Looking for an amazingly easy crepe recipe? These Crepes with Pancake Mix will help you make a breakfast to impress your whole family! Fill them with ham and cheese, strawberries and whipped cream, or anything you desire!
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I believe crepes are one of the most underrated breakfast foods. Not only are they absolutely delicious and incredibly versatile, but they're so easy to make!
Making crepes from scratch is pretty simple, but if you don't have all the ingredients on hand, you might be tempted to use a mix. But how many people have crepe mix sitting in their pantry?
It's much more likely that you have a box or container of pancake mix within reach. But you don't want pancakes; you want crepes! So, what now?
👩🍳 Can you make crepes with pancake mix?
The simple answer is, yes! You definitely can. Pancake mix will make crepe-making even easier as you won't need to get as many ingredients out of your pantry.
However, you should note that using pancake mix to make crepes doesn't make cooking them that much easier and if you have all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt on hand, you can easily make delicious crepes from scratch without a mix!
With a box of pancake mix, you can make sweet crepes or savory crepes.
By the way, you can also make muffins with pancake mix and cookies with pancake mix!
🥣 What's the difference between crepe mix and pancake mix?
There is one major difference between crepe mix and pancake mix: pancake mix generally includes a leavening agent in it, like baking powder.
When you make pancakes, you want them to rise a bit as they cook. But crepes are meant to be flat and shouldn't really rise.
But in my experience, the leavening agent in pancake mix shouldn't effect your crepes too much.
🗒 Ingredients
When you use pancake mix for crepes, you'll have your flour, sugar, and salt all in one, which cuts down on the amount of ingredients you'll have to get out. Here's what you'll need instead (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- Pancake mix
- Large eggs
- Milk (I use whole milk, but you could use almond milk, coconut milk, or the dairymilk/non-dairy alternative of your choice)
- Vanilla extract
- Butter (pancake mix generally has an oil in it, but I find crepes are much tastier when you add in melted butter, too)
Just five ingredients and you'll be whipping up easy homemade crepes in no time at all.
I used Annie's Organic Pancake and Waffle Mix for my crepes, but you could also use Bisquick, Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, Krusteaz Pancake Mix, Hungry Jack Pancake Mix, etc.
🥞 How to make crepes with pancake mix
The instructions for making homemade crepes are very easy with just a few simple steps.
All you need to do is add the ingredients to a blender.
And process until smooth.
Ideally, you will want to let your crepe batter rest for at least 30 minutes to let the gluten relax, which will result in a more tender crepe.
But I've made these crepes before without letting the batter rest at all and they're still delicious.
Note that you can make the batter the night before and keep it in the fridge overnight... Which will make breakfast in the morning even easier!
Though you can certainly purchase one, you don't need a special pan to make crepes, as long as you have a non-stick pan. I've never had a crepe pan or any special tools and I make crepes all the time.
Just place a 7- or 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush with a little butter (or non-stick spray).
Pour about ¼ cup batter in pan and gently tilt and swirl pan until batter evenly coats the bottom. If you're using a 7-inch pan, you may want to use slightly less than ¼ cup batter unless you like a bit of a thicker crepe.
Because you're using pancake mix, the crepe may "pouf" up a tiny bit more than if using a traditional crepe batter, but because you're pouring in a pretty thin amount of batter, it won't be very noticeable.
Let cook for about 1-1 ½ minutes until crepe is turning golden brown on bottom and the edges of the crepe are pulling away from pan. You can either use your fingers or a spatula to pull edges up and when ready, flip.
It may take you a few tries to get this down, but before long, you'll be flipping crepes like a master chef! Just like the pancake rule, the first crepe is always the roughest!
Cook for another minute before removing crepe from pan to a plate.
The result is a big stack of crepes that you can enjoy any way you choose!
And trust me when I say there are a lot of different ways to enjoy them.
These easy pancake mix crepes really are just like traditional crepes- nobody will ever guess you used a box of mix to make them!
⏲️ How to store
I almost always have leftovers when I make a batch of crepes and they're so easy to store for later. Just make sure you're storing the plain pancake mix crepes. They will get soggy very quickly if they have fillings in them.
Once they're completely cooled, I recommend storing the leftover crepes in an airtight container or in a large Ziplock bag in the fridge. They should keep fresh for about 2 days.
If you're stacking crepes, you can layer a piece of wax paper in between each to prevent sticking (but I find this isn't always necessary).
To reheat, you can put them in the microwave or oven (cover them with a damp paper towel first). Or you can pop them back in the skillet.
🥶 How to freeze
You can also freeze your homemade crepes, so you can enjoy them any time! For freezing, I do recommend layering the crepes in between waxed paper to prevent sticking.
Once layered, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. This will help prevent freezer burn. Then place them in an airtight container or large freezer bag.
For best results, thaw the frozen crepes in the fridge overnight and then reheat.
🎉 What to serve with crepes
One of the beautiful things about crepes is that they go well with SO many things. No matter if you're craving a sweet or savory breakfast (or dinner or dessert!), crepes are the perfect solution.
You can simply pour a little maple syrup over them, or fill them with a variety of sweet fillings or savory fillings. Here are a few of my favorite toppings and fillings:
- Ham and swiss cheese (this is my absolutely favorite crepe filling... I also pour a little maple syrup over the top for a combo savory and sweet breakfast!)
- Bacon, egg, and cheese
- Nutella and bananas
- Peanut butter (or almond butter) and jelly
- Maple cream cheese filling (it goes really well with pumpkin crepes!)
- Fresh strawberries and whipped cream (or the fresh fruit of your choice)
- Fruity Pebbles (yes, I've done this and it's delicious!)
- Steak, spinach, and blue cheese
- Apple pie filling
- Chocolate sauce
- Mascarpone cheese and blueberries
- Poached eggs, ham and hollandaise sauce
- Lemon sugar
- Spinach and ricotta cheese
- Or make a crepe cake! (they are absolutely gorgeous)
The options are really endless!
For my ham and swiss cheese crepes with pancake mix, I simply topped the finished crepe with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. I let the cheese get a little melty and then folded it over and flipped it.
Drizzle on some maple syrup if you're a fan of the whole savory and sweet thing. I most definitely am!
I make these ham and cheese crepes for breakfast all the time and sometimes even add an egg on top. I also make them for dinner on occasion because one of the other beautiful things about crepes is that they can work for any meal!
🙋♀️ What if I don't want to use pancake mix?
If you landed on this recipe, but have decided you want to make crepes completely from scratch instead of using pancake mix, that's incredibly easy, too.
Here are the swaps I'd make for this recipe... Instead of using 1 cup + 1 tablespoon pancake mix, use:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Keep all other ingredient amounts the same.
📦 More box mix recipes
Though I love making recipes from scratch, sometimes I want something super easy and foolproof. That's what boxed mix recipes are for! From cookies to crepes to pancakes and more, you can make SO many treats with a box of mix, including pancake mix, cake mix, muffin mix, and brownie mix.
You can see all of my boxed mix recipes here and check out some of my favorites below:
Something tells me crepes are going to quickly become your family's most requested menu item for every meal of the day. And as long as you have a few simple ingredients on hand, you'll be able to make crepes with pancake mix any time!
What's your favorite way to serve crepes?
📖 Recipe
Crepes with Pancake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 Tbsp pancake mix
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, room temperature
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for coating pan
Instructions
- Place pancake mix, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in blender and process until smooth. If possible, let mixture rest for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can make the batter the day before and keep it in fridge overnight.
- Place a 7- or 8-inch nonstick skillet (or crepe pan) over medium heat. Coat with a little bit of butter. Pour about ¼ cup batter in pan and gently tilt and swirl pan until batter evenly coats the bottom. If you're using a 7-inch pan, you may want to use slightly less than ¼ cup batter.
- Let cook for about 1-1 ½ minutes until crepe is turning golden on bottom and edges are pulling away from pan. You can either use your fingers or a spatula to pull edges up and when ready, flip. Cook for another minute before removing crepe from pan to a plate.
- Continue with remaining batter, adding a little butter to pan in between each.
- Enjoy crepes with a little bit of maple syrup or add ham and cheese or the filling of your choice.
Notes
- If you want to make crepes the traditional way, omit pancake mix and use 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt instead. Keep other ingredients the same.
Eliza says
Thank you!! We really wanted crepes and since it was my first time making them I wanted it to be easy. This recipe couldn't have been simpler and now I know I can make crepes!
Cynthia says
excellant, I filled them with ice cream rolled up and then topped them with warm cherry pie filling. Everyone loved them
JJ says
These were so easy to make. I added ham and cheese like you did and had them for lunch. Wondering if leftovers keep well?
Sues says
@JJ- Great question! Whenever I make crepes, I have a lot of leftovers and just keep them on a plate covered in plastic wrap in my fridge. You can either re-heat in a skillet or in the microwave. I find they re-heat really nicely and I love crepe leftovers!
Debbie Lawrence says
U have just been given a master degree on crepe making,..wow
Janene says
I cannot find where the "extra" crepe ingredients are measured in this. And I being silly? Id love to make them but I am at a loss.
Sues says
Hi Janene! The entire recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. If you click "jump to recipe" at the top of the post, you'll be taken directly there. I hope that helps!
Michelle, Singh says
My entire family loves these - they are delicious and so quick and easy to make!