In this post, I am going to show you how to make French chocolate crepes, served with chocolate sauce and strawberry coulis, perfect for Valentine’s day or any other day. If this romantic breakfast doesn’t fill your significant other with joy, I don’t know what will.
I love these chocolate crepes because it doesn’t take much to make them taste amazing. And I will go over all the wonderful ingredients to serve with these crepes, but first, let’s have a look at how to make them.
How to make chocolate crepes
Making the batter couldn’t be more simple, you just whisk the milk, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, salt, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until you achieve a smooth batter.
I would just like to mention that crepes are much easier to make when you have a pan that is non-stick since crepes are very thin and delicate.
So pre-heat your pan over low flame, and then add just enough oil to lightly coat the surface of the pan. I like to use something like vegetable oil instead of butter because the butter will burn eventually, whereas a light oil will have a higher smoke point.
Once the oil has heated up a bit, use a ladle to spoon in your batter, I like to add just enough so that the surface area of the pan is lightly coated with the batter. Swirl the pan around a bit if need be.
Now as you cook the crepes, I like to make sure that the crepe cooks all the way through before flipping (it doesn’t take long because the crepes are thin). Remember, these are crepes, not pancakes, they are delicate. A half-cooked crepe can easily fall apart when flipping.
You’ll know they are cooked all the way through when the top of the crepe doesn’t have any remaining uncooked batter. Once the crepe is ready to flip, you can shake the pan around a bit and gently lift the edges to ensure there is no part of the crepe sticking to the pan.
From there use a spatula to gently flip the crepe.
I like to use a silicone style spatula, they do the best job at flipping the crepe with ease.
Once the pancake is flipped, continue cooking the other side until lightly coloured. Then transfer to a board or plate.
And that is how you make a good chocolate crepe.
What to serve with these crepes
The beauty of crepes is that they work with so many other ingredients. And there are a number of classics that we all know and love. So let’s go over a list of what would be fantastic with chocolate crepes.
Strawberries – We all know that chocolate and strawberries are a classic combination. I am making a strawberry coulis in this particular recipe, but you can just serve fresh strawberries if you like.
Chocolate Sauce – Couldn’t be easier, the same quantities of scaled cream (scald meaning to heat until just below boiling point) and chocolate along with some cocoa powder whisked together until the ingredients are well combined and the chocolate is fully melted. What better sauce to serve with chocolate crepes?
Honey – A fantastic addition to both crepes and pancakes. And it’s something almost everyone has in their pantry.
Maple Syrup – The ultimate classic, I don’t think there is any situation where you can go wrong with maple syrup with pancakes and crepes.
A dusting of Icing Sugar – Very simple, but also very effective. A little goes a long way.
Cream Cheese Filling – Beat 2 parts cream cheese with 1 part icing sugar until smooth and well combined. Then, spoon some of the filling on your crepe and roll the crepe.
Mascarpone Filling – Same rule as the cream cheese, beat 2 parts mascarpone with 1 part icing sugar. Add some on a crepe and then roll the crepe.
Are these crepes sweet?
As I said earlier, it doesn’t take much to expand on crepes.
The crepes have a very small amount of sugar in them, but overall they are not sweet and I personally do not think they need to be. Whether or not the crepe recipe is a savoury dish or a dessert should depend on the other elements that are served with the crepe.
How long do crepes keep?
If you stack the crepes on a plate, putting a sheet of kitchen paper in between each crepe. Then cover the crepes with cling film. The crepes can last in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
So you can make these crepes ahead of time if you wish, but just keep in mind that crepes are always best when served fresh.
Other Crepe and pancake recipes
Spinach and Ricotta Rolled Savoury Crepes
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Romantic Chocolate Crepes
Ingredients
Chocolate Crepes:
- 235 ml of milk
- 4 large eggs
- 100 g flour
- 15 g of cocoa powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil
Chocolate Sauce:
- 100 g of dark chocolate
- 100 ml of cream
- ¾ tablespoon of cocoa powder
Thick Strawberry Coulis:
- 250 g of fresh strawberries (leaves removed)
- 150 g of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cornflour
Garnishes: (optional)
- A handful of extra fresh strawberries
- Some sprigs of mint
Instructions
Chocolate Crepes:
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Whisk all of the ingredients except for the oil in a large bowl, until your batter is lump free and well combined.
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Pre-heat a medium sized non-stick over low flame, add just enough oil to lightly cover the surface area of the pan, then add a full ladle of batter to the pan.
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Swirl the pan around to get the batter to coat the surface of the pan. Allow the crepes to cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side making sure the crepe is fully cooked through before carefully flipping it with a spatula or an egg flipper.
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Lightly brown on the other side for another minute, then carefully transfer to a plate.
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Continue cooking the crepes until all of the batter is used up. Remember to all more oil if need be.
Chocolate Sauce:
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Put the cream in a small pot and scald it. Meaning, almost bring it to a boil, but turn the heat off just before boiling point.
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From there, add your chocolate and your cocoa powder, and whisk through until you have a smooth chocolate sauce. Set aside and gently re-heat when ready to serve.
Thick Strawberry Coulis:
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Blend the strawberries in a blender or nutribullet until you have a smooth puree.
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Transfer the puree to a pot, add your sugar and your cornflour. Bring the coulis to a boil, and once the coulis is boiling, turn the heat down and simmer the coulis for about 10 minutes until nice and thick.
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Transfer the coulis to a bowl, store in the fridge and then wait for it to cool.
Assembly:
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Roll, fold or serve your crepes on a serving plate however you wish, then re-heat the chocolate sauce and drizzle over the crepes.
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Next, spoon or pipe your cooled and thickened coulis on the plate. Finally, garnish the dessert with some fresh strawberries and a sprig of mint if you wish.
Recipe Notes
- A non-stick pan will make the process of cooking the crepes much easier.
- Use something like vegetable oil instead of butter to cook the crepes. The butter will burn easily.
- Make sure the crepe is cooked all the way through before you flip it. There should be no raw batter on top of the crepe before flipping.
- I like to use a silicone style spatula because it does the best job at flipping the crepes in a delicate manner.
- Shake the pan before flipping the crepes to make sure the crepe hasn't stuck to the pan in any areas.
- These crepes pair beautifully with strawberries, chocolate sauce, honey, maple syrup, a dusting of icing sugar, sweet cream cheese filling and sweet mascarpone filling.
- If you want to make these crepes in advance or have any leftover, then you can stack them, leaving a piece of kitchen paper between each crepe, then you can cover them in the cling film. They should last in the fridge for about 4 days.
What a fabulous dessert! I love crepes, but have only changed the toppings, never the actual crepe recipe. But why not?! And who doesn’t love chocolate?! Thanks for a great idea.
Thank you so much, yes no need to change the recipe. This recipe simply replaces 15g of the flour with cocoa powder but that’s it. Hope you’re doing well and staying safe!!