Ella and I just got back from an amazing trip to Paris, and while on our Montmarte Secret Food Tour I sampled my first Crêpes Suzette… and got buzzed after just the first bite! This is a fun, boozy crepe recipe perfect for a fancy dessert or indulgent brunch.
Crêpes Suzette Recipe
Long time readers know that I am a little obsessed with the Father of French Cuisine, Auguste Escoffier. (My favorite special occasion meal is my take on his lobster thermidor.)
So, when I learned that Crêpes Suzette was another one of his inventions, I had to try my hand at it.
What is a crêpes suzette? Crêpes Suzette is a French dessert of crêpes with a sauce made of caramelized butter, sugar and orange juice – called a beurre Suzette, and spiked with triple sec – traditionally, Grand Marnier.
Now, when Crêpes Suzette is served in a restaurant there is often a bit of theatre to it. We’re taking flambé – which isn’t something every home chef wants to experiment with, so for today’s recipe I am going to give you my simplified take on Escoffier’s original recipe. While I stuck to his preparation for the crepes, I modified the sauce to work without flambé.
(If you want to flambé, tilt the pan to the flame on gas – or take a long-necked kitchen lighter to the pan if using electric. Be prepared to extinguish the flame with the lid or by taking the pan off the heat.)
For tips on freezing crepes and how long crepe batter can be kept in the fridge, check out our Cinnamon Sugar Crepes recipe which answers these questions in depth.
For the Grand Marnier sauce, it can be kept in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Check out more of our favorite crepe recipes:
- Red Velvet Crepes
- Snickerdoodle Crepes
- Chocolate Crepes
- Cinnamon Sugar Crepes
- Gluten-free Nutella Crepes from The Soccer Mom Blog
- Buckwheat Crepes from King Arthur Flour
PS – I often order my liquor from Drizly because they have a quick delivery time (sometimes within 40 minutes) and no expensive mark-ups. Purchasing from them supports local retailers, too. They have a great variety of Triple Secs which you can check out here.
Check out our quick video to see how to make Crepes Suzette with Grand Marnier Sauce (with or without flambéing) – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:
Crepes Suzette Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Powdered Icing sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Eggs
- Milk
- Grand Marnier <– can use another triple sec or orange curacao OR water
- Vanilla extract, optional
- Butter, for cooking
For the Grand Marnier sauce:
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered Icing Sugar
- Zest and juice of 2 oranges
- Grand Marnier
- Orange zest, to garnish
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: If you want to flambé, tilt the pan to the flame on gas – or take a long-necked kitchen lighter to the pan if using electric. Be prepared to extinguish the flame with the lid or by taking the pan off the heat.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Nonstick Crepe Pan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
- Blender
How to Make Crepes Suzette
Combine salt, eggs, milk and liquor (or water) in a blender and pulse until foamy, about 30 seconds.
Add flour and sugar and pulse until smooth.
Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to prepare your crepes, heat 1 Tablespoon of butter in a crepe pan or other shallow frying pan. Ensure that the butter has coated the entire surface of the pan before adding 1/4 cup of crepe batter and swirling to cover the surface of the pan.
Cook crepes one minute, flip carefully, and then cook other side for half a minute. (The edges will start to crisp and turn up slightly, but the surface won’t get as bubbly as pancakes.)
Repeat this process with remaining batter.
For the beurre Suzette sauce:
Place a frying pan over low heat and add the butter and sugar.
Stir occasionally, until sugar begins to dissolve. Increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to bubble and caramelize. Add the orange juice and zest, allowing the mixture to thicken, and then add the Grand Marnier.
If you want to flambé, tilt the pan to the flame on gas – or take a long-necked kitchen lighter to the pan if using electric. Be prepared to extinguish the flame with the lid or by taking the pan off the heat.
Remove sauce from heat and pour over the crepes (or add the crepes to the pan).
Pin this Crepes Suzette recipe:
Grab your free printable recipe card for our Grand Marnier crepes recipe:
Yield: 8 crepes
A delicious and straight-forward take on a French classic, this Crepes Suzette recipe is a boozy and fun dessert for grown-ups - also perfect for brunch!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 5 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter, for cooking
For the Grand Marnier sauce:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup powdered icing sugar
- Zest and juice of 2 oranges
- 4 tbsp Grand Marnier
- Orange zest, to garnish
Instructions
- Combine eggs, milk, water, salt, vanilla, and 3 Tablespoons melted butter in a blender and pulse until foamy, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour and sugar and pulse until smooth.
- Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to prepare your crepes, heat 1 Tablespoon of butter in a crepe pan or other shallow frying pan. Ensure that the butter has coated the entire surface of the pan before adding 1/4 cup of crepe batter and swirling to cover the surface of the pan.
- Cook crepes one minute, flip carefully, and then cook other side for half a minute. (The edges will start to crisp and turn up slightly, but the surface won't get as bubbly as pancakes.)
- Repeat this process with remaining batter.
For the beurre Suzette sauce:
- Place a frying pan over low heat and add the butter and sugar.
- Stir occasionally, until sugar begins to dissolve. Increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to bubble and caramelize. Add the orange juice and zest, allowing the mixture to thicken, and then add the Grand Marnier.
- If you want to flambe, tilt the pan to the flame on gas - or take a long-necked kitchen lighter to the pan if using electric. Be prepared to extinguish the flame with the lid or by taking the pan off the heat.
- Remove sauce from heat and pour over the crepes (or add the crepes to the pan).
Notes
Note: you can replace the 1/4 cup of water in the crepe recipe for 1/4 cup of grand marnier to make the flavor more apparent.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 403Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 121mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 9g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
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These Crepes Suzette are a French classic and a fun addition to your brunch menu.
For more breakfast ideas, check out our full breakfast recipe collection here:
For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:
