Crêpes Suzette – crepes in orange sauce Recipe
Crêpes Suzette are thin French crepes served in a buttery orange sauce, often with a splash of liqueur. In restaurants they are sometimes flambéed at the table, but at home you can easily skip the flames and focus on the flavor. It’s an elegant dessert that makes an impression, yet is essentially based on a simple crepe batter.
This classic French dessert combines delicate, thin crepes with a fragrant buttery orange sauce, creating a restaurant-style dish that is surprisingly simple to prepare at home.
Chef's tips
Use unwaxed oranges so you can safely use the zest, and don’t rush the sauce—letting the sugar and butter cook until lightly caramelized gives the dessert a deeper, more complex flavor.
How to serve
Serve the crepes straight from the pan on warm plates, with extra orange zest or thin orange slices on top. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of lightly whipped cream also works beautifully alongside.
Ingredients
- wheat flour - 120 g
- milk - 250 ml
- water can be sparkling - 50 ml
- egg - 2 piece
- butter 20 g for the batter, the rest for the sauce - 70 g
- sugar 30 g for the sauce, the rest for the batter - 60 g
- orange unwaxed, you need the zest and juice - 2 piece
- orange liqueur e.g. Cointreau, optional - 40 ml
- salt - 1 pinch
- vegetable oil for frying the crepes - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- In a bowl, mix the flour, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add the eggs and part of the milk, whisking until you get a smooth, lump-free paste.
- Gradually pour in the remaining milk and the water, stirring all the time, until the batter is thin, suitable for delicate crepes. Add 20 g of melted and cooled butter and mix. Set the batter aside for 10–15 minutes.
- Heat a thin crepe pan and lightly grease it with oil. Pour in a thin layer of batter, tilting the pan to spread it evenly. Fry the crepes for 1–2 minutes on each side, until lightly golden. You should get about 8 thin crepes.
- Finely grate the zest from one orange (only the orange part), then squeeze the juice from both oranges.
- In a large pan, melt 50 g of butter with 30 g of sugar over medium heat. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble gently and turn light brown.
- Add the orange juice and zest, and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. If using liqueur, pour it in at this stage and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
- Fold each crepe into quarters (first in half, then in half again) and place them in the pan with the sauce so they are partially submerged.
- Heat the crepes in the sauce for 2–3 minutes, gently spooning the sauce over the top until they are well soaked and hot.
- Serve immediately, 2 crepes per portion, generously drizzled with the orange sauce from the pan.
Storage
Naleśniki bez sosu możesz zamrozić w stosiku, przekładając papierem do pieczenia. Gotowe crêpes suzette przechowuj w lodówce do 2 dni i delikatnie podgrzej na patelni z odrobiną wody lub soku.
Crêpes Suzette are perfect when you want a dessert that feels luxurious but doesn’t require complicated techniques. Once you master a good crepe batter, the rest is all about the aroma of fresh oranges and good butter.
