Gluten-Free Crepes with Chestnut Flour (Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free)

Do you want some gluten-free crepes that are even more delicious than regular crepes? Try these soft and delicate crepes made with chestnut flour, a recipe that requires just a few ingredients and a blender.

Chestnut flour is naturally sweet and gives these crepes an incredible nutty, earthy, and sweet flavor without any sweetener.

This recipe is also dairy-free and lectin-free, and you can even personalize it further with your choice of toppings or fillings.

What is chestnut flour?

Chestnut flour is a type of flour made from ground chestnuts, which are starchy nuts that grow inside prickly burrs on chestnut trees. The nuts are dried and milled into a fine powder to create chestnut flour.

This type of flour is naturally gluten-free and has a unique nutty and sweet flavor that makes it a popular alternative to regular flour in baking and cooking. Plus, when using chestnut flour, there is no need to add xantham gum, which some gluten-free recipes require.

Chestnut flour is also a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it a healthy and nutritious option. It’s commonly used in traditional recipes in areas where chestnuts are grown, such as Southern Europe and Asia, but has become more widely available in specialty stores and online in recent years.

Chestnut flour is one of my favorite lectin-free and gluten-free flours that I use in many of my recipes. There are a few reasons I love it: it has a ton of flavor, compared to other bland flours or a gluten-free flour blend, it’s naturally sweet, so I don’t need to add sweeteners, and it’s very nutritious.

You can find chestnut flour in specialty health stores, on Amazon, or other online vendors. In Europe is easy to find in stores, in gluten-free sections of supermarkets and health stores.

Using chestnut flour to make crepes is not new; Italians use it to make ‘necci’, also called Tuscan chestnut crepes.

Ingredients and tools to make chestnut flour crepes

To make the crepe batter, you will need a blender. Chestnut flour tends to make clumps; that’s why it is better to use a blender when making the batter.

• 2 pastured eggs
• 1 cup hemp milk, almond milk, or tigernut milk (or a thin non-dairy milk of your choice)
• 1 cup chestnut flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence
• zest of one organic lemon
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or MCT oil (sometimes I even use extra virgin olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons sparkling water
• pinch of salt
• coconut oil for the pan
• For filling or topping: nut butter, fresh fruit in season or berries, homemade sugar-free jam, ground nuts, yacon syrup

How to make gluten-free crepes with chestnut flour

I used to have an older All-Clad non-stick crepes pan, but sometimes, when I visit my parents, I use a ceramic-coated crepes pan, like a Green Pan or even a regular ceramic-coated skillet. Now, I work with a Carbon Steel Crepe Pan.

The number of crepes you’ll make will depend on the size of the pan. In my 9-inch pan, I can make 10 crepes.

For a 9-inch pan, the quantity of batter per crepe is 1/4 cup. Adjust that to fit the size of the pan you are using.

• Add all the batter ingredients to a high-power blender and mix until smooth.
• Warm a crepes / non-stick pan on medium heat and add a tiny bit of coconut oil to the pan. The heat should be medium.
• Start cooking the crepes by adding about 1/4 cup of batter to the pan, making sure the batter covers the entire pan as quickly as possible. When the edges start to dry, use a spatula to loosen them. Cook for about 45 seconds on one side.
• When the edges are crispy, and the batter is completely settled on top, it’s time to flip the crepe using a spatula. You can first check if you got some golden brown spots on the other side. Cook for about 45 seconds more or until it forms golden brown blisters on the second side.
• Stack them on a plate; they will stay soft.
• Repeat with the remaining batter. After you finish the last crepe, place it in between the other crepes so it has a chance to soften up before you fill and serve them.
• Fill and serve with your favorite toppings. They are great warm or at room temperature.

If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly in film or store them in an airtight container on the counter for the day, if it’s not too hot in the house. They tend to dry and harden up in the fridge.

How to serve gluten-free crepes

There are so many delicious ways you can serve these gluten-free crepes. Here is a list of my favorite fillings and toppings:

• Nut butter: pistachio, hazelnut, walnut, macadamia, pecan butter, or whatever nut butter you like most
• Homemade sugar-free Nutella
• Fruits: I love fresh strawberries and blueberries, or you can warm up frozen berries and make a berry sauce
• Homemade sugar-free jam
• Syrup: I love Yacon syrup
• Chopped nuts for a little crunch

Of course, you can choose to eat these crepes in sweet or savory combinations. You can also top them with yogurt or whipped cream if you eat dairy. The sky is the limit.

I hope you love this gluten-free crepe recipe. Let us know in comments if you make it.

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