Savory Crepes

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.

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 1/2 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 two 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

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 1/4 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.