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    Home » Desserts

    Vegan Crepes

    Published: Mar 3, 2022 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    Vegan crepes are thin, light, and every bit as delicious as regular french crepes. Fill them with homemade Nutella for the perfect breakfast or brunch.

    This vegan crepe recipe is to show you how to make the best sweet crepes with simple ingredients and no special tools. For savory crepes, check out our chickpea pancakes.

    vegan crepes with homemade nutella
    vegan crepes with homemade Nutella
    On this page:
    • What to expect
    • Ingredients and substitutions
    • How to make vegan crepes (with tips)
    • Tips and trouble shooting
    • How to fill crepes
    • Serving suggestioins
    • Variations
    • Questions
    • More vegan breakfast recipes
    • Get ahead
    • Storage
    • Recipe

    What to expect

    Crepes - crêpes in French - are a very thin type of pancake that originated in France and became popular all over the world.

    You can use crepes for sweet or savory dishes. Here we show you how to make sweet vegan crepes to eat for breakfast, brunch, or as a special treat.

    vegan crepes on a plate

    Our vegan crepes are simply crepes without eggs and dairy, but they are still light, thin, and as delicious as regular crepes.

    We don't use any egg replacements or fancy ingredients. We also don't use any special tools to cook the crepes, just a nonstick pan, a ladle, and a spatula.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    ingredients for vegan crepes
    • Plant milk: pick your favourite, any dairy-free milk will work. We like to use almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, or soy milk for our vegan crepes.
    • Flour: all-purpose works best for our recipe. If you are gluten-free I'd recommend checking out our chickpea pancake recipe made with chickpea flour.
    • Oil: oil adds texture, elasticity, and richness to the crepe. You can use any neutral vegetable oil, such as sunflower seed oil, canola oil, etc. You can replace oil with vegan butter.
    • Sugar: sugar is usually optional in crepes. We did however test this recipe many times, with and without sugar, and we believe that a little amount of sugar helps not only with taste but also with texture and colour.

      Since vegan crepes have no eggs to give structure and taste, the sugar is a welcome addition to do just that. You just need a tablespoon.
    • Vanilla extract: optional but recommended. Again, this is to give flavor to the crepes.
    • Salt: a pinch of salt helps with taste.
    • Turmeric powder: this is totally optional and in fact if I cook crepes for myself or for Louise, I don't actually add turmeric powder.

      But when I make crepes for my more traditional Italian parents, I do. Turmeric powder adds a tiny bit of colour to the crepes, making them look just like there's egg in them. And this helps if you are serving crepes to people that are not so used to vegan food.
    vegan crepes with turmeric powder
    vegan crepes with turmeric powder
    vegan crepes without turmeric powder
    vegan crepes without turmeric powder

    If like us you want to serve the crepes with a nutella-like spread, here's our recipe for a delicious hazelnut spread.

    Tools for making crepes: we do not use any particular tools to cook crepes, just a non-stick pan, a ladle, and a spatula. However, you can use crepes tools if you have them at hand.

    How to make vegan crepes (with tips)

    Start with the batter

    To a bowl, add 1½ cups or 350 grams of plant milk such as oats, almonds, soy, or any other, a tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon of neutral vegetable oil (or melted vegan butter), 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and 1 pinch of salt. 

    Mix the ingredients with a whisk until well combined, then add 1 cup or 150 grams of all-purpose flour. 

    ingredients in a bowl

    Mix well with a whisk, trying to remove all lumps which admittedly will be very hard to remove. In the end, you’ll want a smooth and liquid batter. 

    Tip: if you want to make the best vegan crepes we recommend blending the batter with an immersion blender or making it in a regular blender from the get-go. 

    liquid crepe batter

    Cook the crepes

    Now take a nonstick pan or a nonstick skillet and warm it up. We use one that is 11 inches or 28 cm in diameter but you can use any size. 

    Tip: to make perfect crepes, the pan should be hot, and the flame or heat medium to low.

    So let the pan warm up for a minute, then add a little vegetable oil, spread it around the pan with kitchen paper, then add ¾ of a ladle of the pancake batter. 

    Tilt and rotate the pan right after adding the pancake batter, until the batter fully covers the pan. Tilt slowly but decisively.

    This might require some practice, so if you don’t manage on your first try don’t beat yourself up, and instead add some extra batter and spread it over the empty spots with the back of a spoon. 

    crepe cooking on a pan

    Cook the pancake on one side for about 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Then turn it around gently (do not flip) with the help of a spatula and cook for another minute or two until golden but not too dry. 

    crepe turned around and cooking on a pan

    Transfer the pancake onto a plate and repeat the process till you run out of batter. 

    With a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to get about 7 to 8 thin and light pancakes.

    vegan crepes stacked on a plate

    Tips and trouble shooting

    French pancakes should be thin and light, easy to roll or fold. 

    If your batter is too thick, it will be hard to spread over the pan and make a thin pancake. In this case, add some extra milk to thin it up, then whisk it and try again.

    If your batter is too thin, then it won't hold together on the pan. You can tell that the batter is too thin if it makes small holes in the pancake when you pour the batter into the hot pan.

    Also, if you want to add a little color to the batter, to make it look more like french crepes with eggs, you can add a pinch of turmeric powder. 

    This definitely helps me when I want to feed pancakes to my traditional parents.

    french pancake turned around
    with turmeric powder

    How to fill crepes

    Our favorite way to serve french crepes is to fill them up with our hazelnut spread - aka vegan Nutella. I’m not sure this is traditionally French, but we do this all the time in Italy.

    To make Nutella at home is super simple, you just need a high-speed blender, hazelnuts, sugar, and cacao powder. Here's the full recipe for vegan Nutella.

    hazelnut spread
    hazelnut spread - vegan Nutella

    Spread a couple of tablespoons of Nutella on one half of the pancake, then fold in half, then in half again to make a triangle and arrange it onto a plate. 

    We prefer folding to rolling, the crepes get less chewy this way. You can of course roll them if you like.

    crepes with nutella

    Serving suggestioins

    Serve 2 to 3 pancakes per person. Dust the crepes with powdered sugar, then you can drizzle with some more hazelnut spread, add some crushed hazelnuts or any nuts, and some fresh berries.

    vegan crepes without turmeric powder

    Variations

    To make it even more interesting you could add some banana slices on top of the Nutella. Fold the pancake in half, then in half again, and arrange on the plate.

    Other good fillings for crepes are jams of all kinds, nut butters such as peanut butter or almond butter, and vegan cream cheese.

    Good toppings are vegan whipped cream or coconut milk, whipped up to make vegan cream, and of course 100% pure maple syrup.

    crepes with banana and nutella
    vegan crepes with banana and hazelnut spread

    Questions

    How to make gluten-free crepes?

    Use chickpea flour or buckwheat flour to make gluten-free crepes. Have a look at our recipe for savory chickpea crepes to learn how to make a gluten-free crepe batter.

    Are crepes vegan?

    No. Traditional French crepes are not vegan. However, it's easy to make crepes vegan with a few simple ingredients such as flour, plant milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. See our recipe.

    Why don't you let the batter rest before making crepes?

    I tried both methods, several times, and I prefer a batter that hasn't rested.

    More vegan breakfast recipes

    The best sweet breakfast recipes

    • Vegan French Toast
    • Vegan Banana Bread
    • Vegan Pancakes
    • Bircher Muesli

    The best savoury breakfast recipes

    • Vegan frittata - no eggs, no tofu
    • Savory Crepes
    • Tofu Scramble
    • Chickpea Frittata Muffins

    Get ahead

    If you are making this recipe for a crowd, for instance for brunch or for a Sunday family breakfast, then you just have to stack the crepes on top of a plate as you make them, and keep them in a slightly warm oven at 200F or 90C while each crepe cooks.

    You can also make them ahead of time, the night before, and store them in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or on a lightly greased skillet.

    vegan crepes on a plate

    Storage

    Store vegan crepes in the fridge, on a plate, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Warm up the crepes in the microwave for a few seconds, or on a nonstick skillet for a minute.

    You can freeze unfilled crepes for up to 3 months. Stack them on top of each other, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze.

    Thaw in the fridge overnight, or in the microwave with the appropriate thawing program before you separate them from each other. Handle with care, frozen crepes have a weaker consistency and might break easily.

    Recipe

    vegan crepes

    Vegan crepes

    Author: Nico
    Vegan crepes are thin, light, and every bit as delicious as regular french crepes. Fill them with homemade Nutella for the perfect breakfast or brunch.
    This vegan crepe recipe is to show you how to make the best sweet crepes with simple ingredients and no special tools.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 1 vote
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine French
    Servings 7 - 8 crepes
    Calories 114 kcal

    Equipment

    • nonstick pan we use one that is 11 inches or 28 cm in diameter but you can use any size. 

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1½ cups plant milk oats, almonds, soy, cashew, etc
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 pinch curcuma optional, to add yellow colour

    Serving suggestions

    • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons vegan nutella or any hazelnut spread
    • 1 handful mixed berries

    Instructions
     

    • To a bowl, add plant milk, sugar, oil, vanilla extract and salt. Mix well with a whisk.
      mixing wet ingredients
    • Add in the flour and mix well till the batter is lump free.
      Tip: you can use an immersion blender to make a lump-free batter.
      adding flour
    • Warm up and lightly grease a nonstick pan. When the pan is hot, add ¾ of a ladle of batter.
      Rotate and tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly across it.
      Tip: If you don't manage on your first try, you can add some extra batter and spread it with the back of a spoon.
      cook crepes
    • Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the one side, then turn it with a spatula and finish cooking for another minute, or until golden.
      turn crepe
    • Transfer onto a plate and repeat till you run out of batter.
      crepes on a plate

    Serving suggestion

    • Spread a couple of tablespoons of hazelnut spread (vegan nutella) on half of the crepe. Fold in half, then in half again, to form a triangle.
      adding nutella to crepe
    • Serve two to three crepes per person, dust with powdered sugar, add berries, and a drizzle of vegan nutella or maple syrup.
      crepes with nutella

    Video Recipe

    https://youtube.com/watch/lIlS8AvzQhA

    Notes

    Nutritional values are for 1 crepe out of 7, without filling.
    Tips
    French pancakes should be thin and light, easy to roll or fold. 
    If your batter is too thick, it will be hard to spread over the pan and make a thin pancake. In this case, add some extra milk to thin it up, then whisk it and try again.
    If your batter is too thin, then it won't hold together on the pan. You can tell that the batter is too thin if it makes small holes in the pancake when you pour the batter into the hot pan. Add a little flour to thicken the batter.
    Also, if you want to add a little color to the batter, to make it look more like french crepes with eggs, you can add a pinch of turmeric powder. 

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan crepes
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 114 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Potassium 92mg3%
    Carbohydrates 17g6%
    Dietary Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 3g6%
    Vitamin A 199IU4%
    Vitamin B6 1mg50%
    Vitamin C 4mg5%
    Vitamin E 2mg13%
    Vitamin K 1µg1%
    Calcium 74mg7%
    Folate 49µg12%
    Iron 1mg6%
    Manganese 1mg50%
    Magnesium 4mg1%
    Zinc 1mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?We are not much on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Leave us a comment below instead, it would mean the world to us 🙂

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