Rye Crepes
This recipe can deliver rustic rye flour crepes for days. Fill them with sweet or savory fillings for any meal of the day.
If you’re up for a family-sized batch of rye crepes, this is your recipe. It’s basically a doubled version of the crepes I included in Super Natural Every Day. They’re made from a blend of rye flour and all-purpose flour, and over the years we’ve filled them with a wild assortment of delicious fillings. I’ll talk through some favorites down below!
Rye Crepes: The Recipe & Method
To make rye crepe batter you combine the flours with egg and then gradually thin the batter with water. Strain it and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes. Gather your fillings in the meantime, and you're ready to cook some crepes! A couple notes related to the recipe.
Straining the batter: Making crepe batter is a breeze. The one step that caused some push-back in the original recipe was straining the crepe batter. This step gives you a silky smooth batter to work with and if you have the appropriate strainer, it’s no big deal. A lot of people didn’t have the “right” strainer or couldn’t be bothered. So yeah, a quick blitz with an immersion blender isn’t exactly the same, but it’s a fine alternative. It will still get you where you want to go.
Rye flour ratio: When I was working on this recipe back in 2010, I tested a range of flour ratios to find the best balance between whole grain flour and (rye) and all-purpose flour, and landed with the amounts shared in the recipe here. I found that bumping the rye up more than this yielded flabby, heavy crepes. They took too long to cook and this resulted in steamed crepes. You can experiment, but I think this blend, and recommend it as a starting point.
Crepes: Make Ahead
You can pre-cook crepes ahead of time if you like. This is convenient if you’re preparing to feed a bunch of people at once. Stack cooked crepes between sheets of parchment paper, then reheat in a lightly buttered pan and fill with toppings when you’re ready to eat.
Rye Crepe Fillings
There are a bunch of great filling suggestions down in the comments, so if you don’t see something inspiring here, poke around down there a bit. As far as fillings go, there are so many options. I like to set up a zone of toppings and fillings and then go for it. Resist the urge to overfill.
- Cheese: I love a thin layer of grated Gruyere, or a bit of crumbled goat cheese. Small amounts of stronger cheeses is the strategy.
- Potatoes: A forever favorite filling - thin slices of panfried potatoes along with a homemade pesto is simple and amazing.
- Hot Sauce: Consider spiking your crepe with a favorite hot sauce or salsa.
- Cooked seasonal vegetables: Slice them thinly and arrange them sparsely inside each crepe. Things like grilled or roasted peppers, broiled farmers market carrots or shredded cabbage.
- Sweet crepe fillings: For dessert crepes, these love to be made with grated chocolate, smashed berries, a smear of your favorite jam, or a generous drizzle of honey. A goat cheese and honey crepe is amazing topped with some snipped chives.
- Put an egg on it: Add a beaten egg to your crepe pan and toss a cooked crepe down on top of it. Once the egg sets flip, sprinkle with grated cheese and any other toppings you like, fold in half and enjoy.
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Rye Crepes
This is a double batch of the Rye Crepe batter in Super Natural Every Day. It keeps beautifully, and is a lot of fun to have on hand for a quick lunchtime crepe, special breakfast, or midnight feast.
- 1 1/2 cup / 6 oz / 170 g rye flour
- 2 1/2 cups / 10 oz / 280 g unbleached all-purpose flour
- scant 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 6 large eggs
- 4 cups / 950 ml water, plus more if needed
- butter for cooking
- fillings (see above suggestions)
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To make the crepe batter, combine the flours and salt in a bowl. Use a fork to stir in the eggs until the texture becomes raggedy. Gradually stir in the water. The batter may seem a bit thin, but will thicken as it rests. Remove the lumps from the batter by pushing all the batter through a not-too-fine wire mesh strainer using a wooden spoon or a rigid spatula, alternately you can blitz the batter with a hand blender. Rest the batter on a countertop for at least 30 minutes, then stir again before using. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. If you need to thin with more water, do so a few tablespoons at a time.
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To cook the crepes, heat an 8-inch skillet (or larger) over medium heat. Rub with a touch of butter and pour just enough batter into the pan to provide a thin coating. As you pour, rotate the pan so the batter runs to cover the entire bottom. Cook for a few minutes, until the crepe is browned, then flip with a spatula and born the second side. Rebutter the pan as needed, I find I use less and less butter after the first crepe.
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If I know I'm going to be making more than a crepe or two, I tend to just go ahead and pre-make a stack. Once they come out of the pan, they're stacked. Then, just before serving, I cook them a second time, with whatever filling I prefer - in this case of the crepes pictured, a bit of gruyere cheese, slices of browned new potatoes, and a drizzle of arbol chile sauce. This allows you to prep everything in advance, for a quick finish. Any unused batter keeps in the refrigerator for a few days.
Makes about 2 dozen crepes.
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Comments
These were great for dinner tonight with ham, gruyere, caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms. I lost patience with the sieve though–maybe mine was too fine–and just remixed with an electric hand mixer to get rid of the lumps. We had the leftover crepes with jam for dessert!
Heading up to the north shore (what we Minnesotans call the banks of Lake Superior) for a weekend get-away with my sweetie. Was going to make eggs in cocotte one morning and was searching for something for the second morning – this looks perfect! Wondering if you make or purchase your arbor chile sauce and if you have either a recipe or brand recommendation.
Hi Kadie, there’s a recipe for my all-time favorite in the back of Super Natural Cooking.
Served these delicious rye crêpes for breakfast this morning. I use a handheld emulsifier for ease of use and cleanup. I melted 2 tbsp. of butter. Poured a little in the pan for the first crêpe and then mixed the rest into the batter. I microwaved a handful of wild blueberries for 30 seconds and poured this over the crêpes before serving. If you have a sweet tooth you can add a little syrup to the blueberries or a sprinkle of sugar or icing sugar over the crêpes before serving.
With the leftover crêpes I’ll make a filling with whatever I have on hand and some Gruyère cheese – yummy. Keep this recipe in mind when it’s asparagus season. Roll a few in a crêpe leaving the tips out for visual effect, make a béchamel cheese sauce…
Excellent crêpes.
Have you ever made buckwheat crepes? I would like to replicate the Brittany buckwheat crepes, but most recipes I’ve found have too many ingredients and I’ve been told are not legit. Supposedly the batter should only be water & buckwheat flour, but I’ve clearly not figured out the technique.
Beautiful photos and a delicious recipe. Love the flavor of rye bread and the crisps look wonderful.
We ate these Saturday AND Sunday for lunch, stuffed with maple-sweetened rutabaga one day, and cabbage and leek stir fry the next. They were delicious both ways!
Cheese and caramelised onion or perhaps some cranberry sauce sprung to mind when I first saw them
Hi HS!
So I made these, as is, last night for dinner and they came out quite doughy. Now this was my first attempt at making crepes – made them in my gorgeous new copper crepe pan which was honestly exciting in itself. Anyway, wondering if you had any tips for spreading the filling around the pan or what kind of utensil is best for the batter to not create rips/holes when trying to spread. Also how much batter is best as my crepes. Thanks so much and as always for your delicious inspirations.
Hi Aria – I made mine in my copper saute pan, so hopefully these suggestions will help. A couple things to look out for: make sure your batter is thin enough to run around the pan as you tilt and swirl quickly after pouring. You want only enough batter to barely coat. When I use my electric crepe maker, I use a wooden spatula to spread the batter, but swirling a pan is the way you want to go on the stovetop. Hope this helps!
I always forget about savoury crepes. This is a great idea, I think I might try rolling them with spinach and ricotta!
These look delicious, and not too difficult to make. The bread in the background is looking pretty nice – homemade or bought? Also, is it okay to use wholemeal rye, or would you need to look for a lighter flour?
Hi David, thanks! The bread baked at home by a talented friend. You can use whole rye here. That’s what I used. Happy new year.
Hi Heidi! I’ve had your cookbook for awhile now and have always wanted to make this recipe-so thanks for the reminder! I’ve always been afraid to try making crepes but your directions were so good I was cranking them out in no time. Had to thin the batter with a bit of water so they could spread better, some of them were funny-shaped but still tasted delicious. For fillings I had sauteed mushrooms and old cheddar (yum), and also apple and cheddar (good). Definitely will make this for a small dinner party soon with some wine, of course. Thank you!
That sounds like a good plan for 2015. 🙂 I was making crepes often, but somehow I stopped. Will give them a new kick with this recipe. 🙂
These incredibly good looking crepes!! I am gonna try these soon. Wish everyone all good things in 2015
I made these yesterday and they were great! I used some chanterelles and gruyere for the filling. I overlooked it in Super Natural Every Day so I am glad you highlighted it here.
Thank you thank you, I love making crepes please send more these were amazing, served at a Sunday brunch! Do you have any savory waffle recipes that you love?
Hi Judith, this has been my go-to waffle recipe for many years. Enjoy!
These are intriguing. This will make a fun Saturday morning breakfast project. Thanks for sharing!
Is it possible to mix the batter in a blender? Would that eliminate the lumps or would it change the consistency? I have three small children and would love to save the time of using a mesh strainer. Thank you! I love your books!
Hi MJ, A hand blender is the way to go if you don’t want to use a strainer. Much quicker than cleaning a full-sized blender.
You had me at ‘potato.’
Crepes are always so enjoyable to make and eat. Loving the arbol chili sauce you put on these. And beautiful writing and pictures, as always.
Sounds super yummy. I live in Geneva, and there is a flour called “spelta” which is similar to rye but probably more like “spelt” — would you recommend using that as a substitute?
Hi Pindie – If it is spelt, then it should work beautifully.
i lovelovelove rye! and i just clarified a pound of butter. just need some rye flower and i’m trying this!
Coming from a Russian family, we always steer towards the traditional white-flour crepes (blini) with honey drizzled on top. These provide a healthy, wholesome alternative, and I am looking forward to giving these a try in the new year. One question though – is the clumping more of a result of the rye flour? We never use a sieve in my household, so I was just wondering. Have a wonderful 2015!
Hi Ksenia, it just ensures the batter is extra silky and smooth.
Dear Heidi,
I am an older Lady living in Bristol UK.
I absolutely love everything you send me.
If only I were younger I would travel to San Fransisco . In the meantime I relish your recipes, Photographs and wisdom.
May The Lord Continue Bless you.
i love crepes – especially when they use atypical flours. thanks for this!
You have to love a simple whole-grain crepe. This makes me realizeI don’t have any rye flour in the house! That certainly needs to happen soon. 🙂
Heidi: Happy New Year to you and your family. The photos are wonderful – thank you for sharing!!! As soon as I purchase the flour, I will be very busy in my kitchen.
Can you substitute the rye flour for another flour?
Rye is such a complex grain – I love that it is becoming more popular. I tend to use my blender when it comes to crêpe batters – this way I can be sure no lumps occur, and I can add to taste any other ingredients. I’m partial to adding brown butter to crêpes with darker flours, and cooking them in a mixture of olive oil & butter.
For the Danish gal Marianne asking about using 100% rye flour – it is possible but they will be a lot more delicate and harder to flip. If I’m using flours with less or no gluten, I tend to make something more like a pancake because it’s sturdier, and easier to cook.
While those crepes look delicious and I want to give them a try, I’m really dying over those vacation photos. Where were they taken?
How delicious, and those trees look incredible, that energy holds so many stories..I love rye anything, but I’m wondering if the crepes are heavier then usual or if they turn out pretty light ..? They do look scrumptious !
The key is getting the pan really thin in the pan. They’re wonderful and not heavy.
I love the flavor of rye and just had a piece of homemade sourdough 20% rye (that I baked from Tartine 3) so now I’m going to have to give these a go. I was supposed to meet up with a friend for lunch on Friday but I think I will, instead, suggest she come here and I’ll make these. At first I thought your first photo was of crumbled cheese and sautéed mushrooms (but I now realize they are potatoes)… and now I’m craving mushrooms so I’ll likely use these for a filling. Thank you for your thoughtful inspiration of honest, delicious food.
By the way, that tree-covered hiking trail looks sublime!!! Enjoy your day. xo
Happy new year Heidi…Great suggestion and I am excited to try this crepe recipe with spelt flour. I have a vitamix, and spelt berries on hand, but no rye berries. Your photos are calming and beautiful. A phrase comes to mind that sums you up perfectly. (ki no bi) Functional beauty. Its the way you go about life, and thanks for sharing, and I love that you take time to read in the afternoons.
I think I will make crepes for lunch today! 🙂
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