Classic French crepes folded around fluffy yogurt cream and tangy lemon curd, these Lemon Crepes will make an everyday breakfast feel like brunch in Paris. Swap out the yogurt with whipped cream and you have an elegant dessert crepe that no one can resist!
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This Lemon Crepes recipe came about because the two elements, the crepes and the lemon curd, remind of people I love more than anything in the world. When my kids were little, all they ever wanted was for my husband to make the crepes recipe that had been handed down in his family for generations. My girls could probably eat an entire double batch for breakfast - each.
Adding lemon flavor to the crepe recipe, and wrapping them around a lemon curd cream, came to me because my mother loved anything lemon flavored, and my eldest daughter takes after her. Lemon ricotta pancakes, lemon muffins, lemon curd, lemon Italian ices... the bright, tangy flavor won their hearts. So I'm bringing you a recipe for love on a plate. Pucker up.
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Ingredients
The ingredients for this delicious breakfast are all easy to find pantry ingredients. You can use store-bought curd, or make my super simple lemon curd recipe, whichever works for you. The whipped yogurt cream recipe is included in the recipe card and will probably have you swearing off whipped cream forever. It's that good.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
This recipe works great with substitutions and will still make perfect crepes! Here are a few things you can do:
- Lemon curd - The lemon curd is unbelievably simple to make, and last for weeks in the fridge, but if you would rather use store-bought, I find that Bonne Maman and Trader Joes have really good jarred curd.
- Whole milk Greek yogurt - You can substitute with nonfat yogurt and it will still be a delicious whipped cream.
- All-purpose flour - The texture of these crêpes stays soft and tender even if you use gluten free flour in place of all-purpose flour.
Variations
Crêpes are literally a blank slate and they love to play dress up. I created this easy crêpes recipe to be not too sweet just so they would be more versatile. This way they are perfectly balanced whether adding sweet or savory fillings. Here are just a few of the infinite ways you can play with them:
- Strawberry crepes - Instead of making the lemon curd, try my crepes with strawberry sauce.
- Chocolate - Did you know that pairing citrus flavors with chocolate is oh so French? To make chocolate dessert crepes, eplace ¼ cup of flour with ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder for delicious chocolate crêpes and fill them with all the lemon cream.
- Nutella - In place of the Greek yogurt whipped cream and the lemon curd, try spreading a layer of nutella on your crêpes.
- Savory - One of my favorite ways to use leftover crêpes is to turn them into ham and cheese crêpes topped with an egg and baked in the oven.
Equipment: Choosing the correct pan
Making the crepe batter and cooking the crepes is actually the easy part. The only "hard" part is picking the correct pan to guarantee success.
Whether this is your first foray into crepe making, or you consider yourself and expert crepier (a real word for professional crepe maker), a nonstick pan or crepe pan is your best bet. I even use my crepe pan to make eggs or my buttermilk pancakes, so it's very versatile.
Instructions
There are 3 main components to this recipe, the lemon cream, the crepe batter, and the crepes themselves. You can make all three the day before, for a stress free but delicious morning.
Making lemon cream (up to 2 days ahead)
Step 1: Whisk heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks. Add Greek yogurt.
Step 2: Continue whisking until peaks hold when whisk or beaters are lifted from the bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Step 3: Place 1 cup of whipped yogurt cream into a large bowl. Dollop 1 cup of lemon curd on top.
Step 4: Gently fold it in, just until there are swirls in the cream. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Making crêpe batter (up to 3 days ahead)
- Melt unsalted butter in a small saucepan, or in the microwave and let cool.
Step 1: Place sugar into a large mixing bowl. Zest a lemon directly into the sugar, Using your fingers, or the side of a silicone spatula, rub the lemon zest into the sugar to infuse all of the lemon oils into the sugar.
Step 2: Add room temperature eggs and vanilla and whisk.
Step 3: Continue whisking while adding milk and melted butter.
Step 4: Finally, continue whisking vigorously while adding in flour and salt. Let rest at least 15 minutes, and up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
Making crepes (up to 3 days ahead)
- In an 8 to 10 inch crepe pan or non-stick pan, set over medium-low heat, add ½ teaspoon butter and allow to melt.
Step 1: Add ¼ to ⅓ cup batter and tilt pan until evenly distributed. If there are bare spots, this is the time to add more batter to those spots to fill them in.
Step 2: Cook on one side until set and no longer wet or shiny looking, about 1 to 2 minutes. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to make sure the crepe is loosened from the pan and has golden brown spots on the bottom.
Step 3: Flip and cook on the second side about 45 seconds longer. You can use a spatula, or just grab the edge and flip.
Step 4: Remove from pan and transfer crepe onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Step 5: Lay one crepe on your plate. Spread a couple of tablespoons of lemon cream all over half.
Step 6: Fold in half, and then in half again, forming a crepe triangle.
Finale: Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with lemon curd, and finish with some fresh fruit. Assemble a couple more crepes and enjoy!
Expert tip: Flipping crepes
To flip your crepes, remember my rule, don't fear the pancake! You can use a thin spatula to flip them, but the best tool is your fingers. Use a silicone spatula to lift the edge off of the pan and just grasp the edge and flip it over. If it folds, just unfold it. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be flipping like a pro!
Recipe FAQs
The short answer is no. Resting the batter will allow the flour to fully hydrate and any gluten strands formed while whisking to relax. This will give you a more tender and melt-in-your-mouth crêpe.
But if you are in a hurry, you can go ahead, but your first crepes may be very thin and fragile, while you last crepes may be much thicker as the flour has time to hydrate.
Your batter may thicken a little as the flour is hydrated. Just add a little more milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the batter is about the consistency of cream.
Crêpes can be stored stacked on top of each other and placed in a zip top bag or airtight container, for up to 3 days. For longer storage in the freezer, place sheets of parchment or layers of wax paper between crepes, place in a zip top freezer bag, and freeze up to one month.
Rewarm refrigerated or thawed frozen crêpes in the microwave for about 30 seconds or give them a quick 30 second spin on each side in your crêpe pan.
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Lemon crepes
Ingredients
Lemon cream
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup Lemon curd <— my homemade recipe or use store-bought
Crepes
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice from half a lemon
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
Make whipped yogurt cream (up to 2 days ahead)
- Pour heavy cream into a large bowl and add powdered sugar.
- Use a hand mixer, or a hand whisk and a strong arm, to whip to medium peaks, or until the cream holds its shape well but is still soft. When you lift the beaters out, peaks will form but they will bend over at the tips.
- Add the Greek yogurt and whisk it into the cream mixture.
- Dollop 1 cup of lemon curd on top of the yogurt cream and gently fold it in, just until there are swirls of curd in the cream.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make crepe batter (up to 3 days ahead)
- Place sugar into a large mixing bowl. Zest a lemon directly into the sugar, Using your fingers, or the side of a silicone spatula, rub the lemon zest into the sugar to infuse all of the lemon oils into the sugar.
- Add eggs and vanilla and whisk. Continue whisking while adding milk and melted and cooled butter.
- Finally, continue whisking vigorously while adding in flour and salt. Let rest at least 15 minutes, and up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
Make crepes (up to 3 days ahead)
- In an 8 to 10 inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet, set over medium heat, add ½ teaspoon butter and allow to melt.
- Add ¼ to ⅓ cup batter and tilt pan until evenly distributed. If there are bare spots, this is the time to add more batter to those spots to fill them in.
- Cook on one side until set and lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side about 45 seconds longer. Remove from pan and flip onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Crepes can be store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Lay one crepe on your plate. Spread a couple of tablespoons of lemon cream over half of its surface. Fold in half, and then in half again, forming a crepe triangle.
- Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with lemon curd, and finish with some fresh fruit. Assemble a couple more crepes and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
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