Carolyn J. Braden • 4 Minute Read
The Best All-Purpose Crepe Recipe Straight from My Grandma’s Kitchen
A cozy, foolproof crepe recipe passed down from my grandma—perfect for sweet desserts, savory dinners, and weekend brunches. Simple ingredients, timeless flavor.
There’s something extra special about recipes that come from grandma’s kitchen. They’re not just food—they’re comfort, memories, and a little bit of love in every bite. This is my grandma’s amazing crepe recipe, the one she made for cozy lunches, lazy brunches, and simple desserts that somehow felt fancy.
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A stack of crepes is my fav!
My Recipe Inspiration
I always felt special when I sat down in my Nani’s (my maternal grandma) tiny kitchen and devoured each crepe as she removed it from the pan. She laughed because she couldn’t understand how I could eat every one she made. If you don’t know what a crepe is, it’s of French origin and is sort of like a pancake, but much thinner with a different texture. Read more about crepes here.
She made crepes for me often as I’d come to her house after or in-between my college classes as she lived close to the University of Louisville, where I earned my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Art and Art Education.
Add a chocolate hazelnut spread for a dessert crepe!
I’d spread some jelly one each one, roll them up and just feel so comforted as I tasted the sweet jelly and the rich real butter she cooked with. I lived in a Country Crock butter blend home, which is fine, but it does not compare to a real butter. The buttery smell of her home after she made a batch of crepes was the ultimate comforting blanket to my nose and heart.
Healing with Recipes
No one else made me feel as special as my Nani did. She honestly was one of my best friends, and always made me feel loved. Feeling loved by someone and loving someone yourself is the absolute best! Her last name was Loving, so it seems fitting. I share a piece of her first name, Carol, so she will always be a part of me. She wasn’t perfect, being a strong and extremely opinionated and stubborn German woman, but I respected her and she respected me as well.
My favorite crepe recipe
If it weren’t for her love, I’m not sure where I’d be today as my childhood was not filled with the traditional family love that you may expect when you see me smiling on camera. In all honestly, her love and the struggle is what makes me who I am today. Between all the struggles I’ve had throughout my life, making certain foods like her crepes, always grounds me. Funny how a certain food or recipe can do that for you.
Another recipe by Carol Loving: her mint juleps! She perfected this recipe to celebrate the Kentucky Derby and I make them every year in her memory. Get her absolutely delicious recipe here and in the 1-minute video below via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Why Make My Grandma’s Crepes?
What I love most about this recipe is how versatile it is. With one easy batter, you can go sweet or savory depending on the moment. Filled with fresh fruit and whipped cream, crepes become the perfect dessert. Stuffed with eggs, cheese, turkey, pesto or veggies, they turn into a cozy dinner. And for brunch? They’re always the star of the table for my husband and I.
She called them Crepe Suzettes, but I’ve learned that dish is when you add an orange-butter sauce to crepes, which will have to be on my list to try because it sounds delicious! I think she thought it sounded fancier, which it totally does!
The Perfect Crepe Texture
These crepes are thin, soft, and lightly golden—never rubbery, never heavy. I had the smart mind to finally scribble down her recipe on a piece of yellow notebook paper. I’ve made some adjustments over the years as we use almond milk, ghee (a clarified butter that tastes delicious), and coconut sugar, but you can make them with what you have on hand, even dairy milk and butter.
The most comforting food to me is a crepe
The Perfect Crepe Secret
She always got mad when her first one didn’t turn out. That seemed to be her thing. But after I started making them, I figured out the secret is to pre-heat the pan before you begin. I’ve learned the secret is letting the batter rest and being patient. No rushing, just comfort food done right. I use two pans so I can make them faster.
Whether you’re cooking for one, hosting brunch, or recreating family traditions, this crepe recipe fits every season and every mood. It’s simple, timeless, and endlessly customizable—just the way my Nani intended.
Check out my short video tutorial for this project on my TikTok now or coming soon here and to my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden!
Our Crepe Recipe
How to Make Carol Loving’s Crepes
Now for the recipe! Here’s how to make my grandma’s crepes. Links go out to either the brand website, Amazon, CVS, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, or Temu (code afe55197 gets you 30% off your first order), where we source our supplies based on discounts, budget and pricing.
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Servings: 2-4 (depends on your love of crepes!)
Time to Make: 30-40 minutes
Tools: 9-11-inch skillet or frying pan (you can get specific crepe pans that work wonders!) measuring cup, spatulas, whisk or I use a Vitamix, optional: store in a pie pan covered in foil while you cook them all.
Click the button below for a printable PDF!
Nani’s Crepes Recipe
2 1/4 cups milk (I use almond milk, but use what you like)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I use coconut sugar)
1/4 cup melted butter, ghee, or oil (ghee or butter is best)
good pinch of salt
I love making my crepe batter in my Vitamix
Blend all together well (until smooth) using a whisk or a blender, allow to rest while your pans fully heat up (which is the secret to a perfect first crepe!).
This crepe is almost done!
Add a bit of butter or ghee to the pan and swirl to coat, pour a small amount of batter (about ¼ cup depending on the size pan you used) into a pan preheated to medium high heat, swirl the pan to make a full, thin crepe.
How to know when it’s time to flip the crepe
Let cook on one side until matte/not shiny (30 seconds or so), flip and cook the other side. You’ll know it’s done when it is a golden brown.
This crepe is done!
Serve with jelly. My husband and I love St. Dalfour Fruit Spread since it has no added sugar and is delicious!
If making savory crepes, omit the sugar and serve with turkey, prosciutto, cheese or whatever you like! Try pesto, mozzarella and turkey for a quick delicious dinner!
Try dessert crepes and serve with Nutella or a chocolate hazelnut spread (I like Nocciolata) dusted with powdered sugar!
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If you try any of my ideas, let me know how it turned out—or tag me when you try them because I LOVE seeing your posts💚 If you tag me using @carolynsbloomingcreations or @carolynjbraden, I’ll see it! Or tell me about it in the comments below.
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.