These Easy Dairy Free Crepes are deliciously light and make the perfect weekend breakfast or brunch. This will also be your go to recipe for Shrove Tuesday pancakes!
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In the UK, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is a big deal. The shops suddenly run out of eggs & lemons and people everywhere try to perfect their flipping techniques!
Crepes are traditionally made with milk, so if you are dairy free or lactose intolerant these homemade easy dairy free crepes are the perfect alternative!
They are made with plant based milk, eggs, flour and a little salt and sugar. This recipe has been tried and tested many times over the years to reach the right consistency. My daughter gives them 100 out of 10 and my husband loves them not even knowing they are dairy free…Shhhh!!
They make a perfect weekend breakfast, brunch dish or even dessert. Top with dairy free whipped cream and fresh fruit, roll up and enjoy.
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What Are Crepes?
Crepes are a type of thin pancake that originated in France, but are loved worldwide. They are normally made with a simple batter consisting of flour, eggs & milk, although we have substituted cows milk for a plant based alternative in this recipe to make them dairy free.
The batter for crepes is very thin, much runnier than American style pancake batter, which allows them to be cooked quickly and evenly on a hot griddle or skillet. I have a great Vegan Banana American Style Pancake Recipe if you want to try that too. They are typically cooked until lightly browned on both sides and can be served either hot or cold.
They can be served in a variety of ways, depending on the filling. Sweet crepes are often filled with fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, or the classic lemon and sugar. Savoury crepes, on the other hand, are often filled with cheese, ham, eggs, or vegetables and served as a main dish.
🥘 Ingredients Needed & Notes
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Flour - Use an all-purpose plain flour. You don’t need self raising flour for this recipe as you don’t want the crepes to rise like normal pancakes. Crepes are paper thin.
- Eggs - My favourite eggs are Burford Brown Eggs. The yolks are a deliciously rich, dark orange and they taste so good.
- Dairy Free Milk - I have used unsweetened almond milk, but you can use any plant based milk. Coconut milk, oat milk and soya milk will also work well.
- Salt & Sugar - Salt is added as a flavour enhancer, it brings out the taste of all the other ingredients. You can use either caster sugar or granulated sugar, either is fine.
✏️ How To Make Easy Dairy Free Crepes
For the full printable recipe, along with ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post ⬇️
This recipe for crepes without milk is super simple. The batter only takes 5 minutes to whip up and each pancake only takes a couple of minutes to cook.
Start by making the batter. Place the flour in a mixing bowl with the sugar and salt and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the bowl, crack the eggs into the well and add ⅓ of the milk.
Next you will need to mix the batter. You can either use an electric whisk or hand whisk, obviously the electric will bind the mixture quicker but I find there is something quite satisfying whisking by hand.
Once the mixture has come together, add the rest of the milk gradually, keep whisking until all of the lumps have disappeared from the batter, you don’t want lumpy pancakes!
Then it’s time to rest the batter in the fridge. Leave it for at least 30 minutes to allow it to thicken up slightly.
Heat a large non stick frying pan, on a medium to high heat and add a little drizzle of vegetable or coconut oil to the bottom of the pan. I like to use a kitchen towel to spread the oil all around the pan.
Add a ladle full of batter and quickly swirl the batter around the pan so the batter mixture is spread evenly and thinly.
Cook for a couple minutes and when the crepe starts to bubble it means its time to flip! Give the crepe a little shake to ensure its loose in the pan and flip it over onto the other side. If you don’t want to run the risk of dropping the pancake on the floor, you can use a spatula to flip them instead.
Add another ladle full of mixture to the pan, storing the pancakes on a plate with a piece of greaseproof paper or kitchen towel between each one to stop them sticking.
Keep going until you have no mixture left.
To serve, sprinkle with sugar and squirt some fresh lemon juice onto each pancake, roll it up and tuck in!
💡 Tips & Tricks
- It’s really important to let the batter rest in the fridge. Try to leave it for at least half an hour. You can use this time to prepare the toppings and fillings for the crepes. This allows the gluten in the flour to relax, which in turn thickens the batter slightly and results in light and fluffy crepes.
- Use the first pancake as a trial run, as a test for timings and to season the pan. If it turns out ok, great then keep it, but don’t sweat it if it doesn’t, it’s perfectly normal for the first one to not be perfect.
- Crepes are supposed to be really thin. You will need to work quickly when swirling the batter around the pan to make sure it doesn’t start to set before you have finished!
⚡ Variations
There are so many ways to enjoy these crepes, both sweet and savoury! Here are some different options. If you are going to make the crepes for a savoury filling, leave out the sugar in the main recipe.
- Strawberry and Banana Crepes: Top dairy-free crepes with sliced strawberries and bananas and drizzle with maple syrup and Dairy Free Whipped Cream.
- Vegan Nutella Crepes: Spread Vegan Nutella on dairy-free crepes and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. ( Use sliced banana instead, if you have a nut allergy)
- Blueberry and Lemon Crepes: Top dairy-free crepes with blueberries and a squeeze of lemon juice. Drizzle with maple syrup or honey.
- Chocolate & Ice-Cream Crepes: Top the crepes with some dairy free ice-cream like this Swedish Glaze Ice Cream and drizzle over some Dairy Free Chocolate Sauce.
- Ham & Cheese Crepes: When you have flipped the pancake, add some Grated Dairy Free Cheese and chopped ham to the uncooked side. Cook for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted, fold the pancake in half and serve.
- Vegetable Crepes: Sauté some onions, mushrooms and spinach in a separate pan, spoon over the top of the cooked pancake, before rolling and serving.
🥡 Storage
Make Ahead: You can easily make these crepes a day in advance, store them in the fridge and re-heat the next day when you are ready to eat.
In The Fridge: Store the crepes with a piece of baking parchment or kitchen towel between each one to stop them sticking together. Either place in a large ziplock bag or airtight container. You can also place them on a plate wrapped in cling film. They will keep in the fridge like this for 2 days.
In The Freezer: Freeze between baking parchment as above in a large ziplock bag. You can store the crepes for up to 3 months and place in the fridge overnight to defrost before serving.
To Re-Heat: Place a single crepe in a dry frying pan and heat for a couple of minutes each side on a medium heat until warmed through.
🍴 How To Serve
I love these pancakes served simply with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar, but there are lots more ideas above in the variations section if you want to try something a little different.
💬 FAQ
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is a Christian holiday that takes place on the day before the start of Lent. Lent is a period of fasting and reflection in the Christian faith that lasts for 40 days leading up to Easter. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year.
It was an opportunity to use up food that couldn't be eaten during Lent. This included eggs, fat and milk, which were made into pancakes and eaten on that day, before people started to fast for lent the next day. (Ash Wednesday)
Should crepe batter be thick or thin?
Crepes are traditionally made with a thin batter, so the batter should be thin rather than thick. The consistency of the batter should be similar to that of heavy cream or whole milk, so that it can be easily spread around the pan and cook evenly. If the batter is too thick, the crepes may turn out too dense and heavy, and they may not cook through properly. So, it's important to get the right consistency of the batter to make delicious, thin and delicate crepes.
Both oil and butter can be used to cook crepes, but using butter will give the crepes a richer flavour and a slightly crispier texture.
If you prefer to use butter, I love this Dairy Free Flora Plant Based Butter which you can melt in the pan before adding the crepe batter. This will add a nice buttery flavour to the crepes and also help to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Just be sure to use a non-stick pan or to add more butter as needed to prevent the crepes from sticking.
On the other hand, if you prefer to use oil, you can use any type of oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, vegetable, coconut or rapeseed oil. Olive oil has a stronger flavour so I wouldn’t recommend using this. Just add a small amount of oil to the pan before adding the crepe batter. Oil will also help to prevent sticking and ensure that the crepes cook evenly.
Crepes and pancakes are similar in some ways, but their batters are not the same. Crepe batter is typically thinner and contains less flour and leavening agents like baking powder than pancake batter.
Crepe batter is made from a simple mixture of flour, eggs, milk (dairy free in this case!) and a small amount of sugar and salt. The batter should be thin and smooth, and it is often left to rest for a period of time to allow the flour to absorb the liquids.
Pancake batter, on the other hand, contains more flour, leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda, and sometimes sugar and other flavourings. The batter is typically thicker and can be made with a variety of different types of flour, such as all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or even cornmeal.
So while there are some similarities between crepe batter and pancake batter, they are not the same. The differences in the batters lead to differences in the final product, with crepes being thin, delicate, and often used for sweet or savoury fillings, and pancakes being thicker and fluffier, often served with syrup or other toppings.
📖 Related Recipes
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💫 Love this recipe? It would be great if you could leave a 5 ⭐ rating and comment below! Thanks x 💫
Easy Dairy Free Crepes
Equipment
- Spatula optional
Ingredients
- 260 g plain flour
- 3 medium eggs
- 475 ml almond milk or other plant based milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon caster or granulated sugar leave out the sugar if making this as a savoury pancake.
Instructions
- To make the batter, place the flour in a mixing bowl with the sugar and salt and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the bowl, crack the eggs into the well and add ⅓ of the milk.
- Using either an electric whisk or hand whisk, whisk up the batter until the mixture has come together.
- Once the mixture has come together, add the rest of the milk gradually, keep whisking until all of the lumps have disappeared from the batter.
- Leave the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge to allow it to thicken up slightly.
- Heat a large non stick frying pan, on a medium to high heat and add a little drizzle of vegetable or coconut oil to the bottom of the pan.
- Add a ladle full of batter and quickly swirl the batter around the pan so the batter mixture is spread evenly and thinly.
- Cook for a couple minutes and when the crepe starts to bubble it means its time to flip. Give the crepe a little shake to ensure its loose in the pan and flip it over onto the other side. If you don’t want to run the risk of dropping the pancake on the floor, you can use a spatula to flip them instead.
- Remove the crepe from the pan onto a plate.
- Add another ladle full of mixture to the pan, storing the pancakes on a plate with a piece of greaseproof paper or kitchen towel between each one to stop them sticking.
- Keep going until you have no mixture left.
- To serve, sprinkle with sugar and squirt some fresh lemon juice onto each pancake, roll it up and tuck in!
Notes
- It’s really important to let the batter rest in the fridge. Try to leave it for at least half an hour. You can use this time to prepare the toppings and fillings for the crepes. This allows the gluten in the flour to relax, which in turn thickens the batter slightly and results in light and fluffy crepes.
- Use the first pancake as a trial run, as a test for timings and to season the pan. If it turns out ok, great then keep it, but don’t sweat it if it doesn’t, it’s perfectly normal for the first one to not be perfect.
- Crepes are supposed to be really thin. You will need to work quickly when swirling the batter around the pan to make sure it doesn’t start to set before you have finished!
- I like to use a kitchen towel to spread the oil all around the pan.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!