These No-fail Low Carb Crepes are not only easy to prepare but result in perfect, thin pancakes. Fill them with sweet or savory low carb fillings for the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert!
I am so excited to bring these crepes to you today because….. I. LOVE. CREPES!
I could have crepes a different way, EVERY DAY, and be so happy.
Just look at those beautiful, soft, golden, perfect little French pancakes. Yum!
You'd be hard pressed to find a more versatile food as crepes can be filled with almost anything savory or sweet. I confess to like sweet crepes the best; filled with sweetened whipped cream and low carb berries, then topped with more whipped cream and a little melted chocolate. I can't think of an easier dessert. And breakfast can be as simple as a little cream cheese and low carb jam. But, there is nothing like a savory crepe; with a delectable filing, baked in the oven, and topped with a creamy or cheesy sauce — that's good eatin' right there!
I've been meaning to bring you a crepe recipe for quite some time now. But because crepe making is an art which takes practice to master, crepes are not always a popular dish. The pan has to be the right temperature. The batter needs to sit for a few minutes. And of course the first crepe almost always breaks – but not with this recipe!
Not only is this recipe gluten-free and low carb, but it is easy and almost no-fail. You won't need any special equipment for these crepes except for good non-stick pan. The only technique to master is the pan-tilt-and-swirl to spread the batter — no “crepe-batter-spreader-thingies” needed.
I've been using a Green Pan for about a year now and I think it has one of the nicest ceramic non-stick surfaces around. I also have a French steel crepe pan that I purchased from Williams-Sonoma many years ago, but it just isn't needed for these no-fail low carb crepes.
I spent many hours and used many, many, eggs to get this recipe just right. And, I must have tried every known low carb ingredient combination possible to get it there. I tested almond flour, coconut flour, a combination of almond and coconut flours, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, almond milk… and I found that the secret ingredient was Parmesan cheese. Yeah, I know. It's a weird ingredient, but it worked. Somehow, the cheese gives these crepes flexibility and strength — resulting in virtually no-fail crepes.
If you're worried about the time commitment to make these crepes, don't! The whole recipe only only takes 20-30 minutes from start to finish and they don't need to be baby-sat while they are cooking. Set your kitchen timer and flip when it goes-off. These stack very well without sticking and also refrigerate like a dream. I have not frozen them yet, but I'm sure that if you place a piece of waxed paper between each of these no-fail low carb crepes, you will be golden. Make sure to read the tips on how I flip them so they don't tear.
Each No-fail Low Carb Crepe is 1 net carb!
See how I tilt-and-swirl the pan to spread the batter and then flip the crepe on my INSTAGRAM VIDEO! Don't forget to follow me, too.
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- 6 ounces cream cheese softened in the microwave (170 g)
- 6 large eggs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese grated (45 g)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon coconut flour optional but improves texture (23 ml)
- 1 teaspoon erythritol optional (5 ml)
- 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum 2 pinches
- 1 tablespoon butter or ghee, melted
- a pastry brush
- 1/4 cup measuring cup (60 ml)
- a thin wide, spatula
- a dinner plate on which to stack the cooked crepes
- Blender: Place the eggs, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and erythritol in the blender. Blend on low until the ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, sprinkle the coconut flour and the xanthan gum over the batter and continue blending until thick, scraping the sides down at least once. Finish with the blender on medium speed for a few seconds. Let the batter sit for a few minutes.
- Prep the Pan: Put a non-stick pan over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles and jumps across the surface, it is ready. Turn the heat down just a tiny bit and lightly brush the pan with butter. Lightly brush the spatula, too.
- Tilt and Swirl: Stir the batter. Pour the batter into a 1/4 cup measure and then into the middle of the pan. Resist the urge to scrape the measuring cup out with your finger. Grasp the pan by the handle and begin tilting it in a circular motion to spread the batter into a circle. It won't be perfect and that's okay. I can get the batter to go around the pan 3 times, ever increasing the size of my circle before it stops, resulting in a 6-7 inch crepe.
- Cook, Shimmy and Flip: Let the crepe cook for about 1 1/2 minutes or until the top of the crepe looks dull and the edge browns. You can touch it with your finger to see if it's still wet or just about set. Now, gently work the spatula under the edge of the crepe by shimmying it and lift the edge. With the fingers of your other hand, gently grasp the crepe and lift it a little higher while sliding the spatula under the crepe further. Flip the crepe and let it cook for about 15-20 seconds more.
- Stack: Remove the crepe to the plate and begin the process again making sure to lightly butter the pan and the spatula after each crepe. Stack the crepes one on top of the other. Let cool and refrigerate or use right away. To freeze, place a piece of waxed paper between each crepe before putting into a zip-loc bag and placing into the freezer. Makes 8-10 crepes.
The heat may need to be adjusted up and down just a little while cooking the crepes. I have a gas stove and I find that heating the pan at medium and then turning the heat down just a touch is perfect. With an electric burner, one may need to watch the heat a little more closely as the rate at which it heats up and cools down is a little slower.
Watch me demonstrate the tilt-and-swirl to spread the batter and how to flip the crepe on my Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/lowcarbmaven/
Hi Kim….lovely and doable recipes helping in my keto diet journey. This crepe looks and sounds amazing..just a question…can eggs be reduced and ground flaxseed added for both binding and texture? Thanks
Hi Kim….lovely and doable recipes helping in my keto diet journey. This crepe looks and sounds amazing..just a question…can eggs be reduced and ground flaxseed added for both binding and texture? Thanks
Thank you, Sonia. I suppose you could make those subs… You may have to play with the recipe a bit and come up with a new one! I have seen recipes for flax crepes on the internet though. Have a great week. -Kim
Wow, these are the first keto crepes that I actually like the flavor of, AND my three kids like them too, although thy eat theirs with cinnamon sugar. Thank you for the recipe!
Great, Barbara! My kids like them, too. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Hi Kim, I made these last night and they were flawless. I made chicken enchiladas with them and my husband and I agreed that these crepes are a godsend! Next up, canneloni. My question is, do the crepes freeze well? Thank you so much Kim 🙂
Hi, Brady. I’m glad you like the crepes. I’ve been wanting to make cannelloni, too. Yes, the crepes freeze beautifully. Freeze them with a piece of waxed paper between each one and thaw in the fridge overnight. Enjoy your cannelloni. -Kim
We eat these with Parmesan cheese sprinkles on them, roll them up and place in a casserole dish and ladle homemade chicken broth over them and sprinkle with more parmesan. Just hear and eat. Great with a green salad.
Oh, Kathy! That sounds like a wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing. -Kim
These crepes are great. The addition of parmesan cheese takes away from the egg taste. On their own with no toppings, they still taste eggier than I’d like, but I suppose that’s unavoidable with keto/gluten free crepes. However, these go very well with both sweet and savory toppings. I have tried them both ways with the recipe as-is and they are wonderful. They are sturdy and deal with moisture well. They store well in the fridge, they aren’t rubbery at all, and I’ve even tried them as a replacement for manicotti which has been awesome!
The carb and calorie content are especially awesome.
These are among the best crepe recipes I’ve found, they serve their purpose and scratch the itch, but I still pine for something closer to the real thing.
Yay! I’m glad you like the recipe, Caitlin. I wish for a more traditional texture, too, but without the glue in gluten it may not be attainable. Sigh. Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Can you show how you get to 1 net carb? I put this recipe in my fitness pal and it came up with 3 net carbs per serving..I checked the carbs and fiber on each ingredient and it does seem like it is 3 net carbs.
I used a full fat cream cheese (Gina Marie Old Fashioned Cream Cheese), other than that I don’t see where the extra fiber is coming from.
They were easy to make, delicious and I will definitely be making them again. I didn’t have Parmesan on hand so used a hard sheeps cheese that was very mild and it worked very well. It wasn’t sweet or savory which was nice because now I can use them as either. I ate some with butter and homemade low carb maple syrup (fenu greek for the maple flavor), they were very good!
Hi Anne. I use the MasterCook Cookbook program to calculate all of my nutritional counts. I weigh each ingredient in grams or ounces and enter that into my program. I have found that weighing ingredients provides the most accurate carb counts. All nutritional programs have their own algorithms in which they calculate ingredients and all will have slightly different counts. Let me see if I can explain how different counts can happen…
Almond Flour: I weigh my almond flour and then enter the weight in grams (more accurate than ounces) and choose blanched almonds as the ingredient category. I have found that in entering, for example, 1/2 cup almond flour, the program makes an assumption and gives me a carb count much higher than if I weigh the ingredient and add it in by weight. I have found that true for all ingredients I have entered by volume measure.
Furthermore, I have found by using Fatsecret, that there are pre-programmed servings of common ingredients. I never use those. If I used the 2 tbsp single serving size multiple times to add up to a cup, then my counts would be off. Also, different brands have different counts for some products. One brand of mayo in Fatsecret has a LOT of carbs because of added sugar while another brand does not. I am usually very careful about how I enter ingredients into any program, but I am only human and I do make mistakes from time to time. Because many of my readers have diabetes, I strive to get the most accurate carb counts possible.
I hope this answers your question. I did double check the amounts and the ingredients in the recipe and did notice that I misspelled Parmesan and it was not being figured in the calculations. I corrected it and still get 1 carb per crepe. Thank you for your question. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. -Kim
I made these, let them cool, rolled and sliced pinwheel style to get “strips”, then topped with Chicken Alfredo. Exceptional!! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Wow, Darby, what a great idea. I’ll have to try it. Thanks for leaving such a great comment. -Kim
How ‘cheesy’ taste the crepes? I love sweet crepes and want fill then with LC hazelnut creme, but I’m a little bit afraid of the cheesy parmesan taste…
Hi CG. They have a tiny bit of tang compared to being cheesy. I think that if you add a little more sweetener they would be fine. I am working on some sweet crepe recipes, but they won’t be ready for a few weeks. That hazelnut creme sounds great. -Kim
I made these this morning … just added a little extra stevia … filled with some sweetened cream cheese (spread thinly) macerated berries and topped with homemade whipped cream. They were beyond delicious. I only made 4, and I put the batter in the fridge. I am going to add some ground flax to it tomorrow and make more of a pancake and see how that turns out. I think it will be just wonderful. Next week I am going to make the recipe exactly as published and add some lump crab with a low carb mornay sauce!! This is a recipe that will become a standard in my house.
So happy you like the recipe, Joan. A recipe for seafood mornay has been on my to-do list with these crepes. I have a feeling that the batter will be pretty thick tomorrow after sitting in the refrigerator. I’m very interested to hear how they turn out as pancakes. Thanks for commenting and sharing your tweaks and recipe ideas! Have a great day. -Kim
The pancakes were just fine. I made more batter and stored it in the fridge to see how it would stand up. I made the fruit crepes with cream this morning (Valentine’s Day Breakfast … perfect!) with the batter that was stored in the fridge, they worked absolutely fine. This is an awesome discovery for me, mix up some batter and it keeps in the fridge for a few days for a quick crepe fix. I’m loving this recipe more and more each day. FYI the crab crepes turned out fantastic!!!
Joan! You are making me drool all over my computer! I’m glad to hear that the batter held-over in the fridge – that is so nice in case someone doesn’t want to cook all of the crepes. BTW, the cooked crepes keep well in the refrigerator and heat up nicely in the pan – they taste just made. I will try your trick myself and add the info to the post. Happy Valentine’s Day. You’re fruit crepes sound so nice. AND, those crab crepes! I am for sure going to work on a seafood crepe. Thanks for the reminder. I bet they were super awesome. Thanks for leaving such a helpful comment. Have a wonderful day. -Kim
Looks like a very good recipe. but I am more excited that your website has a link to Jump to Recipe!! I am so tired of having to scroll. scroll, scroll, only to find that I may not be interested in a recipe. Great job! Hope you share with other websites!
Thanks, Debbie! My advertising network isn’t too happy about it because the button skips the advertisements, resulting in less money for them, but it’s a trade off I’m happy to make if it helps. 🙂 -Kim
These were fantastic! And such a surprise! Not that your recipes arent wonderful, but I hate eggs and had my doubts about these. I even ate chicken florentine filling all alone last night thinking that the crepes weren’t for me. Ive tried s bunch of the bread-y substitutes and they always just taste like a microwaved egg to me (and go right in the trash). These are rich and savory and didn’t taste like egg at all! You’re a genius!
I am so glad Amanda. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you liked the recipe. Have a wonderful week. -Kim
These look delicious! 🙂 But, I HATE the taste of coconut flour. I tried to love it, I really did. But I just can’t. >.> I know you said it’s optional, that it’s for the texture. What does it mean? What will happen if I skip it?
Lol. Lucia, the coconut flour helps thicken the batter and provides texture. The crepes may not flip as well without it. I wouldn’t skip the xanthan gum if you skip the coconut flour. You could try using about 1/4-1/3 cup of almond flour in the batter? Have a great weekend. -Kim
Are these sturdy enough to be used as wraps?
No, Rebecca, but I have used them for manicotti and stuffed crepes. They could also be used for enchiladas. -Kim
Do you have a recipe showing exactly how to use them with manicotti? Sounds good but I need step by step please because I have never made it. Thank you!
Cindy, I do have a recipe for Manicotti. Type it into the search box above my picture. Look at the pictures I have in the post and read the instructions in the recipe. If you don’t understand them you can email me. You’ll find my email icon somewhere near my picture on the site. Click it and type away. I hope this helps. -Kim
I. LOVE. CREPES too!! 🙂 So excited to try this!
I hope you like them, Christina! Have a wonderful weekend. -Kim
These were amazing!!! Wonderful recipe thank you for sharing
So glad you liked them, Tricia. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Amazing! These are delicious!
Glad you liked them, Linda! Have a nice week. -Kim
Thank you for this recipes. I just didn’t have much faith in the recipes with eggs and cream cheese only. I usually make tortillas using the pork rind pizza crust recipes from Linda Low Carb website, but I decided to try out your recipe. They turned out great and didn’t have much problems with them falling apart. After mixing, I did notice that the mixture seemed a little gelatinous, so I added 2 tablespoons of chicken broth(it’s what I had on hand). I also added some garlic granules and a little dried rosemary. Also, since I only had jumbo eggs, I used 6 eggs and an 8 oz package of cream cheese. This yielded 10 crepes to be used for the week.
Great, Sabrina. I’m glad I could inspire you to be so creative. Your recipe sounds great. Enjoy your crepes. -Kim
Okay, I would love to make a sweet version of these. Have you done that before? If not, do you think that switching out the Parmesan for mozzarella would be the way to go? It seems like that might make them more of a pancake thickness than a crepe thickness, but I just don’t know. I can’t get strawberry crepes out of my head now!
Hi Wendy. I haven’t worked on the sweet version yet, but it at the top of my to-do list. I want it to be as easy as this one. Strawberry crepes are awesome! Have a nice day. -Kim
Tried making these today. My batter ended up too thick so when I cooked it wouldn’t swirl and spread. Perhaps I overdid it on the Xantham gum. I tried thinning out the mixture which seemed to work, but my attempts at flipping were disastrous and my crepes folded over on themselves. I guess this is something that takes some practice.Even though I had mushed crepes, I did try and the taste and texture is excellent.
Shaun. Let the crepes cook almost completely before flipping. Then just heat on the other side for a count of 10-20. Did you go on my Instagram and see how I flipped them? Look for the cruddy photos of the yellowish pan. When I haven’t made crepes in a while, I always get a few that tear or fold over. I eat those at the stove! Shhhh. Don’t tell. 🙂 I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out for you. If you have an electric crepe maker, people have had success using this batter on them.
I have a crepe maker. Can I use it for this recipe?
Hi Beverly. Great question. Someone just asked me that the other day. You can read the more detailed comment there, but I’m going to say that I think it will work but you may need to thin the batter just a little. Let me know if you have any more questions and please let me know if it works on the crepe maker. (p.s. It’s faster to use frying or crepe pan.) Enjoy your weekend. -Kim
Fabulous melt in the mouth crepes!
Great recipe.
We substituted cream cheese spread instead of cream cheese. We also did not add any sweetener, insteam ate with honey and or chicken curry as sides. Yummm!
Fantastic! I’m glad you liked them. Mmmm… chicken curry sounds great with crepes! I’ll have to try. Have a great week. -Kim
Thanks.
They are great! I really love that they don’t taste like eggs. The Parmesan adds a nice savory flavor. I’ve made these twice in a week. Thank you so much for adding some variety to my life. I can think of all kinds of ways to use them.
Wendy, I love this recipe. I am so glad you do, too. While I love sweet crepes, savory crepes are amazing for so many things. Thanks for your comment! -Kim
I’ve been on a low carb diet for two months now, and mostly been eating a whole lot of pre-packaged, made in factory ‘food’, like pancakes, that are basically shakes that you throw in a pan, and then eat, and enjoy.. or not.
I decided I want to go low carb the right way, with as many home cooked meals as possible. So boy was I glad I found your blog!
I made the pancakes with arrow root, because for some odd reason xanthan gum is very hard to find here in the Netherlands. They worked out great though! My girlfriend wanted me to make an extra large batch next time (only used half the recipe as a test this time), so it’s safe to say she liked them too 🙂
Hi Linda. Thanks for leaving such a great comment. I am glad the arrowroot powder worked. Another reader said that they used ground psyllium powder in place of the xanthan gum to thicken. I would imagine it was a few pinches. These are a great savory crepes and I have been making them a lot. I’m glad your girlfriend liked them, too! Have a great week. 😉 -Kim
Forgot to give 5 stars to this recipe!
Thank You! The best low carb crepes! I used psyllium husks instead of xantam gum , worked great. Next time I will decrease cheese , because I want to find some base crepe for sweet filling.
Hi Lelde. Thanks for the comment and the rating. I’m glad to hear that the psyllium husks worked. I had this recipe in mind as a savory recipe as I am trying to cut back on desserts. I am so glad you liked it. Have a great day!
I adore crepes and I never thought that a flourless version could look so perfect!
Thanks, Adina! Hope you have a great weekend. -Kim
Love your revipes and am looking forward to making the crepes. Please share some ideas and methods for a savory crepe filling. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Sue. I will begin posting some savory recipes for crepes next week. I believe that most will involve some sort of savory sauce because that is what I like. If you Google “savory crepe recipes” you should get some good ideas in the meantime. Thanks for your comment and compliment. Have a wonderful day. -Kim
Hello!
I made these crepes today but used a bit of glucomann in place of the xanthan gum (because it’s what I had available. Mine turned out much more yellow in colour but the texture and flavour was terrific!
I used them in place of manicotti shells…and they made a WONDERFUL pasta substitution!
Thank you!
Susan, mine are yellow, too. It looked very yellow in the photos, so I toned-down the color a bit. I love that you used crepes for the manicotti shells, because I do too. In fact, that was going to be a future recipe! So glad to hear that the glucomannan powder worked. Thanks for leaving a comment and have a great week. -Kim
How do you use them as pasta substitute? Love crepes, but am new to making them myself!
Hi Christina. You can use crepes as wraps for manicotti and cannelloni and even enchiladas, but not as pasta. Sorry! There are so many wonderful fillings for crepes. Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Oh my…. these are genius! I have been craving crepes and knowing that there is a low-carb version makes this all the better 😉
Thanks Sarah! I hope you enjoy them. Have a great week! -Kim
Oh my gawsh, I LOVE crepes! There is a restaurant here that is called Crepes and all they sell are crepes.. every type of crepe you can think of. It is heaven! And these crepes look like they could give that restaurant a run for their money, friend! I love that these are low carb! Now I can eat crepes daily and not feel so guilty! WINNING! Cheers, dear!
Wow! I would be a regular at that restaurant, for sure. Thanks for the low carb love, Cheyanne. Have a nice week. -Kim
I see xanthan gum in a lot of low carb recipes and also in commercial products. What is its purpose in a recipe? Thanks in advance & for all the great recipes you post.
Hi Debbie. Great question. Xanthan gum is a thickener and binder. Often times low carb flours (and gluten-free) lack the stickiness of gluten so an “enhancer” like xanthan gum is added to hold all of the ingredients together or to thicken liquids. A little goes a long way and a bag can last for several years. It is vital to these crepes holding together and being so easy to make. Some people may want to try subing glucomannan powder if they have it although I have not tested the recipe with it. Hope this answers your question. Have a great day. -Kim
Yes it does, thanks! I tried making the low carb pancakes a little larger to use for a wrap & they did not hold together-this is probably the reason why. Thanks again!