greens, cheese, nut butters, and jellies all make for easy sandwich roll-ups.

Manicotti: Stuff with ricotta filling and top with a good marinara and cheese. Bake like you would lasagna.

Vegetables/Herbs: Stuff with any type of vegetable: roasted, grilled, steam, braised, or fried! I’ve really never met a vegetable that didn’t work stuffed in a crepe! You can also add fresh minced herbs to the crepe batter.

Enchiladas: I like to use cornmeal or masa crepes in place of the corn tortillas in my enchilada recipes.