These Chocolate Crêpes are delicate and tender with the perfect chocolate flavour. Easy to make with only 7 ingredients, they make the best brunch or Valentine's Day dessert and totally satisfy those chocolate cravings.
If you're looking for a simple yet refined treat that's full of flavour and comes together in minutes, then this recipe for chocolate crêpes is for you. It'll make you feel like you're sitting in a café in Paris!
I've always loved making crêpes and have delved deep into the process in my How to Make Crêpes Guide. You should also check out my Lemon Crêpes, Wholewheat Crêpes, and Strawberry Crêpes recipes. They're all delicious!
I'll take you through the simple process of making the chocolate crêpes batter, how to cook them, and provide plenty of ideas on how to serve them. Make sure to check out my helpful process images and tips too.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Uses basic ingredients. All the ingredients are basic pantry or fridge staples that you'll most likely have.
- The batter is quick to make. Whether making the batter by hand or in a blender (I give instructions for both), the batter comes together in a few simple steps.
- Can be made ahead of time. The batter benefits from some resting time. You can even make it the day before, or even a few days ahead.
- Perfectly tasty. These chocolate crêpes have a fabulous bittersweet flavour from the cocoa powder and they aren't too sweet. This gives you all the opportunity to layer up on your favourite sweet fillings.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
The list of chocolate crêpes ingredients is short but there are a couple of pointers regarding some of the ingredients that are worth mentioning. I also provide some options to make these vegan or gluten-free.
- Flour - Use all-purpose plain flour, not self-raising flour. If wanting to make these gluten-free, then replace the flour with your favourite gluten-free flour.
- Cocoa powder - I prefer dutch-processed cocoa powder, but you can also use naturally unsweetened cocoa powder too. The flavour profile of the crêpes will be slightly different.
- Sugar - A little more sugar is added to this recipe as opposed to my regular crêpes. This is to combat the bitterness of the cocoa powder. The result is chocolate crêpes that have just the right level of sweetness.
- Butter - Just a little 'fat' is needed to help the crêpes from sticking in the pan. You could replace the butter with a neutral-flavoured oil like vegetable or canola oil.
- Eggs - I use large eggs and they should be at room temperature. For vegan crêpes, replace the eggs with flax eggs.
- Milk - I prefer to use whole milk for the richness, but you can use skim/ half-fat milk if you prefer. To make these vegan, replace the milk with plant-based milk such as oat or almond milk.
📖 Variations
There are many options with which to vary this recipe for chocolate crêpes. Whipped cream, fresh fruit, jam, cookie butter, or a simple dusting of powdered icing sugar are all delicious extras with these.
Here are a few of my favourite ways to serve these crêpes.
- Chocolate and Cream Crêpes: Fill each crêpes with crème chantilly and drizzle with some hot fudge sauce for extra decadence.
- Nutella Banana Crêpes: Quite possibly my kid's favourite addition. Heat a couple of tablespoons of Nutella in the microwave for ten seconds to loosen it up. Drizzle over a rolled crêpe and top with freshly sliced bananas.
- Chocolate Orange Crêpes: Add the juice and zest of one orange to the batter. It'll add a beautiful fragrant citrus flavour and serve with a cream cheese crêpes filling.
Garner inspiration from my 15 Best Crêpes Fillings - you'll be sure to fall in love with some new flavour combinations.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Chocolate Crêpes
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
Make the Crêpes batter
I show you how to make the crêpes batter by hand. If you are wanting to make it in a blender, there are notes at the bottom of this section or step-by-step instructions and process images in my How to Make Crêpes Guide.
STEP 1. Bloom the cocoa powder. You could just add the cocoa powder in with the flour, but to get the most out of the flavour, it's worth blooming it with boiling water.
Simply add a ¼ cup of boiling water to the powder, along with the butter. Mix until the butter has melted and the cocoa paste is combined and smooth (Images 1 & 2).
STEP 2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Place flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl and whisk well together (Images 3 & 4).
STEP 3. Whisk together wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or jug, add the eggs and beat well. Add the milk and water and whisk to combine (Images 5 & 6).
STEP 4. Combine the wet with the dry.
Add ⅓ of the egg mixture into the flour along with the chocolate paste (Image 7). Whisk until thick but smooth paste forms.
Incorporate the remaining wet mixture: Whilst continuously whisking, slowly add in the remaining egg mixture (Image 8). The texture of the batter should be like pouring cream (Images 9 & 10).
TIP: Adding in the liquid gradually, helps to incorporate the wet to dry and prevent a lumpy batter. We want a beautifully smooth batter for the chocolate crêpes.
Let the batter rest for a minimum of 15 minutes to let any air bubbles subside. If you have time I recommend letting it rest for 60 minutes in the fridge.
TIP: Resting the batter allows for the flour to hydrate and gluten to relax resulting in more tender, less tough crêpes.
How to cook the crêpes
STEP 5. Prepare the crêpe pan, frying pan, or skillet. I own a special 23cm (9-inch) crêpes pan that has shallow sides making it easier to flip the crêpes. That being said I also use a non-stick frying pan or you could use a skillet.
Heat your pan then lightly grease it with melted butter or spray with a non-stick cooking spray (Image 11). Wipe away any excess.
STEP 6. Pour batter into your heated pan. Remove the crêpes batter from the fridge and give it a quick whisk. Pour a scoop of batter into the center of the hot pan (Image 12) and swirl around until the base of the pan is coated as thinly as possible. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until you see the edges of the crêpes turning slightly crispy and the underside is set (Image 13).
Flip the crêpes: Flip the crêpe with a rubber spatula and cook for a further 30-60 seconds or so until lightly browned (Image 14). Slide the chocolate crêpe onto a plate.
Cook more chocolate crêpes! Repeat the process until all the batter is used up (stirring the batter with every new crêpes). The batter can thicken up as you get to the last third of the batter - so just add a bit more milk if necessary.
TIP: How To Make The Batter in a Blender
Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into the blender cup first. Then add the eggs, milk, water, and butter (melted) and blend for a maximum of 30 seconds resulting in a smooth batter.
Add a lid to the blender or decant the batter into a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-hour minimum.
🥣 How To Serve
Serve these delicious crêpes warm with your favourite filling. I have to say that they are also very good when cold too!
My favourite way to serve these for a touch of decadence is to fill each crêpes with crème chantilly and fold it into quatres. Drizzle over the melted chocolate and serve with sliced strawberries. (This is one perfect way to treat your partner on Valentine's Day.)
For alternative folding styles check out my How To Fold Crêpes in 8 easy ways article.
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Create a smooth batter. Whichever method you choose, the batter should be lump-free and smooth so that it glides over the surface of your pan easily.
- Rest time. As much as you can cook the crêpes as soon as the batter is made, it really does benefit from some rest time to achieve those tender crêpes.
- Use measuring cups to pour the batter. This is one of the only times I recommend using measuring cups (I'm a big believer in weighing out your ingredients using a digital scale). Using the same size cup to portion the batter out will provide consistently
- Don't worry about the first one. the first one rarely turns out as good as the rest as the pan is just coming to temperature. Save it for yourself. You get to taste test first! Bonus!
- Use butter in the recipe and in the pan. Not only does the butter help flavour the crêpes, but it also prevents the batter from sticking.
📋 Recipe FAQs
The same basic ingredients of eggs, milk, flour, and sugar as used in regular crêpes, plus the addition of cocoa powder for that all-important chocolate flavour.
Absolutely! They are delicious both warm and cold! Once made, you could let the crêpes cool, stuff them with your favourite filling and then refrigerate and have them ready for a quick snack.
In my opinion, they should be both- soft all over and with a slightly crispy edge. If the whole crêpes are crispy then either there was too much butter added to the batter, or the crêpes were cooked at too high a temperature for too long.
❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions
To store: Place the wrapped crêpes in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Microwave for 10-20 seconds to warm.
To freeze: Fold each crêpe into four or roll them up individually and wrap them in plastic wrap. Place in an airtight box and freeze for up to 2 months. Place overnight in the refrigerator to thaw and warm in the microwave.
🍫 More Chocolate Recipes
If you tried this Chocolate Crêpes recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Crêpes Recipe
Equipment
- Crêpes Pan or frypan/skillet
- Blender optional
Ingredients
Chocolate Crêpes
- 22 g cocoa powder
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 60 ml boling water
- 125 g plain flour
- 30 g granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 420 ml whole milk
Crêpes Fillings Ideas
- double cream (heavy cream), whipped
- strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- melted 70% dark chocolate
Instructions
Make the batter by hand
- Make chocolate slurry. In a bowl add the cocoa powder, butter, and boiling water. Mix until fully combined and the butter is melted.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt and whisk well to combine.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together. In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the eggs, and whisk. Then add in the milk and whisk together.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix. Into the bowl with the dry ingredients, pour ⅓ of your egg mixture, and whisk until thick but smooth paste forms.Add in the chocolate slurry, then whilst whisking continuously, slowly pour in the remaining egg mixture and mix until well combined. This can be done by hand or with a handheld electric beater for ease. The batter should be lump-free. (See tip in notes if you have lumps remaining). Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 mins minimum but ideally for 1 hour (or overnight if making the batter in advance).
Cook the crêpes
- Prepare the pan. Heat a crêpes pan or non-stick frying pan/skillet on medium heat on your stovetop for one minute. Lightly grease with melted butter wiping away any excess or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook the crêpes one at a time. Remove the batter from the fridge and give it a quick whisk. It can thicken as the flour hydrates, so add a little water to loosen it if need be. Pour 60 ml (¼ cup) of batter into the center of the pan, and whilst lifting the pan, tilt it so that the batter swirls over the base and coats the pan's surface in an even layer. If there are any gaps, then just add a couple of drops to fill them in. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the edges start to dry out and brown and the underside of the crêpe is set and golden.
- Flip. Slide a rubber spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen the chocolate crêpe all the way around. Slide the spatula underneath and flip the crêpe over. Cook for another 30-60 seconds until golden and slide the pancake onto a plate. Cover with a clean tea towel to keep the crêpe warm.
- Cook more crêpes. Lightly grease the pan again if need be, cooking the remaining batter. Stack the crêpes one on top of another to keep them warm and soft. Serve warm or cool with a variety of fillings and toppings.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Elis
The minute I saw these I knew I had to make them - thank you for sharing on IG - they are SO easy to make (awesome blender tip), and are super tasty. I was always intimidate of crepes - not any more! I'll definitely be making these again!
Emma
Glad that I've de-bunked the myth that crêpes are tricky- they really aren't! Enjoy your life with crepes now!
Roy
I’ve always been a little scared of making crepes but will definitely try these this weekend.
Your great as you are so please don’t let the changes consume you. It will work out
Emma
Oh there's nothing to be fearful of- I really hope that you have a go. Let me know 🙂
Kathy Grant
This looks so delicious and easy, I have to try it, along with Chantilly cream! Thank you! Xx
Emma
Hi Kelli, I really hope that you do - the combination of the two is delicious!
Fiona Sheehan
Great…..easy peasy!
Emma
Hi Fiona- Thanks so much!
Fiona Sheehan
Great…..easy peasy! Made with GF flour blend.
IVETTE
I love the elegance of all your recipes. Can´t wait to see your next creation
Emma
Thanks so much Ivette, That means a lot x
Angela
Thanks Emma for your gorgeous and decadent recipes! I look forward to each publication. Keep them coming, dear friend. ❤️
Emma
That's really kind of your to say - thoroughly appreciate your support x
My YUM Life
Stunning recipe - they turned out wonderfully.
Emma
Thanks so much for the fab feedback x