Buckwheat Crepes (Easy Gluten-Free Crepes)
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Only 3 ingredients are needed for these Buckwheat Crepes. They're gluten-free, freeze well, and taste great with all kinds of toppings from sweet to savory!
One of the biggest challenges to being a gluten-free family is having affordable bread alternatives around so you can easily throw together a quick meal or a snack. We regularly enjoy our Flax Bread, but it's a little boring to have the same thing over and over again. These buckwheat crepes are another great option to add to your gluten-free recipe box.
This Buckwheat Crepe Recipe has been a staple in our home over the years. They make a great gluten-free wrap that is so much less expensive than those “priced through the roof” wraps in health food stores.
They mix up quickly and simply, store well, travel well, and are a super flexible background for meals and quick snacks. They freeze well my kids love them.
I found this recipe a number of years ago on Whole Approach, a super helpful site for anyone dealing with candida. Candida is a systemic overgrowth of candida yeast in one's body. It's typically associated with the overuse of antibiotics and eating too much sugar and starches.
Crepe Versus Galette
This recipe was originally called a “Buckwheat Galette.” But basically they're the same thing, just different fillings. Galettes are typically larger and filled with savory things like eggs, cheese, and ham, then folded up partially to form a wrap around the fillings.
Crepes are typically a little sweeter with dessert-type fillings like fruits and this homemade coconut whipped cream or this dairy-free coconut pudding.
You can use this recipe either way.
Ingredients
- buckwheat flour
- egg or egg substitute
- water
- salt
Serving Suggestions
- Plain: Eat these buckwheat crepes just as is.
- Like a Sandwich: Spread with sandwich fixings like nut butter, either plain or with jam or sweetener of choice. Top with another pancake and eat like a sandwich.
- Like a Wrap: While these aren't as sturdy as a regular wrap, they'll work fairly well for this. Spread with a thin layer of your favorite filling (like this Sesame-free Hummus), roll up, and eat like a wrap.
- Filled Dessert Crepe: Fill your buckwheat crepes with ice cream (like this Chocolate Almond Chip Ice Cream) and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Or fill with a light cream cheesy filling and some of this Keto Blueberry Syrup and top with Dairy-free Whipped Cream.
- Galette Method: As mentioned above, place a large crepe/galette in the pan, let it cook until almost done. Then add the eggs, ham, and/or cheese in the center and let the center cook and then serve.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Egg Substitute: Use an egg substitute instead of an egg. This Homemade Egg Replacer works great for this recipe.
- THM: This recipe qualifies as an “E” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
- Salt: The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons salt and we love it that way. At least one reader has commented that it's too much salt. Of course, as with any recipe, you can reduce or even omit the salt if you like. Most crepe recipes have this ratio/proportion of salt, but it's up to you.
- Soaking Option: Technically, buckwheat isn't a grain; it's a seed. However, it's still starchy. To reduce the starch and increase the protein content of the wraps, you can sprout the buckwheat first.
More Quick and Easy Recipes
- Quick Whole-Grain Drop Biscuits: so easy to make with any type of grain.
- Easy Baked Oatmeal: a great prep-ahead breakfast.
- Healthy Bean Dip: a great dip or spread.
- Focaccia Flax Bread: a great low-carb bread.
- Kid-Friendly Lentils: a super frugal healthy meal.
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls: fun to make and eat!
- Whole-Grain Blender Waffles
- No-Bake Coconut Cookies: so easy and delicious!
2 Ingredient Buckwheat Crepes with Vegan Option
Ingredients
- 2 cups buckwheat flour (330 grams)
- 1 egg (or substitute)
- 3 1/3 cups water (750 ml)
- 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste–see Recipe Notes)
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Add water gradually by adding in 1/4 – 1/2 of the total amount each time, stirring well after each addition.
- Add the egg or substitute.
- Cover batter and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (optional. I've, opted not to do this when I am in a hurry. For best nutrition, soak the buckwheat mixture prior to adding the egg).
- Ladle batter onto a prepared skillet, greased as necessary.
- Cook until crepes start to brown.
- Flip over and cook on the other side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
What do you think you would fill your Buckwheat Crepes with?
Wasted a box of rude health buckwheat. Crumbled but then worse….too much salt. I regret not reading the comments. Thanks for wasting my time and energy.
Hi there. I’m sorry you had a bad experience. What is rude health buckwheat? Perhaps the kind of buckwheat you used it the problem? I would appreciate your not claiming that I wasted your time and energy when perhaps you chose the wrong ingredient? I’ve had my fair share of recipes not work well even when I used the right ingredients. Let me know.
This recipe sucked. Made my own flour and it crumbled in the pan. What a waste! I was excited to have something different and different it was. ?
Hi Vennessa. How strange. I never had that happen. What did your batter look like before you cooked them and what kind of buckwheat did you use?
Great, simple recipe. I’ve been on a detox and feel great but I felt like having some carbs. This was so quick and easy to make and it totally satisfied the need for carbs in such a tasty way
I think I will be making them again very soon 🙂
Sounds good but any way to word your recipes in a less confusing manner!?
What is so confusing about them? Let me know what you find to be confusing and I’ll be happy to take a look.
Hello,
I am trying buckwheat flour for the same reason as yours, Candida infection. I saw you have mentioned it too. Did you get rid of it, after trying fruit-less, no sugar, diet. I am a vegetarian, who is allergic to rice and I don’t eat eggs or fish as well. I love fruits, and was thinking of taking fruit-diet and something like buckwheat and other things. Anyways, could you get rid of candida and if yes, did it reappear afterwards? I am fighting it since 2 years, don’t even know how I got it!!! :((
I think candida is much more virulent than people think. I also suspect it has ties to heavy metals. So I am not rid of it but it’s sooooo much better. I’m doing some detox things now that I will be sharing more about later.
This post might help. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/what-candida-is-how-to-know-if-you-have-it-and-how-to-ditch-it/
Can you please help me with a gluten free sour dough mix. I am having great problems. Is there a certain ratio for feeding it with the flour and water
Maybe this will help? https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/gluten-free-sourdough-starter/
Hi, these looks really good and easy! I was wondering, can you put these in a waffle maker? I’m wondering if I can make something crispy out of it? Thanks!
Oh hmmmm….I don’t think so but you could try! I am thinking they would be very very thin. I have had plenty of waffle fails in my day. They still taste good! Here’s a bad one : https://www.instagram.com/p/BGNWdEzAWiF/?taken-by=wholenewmom
Hi Adrienne!
So I’m making my first batch. Got hulled buckwheat grouts, milled myself – skipping the soaking to compare for when I do soak the next batch. Now when I gradually add my filtered water, how should the consistency be before the 2 hour sitting period? Thick or runny? Like maybe 3 1/3 cups of water looks to be too much? 🙂 I’m using a flax egg, fyi. I’m excited for these and hope they come out as wonderful as yours did. Thank you so much.
Hi there!
I never used real eggs – I used my Egg Replacer. It is a pretty runny batter. Hope that they work well for you!
And they are a winner! Took a few to get the cooking time right and flipping but overall turned out wonderfully. Endless possibilities with these crepes! “Delizioso” says my husband. Very pleased to finally have a sturdy “bread” for him instead of gluten pumpernickel which is the healthiest palatable bread he’ll eat. Thank you again!
So wonderful!!!! Thanks for taking the time to share!
Hi! Can you share the type, brand of buckwheat flour you use? Do you buy hulled grouts and grind up yourself? I want to try this but have the grayish buckwheat flour and based on the forum that is not the right kind. Want to get this right cause totally need this in my vegan life!
I bought hulled buckwheat and milled it myself. I mill almost all of my own grains. So no brand :).
Ok thanks. So let me ask specifically, what brand of hulled buckwheat do you buy?
It changes. I buy in 25 # bulk bags depending on what my supplier has. I had a co op out of my house for many years.
Do you need to soak them?
It’s always best to soak grains but it’s up to you. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/soaking-grains-the-why-and-the-how/
I was curious and a little concerned to try this recipe since the reviews vary so wildly.
This is what happened to me: I used Bobs Red Mill Buckwheat. This is the original kind of buckwheat that looks greyish in the bag and when mixed with water looks dark brown/grey because the buckwheat flour still has the buckwheat hulls mixed into the flour. I’m thinking that your buckwheat must be the more highly processed variety that has the hulls removed hence the much lighter color. I think this flour version might also have something to do with the inconsistency in experience of this recipe. I followed the directions explicitly except I added 1/4 tsp baking soda to make it a little more fluffy since I used subbed egg for a flax seed egg. I let the mixture sit for over an hour. I used a large, non-stick ceramic pan (on medium-high) and poured the thinnest layer of batter I could over the bottom. It stuck to the pan and crumbled terribly when I tried to flip it. For the second one I sprayed the pan first with Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil spray and the rest of the pancakes didn’t stick.
Final thoughts: These are OK and would make a good base for a flat savory dish to go on top of a la Ethiopian injera. However, mine do not wrap or roll. When I try to do this they actually still crumble. I’m not sure if this is due to the type of buckwheat or not. I’d love suggestions. If I could use this as a wrap I would make it again. I ate one as a pancake with maple syrup and it was not as exciting as other allergy friendly pancakes I have made in the past. Any suggestions on what to do to prevent the crumbling issue or any additional insights into the buckwheat sourcing would be nice to hear.
Hi there. Thanks for the thorough comment! I haven’t used the grey / brown buckwheat in this recipe and in fact, just bought some this past month, I think for the first time. Perhaps the extra fiber in the kind you used caused the issues? I checked out your site, btw – nice products!
Thanks! 🙂 If you try this recipe with the brown buckwheat I would love to hear your thoughts on this recipe with that specific form of the ingredient. And would love to hear of any other recipes that work well with the brown buckwheat since I have a whole bag of it. Thanks again Adrienne!
I am reading that it seems you can use it interchangeably with the hulled buckwheat but I guess that wasn’t your experience. In any case, how about this granola recipe? https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/gluten-free-granola-buckwheat-cereal-buckwheat-granola/
I use buckwheat groat flour (yes it is hulled). Wonderful flavor!!
I made this recipe with Bob’s Buckwheat and had wonderful results. My husband thought they were as good as the buckwheat galettes at our favorite Ft. Collins, French restaurant. This time I’m buying my buckwheat at the local bulk store. Will keep all your comments in mind. Thanks!