This recipe makes thin, soft French-style crêpes that are perfect for spreading with Nutella, rolling up, and serving warm with fruit, powdered sugar, or whipped cream.
Yield: 10–12 crêpes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Resting time: 20–30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total: about 50–60 minutes
Ingredients
Crêpe batter
1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
3 large eggs
1¾ cups (420 ml) whole milk
½ cup (120 ml) water
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon, optional
Filling
¾–1 cup Nutella, approximately 1–2 tbsp per crêpe
1–2 bananas, thinly sliced, optional
1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced, optional
½ cup whipped cream, optional
For cooking
1–2 tbsp butter, as needed
For topping
Choose any combination:
Powdered sugar
Fresh strawberries
Banana slices
Blueberries
Whipped cream
Chocolate sauce
Caramel sauce
Chopped hazelnuts, optional
1. Make the crêpe batter
In a large bowl, whisk together:
flour
sugar
salt
In another bowl, whisk the eggs.
Add the milk, water, melted butter, and vanilla to the eggs.
Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture while whisking continuously.
Whisk until the batter is smooth and fairly thin.
It should be noticeably thinner than pancake batter — approximately the consistency of heavy cream.
If the batter looks too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons of milk or water at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
2. Strain the batter
For especially smooth crêpes, pour the batter through a fine-mesh strainer into another bowl.
This removes small flour lumps and gives you a very smooth batter.
Cover and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes.
Resting allows the flour to hydrate and relaxes the gluten, helping produce softer crêpes that are less likely to tear.
You can also prepare the batter several hours ahead and keep it refrigerated.
3. Heat the pan
Use a 9–10-inch nonstick skillet or crêpe pan.
Heat it over medium to medium-low heat.
Lightly brush the pan with butter.
You don’t want a pool of butter; just a thin coating.
4. Cook the first crêpe
Pour approximately ¼ cup of batter into the center of the hot pan.
Immediately lift the pan and swirl it in a circular motion.
Spread the batter into a very thin, even layer.
Return the pan to the burner.
Cook for approximately 45–75 seconds.
The edges should begin to look dry and slightly golden, while the surface should no longer look wet.
5. Flip
Loosen the edges with a thin spatula.
Carefully flip the crêpe.
Cook the second side for approximately 15–30 seconds.
You don’t want to brown the second side heavily.
Transfer the crêpe to a plate.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Important
After the first crêpe, check the temperature.
If the crêpe browns too quickly, lower the heat.
If it takes more than about 90 seconds to set, slightly increase the heat.
The first crêpe is often your test crêpe.
6. Keep the crêpes soft
Stack the cooked crêpes on a plate.
Cover the stack loosely with a clean kitchen towel.
The trapped steam helps keep them soft and flexible.
Don’t cook them until they’re crispy — you want them pliable enough to roll.
7. Add Nutella
Place one crêpe flat on a plate.
Spread approximately 1–2 tablespoons of Nutella over the surface.
Leave about ½ inch around the edges.
If the Nutella is difficult to spread, warm it very slightly.
Do not make it hot; you just want it soft enough to spread easily.
8. Add fruit
For a classic breakfast version, place:
banana slices
strawberries
over the Nutella.
Don’t overfill the crêpe.
Too much filling makes it difficult to roll and causes the Nutella to squeeze out.
9. Roll the crêpe
Fold approximately 1 inch of the bottom edge inward.
Fold the sides slightly toward the center.
Then roll the crêpe tightly from the bottom upward.
This produces a compact Nutella crêpe roll.
For a simpler presentation, you can simply fold the crêpe in half and then in half again to make a quarter-fold.
10. Optional warm finish
If you want the Nutella inside to become warm and glossy:
Place the finished rolls in a lightly buttered skillet over low heat for approximately 30–60 seconds per side.
Don’t use high heat because the Nutella can become extremely hot while the outside of the crêpe burns.
11. Serve
Place the rolls on a plate.
Dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Add fresh berries and banana around them.
For a dessert-style breakfast, drizzle with:
melted Nutella
chocolate sauce
caramel
or a small amount of honey
Add whipped cream if desired.
Nutella Banana Crêpe Rolls
For the version I’d recommend most:
Per crêpe
1 soft crêpe
1½ tbsp Nutella
½ small banana, sliced
2–3 strawberries, sliced
Spread Nutella over the crêpe, arrange the fruit in a narrow line slightly below the center, fold in the sides, and roll tightly.
Finish with powdered sugar and a few fresh berries.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Crêpe Sauce
If you want extra Nutella flavor, make a quick drizzle.
Ingredients
¼ cup Nutella
1–2 tbsp warm milk or heavy cream
Method
Put Nutella in a small bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon warm milk or cream and stir.
If it’s still too thick, add another teaspoon at a time.
Drizzle over the finished crêpe rolls.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can prepare the crêpes 1–2 days ahead.
Stack them with parchment or wax paper between the layers.
Cover tightly and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, warm them individually in a skillet for approximately 15–20 seconds per side, then fill and roll.
You can also freeze the plain crêpes.
Place parchment between each crêpe and store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to approximately 2 months for best quality.
Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Troubleshooting
Crêpes are tearing
Possible causes:
Batter is too thin
Crêpes aren’t cooked enough
You’re flipping them too early
Pan temperature is too high
Let the first side cook until the edges are clearly set.
Crêpes are rubbery
Usually caused by:
Overmixing
Too much flour
Overcooking
Keep the batter thin and cook only until just set.
Crêpes are too thick
Add a little milk or water.
Start with 1 tablespoon, whisk, and test another crêpe.
Crêpes stick to the pan
Make sure the pan is properly preheated and lightly buttered.
A good nonstick pan should require very little fat.
Nutella is difficult to spread
Warm it slightly or mix it with a tiny amount of warm cream or milk.
Nut and Allergen Information
Important: Nutella contains hazelnuts
Nutella contains hazelnuts, which are tree nuts.
The classic Nutella formulation also contains:
Milk
Soy
Therefore, these crêpes are NOT suitable for someone with a hazelnut/tree-nut allergy when made with Nutella.
For someone with a nut allergy, do not assume that simply removing the chopped hazelnuts from the topping makes the recipe safe, because Nutella itself contains hazelnuts.
Peanut allergy
Nutella is a hazelnut product rather than a peanut product, but if someone has a severe peanut allergy, check the exact product label and manufacturer’s allergen/cross-contact information before serving.
Tree nuts
Hazelnut: YES — directly present in Nutella.
Other tree nuts are not intentionally used in the basic recipe.
If you add almond, pecan, walnut, pistachio, or other nut toppings, those introduce additional tree nuts.
Dairy
YES.
The recipe contains:
Whole milk
Butter
Nutella also contains milk ingredients.
For dairy-free crêpes, you can use a suitable plant-based milk and dairy-free butter, but you would also need a nut-free, dairy-free chocolate-hazelnut alternative if hazelnuts are not a concern.
Eggs
YES.
The crêpe batter contains eggs.
Wheat/gluten
YES.
All-purpose flour contains wheat and gluten.
For gluten-free crêpes, use a suitable gluten-free flour blend designed for baking.
Soy
Potentially YES.
Nutella contains soy-derived ingredients.
Sesame
Not intentionally included in the basic recipe, but check packaged toppings and chocolate products for allergen statements.
Coconut
Not intentionally included.
Peanuts
Not intentionally included in the basic crêpe batter, but check packaged products for cross-contact information if there is a severe allergy.
Nut-Free Alternative
If you specifically want Nutella-style crêpes without nuts, don’t use Nutella.
Instead, make a simple chocolate spread with a verified nut-free chocolate spread, or use:
melted chocolate
cocoa powder
powdered sugar
a little milk or cream
For a truly allergy-safe preparation, the chocolate product and all other ingredients should be checked for the specific allergen and cross-contact statement.
Nutrition Estimate
For one plain Nutella-and-banana crêpe, approximately:
Calories: 280–350
Protein: 6–8 g
Carbohydrates: 40–50 g
Fat: 11–16 g
Sugar: 18–25 g
The actual amount varies considerably depending on the amount of Nutella, fruit, butter, and toppings used.
Best Formula for Soft, Rollable Crêpes
For consistently good results, remember this ratio:
1½ cups flour + 3 eggs + 1¾ cups milk + ½ cup water + 2 tbsp butter
The extra water helps produce a thinner batter, while the eggs and butter help keep the crêpes flexible.
For breakfast, keep the crêpes lightly sweetened and serve with banana and berries.
For a dessert-style version, add more Nutella, whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, and powdered sugar.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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