Never-Fail Crepe Recipe

A friend mentioned to me the other day that her crepe recipe was hit-or-miss . . . sometimes she got good results, sometimes not. So, I thought I'd share our family's crepe recipe. This is the only crepe recipe I've ever used and I've never had anything but good results.

I use the de Buyer crepe pan and really love it. For flipping the crepes, I've found that a long, angled spatula works best (like you use for frosting a cake). I also like to use the OXO batter dispenser (the yellow one, not the black one).

Makes about 20 (7-inch) crepes.

Updated Notes (2023):
When my kids were little, a double recipe was sufficient for our family. Now that I have 3 teenage/adult boys, my family eats every last crepe in a 4x batch. (I make my crepes pretty thin. I have 2 crepe pans and make 2 at a time on the stovetop.)

Crepes can be made ahead and double-wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. To defrost, thaw the crepes in the refrigerator for a day before filling and rolling.

1 cup whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the pan
1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor or blender or with an immersion blender until smooth, about 4 seconds. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate the batter for 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Gently stir the batter to combine if it appears separated. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet (or crepe pan) over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Brush the pan bottom and sides very lightly with butter (it should sizzle when it hits the pan). When the butter stops sizzling, remove the pan from the heat, tilt the pan slightly, and pour 2-1/2 tablespoons of the batter (you can fill a 1/4 cup measuring cup a little past the halfway mark) into the pan. As the batter is poured, rotate the pan to swirl the batter evenly over the face of the pan before returning it to the heat. Cook until the first side is spotty golden brown, 30 to 60 seconds. Use a thin spatula to flip the crepe and continue to cook until the second side is spotty golden brown, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer the crepe to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool (you can stack crepes on top of each other). Repeat with the remaining crepe batter, brushing the pan with butter as needed after cooking several crepes.

For a printable version of the recipe, go here.