Thai Banana and Chocolate Crêpes Inspired by Street Food Recipe
At Thai night markets, crispy crêpes with banana, egg and condensed milk are absolute stars. This homemade version is simpler: thin crêpes, banana and a bit of chocolate. It’s a perfect dessert or sweet dinner that will transport you straight to the streets of Bangkok.
Banana roti is one of the most popular desserts on Thai night markets – it’s fried on large metal griddles and served in paper trays, often drizzled with condensed milk and chocolate.
This dessert uses classic European thin crêpes in place of Thai roti dough, so there’s no need to knead an elastic, oily dough. A quick second fry after folding gives them a true street‑food feel, while very ripe bananas let you cut back on added sugar. It’s a great way to use up heavily speckled bananas in just a few minutes.
Why this version works
- A thin, loose batter produces ultra‑thin, flexible crêpes that can be folded like roti without cracking.
- A second, short dry fry adds crisp edges and a caramelised, street‑food cart flavour.
- Thinly sliced banana heats evenly and turns into a cream, instead of staying in firm chunks.
- Plain flour and regular milk make the recipe repeatable in any kitchen, with no special ingredients.
Chef's tips
Pay attention to the first crêpe – it’s your test for batter thickness and pan temperature; if it sticks, add a touch more oil and thin the batter slightly. The most common issue is stiff, cracking crêpes: they’re usually too thick or fried too long, so take them off the heat as soon as the surface is no longer wet. During the second fry, listen for the rustle of the edges under the spatula – when they gently “crackle” and are pale golden, the crêpe is ready.
How to serve
Serve immediately with powdered sugar, thick yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to balance the hot, sweet filling with something cool. For a weekend breakfast, put a platter in the middle of the table and let everyone choose their own topping: condensed milk, honey, maple syrup or caramel sauce. For a party, cut the crêpes into small squares and spear them with cocktail sticks as warm finger food.
Watch out for
- Crêpes that are too thick will crack when folded; if they aren’t slightly translucent, pour in less batter.
- Don’t overload the filling – the banana should lie in a single layer, otherwise it will ooze out when you flip the crêpe.
- If the pan is too cool, the batter will soak up the fat and the crêpes will turn rubbery instead of light.
Substitutions
- Replace part of the milk with sparkling water for even lighter crêpes with more tiny bubbles.
- Instead of a bar of chocolate, use a thin layer of chocolate hazelnut spread, smoothing it over the hot crêpe.
- Swap the condensed milk for honey, maple syrup or date syrup if you prefer a less milky flavour.
Ingredients
- flour pszenna - 150 g
- milk - 250 ml
- egg - 1 piece
- oil roślinny - 2 tablespoons
- salt - 0.25 teaspoons
- ripe bananas - 3 pieces
- dark or milk chocolate - 60 g
- condensed milk skondensowane słodzone lub miód - 4 tablespoons
- sugar - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Put the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the egg, pour in the milk and 1 tablespoon of oil. Blend or whisk thoroughly until you get a smooth, distinctly thin batter without lumps. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly but still runs off the spoon in a thin stream.
- After resting, scoop up some batter with a spoon – it should pour smoothly, like thin cream. If it runs off slowly or falls in clumps, add 2–3 tablespoons of milk or water, blend briefly and check the consistency again.
- Heat a crêpe pan over medium heat and brush it with a very thin layer of oil – it should only have a light sheen. When a drop of batter sets almost immediately on contact with the surface, the temperature is right.
- Pour in a small ladle of batter and quickly tilt the pan to create an almost see‑through layer. Fry for 1–2 minutes, until the edges lift slightly and turn pale golden, and the surface is no longer wet but not yet browned.
- Flip the crêpe and fry for about 1 minute, until you see a few golden spots. Slide onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the pan very lightly if needed; you should get about 8 thin crêpes that bend without tearing.
- Just before filling, peel the bananas and slice them thinly so they don’t brown and warm through easily. Finely chop the chocolate with a knife – the pieces should be about the size of peas so they melt quickly.
- Place a single layer of banana slices in the centre of each crêpe and sprinkle with 1–2 tablespoons of chopped chocolate, leaving about a 2 cm border. Fold into an envelope or tight roll, pressing gently until you feel the banana and chocolate start to shift slightly under your fingers.
- Heat a dry pan over medium heat. Place the folded crêpes seam‑side down and fry for 30–40 seconds on each side, until the edges are lightly crisp and pale golden and the centre is very soft and slightly “puffed” from the hot filling.
- Before serving, drizzle the tops with thin streams of condensed milk, honey or maple syrup. Serve immediately – when you cut into them, the chocolate should ooze out and the banana slices should be hot and buttery‑soft, with no firm centre.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I love frying these late in the evening when I’m left with two or three very speckled bananas – they’re so sweet at that point that even the kids don’t ask for extra sugar.
