Types of Crepes: A Guide to Sweet, Savory and Regional Crepes

“Crepe” covers a whole family of thin, unleavened pancakes, and almost every cuisine has its own version. Some are sweet, some savory, some made with wheat, others with buckwheat, rice or lentils. Here’s a guide to the main types, what makes each one different, and how they’re eaten.

French crepes

Sweet crêpe (crêpe sucrée)

The classic: a thin crepe made from wheat flour, eggs, milk and butter, usually filled with something sweet. In France the favorites are butter and sugar, lemon and sugar, jam, chocolate-hazelnut spread, and salted-butter caramel. Recipes: Classic French Crepes, Lemon Sugar Crepes, Nutella Banana Crepes.

Galette (galette de sarrasin)

The savory crepe of Brittany, made from buckwheat flour, water and salt. It’s darker, nuttier and lacier than a wheat crepe. The best-known version is the galette complète with ham, cheese and egg, folded into a square. Recipe: Buckwheat Galettes.

Crêpes Suzette

A dessert of orange-scented crepes warmed in a caramelized orange-butter sauce, sometimes flambéed with orange liqueur. Recipe: Crêpes Suzette.

Mille crêpe cake

“A thousand crepes”: a tall layer cake of 20 or more thin crepes stacked with cream. It’s French in name, but it was popularized by modern bakeries in Japan and New York. Recipe: Mille Crêpe Cake.

Crepes from other cuisines

Type	Where	What it is
Blintz	Eastern Europe, Jewish cooking	A crepe cooked on one side, filled with sweet cheese, folded into a packet and fried. Recipe
Blini	Russia, Ukraine	Small, thicker pancakes, traditionally yeasted and often made with buckwheat, served with sour cream, smoked fish or caviar. Thin Russian bliny are closer to crepes.
Palačinka / Palatschinke	Central and Southeastern Europe	Thin crepes rolled around jam, walnuts, sweet cheese or chocolate.
Crespelle	Italy	Thin crepes used like pasta: filled with ricotta and spinach, rolled or folded, and baked in sauce.
Pannkakor	Sweden	Thin Swedish pancakes, served with lingonberry jam and whipped cream.
Crepas	Mexico	Crepes filled or drizzled with cajeta (goat’s milk caramel), or savory with poblano sauce.
Dosa	South India	A thin, crisp crepe made from a fermented rice and lentil batter, often filled with spiced potatoes (masala dosa).
Injera	Ethiopia, Eritrea	A large, spongy, slightly sour flatbread made from fermented teff batter, used to scoop up stews.
Jianbing	China	A street-food crepe cooked with egg, sauces, herbs and a crispy cracker, folded into a parcel.
Japanese crepe	Japan	A thin, slightly chewy crepe rolled into a cone around cream, fruit, ice cream or cake, sold from street stands.

There’s more on these regional styles in Crepes Around the World, and on where crepes came from in The History of Crepes.

Sweet vs. savory

Any wheat crepe can go either way. For savory crepes, leave the sugar out of the batter, and add herbs like chives if you like. For ideas, see Sweet vs. Savory: Crepe Fillings, or try savory dishes like Chicken and Mushroom Crepes and Smoked Salmon Crepes.

Crepes for special diets

• Gluten-free: buckwheat galettes, or crepes made with a gluten-free flour blend. See Gluten-Free Crepe Options.
• Dairy-free: made with plant milk or water. See Crepes Without Milk.
• Low-carb: cream cheese and egg crepes. See Keto Crepes.