Buckwheat Blender Crepes with Warm Blueberry Sauce
Nutty buckwheat crepes whizzed up in a blender, cooked thin and lacy, and served with a warm blueberry sauce. Naturally gluten-free and ready in under an hour.
The batter needs a 30-minute rest. That is not busywork: the flour hydrates, the bubbles settle, and the crepes cook without tearing. Use the time to make the blueberry sauce, which takes one small pan and about ten minutes.
They are lovely with just the sauce and even better with a spoonful of yogurt, some lemon zest, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Leftover crepes stack and reheat beautifully, so a weekend batch covers a couple of fast weekday breakfasts.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk of choice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil, plus more for the pan
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the sauce: 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- For the sauce: 2 tablespoons maple syrup or granulated sugar
- For the sauce: 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the sauce: 1 teaspoon cornstarch stirred into 1 tablespoon cold water
- For the sauce: 1 pinch fine sea salt
- Optional: plain yogurt, lemon zest, and powdered sugar, to serve
Instructions
- Add the buckwheat flour, cornstarch, and salt to a blender and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the milk, eggs, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend for 30 to 45 seconds, until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides and blend for another 5 seconds.
- Pour the batter into a jug, cover, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should be the consistency of thin cream. If it is thicker, whisk in milk a tablespoon at a time.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the blueberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the berries burst and release their juice.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for 1 minute more, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat and keep it warm.
- Heat an 8- to 10-inch nonstick or well-seasoned crepe pan over medium heat and brush it lightly with butter. Pour in about 1/4 cup of batter and immediately swirl the pan to spread it into a thin circle.
- Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, until the edges look dry and lift away from the pan. Flip with a thin spatula and cook for 30 to 45 seconds more. Slide onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan lightly between crepes.
- Fold the crepes into quarters and serve with the warm blueberry sauce spooned over the top.
Cook’s tips
- Rest the batter. Crepes made from freshly mixed batter tear easily and taste pasty; 30 minutes fixes both problems.
- The first crepe is a test run. Use it to dial in the heat and the right amount of batter before cooking the rest.
- Keep the pan lightly buttered but not wet. Too much fat makes the batter slide around instead of setting.
- Stack finished crepes on a plate under a clean towel so they stay warm and pliable while you cook the rest.
Substitutions
- Buckwheat flour: 1 cup all-purpose or white whole wheat flour for classic crepes, and reduce the milk to 1 cup.
- Cornstarch: tapioca starch, arrowroot, or sweet rice flour.
- Blueberries: raspberries, blackberries, or a mixed berry bag, cooked the same way.
- Dairy-free: use oat or almond milk and coconut oil instead of butter.
Storage & reheating
Cooked crepes keep in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly or layered with parchment, for up to 3 days, and freeze for up to 2 months with parchment between each one. Reheat in a dry skillet for about 30 seconds a side. The blueberry sauce keeps in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to a week; rewarm it gently with a splash of water. The batter can be mixed the night before and refrigerated - thin it with a little milk before cooking.
FAQ
Are buckwheat crepes gluten-free?
Buckwheat is not a wheat, so the flour is naturally gluten-free. Check your bag anyway, since some brands mill it on shared equipment.
Why did my crepes tear?
Usually the batter was too thick, the pan was too hot, or the batter had not rested. Thin it with milk and give it the full 30 minutes.
Can I cook these ahead and reheat them?
Yes. Stack them with parchment, refrigerate or freeze, and warm them in a dry skillet. They come back soft in about a minute.
Do I have to use a blender?
No, but it is the fastest route to a lump-free batter. A whisk and a fine sieve work too.
