Sourdough Crepes

These sourdough crepes are just what your morning needs! Made with sourdough discard and other pantry staples the recipe comes together quickly. I love filling these sourdough French crepes with whipped cream, Nutella, and serving with fresh strawberries.

So when I visited Paris, one of the items that was on my “must eat list” was crepes. So while waiting in the line to see the Eiffel Tower I seized the opportunity to try a truly authentic French Crepe. Filled with Nutella of course. Because while in Paris. It was as delicious as promised. I was in Paris Crepe heaven.

But for the longest time making French Crepes  completely FREAKED. ME. OUT. They seemed so complicated. The whole swirling of the pan thing. Then my sister convinced to get over my fear and make them already. Sisters are good like that aren’t they? 🙂 They were easy she said. So I decided….let’s finally get over my fear and make them. Ooh la la, French crepes in my very own kitchen. 

And so my french crepe recipe showed up on the blog. And since I’ve gotten over my fear, and fallen in love with all things sourdough I decided to take it one step further and convert it to a sourdough French crepe recipe. And you know what they’re just as delicious! Dare I say better?!

What is a crepe?

Crepes are a French thin style pancake. Unlike American pancakes that call for a leavening agent such as baking soda or baking powder, crepes have none. So they end up being a very thin pancake.

Then they are usually rolled or folded with a sweet (or savory!) filling.

Use Sourdough Discard

These are of course sourdough so we are using our discard from when we feed our starter. When I feed my starter fresh flour and water I remove half of the original starter and move it to a second jar. That jar is my “discard” and I keep this in my fridge for about a month. 

I keep a jar of discard in the fridge and when I have enough built up I use in a discard recipe, like these sourdough crepes. So this means it’s not “active” and isn’t what is responsible for making a baked good rise, but replacing some of the flour and liquids called for in your recipe.

Pro Tip: If you find your discard has some gray liquid on top, called hooch, just simply pour this off. It’s harmless and won’t affect your discard.

No Discard?

If you haven’t gotten around yet to making your sourdough starter, and have no discard then let’s get going! What are you waiting for?  It will take about 7-10 days to make your starter and have a discard worth using. But it will be worth it.  Here is the full guide on How To Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch.

Once you have your starter raring to go then you will need to feed and mantain your starter.

Want to jump in to sourdough but don’t want to make your own starter? Totally fine! Just buy a sourdough starter and it will be ready to use faster. 

Recipe Ingredients

Here is what you need to make these sourdough crepes:

Ingredient Notes:

• Milk – I used regular whole milk, but any milk will work for this sourdough crepe recipe.
• Butter – I always recommend using unsalted butter vs. salted butter because it’s fresher and I can control the amount of salt added.
• Sourdough Discard – This is the sourdough starter that you remove when feeding your starter fresh flour and water. I keep a jar in the fridge and add to it and just replace it every month to keep it fresh.

How To Make These Crepes

Making sourdough crepes just as easy! The batter comes together quickly. You want to mix all of your crepe batter ingredients together in a bowl. 

Make sure to whisk well to get out an lumps. You can also use a blender, or stick blender to make the batter to ensure it’s smooth. But I’m lazy and for the longest time didn’t have a blender! So I made do with my whisk. 

HEATHER’S BAKING TIP: You must then let your batter sit for 20-30 minutes to let the gluten relax, and let the flour absorb the liquid properly.

Then you want to pre-heat a non-stick skillet and grease it well. You can use a non-stick cooking spray or oil or butter. Just wipe it down so the skillet has a nice coating of grease but isn’t visible.

Once the pan is heated, you want to ladle about a 1/4 cup of your batter (this is for an 8-inch pan – for a 10 or 12-inch pan I’ll use a little more) into the center of your pan. Then immediately pick your pan up off the stove and swirl the pan so the batter spreads out to the edges into a nice thin pancake. I just keep rotating the pan around so the batter goes to the edges of the pan. 

Allow the crepe to cook on one side until golden brown then flip over (about 1 minute). Then cook on the second side until also golden brown (will take less time than the first side). I usually let it cook for an additional 15-20 seconds on the second side. If you want yours a tad crispier than go for a little longer.

The Thickness Of Your Batter

You want to use your discard not your active starter. And depending on the thickness of your starter you may need to adjust the thickness of your crepe batter. It should be a thin pancake batter.

Tips for making crepes

Here are some baking tips for you to perfect your sourdough crepes:

1.  Grease Your Pan. You can grease the skillet with non-stick spray, butter or oil. But butter will give you the best flavor. Just make sure to wipe the skillet with a paper towel so it’s greased but not pooling with your choice of grease. I usually find with my pan that I only need to grease once at the start and I’m good to go!

2. Let The Batter Rest.  You want to let the batter rest for 20-30 minutes. This lets the gluten relaxes, and lets the flour absorb the liquid and results in a soft and tender crepe.

3. Swirl to spread the batter out.  Ladle the crepe mixture directly in the center of the pan. THEN immediately pick up your pan off the heat, and rotate your wrist in a circle to swirl the batter in the pan so it spreads into a nice thin circle. There is really no science behind this but to spread the batter out evenly. Then let them cook for about a minute before flipping it over. I will loosen the edges with a spatula before I flip.  You want to see the edges of the crepe starting to brown before you flip. Once the batter is spread out, I just let it cook on one side. Don’t mess with it.

4. Then it’s time to flip. Cue scary music. If it doesn’t flip easily you may have not given it time to cook long enough on the first side. I like to loosen the edges first all around the crepe. If it doesn’t perfectly flip over just fix it. Julia Child completely understands. And in fact, you don’t even need to flip. True French crepes aren’t flipped, but I prefer to have a lightly golden color on both sides.

5. Cook for less on the second side. If you are flipping these over, then you want to cook them for much less time on the other side. About 15-20 seconds is all it will take!

6. Keep them warm. Keep them cooked ones covered while you cook the rest. Cover the whole stack with a dish towel or paper towel to keep them warm.

Recipe FAQ’s

Recipe Substitutions:

• Milk substitution: I love using whole milk for these for best flavor and richness, but yes you can substitute whatever milk you would like. Low-fat, almond, soy, oat or other plant-based milks. 
• Vegan: I haven’t tested this but I think a vegan egg replacement would work well! A “flax egg” might make the crepes be a bit grainy with bits of flax of them, but might still work.
• Blender method: Yes I’ve made crepe batter in a blender before, or used a stick blender for a super smooth texture. I’m just lazy and prefer to whisk my batter smooth.

Filling Ideas

The possibilities with crepes are endless.  I decided to fill mine with strawberries topped with an easy and decadent chocolate ganache.

For the ganache, simply heat 1 cup of heavy cream over low heat and then pour over 8 ounces of chopped chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then stir until smooth.

• Nutella (with fresh fruit, strawberries are my personal choice)
• Sliced Bananas with caramel sauce
• Whipped cream and fresh fruit
• Sweetened cream cheese or mascarpone
• Lemon Curd
• Ice-cream
• Yogurt
• Maple syrup or honey
• Or make them savory! Omit the vanilla and sugar and then fill with scrambled eggs, ham, cheese, or whatever you want! Heck make a pizza crepe. That would be delicious.

More Sourdough Recipes Using Your Discard

• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Sourdough Muffins

Sourdough Crepes

Easy sourdough crepe recipe that uses sourdough discard!

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American, French

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Rest Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 crepes (8-inch)

Calories: 110kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) milk
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 57 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• ▢ 120 g (generous ½ cup) sourdough discard

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crepe batter and whisk to combine. Whisk well to get out any lumps. Allow the batter to rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Prepare a non-stick skillet with cooking spray or wipe down with oil or butter. Heat over medium heat.
• Using a measuring cup, ladle your batter into the center of your pan. Swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom of the skillet.
• Cook for about 1 minute on the first side. Keep a close eye on the crepe. I waited until I saw a slight browned edge then give it a flip and cook on the opposite side. The second side cooked a little faster. The second side will only take about 15-20 seconds to cook. If you want softer crepes, cook for less time on each side.
• Continue with the rest of your crepe batter. Eat immediately with fresh fruit, whipped cream, Nutella, or chocolate ganache or freeze for later use!

Notes

• Tools: Non-stick skillet | Ladle| Good whisk | Flat spatula
• Discard: You want to use your discard not your active starter. And depending on the thickness of your starter you may need to adjust the thickness of your crepe batter. It should be a thin pancake batter.
• Make Ahead: Make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. Or if you want to make the crepes ahead of time to serve later, then just layer cooked crepes with parchment between each crepe and wrap the whole stack in plastic wrap so as not to dry out. Store the wrapped crepes in your fridge for up to 3 days. And then simply reheat in your microwave in small increments until warmed through. Just be careful and not to heat too much as they might turn soggy. I microwave in 10-second increments.
• Freezing: Store the wrapped crepes in a plastic bag and then freeze for up to 3 months. You can thaw at room temperature or the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.
• Batter amounts:
  • 8-inch pan – about 3-4 Tbsp. (about a 1/4 cup)
  • 10-inch pan – about 5 Tbs. (generous 1/4 cup)
  • 12-inch pan – about 1/3 cup (6 Tbs.) 
• Milk substitution: I love using whole milk for these for best flavor and richness, but yes you can substitute whatever milk you would like. Low-fat, almond, soy, oat or other plant-based milks.
• For softer crepes: Cook for less on each side. On the first side cook for only 30 seconds, and then for about 10 seconds on the other side (or not at all).
• Vegan: I haven’t tested this but I think a vegan egg replacement would work well! A “flax egg” might make the crepes be a bit grainy with bits of flax of them, but might still work.
• Blender method: Yes I’ve made crepe batter in a blender before, or used a stick blender for a super smooth texture. I’m just lazy and prefer to whisk my batter smooth.

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

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