If the sight of a crepe stand makes your heart leap, you'll understand why I love that Savory Crepes are so easy to make at home. They are a wonderful thing: tender crepes brimming with cheese, and thin, salty ham. Universally adored and conveniently adaptable to endless cheese, meat and vegetable combinations.
With a blender and six ingredients that I bet you have on hand, you can make savory crepe batter in 5 minutes flat. You'll want to let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the best texture, but then you'll conveniently have a full day to use it.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Savory Crepes
- Eggs: Large or extra large eggs
- Milk: Whole milk
- Butter: If you use unsalted butter, increase kosher salt to ½ teaspoon.
- Flour: All-purpose flour
- Kosher Salt
- Neutral Oil: Avocado or other high heat, neutral oil.
- Gruyère Cheese: Or Comté, though it can be more difficult to find.
- Jambon de Paris or Prosciutto: Or other thinly sliced deli ham or cured meat
Though savory crepes are thin and tender, they're surprisingly sturdy and resilient. When you oil the pan between each crepe, you can cook and stack them - they won't stick together. And, once they've cooled, you can store them in the refrigerator or freezer to rewarm later.
How to Store Crepes
Once crepes have cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, arrange crepes (it's okay if they overlap) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with foil and rewarm in a 250˚F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Or rewarm individually in a non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium low heat for 10 to 15 seconds.
To freeze cooked crepes, let cool completely then stack with a layer of wax paper between each crepe to prevent sticking. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to a month. Let thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before reheating.
Note that for this savory crepe recipe, there's no need to reheat. Make the crepes up to 2 days in advance, store in the refrigerator and pick up at step 3 of the recipe when you're ready to serve!
Crepe Making FAQ
Yes, you can make crepes ahead of time and I recommend that you do! Crepes hold up beautifully when made ahead of time and make quick work of recipes, sweet or savory, when it's time to assemble your final dish. See instructions above for refrigerating or freezing pre-made crepes.
When you brush your crepe pan or skillet between each crepe, they won't stick together (even straight from the pan) when you stack them on a plate.
The primary difference between a dessert and a main dish crepe (savory crepe) is the filling. This crepe recipe works well for either. If you plan to make only sweet crepes, you may want to add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar to the batter.
What can you serve with crepes?
Serve crepes with all kinds of fillings, both savory and sweet. Delicious on their own and welcome alongside other brunch dishes (like Baked Eggs and Breakfast Potatoes or Skillet Potatoes and, of course, French 75 Cocktails!) with Chouquettes for dessert!
Savory Crepe Filling Ideas:
- Cheese: Comté, Gruyère, Emmentaler (or other Swiss cheese), soft goat cheese, smoked mozzarella, cheddar
- Meat: Jambon de Paris, Prosciutto or other thinly sliced ham or cured meat
- Vegetables: sautéed mushrooms, green onions, leeks, spinach, or other tender greens; roasted seasonal vegetables, roasted or sun-dried tomatoes
- Garnish: minced chives or other fresh herb like parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chervil, or tarragon
Sweet Crepe Filling Ideas:
- Fresh Lemon Wedges and White Sugar (a Parisian classic combination)
- Nutella inside, outside sprinkled with powdered sugar and cocoa powder
- Fruit Preserves inside, outside sprinkled with powdered sugar
- Fresh berries (sliced if large, like strawberries) and whipped cream or sweetened crème fraiche or mascarpone, outside sprinkled with powdered sugar
How to Make Savory Crepes
Step 1: Combine crepe batter ingredients in blender (eggs, milk, water, melted butter, flour, kosher salt) and blend until smooth. Refrigerate batter 30 minutes.
Step 2: To cook crepes, heat a crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Brush with oil and scoop ¼ cup of batter into center, swirl pan to spread in a thin, even circle. Cook until lightly brown and dry looking on top, 40 to 60 seconds (or up to 2 minutes for a deeper golden brown); gently flip with thin, metal spatula and cook 20 to 30 seconds more. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining batter.
Step 3: To make savory crepes: preheat oven to 350˚F. Sprinkle cheese on one half of crepe and top with 1 ham slice and a little more shredded cheese. Fold crepe into quarters and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining crepes. Bake 8-10 minutes until crepes are hot and cheese is melted; serve immediately.
Savory Crepes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120g
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- avocado oil or other neutral oil, for coating pan (see recipe note #1)
- 4 ounces Gruyère cheese or Comté, finely shredded
- 8 thin slices ham Jambon de Paris or Prosciutto
Instructions
- In a blender combine eggs, milk, water, melted butter, flour and salt; pulse a few times to combine and then blend until smooth, about 10 seconds. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Recipe note #2)
- To make savory crepes, preheat oven to 350˚F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. (Hold off on this step if making crepes ahead of time.)
- When ready to cook crepes, place a plate near cooktop and heat a 10-inch carbon steel or non-stick pan over medium heat until hot. Brush a thin layer of oil on bottom of pan. Pour 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of batter into center of pan; tilt and swirl pan to spread batter in a thin, even layer. Cook 40 to 60 seconds, until top looks dry and bottom is lightly golden brown. (Or up to 2 minutes for a deep golden brown.) Flip with thin spatula and cook 20 to 30 seconds more or until lightly golden brown. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining batter, stacking crepes as you go. (Recipe note #3)
- Lay one crepe onto work surface. Sprinkle ¼ ounce of shredded cheese on one half of crepe; top with 1 ham slice another ¼ ounce shredded cheese. Fold crepe into quarters and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining crepes. Bake 8-10 minutes until crepes are hot and cheese is melted; serve immediately.
Notes
- Oil is a convenient alternative to butter when making crepes as butter has a tendency to burn. If you want to use butter, I recommend clarifying it first so it has a higher smoke point. See this post on how to clarify butter.
- Crepe batter will last up to 1 day in the refrigerator.
- Transfer cooked, unfilled crepes to sealable plastic bag and store up to 2 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 1 month.
- If you end up with leftover filled crepes, let cool completely and refrigerate up to one day. Reheat in a 350˚F oven 10 minutes and serve.
I made these last night and the were so good! I made them both as instructed with prosciutto and Gruyere, and a vegetarian version (for me; I don’t eat meat) with mushrooms garlic and spinach. With a side salad it made a perfect meal. My husband has requested them once a week from now on. I’m amazed by how the batter performed perfectly. Definitely a keeper!!!
This is so great to hear, Susanna! Sweet of you to come back to let me know.
Made them today… filled them with meat and cheese, baked them in the oven with marinara sauce and grated provolone cheese = cannelloni! Yummy perfect 😋
Sounds wonderful, Susette! So glad you're enjoying the recipe.
These were amazing! I made them with fontina cheese and prosciutto. So yummy! We had a few filled crepes leftover. How long to they last for refrigerated? Thanks for the amazing recipe!
I'm so glad these were a hit, Lauren! Great idea to use fontina - one of my favorite cheeses. You can wrap leftover crepes in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to a month (layer wax paper between if you're freezing them).
Crepes definitely make my heart happy! Love a good savory option for them! Gruyere and ham is such a fantastic combination-- yummm!
aww...thank you so much, Lauren!
I would be so happy with these and a little green salad. Fabulous. And that is some good looking ham!
Yes!! Crepes do make my heart leap! I love savory crepes as much as sweet (Nutella please). Gruyère with ham is heaven. I'm in! 🙂 ~Valentina
So delicious! I love the elegance of crepes, and my preference is for savoury. So yummy!
I love crepes, but they have to be savory, so these are right up my alley! Love how easy these are to prepare and your instructions are so clear! Definitely making these this weekend!!
I love to hear that, Cheyanne! Thank you!
We love crepes but we almost always have them for breakfast, with a sweet filling. I definitely want to try a savory version at home! These look wonderful Marissa!
Thank you, Katherine! I hope you and your family love them!
I LOVE homemade crepes Marissa! Sweet or savory and I'm in, My mother made them often when I was growing up. It was always my request for my birthday dinner! These bring back such great memories. Delicious!
Birthday dinner? That makes me happy, Mary Ann! Thank you so much.
I love crepes! And I haven't made them in months...years even? Either way, I clearly need to fix that problem. The thought of a savory crepe filled with prosciutto certainly got my attention!
Yay! Hope you'll love these, David!
Oh each! I'm a huge fan of savoury crepes, so I was excited when I saw your recipe ! They certainly look and sound splendid; love this simple (and classy) yet delicious combination of cheese and delicate meat. Elegant!
Thank you, Ben!
I've never made crepes, and I've only tasted sweet crepes, so I'm definitely curious about these savoury ones. Love that they can be made ahead. Great for brunch entertaining!
Yes! Love these for entertaining. Thank you, Leanne!
I love the suggestion of filling these up with savoury ingredients, especially cheese. Such a delicious recipe, Marissa! Now I'm craving 😉
Thanks, Dawn!
I love pancakes and crepes! These look mouthwatering with ham and cheese. You are an excellent cook and makes simple everyday food absolutely irresistible, Marissa.
What a sweet note, Angie. Thank you!