I started making gluten free crepes as a flatbread alternative, and I’m crazy for them. I could have dosa or chilla like crepes a different way with different flour, every day. Dosa or chilla, by the way are type of crepes from the Indian subcontinent. They are really easy to make. Easier than Roti (north Indian flatbread) and French crepe because you don’t have to puff up or swirl the pan.
A couple of summers back I posted sorghum crepes that have become quite popular, and I felt like it was time for another crepe recipe as simple as that one is. Enter: Buckwheat Zucchini Crepes.
Update August 28, 2022
Hope you enjoy watching my video for this recipe I published it today on YouTube.
The batter for these crepes is really simple. I used a combination of buckwheat flour, zucchini and water. I chose to add zucchini because it’s quite profuse at the markets and I wanted to make the crepes more substantial, healthy and extra delicious. Gluten free, dairy free, oil free, egg free and free of the top 8 food allergens, this recipe is a total win-win, if I say so myself. I have already made them twice, once for breakfast and another for dinner since I photographed these. These crepes are in fact out of the world delicious. And different.
I keep buckwheat groats as a pantry item at all times because I grind my own flour using Vitamix. You can grind buckwheat groats in coffee grinder, too. If you don’t want to get into home milling of your own flour you can buy this from any specialty stores and some supermarkets as well. There are two forms of buckwheat flour, light, and dark. The light one is made with hulled buckwheat; the darker flour is made from unhulled and has dark flecks from the hull. The difference also comes from how coarse or fine the grind is. The light buckwheat flour is light colored and smooth in texture. Dark flour is more fiber rich, has a very intense flavor and have to be used with other flours for a balanced result. The light color buckwheat flour has milder aroma and can be used as a stand alone flour.
To start off, mix the buckwheat flour and grated zucchini with chia seeds and some seasoning. Pour the thick batter in the center of the preheated pan and then spread in a thin circle with a scraper. It’s just as simple as that. If you do not have chia seeds you can skip but adding them gives you a boost of protein, fiber, omega 3 fatty acids. This recipe results in a perfectly soft texture crepes that will hold up to any fillings.
We loved the filing of kale and egg sabzi, but feel free to stuff with any stir fried vegetables you might have. These crepes stack very well without sticking and also refrigerate for up to 2 days. I have not frozen them yet, but I’m sure that if you place a piece of waxed paper between each of these, they’ll be good.
If you like this recipe I would love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. I am on facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and twitter.
Thanks!
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated zucchini or any type of gourd ( no need to squeeze water)
- 2 cups light buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp chia seeds (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- Mix buckwheat flour, chia seeds, zucchini, ginger and turmeric powder.
- Then slowly add in 2 1/4 cup water. Mix it really well. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Give the batter a gentle stir. If it seems too thick, simply thin with a bit more water to a pancake batter texture.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Place an 8 or 9-in. non-stick pan over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles and jumps across the surface, it is ready. Turn the heat down just a tiny bit. You don't need to grease at all.
- Put one ladle full of batter in the center of pan. With a handy scraper(ladle won't work) , gently spread batter in pan as thin as possible.
- Cook the crepe until it is almost dry on the surface and golden on the underside, about 1 minute.
- Now, gently work thin spatula under the edge of the crepe to flip and cook the other side until some golden brown marks appear.
- Invert the crepe on to a wide plate.
- Cook the rest of the batter into crepes, stack them on a plate as you go along. After 2-3 crepes, wipe the pan out with damp paper towel.
- If serving crepes right away for breakfast or brunch, heat the stack of crepes in the microwave a few seconds to ensure they are nice and hot, and then divide among plates. Fill the crepes with kale and eggs sabzi or any other savory filling.
I am bringing these crepes to cookblogshare @EasyPeasyFoodie.
Blackswan
Zucchini seems to be a popular ingredient of late. Lovely recipe! xoxo
Angie@Angie's Recipes
A fantastic savoury crepe recipe! I really love the add of zucchini here..very healthy and delicious.
Monika Dabrowski
Looks awesome, I love savoury breakfast ideas! I am also posting a recipe using buckwheat flour later on today. Liked your new Facebook page:)
Laura Dwight
Loved this recipe. My crepes weren’t as lovely as yours, but they worked well with the spicy chickpeas filling I made. Thanks!
Balvinder
Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you liked it. Spicy chickpea filling sounds great. next time you make do share the picture with me.
Laura Dwight
By the way, I didn’t have ground chia seed so I used ground psyllium and it worked well.
Balvinder
That’s great to know, Laura.
Some of my my foodie friends on Google+ are going to try this recipe I can let them know that they can also use psyllium.
By the way, I ground my own chia seeds in a coffee grinder.
Harvinder
Awesome… I actually just soaked quinoa and some lentils to make dosas tomorrow for lunch… will add some zucchini too… drop by if you wannna try them 😘😘
Cat | Curly's Cooking
What a great idea, these look delicious!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
These do sound out of the world delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
Mayuri Patel
I’m a huge fan all sorts of crepes or chilas. Buckwheat and zucchini ones are so healthy and what a brilliant idea to serve them stuffed. Makes a healthy light meal.
Loretta
Just wonderful – loving all the ingredients in your crepes…..buckwheat zucchini immediately drew me into your post. I can only imagine what they tasted like.