Gluten-Free Crepes
Here’s my secret to easy, soft and chewy gluten-free crepes – cassava flour! Pile them up with fresh fruits, jammy spreads, and a dollop of cream or yogurt. The results are extra brunch-worthy.
Don’t get me wrong, pancakes and waffles have a designated spot at breakfast. But if you’re in the mood to serve something a bit more special, these gluten-free crepes are a perennial winner. They look simply elegant all folded up with fresh ingredients (sweet or savory), and they’re super easy to make. The best combo ever? I sure think so.
Gluten-Free Crepe Ingredients
After discovering what all the hub-bub was about on cassava flour, I immediately got to experimenting with it. The results were chewy tortillas, chips, layered cakes, pies, and these soft and light crepes. Trust me, they taste just like the real thing! Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Cassava Flour: I highly recommend using Otto’s cassava flour. I’ve had the best results with this brand!
- Eggs: Just 2 eggs are needed for this recipe.
- Coconut Milk: I’m using full-fat coconut milk to keep them dairy-free, but I suspect (as I haven’t tried it) that you could use virtually any milk in this recipe. If you try it with an alternate milk, let me know how they turned out in a comment below.
- Coconut Oil: Just a little oil helps ensure they don’t stick to the pan.
- Vanilla Extract:: The vanilla extract is optional, especially if you’re making a savory crepe. But it’s a nice touch for a sweet crepe!
- Salt: Just a pinch is needed.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Gluten-Free Crepes
Overall, these crepes are pretty simple to make. But there’s a few things to keep in mind. One, make sure you have a crepe pan as this won’t come out as well with a regular fry pan. Second, take note of the “swirling” technique when you pour the batter onto the pan. This will make sure you achieve perfectly flat and smooth crepes. I demo this in the video below! Now let’s get cooking.
- Mix up the batter. Place all crepe ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to mix for 1 minute. The consistency should be a very thin batter. Then set that aside for 5 to 10 minutes to let the bubbles settle.
- Cook the crepes. Heat your crepe pan over medium low heat. If it’s too hot, your crepe will bubble and sizzle too much. Lift the pan up, scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the pan, and quickly swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Place the pan back on the heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the top looks dry, flip it over with a spatula and cook for another minute.
- Layer the crepes correctly. Place the first cooked crepe on a paper towel lined plate. Then repeat the process, but with parchment paper in between each finished crepe so they don’t stick together!
Achieve The Smoothest Gluten Free Crepes With These Tips
- Make sure your batter is thin. Unlike pancake batter, crepe batter should be very light and thin. So if your batter seems to be on the heavier side, whisk a bit more water into the mix.
- Don’t let your pan get too hot. I’ve made this mistake plenty of times, where my pan gets too hot from letting it sit over the heat. Then, my crepe becomes a brainy-like texture instead of a smooth surface. So stick with low to medium heat.
Sweet and Savory Crepe Ideas
Similar to my cassava flour tortillas you can utilize these crepes for sweet or savory meals. There’s the classic strawberry or nutella crepe, but now’s your chance to get creative with your favorite savory combinations. Here’s a few delicious ideas to get you started.
- Strawberry Chia Seed Jam Crepe: Spoon a thin layer of strawberry chia jam onto a crepe and fold it up. Then top it with coconut whipped cream (if it’s dessert) or yogurt (if it’s breakfast), macerated strawberries and almond slices.
- Nutella Banana Crepe: Spoon a thin layer of my homemade nutella onto a crepe and fold it up. Then top it with coconut whipped cream and fresh banana slices.
- Mushroom and Spinach Crepe: Saute mushroom, spinach, and garlic together in a pan. Then layer it up onto a crepe and fold it up.
- Sweet Potato and Chicken Crepe: Schmear a layer of my sweet potato mash onto a crepe. Layer on spinach, shredded chicken, and sliced roasted red peppers. Then roll it up into a wrap!
How To Store Gluten Free Crepes
If you plan your week accordingly, these gluten-free crepes are quite the meal meal prep ingredient (as I show in my budget meal prep video). Even better – they’re completely freezable for later use!
- To store: Store the crepes in a sealable bag for up to one week in the fridge.
- To freeze: Place them in a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper in between so they don’t stick together. They will keep for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use, let them thaw in the fridge overnight.
Pretty Sweet Breakfast Ideas
On the days you’re not making crepes, these tasty breakfast ideas will get you situated for the week.
If you make these roasted chickpeas, let me know how they turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Gluten-Free Crepes
Ingredients
Crepes (makes approx 12 crepes)
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 vanilla beans, scraped or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
- pinch kosher salt
Extra Topping
- sliced almonds
- strawberries
- coconut whipped cream
Instructions
- Mix up the batter. In a large mixing bowl, add the cassava flour, eggs, coconut milk, water, coconut oil, vanilla bean, and salt. Then use a hand mixer to mix for 1 minute, until the consistency is a thin batter. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to let the bubbles settle.
- Cook the crepes. Heat your crepe pan over medium low heat. Lift the pan up, scoop ¼ cup of the batter into the center of the pan, and quickly swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Place the pan back on the heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the top looks dry, flip it over with a spatula and cook for another minute.
- Layer the crepes correctly. Place the first cooked crepe on a paper towel lined plate. Then repeat the process, but with parchment paper in between each finished crepe so they don’t stick together.
These turned out great. I’m familiar with crepe making for manicotti so that part was easy. As with my pancakes my manicotti‘s and now these crapes I did have to throw the first one out it did not turn out right. I’m planning to fill them with grilled eggplant and top them with my marinara sauce.
What crepe pan do you recommend. I heard you say you would leave it at end of recipe but I do not see it. I really enjoy your recipes
You can find it linked in my Shop page!
These turned out great! I purchased the crêpe pan you recommended. I used 1 can of Whole Foods full fat coconut milk and the cup of water and the batter was nice and thin. It took a few tries but by the final 4, they were nice and round. The non stick pan required zero oil. I’m excited to use these as wraps this week! Love your recipes! They have helped tremendously on my health journey!
Happy to hear your crepes turned out perfectly Trish!
Doing your Budget Friendly Meal Prep-all going well till these crepes! They taste amazing…but I could not flip them without them falling apart(into a big lump). Can’t figure out what was wrong and would love some help! I used full fat coconut milk and did all as recipe said. Batter was VERY thin! I’ve made paleo crepes before- my crepe pan is not non-stick so I put a little coconut oil on before pouring the batter. That is the only thing I’m wondering if made a difference? Also my Cassava flour was a bit older?? Please advise as these are easy and delicious! And the strawberry chia jam – AMAZING!! And so easy to make! Love all your recipes I’ve tried!!
These crepes are generally on the thinner side, and your crepe pan needs to be non-stick for it to be smooth and flip perfectly. Hope that helps!
Lisa the flavor of these are so good, I am new to crepes and bought the pan you recommended
I did not have full fat coconut milk so uses regular can coconut milk, for some reason every time I went to flip them they would not flip over right so they got bunched up, do you think it was not using full fat coconut? the heat seemed right no bubbling.
If they bunched up, I would say the pan is still a bit too hot. Give it another go with less heat next time and see how it goes!
Hi Lisa! I am allergic to chia seeds Is there a substitute you would recommend?
Hi Anne – are you referring to the chia seed jam?
Great recipe.
Instead of using cassava flour I used tapioca flour, also used soy milk and it worked really well.
Very often I do you chia jam recipe and I absolutely love it!!
As always great content Lisa!
Tapioca is made from Casava root .
This recipe looks delicious! I am allergic to coconut, can full-fat dairy milk and avocado oil be substituted?
Yes, no problem! Hope you enjoy it.
For some reason, I have been intimidated by crepes. I guess maybe it was needing a specific pan, or in my mind, the skill of a chef, that kept me from trying. Your recipe changed all of that. It could not have been easier and the end result tasted great!
I admit to using my trusty 11″ non-stick and was able to create authentic looking crepes. I made the batter the night before, filled them with blueberry chia jam (I didn’t have strawberries) and LF cream cheese. My husband and I are looking forward to the next batch, and possibly some savory options as well.
Happy to hear your crepes turned out great with this recipe Barbara!
These are Delicious!
I Made them for our family, for a Valentine’s day brunch today. We loved them! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Happy to hear these crepes were a success Lori!
Hi Lisa,
These look just delicious but i am allergic to coconut, would I be able to sub your cashew milk or cashew cream instead do you think?
Thank you!
Hi Andee – yes, no problem! Hope you enjoy these crepes!
Loved them! I can finally have crepes again – it’s been 15 years!
I used my 10 inch and 8 inch non stick skillets and after the 1st crepe, it was smooth sailing. Takes only a little but of practice.
I used a teaspoon of liquid vanilla extract and they came out perfect. I can see how you can use either sweet or savory fillings.
So happy to hear your crepes turned out beautifully Lana! And yes, this will work for both sweet and savory fillings :)
Would love to make these! I don’t have vanilla powder – only the liquid kind. Would you use the same amount?
Hi Lana – yes, that’s fine. No problem!
OMG! Love these crepes. Made 3 adjustments:
1) 1/2 & 1/2 coconut milk & almond milk.
2) Had about 1/3 cup leftover fresh squeezed O.J., from last night’s dinner recipe, then added 2/3 cup apple juice I had in the fridge, as a substitute for the water.
3) 1 tsp orange zest
Topped them with homemade blueberry compote
So glad I finally tried the Otto cassava flour. What a difference.
So glad you enjoyed these crepes with the few adjustments you made :)
Hi Lisa thank you for the recipe ! I tried it with tapioca starch instead because I could not find cassava flour, they were delicious! They made 12 as well . I’would like to learn the difference between cassava and tapioca flour. Thank you 😊!
Hi Magdalena- Glad this turned out great with tapioca starch! You can read more about cassava flour on my website as I have a post!
Hey Lisa, these crepes look like the real deal! Could I use an enamelled cast iron pan to cook them in?
Hi Mila – you could certainly try! It would really depend on how well seasoned it is, to prevent them from sticking.
I have been looking for the perfect coconut cream recipe. This is amazing. Thank you!
Oh how amazing and utterly delicious for a tasty breakfast.
It’s the perfect sweet and salt combination :)
This is such a lovely breakfast packed with good for you ingredients. The chia jam is the perfect topping.
Hi Sharon – The chia seed jam really makes the recipe!
This was so good! I made as a dessert for my family and they loved it! I loved that it was healthy and made with whole food ingredients!
Hi Alison – So glad to hear everyone enjoyed these crepes :)
I couldn’t agree more, travel memories are the best and I love hearing about other people’s travels too. I’m not super familiar with cassava flour so I’m excited to cook with a new ingredient.
Can you freeze the jam?
Hi Gidget- Yes! You can freeze the jam. Just make sure it’s in a sealed container.
Can these be made vegan please?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this recipes with an egg replacer. But you could certainly give it a go!
I’m allergic to chia seeds is there a substitute I can use?
You can use regular jam without chia seeds. :)
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Oh yes, the movie was DEFINITELY a flop compared to the books (and just in general, haha – I was not happy with the cast and the choppiness of the “plot”). Love this crepe recipe! Wonderful mix of flavors and the cassava flour – you use that ingredient best, out of ANY recipes I’ve seen elsewhere!
I know, such a disappointment, right? And yep, I’m kinda the cassava girl. Haha. So glad you’re loving these recipes! :) x