Galettes de sarrasin are a popular classic in France from Brittany. Thin buckwheat pancakes are naturally gluten free, inexpensive and easy to make at home. This authentic savoury recipe uses water, not milk and is served with the traditional fillings below, such as the 'complète'.
I love this recipe for galettes. We cannot buy them in Scotland so I have to make them. It’s a favourite for lunch filled with ham and cheese.
June

Difference Between Galettes de Sarrasin and Regular Crêpes Pancakes
Many people are often confused in France between a thin buckwheat pancake (galette de sarrasin) and a crêpe. They are not the same. Basically, galettes de sarrasin are savoury, while crêpes are sweet French pancakes.
The savoury galette is made with buckwheat flour (known as farine de sarrasin or blé noir in Brittany), while regular French pancakes or crêpes are made using normal wheat flour (T45).
As a result, even their flavour is different. Buckwheat also lends its particular curious toasted taste to it, which lends better to savoury. So the galette sarrasin fillings are salty while crêpes have sweet toppings - try these chocolate crêpes!
The only element they both have in common is that both pancakes are ultra thin.
Note on galettes: la galette de sarrasin is not to be confused with the puff pastry galette des rois (French kings cake) served in France around Epiphany. Both are unrelated.
Are Galettes de Sarrasin from Brittany or Normandy?
It's controversial in France. Ask a Breton and buckwheat pancakes are from Brittany, served with cider from Brittany; ask a Normand and they are from Normandy, served with Normandy cidre!
Incidentally, see my crêperie suggestions in my article, 10 Reasons to Visit Honfleur, Normandy.
Differences in French Buckwheat and Plain Flour Galettes in Brittany
Buckwheat galettes, however, are considered a speciality from Brittany. They have 2 recipe variations based around the flour used.
- In Haute-Bretagne, known as the pays de Breizh in the north, their galettes are traditionally made of 100% buckwheat (sarrasin). French buckwheat pancakes are also known as "crêpe de blé noir". Literally 'black flour', it is indeed dark so don't be put off by its colour. The taste is typical. Although wheat or blé in it's name, it's nothing to do with wheat flour, as it's gluten free.
- Further south, in Basse-Bretagne, they are made with a mixture of mainly buckwheat and up to 30% of white wheat flour (farine de froment or farine de blé).
Are Buckwheat Pancakes Good for You?
Buckwheat flour is particularly healthy as it contains more dietary fibre than regular white flour. According to my Larousse Gastronomique, buckwheat is also rich in minerals and vitamin B and less calorific than regular wheat. Considered a superfood by many, it's low to medium on the glycemic index (GI) for those with diabetes.
As it's also grain free, it's added to the growing list of gluten free recipes. All this is just the galettes de sarrasin on their own. Of course, it all depends what you put on them!
Thin Buckwheat Pancakes
I normally add an egg to the buckwheat batter just to give the pancakes that extra light fluffiness. However, it's not essential. To make this recipe vegan, just omit the egg for the buckwheat pancake batter.
What's more, making these vegan without the egg in the batter doesn't mean they can't be light. Just adapt the fillings to your favourite vegan savoury choice.
TIP: To make the pancakes extra light, add a little sparkling water to the batter.
Are They the Same as Thin Pancakes Served with Caviar?
In Russia, the thin, small crêpes or pancakes traditionally served with caviar are not the same as Galettes de Sarrasin. Called Blini, they are much smaller, thicker and instead made with plain wheat flour, baking powder, milk and butter.
How to Make Savoury Buckwheat Pancakes
Galettes de sarrasin are so cheap to make at home.
Just plan to make the batter in advance as it needs to rest for at least 2 hours or overnight before preparing them. For precise measurements, see the recipe card below.
If you prefer galettes not as dark and strong in flavour, then replace 30% of the buckwheat flour (350g/12oz/3 cups) with plain wheat flour (150g/5oz/1.25 cups). This will not be gluten free.
Place the buckwheat flour in a large bowl. Whisk in the fresh organic egg (or sparkling water if you prefer), the salt (ideally from Brittany's Guérande) and gradually add the water until well blended and smooth.
Leave the batter covered for at least 2 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge). If in the fridge, bring the batter up to room temperature when ready to cook. Whisk in the rest of the water.
Add a knob of salted butter to a very hot crêpe pan (this will ensure the first pancake will be good too).
Using about half a ladle of the batter, work quickly by swirling the batter evenly around the surface of the pan.
Cook for a couple of minutes on medium heat then flip the pancake over for another minute, brushing with a little butter.
Stack the galettes on a plate and when finished, place an inverted plate on top to keep them moist. When ready to serve, prepare the classic fillings to your taste below.
How to Make a 'Complète' Galette de Sarrasin
To make a classic French Complète is simple. It's a savoury buckwheat pancake with ham, cheese and egg:
- Place the galette in the hot crêpe pan, crack an egg into the middle, spreading around the white to cover most of the surface.
- Break up ham into bits and place with grated cheese around the egg yolk.
- Fold over 4 times like an envelope into a square to meet the egg yolk in the middle without touching (don't pierce the egg yolk!)
- Add a little extra butter on top of the pancake and serve.
A Note on Eggs in France
As you can see from the photos, when eggs are served on a galette, they are always sunny side up (oeuf miroir). Although cooked well underneath, they do still look a little raw.
While this isn't a problem for us in France as our organic eggs are so fresh and good quality, I appreciate that some American friends reading this may be worried about serving eggs not completely cooked through.
If you prefer to cook your eggs on both sides, then flip the galette over (carefully so as not to pierce the yolk!) with the egg in the middle only for up to a minute. This will lightly cook the egg and the yolk will still be runny. Although please remember that this isn't the norm in crêperies here in France as it's not something you should be worried about.
Classic Fillings and How to Serve Buckwheat Pancakes
In typical crêperies around France, the following classic fillings for buckwheat galettes are on every menu. Ask for 'une complète', and everyone will understand what you're asking for. The rest are normally specialities of the house - mainly around cheese, including a variation of a warm goat's cheese salad.
The simplest on the menu is "beurre": a plain, thin buckwheat pancake with melted salted butter. Worth a taste indeed! When that comes, you can be rest assured it's only with the best butter, such as Bordier.
Galettes are normally served with a simple green salad and fresh herbs (I like to add some toasted walnuts) and une bolée (bowl) of dry cidre (between 2-8% alcohol). For more on Cidre, see the market page on apples.
- Beurre - the simplest served topped with melted salted butter.
- Complète - ham, cheese and egg (jambon blanc, fromage, oeuf).
- Complète oignons - as above but also with onions, typically sweet rosé Roscoff - speciality of Brittany.
- Florentine - spinach, cheese and egg.
- Forestière - mushrooms, cheese and egg (sometimes also with ham).
Love savoury pancakes like these? Then try cottage cheese pancakes with pumpkin.
Buckwheat Pancakes (Galettes de sarrasin)
Equipment
- crêpe pan
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.5oz/ 4 cups) buckwheat flour (farine de sarrasin) See NOTES
- 1 litre (34 floz/4.2 cups) water
- 1 egg organic/free-range (see NOTES)
- 10 g (2 tsp) sea salt fleur de sel (Maldon, Celtic)
- 30 g (1oz/ 2 tbsp) salted butter
Instructions
- In a large bowl, make a well in the buckwheat flour. Whisk in the fresh egg, the salt and gradually add the water until well blended and smooth.Leave the batter to rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
- When the batter is ready at room temperature, mix well and heat the pan.
- Melt a little of the butter in a hot crêpe pan. Use about half a ladle of batter for each galette, quickly moving the pan to ensure a very thin layer coats all the surface. Leave on medium-high heat for about a couple of minutes then turn over for a minute.Top with a little butter until melted then brush it over evenly. Place on a plate covered with another upturned plate to keep warm and soft until ready to serve with your preferred toppings.
Notes
This post has been updated, to correct my error in water quantities and equivalents in cups. This also includes 30% of plain flour instead of only 20% as an option. My sincere apologies, as I copied down my notes incorrectly.
AliceK
I had some problems making the crêpes thin and flexible. I added at least another cup of water, and then added wheat flour also, to prevent the crêpes from breaking when folded. Mine also were very much darker than yours, almost black. Did I have a different kind of buckwheat flour? The taste was very good, reminding me of our visit to France! I think I may need more practice, and possibly a different flour.
Jill Colonna
Hi Alice,
Thank you so much for alerting me to this problem. I re-checked my handwritten recipe notes, spattered in batter I've used for years. My sincere apologies, as I completely copied it down incorrectly. Sometimes I have an awful problem giving equivalents in ounces and US cups, as we only work in grams here. Effectively, I use more water! I have now adjusted the quantities so hope this helps. As for the colour, they will be very dark but perhaps also it depends on the kind used. As a matter of interest, do you use grams, ounces or cups? I'm so glad they remind you of a taste of France, as buckwheat is used so often here and there's nothing quite like it. I have, however, adjusted the recipe's alternative using 30% plain flour instead of only 20%. I hope this also helps better.
Annie C
So pleased to have this recipe as I really enjoyed the galettes while in Normandy and Brittany. I'm looking forward to making them as I really want a savory pancake and I am intolerant of all types of wheat.
Jill Colonna
Happy to hear this, Annie. I do hope they remind you of your galettes in Brittany and Normandy! Let me know how you like them x
Mary Rose
Thank you so much for this recipe, it looks amazing! Might I ask what kind of pan you have pictured there? I'm looking for a good pan to use for making this type of crepe.
Jill Colonna
Hello Mary Rose - it's just a regular non-stick crêpe pan I picked up at our local market. Nothing fancy. I see there are many of them even on Amazon which would do the job well and they're all reasonably priced.
June S
I love the recipe for galettes. We cannot buy them in Scotland so I have to make them. It’s a favourite for lunch filled with ham and cheese.
Jill Colonna
That's why I finally put up our recipe, as it's not easy to find outside of France. So happy you like the recipe!
Eloise Dias
Thanks so much for this recipe! I will have to try it soon as I am gluten-free and love using buckwheat. It's so nutritious.
Jill Colonna
It's a pleasure - please do let me know how you like them, Eloise.
June S
I love the galettes you make when we come to France. The supermarket version - not so much. They are a delightful lunchtime snack since we cannot buy them here and I have yet to see them on a restaurant menu.
Jill Colonna
Thanks so much, Mum. It's so easy and cheaper than the supermarket too. All the more reason to rekindle the memory of France to bring it to your kitchen x