A professional recipe for paper-thin, buttery sourdough crêpes with crispy edges. Use this easy, 4-ingredient recipe to make sweet or savory crêpes!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
15 minutes
Servings
7 crepes
Difficulty
Intermediate. The technique requires patience, but it's straightforward once you get the hang of it.
Calories *
112 kcal per serving
Technique
Combine ingredients, swirl batter in hot pan, flip and serve!
Flavor Profile
Buttery with a pleasant sourdough tang, balanced by milk and butter.
* Based on nutrition panel
These are incredible! I used my ancient sourdough discard, and they turned out so thin and delicate. The tangy flavor is perfect with fresh berries! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why You Will Love this Sourdough Crepe Recipe
- Use up old sourdough discard. This is the perfect home for that neglected sourdough starter languishing in the back of your fridge! The older and more tangy, the better the flavor.
- Simple recipe! Only 4 simple ingredients, sourdough discard, milk, butter, and salt. That’s it. No complicated ingredient lists or hard-to-find items.
- No resting time required. Unlike a traditional sweet crêpe recipe that requires hours to rest, you can mix and cook these immediately! The sourdough starter is already hydrated and fermented.
- Paper-thin with crispy edges. The hallmark of a perfect crêpe! The liquid batter creates delicate, professional-quality results for sweet crepes.
- Made in one bowl! Makes for minimal cleanup!
Table of Contents
There’s something magical about transforming leftover sourdough starter into delicate, paper-thin crêpes! If you’ve been maintaining a sourdough starter, you know that weekly feedings create a lot of discard. Rather than tossing it, this recipe puts that tangy gold to work just like these sourdough blueberry muffins, sourdough discard crackers, or these sourdough discard bagels.
These sourdough crêpes have a pleasant, subtle tang that pairs beautifully with both sweet and savory fillings. I love making these French-style pancakes for a lazy weekend brunch alongside sourdough waffles with maple syrup, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or as an elegant dessert with fresh berries and cream.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sourdough Starter Discard: Use an old, unfed sourdough starter straight from the fridge. The age doesn’t matter – I’ve used a discard that’s been sitting for weeks! This is not the place for your peak, bubbly starter that you’d use for this sourdough bread recipe for beginners.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk gives the best flavor and texture, but you can use 2% milk or even alternative milks like oat milk.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted butter adds richness and helps keep the crêpes supple. You could substitute with melted coconut oil, but the flavor will be different.
- Kosher Salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add herbs. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley, or dill, for savory applications. Just know that the crêpes will tear more easily because of the additions. You can also make an herb cream cheese and spread it inside!
- Savory crepes! I love ham and cheese crepes! They would also be delicious with mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and some onions.
- Vegan! You can easily make these vegan because there are no eggs, use coconut oil and replace the milk with your favorite milk alternative!
- Lemon crepes. Fill cooled crêpes with lemon curd or this lemon curd whipped cream recipe, then top with your favorite fresh fruit.
- Mille Crepe Cake! Use these tender crepes to make a sourdough mille crêpe cake!
- Add your favorite fillings! Add some bananas and peanut butter or maybe some cinnamon sugar—especially if you love snickerdoodle cookies. You can make them with some of this apple pie filling recipe, cherry pie filling, or take the filling from this blackberry pie!
Professional Tips
- Thick batter makes thick crêpes. The batter should be very liquidy – thinner than sourdough pancake batter. If your discard is particularly thick, you may need to add a tablespoon or two more milk.
- Use hot melted butter if your discard is cold. I take my sourdough starter straight from the fridge, and hot butter helps incorporate everything smoothly without needing to warm the discard first.
- Choose the right pan. A non-stick pan or dedicated crêpe pan is essential. I prefer using a 10-inch non-stick cast iron skillet with sloped sides. On a gas burner, choose a pan with a thick bottom for even heat distribution. Electric and induction burners have a more even heat distribution, making them more forgiving.
- You only butter the pan once. You only need to butter the pan before the very first crêpe. The initial buttering is crucial to prevent the crêpe from sticking, but the small amount of butter melted off of each subsequent crêpe’s batter is enough to grease the pan for the next one.
- Patience is key. Each crêpe takes about 8-10 minutes to cook properly. The only way to speed this up is to use multiple crêpe pans simultaneously. Worth it if you’re making a big batch!
- The older your discard, the more delicate the crêpes. Very tangy, mature sourdough creates crêpes that are more fragile and can tear easily. Don’t worry if you get a few holes – you’re going to fold them anyway!
How to Make Sourdough Crêpes
Use these instructions to make paper-thin homemade crepes! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Prepare the Sourdough Crepe Batter
Step 1: Combine ingredients. In a large bowl or blender, whisk together the sourdough starter, salt, and milk until smooth.
Step 2: Add butter. Slowly add the melted butter while whisking continuously (photo 1).
The batter will be very liquid. Thick batter makes thick crêpes.
Cook the Crêpes
Step 3: Preheat the pan. Place a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Let it preheat slowly – rushing this step leads to uneven cooking.
Step 4: Butter the preheated pan (for the first crepe only). Using a fork, stab a piece of butter and quickly butter the pan.
Step 5: Add batter and swirl. Pour in a ladle (just shy of 4 ounces) into the center of the pan with one hand while simultaneously swirling the pan in a circular motion with the other hand to evenly distribute the batter around the pan into a thin layer.
I found the crepe spreader to be a tricky tool to master, and there really is no need. Plus, to use it, you need to more closely monitor the temperature of the pan because it’s just a little too hot and the batter will set before you can spread it, but too cool and it’ll just slide around. If you fuss with it too much, the batter will stick to the crepe spreader.
Step 6: Cook the first side. Cook over medium-low heat on the first side until the edges begin to brown, and you can see golden brown spots showing through near the center.
The outer edges of the crepe is an excellent indicator of readiness. For my 10-inch pan on medium heat, this took about 6 minutes.
Step 7: Flip. Slide the spatula underneath the center of the crêpe and flip it over like a pancake (photo 2).
If it folds, gently unfold it. If you flip too early and it’s still pale, flip it back and cook longer. Don’t stress!
Step 8: Cook the second side. Continue cooking on the second side for an additional 1-2 minutes. The crêpe is technically cooked before you flip, so this side goes faster (photo 3).
Step 9: Cool or serve. Move the crêpe to a wire rack to cool, or add toppings or sweet fillings and serve warm! Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crêpes once they cool completely. You can hold them warm in the oven as well until you are ready to serve (photo 4).
Crepe Assembly Options
For Butter Sugar Crêpes (serve hot):
After flipping the crêpe, rub a bit of butter over the surface, sprinkle half with about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, fold in half, cook an additional minute, then fold in half once more. Serve immediately. This is my favorite way to serve crepes!
For Nutella Crêpes (serve warm or at room temperature):
If you love soft, cozy desserts like Nutella crêpes or my soft chocolate chip cookie recipe, serve them slightly warm! Spread half the crêpe with Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread, fold in half, then fold in half again.
For Berries and Cream Crêpes (must be cool):
Toss 2 cups chopped strawberries and other berries with ¼ cup granulated sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Whisk heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Spread cream on half the crêpe, top with macerated berries, fold in half, then fold again.
Recipe FAQs
As long as they are completely cooled before stacking, there’s no need to separate each crêpe with parchment or wax paper. Cool, stack and wrap well in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for up to a month. To reheat, microwave for 15-20 seconds or warm gently in a dry skillet.
You can, but I don’t recommend it. An active starter is precious and best saved for sourdough sandwich bread or sourdough dinner rolls. Discard works perfectly for crêpes and gives them the perfect tang!
I highly recommend a crêpe pan. This crepe pan is my favorite! You can make these with a non-stick frying pan if that’s what you have. Just be sure there aren’t any scratches in the nonstick lining.
It feels like FOREVER – about 6-8 minutes per crêpe – but anyone who has waited for a freshly made crêpe in Paris knows that c’est normal! The good news is that the first few go more slowly as you figure out your technique and heat level, and then you’ll get into a rhythm.
Recommended Sourdough Discard Recipes
Breakfast & Brunch
Bagels
Breakfast & Brunch
Appetizers & Snacks
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
Sourdough Crêpes
Ingredients
For the crêpe batter
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For optional toppings
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- strawberries
- raspberries
- Nutella, or chocolate hazelnut spread
- heavy cream
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the Crêpe Batter
- In a medium bowl or blender, whisk together the sourdough starter, salt, and milk until smooth.
- Slowly add the melted butter while whisking continuously. The batter will be very liquid. Thick batter makes thick crêpes.
Cook the Crêpes
- Preheat the pan. Place a crêpe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Let it preheat slowly – rushing this step leads to uneven cooking.
- Using a fork, stab a piece of butter and quickly butter the pan. You only need to do this for the first crêpe.
- Pour in a ladle (just shy of 4 ounces) into the center of the pan with one hand while simultaneously swirling the pan with the other hand to evenly distribute the batter around the pan.
- Cook over medium-low heat on the first side until the edges begin to brown, and you can see golden-brown spots showing through near the center.
- Slide the spatula underneath the center of the crêpe and flip it over like a pancake. If it folds, gently unfold it. If you flip too early and it’s still pale, flip it back and cook longer. Don’t stress!
- Continue cooking on the second side for an additional 1-2 minutes. The crêpe is technically cooked before you flip, so this side goes faster.
- Remove the crêpe to a wire rack to cool, or add toppings and serve warm! Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crêpes once they cool completely.
Assembly Options
For Butter Sugar Crêpes (serve hot):
- After flipping the crêpe, rub a bit of butter over the surface, sprinkle half with about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, fold in half, cook an additional minute, then fold in half once more. Serve immediately.
For Nutella Crêpes (serve warm or cool):
- Spread half the crêpe with Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread, fold in half, then fold in half again.
For Berries and Cream Crêpes (must be cool):
- Toss 2 cups chopped strawberries and other berries with ¼ cup granulated sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Whisk heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Spread cream on half the crêpe, top with macerated berries, fold in half, then fold again.
Notes
Flavor Tips – These sourdough crêpes have a pleasant sourdough tang; the age of the discard and the maturity of your starter will dictate the intensity of this flavor.
Technique – I found the crêpe flipper to be the best tool for flipping because it won’t poke holes or scratch your pan.
Storage – Cool, stack, and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for up to a month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed these delicate sourdough crêpes! Check out our other sourdough discard recipes and sourdough recipes for more inspiration!
I have been trying your sourdough discard recipes, and they are all amazing! These crepes are perfect with crispy edges and a subtle tang. I made the butter sugar version first, then a batch with macerated strawberries and cream, and both were absolutely spectacular. This is my new favorite way to use discard.
These are incredible! I used my ancient sourdough discard, and they turned out so thin and delicate. The tangy flavor is perfect with fresh berries!