Buckwheat crepes (galettes de sarrasin) are the savoury pancakes you'll find on every crêperie menu in France before dessert. Made with 100% buckwheat flour and water, they're naturally gluten free, inexpensive and surprisingly simple to make at home.
Served plain with salted butter or with classic buckwheat galette fillings such as 'la complète' (cheese, ham and egg), they're France's version of healthy fast food.
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
What are Buckwheat Crêpes?
Buckwheat crepes are not the same as sweet French crêpes. The only element they both have in common is that both pancakes are ultra thin.
- Buckwheat crepes (galettes de sarrasin) are savoury.
- Classic French crêpes are sweet and made with wheat flour (see chocolate crêpes).
Galettes are made with buckwheat flour (farine de sarrasin or blé noir in Brittany), which gives them their darker colour and lightly toasted flavour. Sweet crêpes use white wheat flour (Type 45) and are served with sweet toppings.
These galettes have nothing to do with galette des rois
(the puff pastry Epiphany cake).
Are Galettes from Brittany or Normandy?
Ask a Breton and they'll tell you galettes are from Brittany, best served with Breton cider.
Ask a Normand and they'll claim them just as confidently - with Normandy cider.
Either way, they're a staple of western France and part of everyday life in crêperies.
See crêperie suggestions in my article,
10 Reasons to Visit Honfleur, Normandy.
Traditional French Galette Recipe
In Brittany, there are two traditional versions:
Haute-Bretagne (north Brittany - the pays de Breizh)
Made with 100% buckwheat flour. These are darker, stronger in flavour and naturally gluten free. You may also see them called crêpes de blé noir ("black wheat"), although they contain no wheat at all.
Basse-Bretagne (south Brittany)
Made with mostly buckwheat flour and up to 30% white wheat flour (farine de froment). This softens the flavour and texture but means they are no longer gluten free.
If you prefer a milder taste, you can replace 30% of the buckwheat flour with plain wheat flour. It's also traditional - just not gluten free.
Ingredients for Buckwheat Crêpes
Traditional buckwheat crepes are beautifully simple.
You'll need:
- Buckwheat flour (farine de sarrasin / blé noir)
- Water
- Sea salt
- 1 egg (optional, for added softness)
- Salted butter for cooking
I usually add an egg to the batter for extra lightness, but it isn't essential. To make this a vegan recipe, simply omit the egg. Without the egg, you can replace some of the water with sparkling or soda water.
TIP: To make the pancakes extra light, add a little sparkling water to the batter.
How to Make Buckwheat Crêpes (Galettes de Sarrasin)
Galettes are inexpensive and easy to prepare - just plan ahead. The batter needs to rest for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before cooking.
The full measurements and timing are in the recipe card below.
In short:
- Whisk the buckwheat flour, salt and egg (if using).
- Gradually add water until smooth. The batter will be quite thin.
- Cover and rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
- Stir the batter well and ladle in just enough to cover the hot crêpe pan's surface really thinly. Brush with a little melted butter.
- Flip once and stack. Repeat until all the batter is finished.
Cook for a couple of minutes on medium-high heat then flip the pancake over for another minute, brushing with a little butter (for that extra crêperie taste).
Keep warm under an inverted plate until ready to serve.
Classic French Buckwheat Galette Fillings
So, what toppings go on French buckwheat pancakes? In a traditional crêperie, you'll usually find these typical toppings:
- Beurre - simply melted salted butter (try Bordier for taste)
- Complète - ham, cheese and egg (see how to make une complète below)
- Complète oignons - with sweet Roscoff French onions
- Florentine - spinach, cheese and egg
- Forestière - mushrooms, cheese and egg
They're typically served with a simple green salad and a bowl (une bolée) of dry cidre (between 2-8% alcohol). (For more on Cidre, see the market page on apples.)
So popular are galettes in France that you'll now find them ready-made in most supermarkets, often marketed as gluten free - our version of quick, healthy comfort food.
How to Make a 'Complète' Galette de Sarrasin
The most popular filling in any French crêperie is la complète: ham, cheese and egg.
- Place the galette in the hot crêpe pan, crack an egg into the middle, spreading around the white with a knife to cover most of the surface.
- Break up ham into bits and place with grated cheese around the egg yolk in the middle.
- 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 with a green salad.
Are Buckwheat Crepes Good for You?
Buckwheat flour contains more fibre than regular white flour and is naturally rich in minerals and B vitamins (source: Larousse Gastronomique). It's also lower on the glycemic index than refined wheat flour and a completely gluten free recipe when made without added wheat.
So yes - buckwheat crepes can be a healthier alternative to regular pancakes. Of course, the final result depends on what you fill them with.
The healthiest way to eat pancakes? I'd say a complète Florentine style, with spinach added. You get fibre, protein and greens in one neat square. Or just add fresh parsley and the green salad with toasted walnuts on the side of a complète.
How to Store and Freeze Buckwheat Crêpes
Buckwheat crêpes (galettes) keep well for a couple of days. Stack them on a plate and cover with an inverted plate, then store in the fridge for up to 2 days so they don't dry out.
They also freeze well for up to 2 months. Stack them, place in a well-sealed freezer bag and freeze. You can add baking paper between each if you like, but it's not essential. Defrost overnight in the fridge or gently reheat in the microwave.
Use these savoury crêpes to make gluten-free wraps - another quick and healthy recipe for lunch and made even easier since these galettes freeze well.
Buckwheat Crêpes (Galettes de sarrasin)
Equipment
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
- First measure out all the ingredients. In a large bowl, make a well in the buckwheat flour. Whisk in the fresh egg, the salt and gradually whisk in 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. The batter should be quite liquid. If it's still quite thick (all buckwheat flour brands can vary), add a little more water.
- Melt a little of the butter in a hot crêpe pan and brush it over the pan quickly and evenly using a little kitchen paper. Use about half a ladle of batter for each galette, quickly moving the pan to ensure a very thin layer coats all the surface (the batter will cook quickly so work fast. If too much batter in the pan, pour it back quickly into the batter bowl) Leave on medium-high heat for about a couple of minutes then turn over for a minute. The surface will look like lace with characteristic mini crater holes.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 fillings.
Notes
Handy to store and make these gluten-free wraps.
Buckwheat Galette Fillings
- Beurre - simply melted salted butter (try Bordier for taste)
- Complète - ham, cheese and egg (see how to make une complète below)
- Complète oignons - with sweet Roscoff French onions
- Florentine - spinach, cheese and egg
- Forestière - mushrooms, cheese and egg
If you enjoy savoury pancakes like these, try cottage cheese pancakes with pumpkin. For baking with buckwheat flour, try these gluten-free banana muffins (no sugar).
Jen Z
Hey there! I am so excited to find a good recipe for these, my sister-by-choice is French, living in Poitiers, and we've been best friends since starting out as pen pals in high school back in 1989. I miss these so much, I haven't been able to get back over there since before Covid started, so this will smell and taste like 'home' to me!
One question: you said these freeze well, but how best to freeze them so they stay fresh? And how long do they keep in the freezer? Thanks so much, much appreciated! 🙂
Jill Colonna
Hi Jen,
I'm so glad you've popped in here - true, these buckwheat crêpes will remind you of France. Thanks for asking, as I realise I didn't give storage details in the post so have updated this now. They can freeze for up to 2 months; I just freeze them stacked and in a well sealed bag then defrost them either in the microwave or overnight in the fridge. You could also place some baking paper in between each galette if you prefer, but it's not essential.
I hope you can return to Poitiers soon - and enjoy the other French recipes here that will bring you back here in the meantime.
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