Water Spinach Crêpes with Coconut Cream Sauce Recipe

1 Savoury crepe intro pic

When I think of crêpes, I think of lazy weekends, Parisian jazz and, for some reason, Saturday morning cartoons! But what is a crêpe? A crêpe is really just a thin pancake! There are two types of crêpes — sweet and savoury. Since it’s pretty easy to make sweet breakfast or dessert crêpes (the Nutella and strawberry route can never do you wrong!), that being said, the most difficult part is not in the making of the stuffing, but in the making of the actual crêpe itself, and probably deciding how you’re going to choose to fold and envelope your stuffing. This is the perfect recipe for weekend brunches or a simple romantic dinner.

Traditional crêpes are normally made with very simple ingredients, like flour, milk, eggs and butter, that most people probably already have stocked up in their pantry. Getting the ratios of the ingredients just right and getting the hang of the swishing of the batter in the pan is what will make for a perfect, fluffy and delicate crêpe, that and a really good non stick pan! If the batter is too thick, you’ll just end up with an awkward bread-y pancake. Too thin and it will most likely tear or fall apart. But anyone can make crêpes, granted you’ll most likely mess up the first two (or three), but I promise after the first few practise crêpes, you’ll start wondering why you even felt intimidated in the first place.

I bet when you think of crêpes, you don’t exactly think “healthy eating”. Now you can, because this water spinach crêpe recipe is pretty healthy. The only unhealthy ingredients in this recipe are the dairy-free butter, which is made of a combination of vegetable oils, and the vegetable oils that the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes were stored in. But other than all that, the rest of the ingredients make this a really nutrient-dense meal!

The nutrient-dense stars of this recipe are definitely the water spinach, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.

2 water spinach info pic

Water spinach nutrients

Vitamin A & Vitamin C – both essential for radiant, glowing skin

Lutein – essential for vision health

Carotenoids – a phytonutrient that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

Iron – important for proper brain function, hemoglobin production and muscle health

Artichoke Hearts nutrients

Inulin – the fiber found in artichokes stimulates the growth of healthy gut bacteria. This soluble fiber lowers cholesterol and helps with the balance of blood sugar

Vitamin K – an essential fat that helps maintain brain function and helps with PMS

Folate – also known as vitamin B9, reduces the risk of cancer by aiding DNA synthesis and repair

Potassium – an essential electrolyte that aids the functions of your nerves and muscles

Sun-dried tomatoes nutrients

Magnesium – reduces anxiety and calms nerves, while increasing energy

Phosphorus – helps to balance the body’s PH level

Copper – helps the absorption of iron, and the formation of collagen

3 crepe recipe pic

Water Spinach Crêpes with Coconut Cream Sauce

Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4

Ingredients

Crêpe recipe

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups non-dairy milk I chose cashew milk for its creaminess
  • 3 tsp egg replacer
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 tbsp dairy-free butter
  • 3 tbsp water to mix with the egg replacer powder

Stuffing Recipe

  • 350 g water spinach - roughly two bunches
  • 160 g artichoke hearts
  • 80 g sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 red onion

Cream Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp Sriracha
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Prepare the Crêpes

  1. Heat the butter on low heat until it’s completely melted and set aside for 5 minutes to cool down. Put 3 tsp of egg replacer powder in a bowl and add 3 tbsp of water and mix thoroughly.

  2. Add the flour, milk, egg replacer and butter and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the batter is completely smooth and creamy.

  3. Preheat pan on low medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

  4. Brush the pan lightly with coconut oil

  5. Pour about 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the centre of the pan, then immediately lift the pan and swirl the batter around the pan to form a nice, round circle.

  6. When the edges of your crêpe start to peel off the sides and curl a little, that is when you’ll want to flip your crepe.

  7. Repeat until you have the desired number of crêpes

Prepare the Stuffing

  1. Prep all the ingredients. Roughly chop the onion, water spinach, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts to bite-sized pieces.

  2. Heat pan and add coconut oil

  3. Stir fry: Sauté the onion until it’s translucent, and then add the water spinach. Cook further until the leaves are wilted. 

  4. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

Prepare Coconut Cream Sauce

  1. Add the coconut cream, sriracha, maple syrup and tahini into a blender

  2. Blend until completely smooth

Finally, assemble your crêpes and enjoy!

Crêpe recipe

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups non-dairy milk (I chose cashew milk for its creaminess)

3 tsp egg replacer

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp dairy-free butter

3 tbsp water (to mix with the egg replacer powder)

Stuffing Recipe

350g water spinach – roughly two bunches

160g artichoke hearts

80g sun-dried tomatoes

1 red onion

Cream Sauce

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp Sriracha

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp maple syrup

I like making my crêpes in advance. If you are making your crêpes the day before they’re going to be consumed, place baking sheets between each crepe and wrap them with cling film before placing them in the fridge — they’ll stay fresh for around three days. You can either heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds on each side, or refresh them by re-heating each crepe for a few minutes on both sides in a pan.

I personally prefer the pan option. When I make my crêpes just before preparing the stuffing, I keep a tea towel over my stack of crepes to keep them nice and warm.

To make a really good batter, it is recommended that you mix the batter in a blender the night before and keep the batter in the fridge to rest overnight. This helps the flour really marry the milk and butter. It develops the flavour further and helps create an even smoother consistency, as it allows time for all the air bubbles to rise up to the top, which makes for an extra soft and smooth crêpe. If you want to get really fancy, you can even take it a step further and pour your batter through a strainer to ensure that you get any lumps and clumps out of the mixture.

When making my crêpes, I didn’t leave my batter to rest overnight. I just let it rest for about 20 minutes before I started cooking the crepes and I think it works just fine! They still came out nice and tender, which is exactly what you want.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Step-by-Step Instructions

Crêpe Method

Step 1- BUTTER AND EGG REPLACER

Heat the butter on low heat until it’s completely melted and set aside for 5 minutes to cool down. While you’re waiting for the butter to cool, put 3 tsp of egg replacer powder in a bowl and add 3 tbsp of water and mix thoroughly.
crepe method step 1

Step 2 – MIX BATTER

In a blender or mixing bowl, add the flour, milk, egg replacer and butter and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the batter is completely smooth and creamy. If you are mixing the batter by hand, I recommend pouring the batter through a strainer to get rid of any clumps.
crepe method step 2

Step 3 – HEAT PAN

Preheat your pan on low medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Step 4 – OIL PAN

Brush the pan lightly with coconut oil (or a butter or oil of your choice). The more oil you put, the more of a light brown marbled/speckled pattern you’ll get. I think it’s pretty so I don’t skimp on the oil.

crepe method step 4

Step 5 – COOK CREPES

Pour about 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the centre of the pan, then immediately lift the pan and swirl the batter around the pan to form a nice, round circle. You’ll probably get the hang of it after the first two attempts, and you’ll be able to better decide how big or small you want your crêpes.

crepe method step 5

Step 6 – FLIP!

When the edges of your crêpe start to peel off the sides and curl a little, that is when you’ll want to flip your crepe. I like using a spatula to help lift the edges, then I’ll simply use my hands to pick it up and flip to the other side. Let it cook for a further 2 minutes. At this point, it’s important to remember that the pan is getting hotter and hotter. So I alternated between a low medium and medium heat.

Step 7 – COOK MORE CRÊPES!

Repeat from step four, and remember to have fun and not take it too seriously! They’re just crepes, and it’s what’s inside (the stuffing) that matters! This batter should yield about 12, 7 inch crêpes.

Stuffing Method

Step 1- PREP AND CHOP

Prep all the ingredients. Roughly chop the onion, water spinach, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts to bite-sized pieces.
stuffing method step 1

Step 2- HEAT PAN

Heat pan on medium high and add coconut oil (or a butter or oil of your choice).

Step 3- STIR FRY

Sauté the onion until it’s translucent, and then add the water spinach. Cook further until the leaves are wilted. If you want the stems to be on the softer side rather than still having a crunch, cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes.
stuffing method step 3

Step 4 – ADD THE ANTIPASTI

Add the chopped artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

Coconut cream sauce method

Step 1- MIX INGREDIENTS

Add the coconut cream, sriracha, maple syrup and tahini into a blender.

Step 2 – BLEND!

Blend until until completely smooth.

ASSEMBLE

Now you’re ready to start assembling your crêpes! There are a few ways you can assemble your crêpe: you can fold them into little triangles, completely envelope them or simply roll them up like egg rolls. It’s up to you. You can’t really go wrong from here!
Assembly pic 1

This would be a perfect meal to make for a special occasion, or a fun activity to do on a girls night in, or a Saturday night with your partner with a glass of wine and good music for a simple date night.

Assembly last pic

To make this meal even more indulgent, you can top it off with a sprinkling of grated dairy-free cheese or nutritional yeast. This recipe is already pretty flavourful as it is, but you can definitely add more or less sriracha to the coconut sauce depending on how spicy you want it, and also adjust how much tahini you’d like; more for a thicker sauce or less for a thinner consistency. My favorite thing about this recipe is the contrast between the soft crepes and the slight crunch from the water spinach stems. But the thing that really makes this recipe is the tanginess and burst of flavour from the sun-dried tomatoes against the sweet and spicy coconut sauce. If you don’t like artichokes you can swap it out for mushrooms! Remember, even though this is a vegan recipe, you can totally use whole eggs and a rich butter in place of the plant-based ingredients.