Name: Basil Parmesan Crêpes (Basil + Parmigiano Reggiano)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh basil leaves(30g); 1/2 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Parmesan) (15g); 1 cup all-purpose, spooned and leveled (120g); 1 tablespoon sugar (decrease or omit if preferred) (13g); 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon table or sea salt); 1 teaspoon sugar (4g); 1 1/2 cups whole milk (354g); 4 large eggs; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (43g)

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If you love basil or just need a little savory crêpe inspiration this Italian-inspired green crêpe recipe starts with fresh basil from the garden and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Add a little milk, eggs, and melted butter and you have yourself a delicious savory crêpe that can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Plus, it's a great way to use up excess basil from your garden. These crépes are versatile and can be filled with just about anything you can dream up. Plus, they're really simple to make and perfect for St. Patrick's Day celebrations. For anyone who may be new to crêpe-making, we've included step-by-step recipe photos at the end of the post.

graffiti on a wall that says "I fought the law" in black letters with a bubbly sea-foam green letter to the right which is also outlined in black — "I fought the law" - graffiti, Italy

a perfect looking crepe in the pan cooking — flip the crêpe over being careful not to burn your fingers and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute more on the second side

top view yellow crepe batter with green basil bits everywhere not yet cooked but covering the bottom of the crepe pan — (you can see all the bits of basil here)

closeup segment of a tree covered in bright green moss with sage-colored ivy growing up the trunk — ivy growing on a tree, Italy

Green Basil-Parmigiano Crêpes are Easy to Make

If you've ever made classic crêpes, or taken a stab at a Lady M Style Mille Crêpe Cake, then you know how easy they are to make. This unleavened pancake is what the French call a savory galette (because it's not a sweet crêpe, nor is it meant to contain sweet fillings). The Italians would call it a crespelle. Whatever you call it, all you need is a few basic ingredients to make them. A blender or food processor makes chopping and incorporating the basil an effortless task. But, if you don't have this equipment, just chop the basil as finely as you can and whisk everything together. Be prepared for your kitchen to start smelling pretty amazing.

pile of freshly grated Parmigiano on a cheese paper with a chunk of the wheel and a Microplane grater lying to the right of the pile and wheel chunk

closeup of a bunch of basil growing in the garden

Green Basil-Parmigiano Crêpes Ingredients

This is the perfect way to use up all that extra basil from the garden and it make for a pretty pea-green crêpe. No fancy ingredients needed, just a few things you probably already have in your kitchen.

1 cup fresh basil leaves(30g)
½ ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Parmesan) (15g)
1 cup all-purpose, spooned and leveled (120g)
1 tablespoon sugar (decrease or omit if preferred) (13g)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or ⅛ teaspoon table or sea salt)
1 teaspoon sugar (4g)
1 ½ cups whole milk (354g)
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (43g)

yellow crepe batter with green basil bits everywhere not yet cooked but covering the bottom of the crepe pan — (you can see the small bubbles here indicating that it's time to flip)

How to Make Green Basil-Parmigiano Crêpes

Make the batter (food processor method). In the bowl of a food processor or blender combine fresh basil and milk and process until smooth and light green or about 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture is smooth and bubbles form on top, about 30 seconds. *see notes below for hand-whisking method
Rest the batter. If you're in a huge hurry, let the batter rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before making the crêpes. Otherwise, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight and whisk well before using.
Cook the crêpes. Heat a 10 or 12-inch cast-iron crêpe pan, well seasoned cast-iron skillet, or another nonstick skillet over medium. Lightly brush the surface with butter. Add about ⅓ cup batter and swirl the pan to completely cover the bottom and sides of the skillet. Cook until the underside of the crepe is golden brown and it starts to bubble.
Loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, then using your fingertips, carefully and quickly flip the crepe over and continue cooking approximately 30 seconds to one minute more until the crêpe is cooked through. Slide the crêpe out of the skillet and repeat with the remaining batter, coating the pan with butter as needed.
Fill the crêpes with your favorite savory filling and Enjoy!

What came first -- the French crêpe or the Italian crespelle?

If you've ever eaten a crêpe in Paris, you know the French do crêpes like southerners do fried pies. But Italians have their own version of the unleavened pancake called a "crespelle" or "crispelle". And it's believed by food scholars that the crespelle came first. It's thought that Katherine de Medici may be responsible for the version of crêpes that we know and love today (which consists of eggs, butter, milk, flour, salt, and sometimes sugar). The first known recorded recipe for French crêpes uses no milk and instead opts for water and wine and used buckwheat flour. Whereas the "Crespelle alla Florentine" is said to have been a favorite dish of Katherine's and was introduced to French Royalty by her personal chefs she brought along with her when she first moved to France in the 1500s. This recipe originating in Florence uses the "crespelle" which gets filled with a ricotta-spinach filling, rolled, covered with béchamel sauce, and baked in the oven until golden brown. We don't really care who first made the humble crêpe, we're just glad the dish remained popular enough that we're still eating them today. Once you get the hang of twirling the pan while also adding the batter simultaneously, it becomes second nature. It just takes a tiny bit of practice and even the crêpes that end up getting folded over themselves or torn, are still delicious.

Looking for a Few More Basil-Centric Recipes?

Below are a few of our favorite recipes using garden-fresh summer basil.

a white oval platter with plum crazy salad displayed in alternating colors of yellow, and red and bright green baby basil leaves atop them drizzled with a beautiful green olive oil on a bright orange and white gingham table cloth in the sunlight with shadows in the background

basil parm panko crusted chicken cooked to golden brown stacked on a platter with a view out of the window

a caprese salad on a white oval platter with fresh slices of fresh milky mozzarella, sliced datterino tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil and sea salt by a window with just a hint of my hand showing

Basil-Parm Savory Crêpes tips + tricks + FAQ's

How do you pronounce crêpe? The word "crêpe" is pronounced like "krepp", but if you're from the south like me, you grew up saying "crāpe". Tomato-tomato!
Is basil healthy for you? Yes, basil is full of vitamins and nutrients and may even be a good detoxifier for your liver! It's an excellent source of vitamin K, manganese, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It's also a good source of calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. It has anti-inflammatory properties which promote good gut health, can help with upset tummies, and is said to be good for diabetics to help lower triglycerides and LDL's with a low-glycemic load. But basil is also good used topically to help heal cuts and scars and even has acne-fighting compounds when made into a paste and applied to your face.
Who invented crêpes? The French (specifically the people of Brittany) may have invented crêpes around the 13th century. It's been told that the traditional buckwheat crêpe came first and it may have even happened by an accidental spill of a thin buckwheat porridge onto a hot pan. However, some historians say the crêpe comes from Italy and travels to France by way of Katherine de Medici who brought her Italian chefs with her to France. She was said to have loved spinach so much that it was to be served at every meal. Spinach was not as widely eaten or available at that time in France as it was in Italy and one of Katherine's favorite dishes was "Crespelle alla Fiorentina" which is an Italian crêpe filled with ricotta and spinach filling, then folded or rolled and covered in generous amounts of besciamella (béchamel) sauce, a few spoonfuls of tomato puree, grated Pecorino cheese, then baked in the oven until golden brown. While we may never know exactly how crêpes, as we know them, came to be, the crêpe is a cultural icon and is celebrated in France nonetheless. They have perfected the crêpe! It's even celebrated every year on "Le Jour des Crêpes" (or "The Day of the Crêpes") as a way to offer blessings for good luck in the new year and at the cusp of the new wheat harvest season. Buckwheat flour is typically used for savory crêpes (also known as galettes or crêpes salées) and regular wheat flour is usually reserved for sweet crêpes (crêpes sucréess).
Do crêpes come from France or Italy? No one knows for sure if the crêpe was invented by the French, or brought over to France by way of Katherine de Medici and her Florentine chefs she brought with her who cooked one of her favorite dishes, the "Crespelle alla Fiorentina" which is an Italian crêpe filled with ricotta and spinach filling, covered in béchamel sauce and baked. We'll never know, but one this is for sure, there was a lot of recipe "borrowing" going on back then much like there is today!
Are crêpes pancakes? Yes, crêpes are a type of very thin pancake and there are usually two types: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) and savoury galettes (crêpes salées).
What's the difference between crêpes and pancakes? The main difference between crêpes and pancakes or flapjacks is pancakes use a leavener/raising agent like baking powder and/or baking soda (or even whipped egg whites) to make the pancake taller and fluffier than a crêpe. Crepes are paper-thin and usually larger in circumference than a typical pancake. Another difference is pancakes are generally served stacked in a stack of 2-3 pancakes and crêpes are typically served stuffed with ingredients and rolled or folded, or simply twirled up by fork tongs. Another difference between pancakes and crêpes is that pancake batter is much thicker than crêpe batter which uses more eggs and less flour per batch.