Spring Crêpes Three Ways
March 24th, 2009
Stumble it!
Happy Spring, lovelies!
It’s time to break out of our winter food ruts, and I think I have just the thing. Crêpes! They’re light and can be filled with almost anything, but to get your imagination started I’ve created three recipes for you to try.
Now, vegan crepes. They’re not hard once you get the hang of them. The recipe I’m posting here comes from a veganized version of a standard “Eggless Crepe” recipe that’s floating around on the interwebs. I just subbed soymilk and Earth Balance for milk and butter. I also think it needs a little extra water, and I’ll point that out in the recipe below. There is also a really good crêpe recipe in Veganomicon, if you have that cook book, but it calls for chickpea flour. If you have your own favorite recipe, use that! Whatever works for you will work here.
There’s a little video below to get you started if you’re new to crêpes.
The great thing about these is that you can make absolutely everything ahead. They heat up in minutes, so it’s perfect if you’re cooking bunch or lunch for several people who all want different fillings. Simply place the cold crêpe in the pan, put the fillings on top, heat through, and serve. I make extra crêpes and keep them in the fridge for quick meals for the next day or two.
So, the fillings!
Asparagus Hollandaise
Asparagus season is here or will be shortly, and this creamy hollandaise-ish sauce is perfect with spring-tender stalks. I just quickly pan-seared them so they’d have lots of flavor without overcooking them. You can check out my guide to buying and prepping asparagus if you like. The sauce has an almond base, so if you have good blender, you should be able to throw it together in minutes. Nutritional yeast is optional, but it does give it a nice pale yellow color and as well as some flavor. If you leave out the yeast, you might want to add a little turmeric for color.
Wild Mushroom and Wilted Frisée
I’m a sometimes-mushroom person. Sometimes I love them, other times I eat around them. I find the less-common mushrooms to be the tastiest. I used king trumpet and chanterelle mushrooms in this crêpe, and man were they delicious. Morels are coming in season, and they’d be wonderful, too. You’re welcome to use more standard mushrooms if you want (cremini, portabello, button), but these fancier ’shrooms were a real treat for me. I paired them with some wilted frisée (also called curly endive or chicory). It’s kind of bitter, but seems to mellow out with a quick sauté. It matches the mushrooms perfectly.
Berry Crêpes
I really wanted to use strawberries in this one, but alas, it’s not quite the season for them yet. The ones at my local store looked pretty sad. The raspberries, on the other hand, looked perfect. You can use any berry you like in these, along with a little sugar. The sugar melts a bit, making this crazy-easy dessert really very tasty. If you want, you can put a few tiny chunks of candied ginger in there as well. You don’t need berries at all; my absolute favorite all-time crêpe is a simple crêpe au sucre. Just sugar. Pure and simple.
Basic Crêpes
Makes 8-10
1/2 Cup Soymilk
2/3 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Earth Balance, melted
1 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Sugar (sweet crepes only, optional)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract (sweet crepes only, optional)
2 Tbs Water, to thin if needed
Place all the ingredients in a blender or in a bowl. Blend or whisk until smooth. Transfer to a 2 Cup measuring cup (for pouring) and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the batter is refrigerating, prepare your fillings.
Asparagus Hollandaise
Fills 2-3 Crêpes
1/2 Lb Thin Asparagus, trimmed
1 Tbs Earth Balance
1 Pinch Salt
Black Pepper
Heat a large skillet (I used then cast-iron skillet for all of the fillings) over high heat. Add Earth Balance and asparagus. Cook for a few minutes, until asparagus are bright green, tender-crisp, and are browning in spots. Add salt and pepper, set aside.
Hollandaise Sauce
1/2 Cup Sliced Raw Almonds
1/2 Cup Hot Water
2 Tbs Earth Balance
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast, optional (or 1/4 tsp turmeric for color)
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard, optional
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until extremely smooth.
Wild Mushroom and Wilted Frisée
Fills 2-3 Crêpes
2 Tbs Earth Balance
1 Cup Chopped Chanterelle Mushroms
1 Cup Chopped Trumpet Mushrooms
1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
2 Sprig Fresh Rosemary, stem removed
1 Cup Chopped Frisée Greens
1-2 Cloves garlic, minced, optional
Slice trumpet mushrooms lengthwise, then lengthwise again.
Add the earth balance to a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add trumpet mushrooms and saute until beginning to brown. Add chanterelles and rosemary. Turn down heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with a pinch of salt and balsamic vinegar. Remove mushrooms from pan.
Add garlic and sweat until tender. Add greens and cook until just wilted, one to two minutes. Remove and set aside with mushrooms.
Berry Crêpes
Fills 2-3 Crêpes
1/2 Pint Raspberries (or other berries)
Sugar
Berry crêpes are filled while the crêpes are still cooking. Add sugar and berries to the crêpe as soon as it is flipped. See below for more details about cooking the crêpes.
Making Crêpes
So now that you fillings are all prepared, and your crêpe batter has rested and chilled, we’re ready to make crêpes! I’ve made a video that outlines the whole process, but here are a few things you’ll need:
-A non-stick omelet or crêpe pan
-Cooking Spray
-A graduated spatula (the long flat kind you use for frosting cakes), optional
If your batter is too thick when it comes out of the fridge, stir in 2 Tbs of water to loosen it up.
Here’s how:
How to make Crepes from lolo on Vimeo.
Assembling and Serving
So now you have a stack of cooling crêpes and fillings that have gone cold. No worries. You can keep your fillings in a warm oven until you’re ready to serve, or even easier, warm them up with the crêpes at the same time.
When you’re ready to eat, place a crêpe back in a hot skillet (medium heat is fine) and add the fillings you want in the top. Cover the whole thing and wait a few minutes. You want everything to get hot, but you don’t want to cook the crêpe any more than it is. When it’s hot, fold the crêpe in thirds and serve. It should only take 1-2 minutes per crêpe to heat up, so you can make them to order for your friends and family.
Okay! So are you ready to make crêpes? I hope so, because typing the little circumflex is getting really annoying. Making crêpes is much easier than accenting them correctly, I assure you.
Entry Filed under: breakfast, how to, recipe, sauce/dressing, technique
81 Comments
1. bazu | March 24th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
wow. spring is now officially my favorite season.
2. Lizzie | March 24th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
These look delicious!!!!! I’ve always been intimidated by making crepes, but you’ve tempted me to give it a try.
3. DJ Karma (VegSpinz) | March 24th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I’ve always been a bit scared to make crepes-but these look so beautiful, and seemingly easy!
4. Ricki | March 24th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I am a sweets fanatic (and of course those berry crepes look fantastic), but it’s the Hollandaise that’s really calling to me. Gorgeous!
5. Julien | March 24th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
This sure is a very strange way to cook crepes :D
Using a very deep skillet is just asking for trouble!
A skillet with shallow sides makes it much easier to turn them. You can also use a spreader if you want to make very thin crepes (you can find one for less than $2). It’s especially handy if you want to make buckwheat flour ones.
Making razor thin crepes with no spreader and a cast iron pan is going to take a lot of practice though. (“It’s easy” says my grandmother with 75 years of practice…).
6. Jodye | March 24th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
All of the crepes look amazing- but the mushroom and frisee really catches my eye. I just cannot resist mushrooms! Beautiful!
7. Pearl | March 25th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Oh my gosh. I just moaned out loud.
8. Pearl | March 25th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Totally did not mean for it to come out as creepy as it did, btw. haha.
9. snooky doodle | March 25th, 2009 at 12:31 am
oh I love crepes and the ones with mushrooms are my favourite. Nice fillings
10. Kirby! | March 25th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Those mushroom crepes looks unbelievable! And lovely photos, as always :)
11. Shannon | March 25th, 2009 at 1:16 am
I love crepes! And your fillings look wonderful – perhaps a dinner this weekend :)
12. lauren | March 25th, 2009 at 1:50 am
they look so delicious… the pics are making my mouth water.
13. arundati | March 25th, 2009 at 3:26 am
these are stunning…i’ve never thought of a savoury filling for crepes… will try the mushroom one for sure..
14. Mike | March 25th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Like the video. What’s the name of the song and the band you used?
15. Shelby | March 25th, 2009 at 7:12 am
I love crepes…but you make them look even better. Absolutely gorgeous pictures!
16. Kala | March 25th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Oh those look delicious, I wish I had some right now!
17. Heather | March 25th, 2009 at 8:03 am
i totally made crepes for breakfast because of this post. thank you!!
18. The voracious Vegan | March 25th, 2009 at 8:21 am
What a deliciously beautiful post! So much tastiness in here I don’t even know where to start. I never really thought to fill crepes with anything savory but those mushroom filled crepes would be amazing. I have to get started on this because I’m so hungry!
19. 7tourvercors | March 25th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Your pics are always so nice ! And those crèpes … Seem just yummy !
Thanks !
20. NYCrochet | March 25th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Oh, my diet just died in pool of hollandaise sauce. And I’ll happily eat your mushrooms for you. MMMmmmmushrooms . . .
21. Cafe Cyan | March 25th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Ooh, I was waiting for these ever since you showed the teaser :) Love the video too – thanks for your work on it.
22. Eliza Domestica | March 25th, 2009 at 9:49 am
These look great! I love the options of savory and sweet. Your pictures are beautiful too!
23. Anna | March 25th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Your photos are beautiful as always, of course. What a delightfully springy idea! I love how endlessly flexible crepes are–the crepes themselves, as well as the filling variations.
Great idea and thanks for the inspiration!
24. Rita | March 25th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hummm, love the mushroom ones! Happy spring to you too!
25. amy (veganissexy) | March 25th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Thank you so much for the recipe! I’ve been dying to try some savory dinner crepes for a while now, but havn’t found a recipe that looked “do-able” Thanks again!
26. Al | March 25th, 2009 at 11:35 am
GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!
27. Bianca- Vegan Crunk | March 25th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I FINALLY got a decent non-stick skillet, so I think I’ll give crepes another shot! I never had luck with them before cause they always stuck. The asparagus one is my fave!
28. Suzanne | March 25th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Ooh, I can’t wait to try these crepes!
I’m not actually vegan, but I love your recipes. Several times this winter I’ve made your squash bisque recipe, and its so easy and sooo good! Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks and let you know how much I love your site!
29. Ngoc | March 25th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Brilliant. I could not get crepes off the brain yesterday, and here these are. I’ll be trying them soon. :)
30. Crystal | March 25th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Must.Try.Asparagus.Crepes.
31. Chris @ Beyond Ramen | March 25th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Beautiful pictures + newly-sprung Spring ingredients + mouth-watering flavor combinations = me making crepes in the very near future. Sounds like a winner to me, perhaps as a light and refreshing Sunday brunch!
32. weapons of massdistractio&hellip | March 25th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
[...] Plus: I bet I could veganize this Chocolate Banana Lumpia recipe. And I should. Soon. But these recipes for crepes are already vegan-style, thanks to VeganYumYum. Perhaps this weekend. And: One more food-related [...]
33. Kate | March 26th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Earth Balance
is it a necessary part of life? what would the difference be between melted earth balance and vegetable oil?
34. mel | March 26th, 2009 at 2:56 am
would it be possible to use glutenfree flour? i have found that when trying to make pancakes and the like the low or no gluten doesn’t help it stay together when thin. any tips??
35. Steph (I am Bee) | March 26th, 2009 at 8:27 am
i love crepes! those all look fantastic!
36. jess | March 26th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Hollandaise Sauce
1/2 Cup Sliced Raw Almonds
1/2 Cup Hot Water
2 Tbs Earth Balance
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Earth Balance, optional (or turmeric to color)
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard, optional
why do i add earth balance twice to the hollandaise? i am in need of a good vegan hollandaise. i want to make sure i have the recipe right. thanks for the gorgeous inspiration!
Oh Jeeze, that second one is supposed to be Nutritional Yeast. My bad! Thanks for catching that!
37. fresh365 | March 26th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
This looks great! I have been looking for a good egg-less crepe recipe and cannot wait to try!
38. Vanessa | March 26th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
My mouth is watering! The mushroom one looks AMAZING.
39. ginger | March 26th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
smells like brunch is coming to denver…..
40. Starry | March 27th, 2009 at 8:34 am
I’ve only had crepes at restaurants and never thought I’d actually be able to make them at home! Great recipe and the video was VERY helpful! I made these last night with a potato, mushroom, and red onion filling and served it with a side of arugula and cherry tomato salad and goat cheese for the non-vegans with a light vinagrette dressing, and it was definitely a hit.
Just a few questions, maybe someone can help me with:
1. Can the white flour be replaced with buckwheat flour?
2. If there is left over batter, can it be used the next day, or should it be used after resting that 30 minutes in the fridge?
3. The edges of my crepes came out a little too crispy. How can I fix that problem?
Thanks for a great recipe! I love this blog!
41. chow vegan | March 27th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Once you tried the tastier mushrooms, it’s hard to go back to the boring white button ones. :-) The crepes look delicious!
42. Michelle Taylor | March 28th, 2009 at 3:06 am
You are a food goddess. This looks AMAZING.
43. 'Raine | March 28th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Wow, crepes! My dad makes the best non-vegan ones at home. I actually made crepes that taste exactly like his using your vegan pancakes recipe (maybe I did it wrong, but I got perfect crepes from my mistake!). I’m excited to try this recipe now :)
44. PJ | March 28th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I made the asparagus version, and they were great. I would have never tried, until I saw the video. Easy!
My hollandaise was a little runny, but had good taste. My critics were silenced :)
Great blog.
PJ
45. dreamin'itvegan | March 28th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
All 3 crepes look sooooo good!. My son especially likes the rasberry one. We are also a big fan of mushrooms. I will definitely be trying these.
46. Ed Coffin | March 28th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
the asparagus one looks amazing!
47. Kristin | March 28th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Those look amazing!
ps. I love your blog and I also love your husband Stewart’s blog, tell him to update more often. lol :)
48. Springtime calls for Lemo&hellip | March 28th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
[...] With A Vengeance) with Field Roast Apple Sage Sausages. I tried to make the Hollandaise sauce from Vegan Yum Yum – the taste was great but the consistency was a bit off. I think it was that I couldn’t seem [...]
49. Vegan Woman | March 29th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Delicious and YUM YUM! I love anything I can do with asparagus! Thanks for the well detailed post!
50. Jay | March 30th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
These crepes look amazing! Your food amazes me!
51. Jewlie | March 31st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
oh my God I cannot WAIT to make these.
52. chouettes crêpes | April 1st, 2009 at 5:33 am
I’m so disappointed in your crêpe making! Everyone can flip it with the pan if they try. Sure, there’s the fluke flipper that tosses it behind the stove, but even he/she can get it eventually!
Everything else is beautiful, though. ;)
Encouraging proper crêpe-flipping everywhere,
Rachel
Hah, well, flipping is fun, but it doesn’t affect the way the crepe turns out (unless you bungle the flip, which ruins the crepe!). I try to use the easiest methods that still produce good results so the recipe can be successful for as many people as possible. Flipping isn’t necessary, so I didn’t do it! :)
53. avital | April 1st, 2009 at 7:13 am
they taste even better than they look.
amazing.
54. Julia | April 1st, 2009 at 11:04 am
Thanks for the great recipe! Those were the best and thinnest crepes I ever made! (Vegan and non-vegan!)
55. avital | April 1st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I have a question that overlaps with Starry’s — does it matter if I keep the batter overnight and make the crepes the next day, or is it better to just make the crepes then and keep ‘em in the fridge?
56. Erin | April 2nd, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I’ve never had crepes! These look amazing, perfect for the beginning of spring!
57. Ali | April 5th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I just discovered your blog last night and LOVE IT. I’ve been a vegan for 4 days, :) so I’m excitedly looking for anyway to still cook all the lovely things I enjoy cooking. I attempted the crepes today and they didn’t flip well and were too moist, which caused them to break and get sticky. Great flavor though! Any suggestions on what I did wrong and how to fix it? Thanks!
Sounds like they were undercooked/the burner wasn’t hot enough. Sorry it didn’t work out! And congrats on going vegan, that’s AWESOME!
58. Elana | April 7th, 2009 at 12:54 am
These look amazing! I just might have to whip up a batch of gluten-free crepes for myself and my children since we don’t eat gluten due to celiac.
These are a great place to start. Yum.
59. Chris Ryan | April 7th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I made the Asparagus Hollandaise crepes, and they turned out amazing. I ended up using sliced roasted almonds I had on hand and they added a ton of flavor to the sauce. Great idea!!
60. Almost crepes « Cru&hellip | April 8th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
[...] paths diverged when it came to her recent belief that French crêpes could, and should, be adjusted for a vegan diet. Instead of whole milk and eggs and butter, she used soy milk and an ominous material called [...]
61. Kate | April 11th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Wow, those look absolutely delicious!! I can’t wait to get home and make those. :) The asparagus look so yummy, as do the raspberries. My favorite!! I love making crepes.
62. Carla | April 15th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
These look so good, but I’m wondering if there is anything that I could substitute for the frisee in the mushroom crepes. I’m a little scared that I won’t like that because I’ve never had it. Is there anything less adventurous I could put in them?
Sure! Any greens would go great here. Spinach, kale, arugula, just to name a few. Whatever green you like, use that!
63. blitheringidiott | April 16th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Wow! These are perfect! I made the asparagus hollandaise for lunch and it was so easy to follow. Thank you for sharing!
64. Carla | April 19th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I made the mushroom crepes with spinach instead of frisee and they turned out amazing! Thanks for posting this recipe. :)
65. Mery Hill | April 22nd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Delicious crepes can be combined by some jelly, some butter or some fruits maybe some vegetables , those can be either salad or sweet as you prefer. Definitely those are good for any moment for snack.
66. Theresa Holley | May 1st, 2009 at 7:30 am
Pst, is that Pelle Carlberg playing?
67. tatiana | June 7th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Man, these look amazing! I’ve had vegan crepes before but this recipe looks like it will work better than the one I had. I am trying something similar on my blog too with breakfasty type vegan foods at Awesome Vegan Girl.
68. Sprouted Kitchen | June 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
What an amazing picture of the asparagus! I was ready to reach through my screen and take a bite of the top! Wonderful site ~
69. Asparagus Overload «&hellip | June 15th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
[...] I absolutely love asparagus! They are definitely one of my favorite vegetables and very easy to cook up… or even snack on raw (washed of course!) So with all this asparagus on hand I knew I had to cook with them sooner than later… and I had the perfect recipe. Asparagus Hollandaise Crepes [...]
70. Your Breakfast Read, Sund&hellip | July 19th, 2009 at 4:30 am
[...] wanted to make crepes? There’s a great video at this link that will show you [...]
71. Aissa | July 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Thanks Lolo…I used the crepes recipe for an easy summer brunch with tofu and veggies I had on hand. I will post some point soon.
72. CK | August 21st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
The most delicious thing ever. My boyfriend is a huge crepes-lover and he didn’t believe me, when I said I’m able to make the most delightful crepes in the world. Then he tried them and fell in love with the over and over again. It became his favourite sweet dish in our home. Thank you so much for the recipe. It gave me the chance to make the impossible possible. Oh, and I would’ve never tried to eat crepes with asparagus. It’s like the best thing ever. <3
73. Brittany Boersma | October 4th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
stunning!!!
74. , and a Fabulous Meal &la&hellip | October 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
[...] Pumpkin Waffles. See above for my beliefs on pumpkin. Fried green tomatoes. OHMYGODOHMYGODCREPESOHMYGOD. There is nothing in the world like a crepe. Period. Finally: Hashbrowns with the works. I [...]
75. Ugh « Last Great Se&hellip | December 6th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
[...] an incredible dinner for myself: vegan sweet potato blintzes. I found an excellent crepe recipe here from Vegan Yumyum. That recipe makes about six crepes, which you can refrigerate and stuff with whatever your heart [...]
76. Winter Crêpes « Th&hellip | December 9th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
[...] the recipe and instructions on how to make the crêpes themselves, I’m going to send you to this post over at Vegan Yum Yum. I’ve used the recipe there many times, and it always works out [...]
77. Fe | January 15th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Lovely pictures!
78. Summer | January 31st, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Tasted great but a tad greasy. Next time I think I will reduce earth balance by half
79. Crepes « None of th&hellip | May 16th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
[...] Serve with fruit, whip cream and melted chocolate. There are also savory recipes. Check out some of VeganYumYum’s ideas. I edited the intructions more for this [...]
80. My new vegan crush: Lolo &hellip | June 26th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
[...] my life and the result was a curdled burnt disgusting sloppy chunky mess. The point here is to say, try this recipe! Also, I highly recommend the iphone app for VeganYumYum which Rachelle has had on her phone for [...]
81. hot for food » Crep&hellip | July 19th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
[...] recipes for the crepe batter, asparagus, and vegan hollandaise sauce are from VeganYumYum. I made some modifications, trying brown rice flour and buckwheat flour for the crepe batter. Which [...]