If you love crepes but have dietary restrictions that make it difficult to enjoy them, then you’ll be happy to know that you can still enjoy a delicious and nutritious gluten-free, dairy-free crepe. In fact, with just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up some tasty crepes that everyone in your family will enjoy.
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What is a crepe?
You’d be hard-pressed to find a cafe menu that doesn’t feature some pancakes. Crepes aren’t as common, but they’re just as easy to make.
The main difference is that pancake batter contains a raising agent, such as baking powder or bi-carbonate soda. Crepe batter does not. As a result, crepes are thinner than pancakes. While pancakes are usually fluffy and thick, crepes are thin and delicate.
While pancakes are usually served with sweet toppings (hello maple syrup), crepes can be served with savoury or sweet toppings.
Delicious and nutritious crepes without gluten or dairy
Making our gluten-free, dairy-free crepes is easy and fun. To start:
- Gather all the ingredients you need: gluten-free flour, sugar, dairy-free milk (such as almond or coconut milk), eggs and oil.
- Place dry ingredients into a bowl, then add the remaining ingredients.
- Mix until thoroughly combined, then set aside and give the batter time to rest.
- Heat a nonstick pan (or crepe pan if you have one) over medium heat and add some oil or dairy-free margarine to the pan.
- Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the centre of the pan and spread it around to form a circle.
- Cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned on one side and then carefully flip and cook for another minute on the other side.
- Repeat with the remaining batter until all of the crepes are cooked.
Serving your gluten-free, dairy-free crepes
You can serve your crepes with whatever you like – fresh or dried fruits, nut butter, jam or honey or shredded coconut. You can make savoury crepes with ham or salmon, spinach, mushrooms, dairy-free cheese and onions. With a bit of creativity and experimentation, you can make delicious gluten-free, dairy-free crepes that are both nutritious and delicious.
Crepes can be served in a stack, like pancakes with toppings/fillings arranged separately for people to help themselves. Or, for a more traditional presentation you can try folding the crepe around your chosen filling.
To fold crepes:
- Place the crepe on a flat surface, with the filling or toppings in the centre of the crepe.
- Fold the crepe in half, so that the filling is sandwiched between the two halves of the crepe.
- Fold the crepe in half again, this time from left to right, so that the filling is now enclosed in a triangular shape.
- If desired, you can fold the crepe in half one more time to create a smaller triangle.
- Serve the crepe immediately, or wrap it in foil to keep it warm until ready to serve.
This technique works well for both sweet and savory crepes and allows you to easily and neatly contain your fillings or toppings. Experiment with different fillings and folding techniques to find your favorite way to enjoy crepes!
Dairy-Free Crepes
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free plain flour
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup dairy-free milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Dairy-free margarine for greasing
- TOPPINGS
- Fresh fruit we love berries
- Maple syrup
- Assorted condiments
Instructions
- Place flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and oil. Pour into flour and stir until combined. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Grease a heavy-based crepe pan with butter. Place on stove over medium-high heat. Pour 3 tablespoons batter into the pan. Cook until lightly brown underneath. Flip and cook until both sides are lightly browned. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining batter until you’ve made 8 crepes.
