Paleo Spinach Crepes (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Paleo Spinach Crepes (gluten-free)

Serves	8-10
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour, 10 minutes
Website	the 3volution of j3nn

Ingredients

.33 cup tapioca flour (48g)
.25 cup coconut flour (1 oz / 28g)
1 cup egg whites (approx. whites from 12 large eggs)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon psyllium seed powder (powder, not the husk)
2 tablespoons palm shortening (or cooking fat of choice)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 tablespoon honey (or sweetener of choice)
.5 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
.5 teaspoon onion powder
.5 teaspoon garlic powder
.5 cup water

Note

Don't be alarmed when batter thickens the longer it sits. Quickly spread it out in pan to avoid uneven cooking.

I highly recommend using these as savory crepes, lasagna noodles, manicotti shells, Mexican casseroles, or as a sandwich wrap!

Directions

Step 1
Preheat frying pan on low heat. Melt palm shortening and set aside.
Step 2
Add all dry ingredients except spinach to blender; blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds to sift and combine dry ingredients thoroughly. Empty into large mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Add all wet ingredients to blender, plus the spinach, and blend on high until smooth and well mixed. Add dry ingredients back in and blend until well incorporated with wet ingredients.
Step 4
Dip your pastry brush in the liquid fat and brush a thin coating all over your frying pan, coat it thoroughly, and don’t skip around the edges. The oil will go very far when you spread it thinly.
Step 5
Using a ladle or spoon, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the greased frying pan and swirl it around to spread it out in the pan until it’s the size you want. (6" rounds are recommended) Try not to stretch it too thin or it might tear or cook unevenly.
Step 6
Cook until lightly browned and firm on one side, gently flip over and cook other side until also lightly browned and firm.
Step 7
After each crepe, remove it from the pan onto a plate and brush with cooking fat before each ladle goes in. I don’t recommend cooking more than one at a time unless you use a large griddle.
Step 8
Repeat until all batter is used.

{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Lauren Twitter: LaurensOatmeal September 25, 2012 at 4:05 PM

These look delicious! I’m in AZ, and tortillas are huge here! I love to wrap up some scrambled eggs, cheese, and spinach….but with these, I can forego the spinach. Just one question, can the tapioca flour be subbed out? I’m not gluten-free, so maybe even with whole wheat flour? Thanks!

2 j3nn September 25, 2012 at 9:13 PM: Sure. I don’t see why you couldn’t swap out tapioca for wheat flour. I make wheat flour crepes very similarly to this. Shouldn’t be much different.

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3 Wendy September 27, 2012 at 12:25 PM

Is the psyllium husk powder important for the recipe or could I omit them? I have all the other ingredients though, so I’d like to get started on making these! Thanks for the recipe!

4 j3nn September 27, 2012 at 12:27 PM

The psyllium makes them a little more pliable and stretchy and thickens the batter, but you can omit it. If you have flax or chia that would work too.

5 Wendy September 27, 2012 at 3:09 PM

Thanks! I do have ground flax seed! Now all I need is a non-stick pan and I’m set! =P

6 j3nn September 27, 2012 at 6:16 PM: If you grease the pan enough, you might not even need nonstick! Let me know how they turn out.

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7 Ginger October 15, 2012 at 5:25 PM

These look great, I might give them a try! I’m new to making crepes at home. How long can they be stored in the fridge (in a plastic bag?) and stay good? a few days? would they freeze well? any tips on that would be awesome!

8 j3nn October 15, 2012 at 5:45 PM: I’d say they will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days. If you freeze them, I’d separate each one by a piece of wax paper to avoid breaking when you take them out to defrost. My last batch I kept in the fridge for a week in a regular zip-lock bag with a paper towel wrapped around them. Enjoy!

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9 Sam January 14, 2013 at 9:20 PM

Hey! These look so amazing! I tried making paleo crepes today and they horribly failed :/ I mean they tasted awesome but fell apart! I want to make these but I don’t have psyllium husk either. Although I do have xanthan gum, Do you think that would work ? I do have flax seed but I am running a little low so I could use that as a last resort!

10 j3nn January 14, 2013 at 9:41 PM: You can omit the psyllium husk, it’s not necessary. This recipe is very similar: http://j3nn.net/blog/2012/05/04/gluten-free-grain-free-flatbread/ and doesn’t use any psyllium or gums. Omit spices if you want more sweet than savory.

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11 Betty Rocker Twitter: bettyrockershow March 21, 2013 at 6:44 PM

Hi Jen!
I love this recipe! I think I’ll try it out this weekend Let you know how it goes!
Gorgeous photos too!
-Betty Rocker

12 j3nn March 23, 2013 at 3:58 AM: Hope you like them! Love to hear how they turned out.

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13 Zazalu April 1, 2013 at 11:40 AM

I’ve been dying to try these since I discovered the recipe a few weeks ago. I’ve made crepes for years — but this was a disaster. I tried two different pans — cast iron and non-stick, with equally disappointing results. The batter was way too thick to spread properly, so I thinned the batter with water, and it was even worse. I tried lowering the heat — but it just resulted in undercooked crepes. The main problem is the texture — I wasn’t able to get the crepes out of the pan to flip over (yes, I greased the pan, spatula, everything). In the end, I added half the unused egg yolks to the unused batter (along with more tapioca flour, coconut flour, and psyllium husk to compensate for the water I had thinned it with), a little more seasoning, and I baked it in the oven in a parchment-covered pan. They were quite delicious and the bold color is fantastic. Also — I substituted kale since I was out of spinach. Any idea what went wrong? They look so divine in your photo above.

14 j3nn April 1, 2013 at 11:56 AM

It might be the psyllium husk that’s making it too thick. Try leaving it out next time, it’s not really necessary. I know that using it thickens it a lot and the long it sits, the thicker it gets. Try without. Here’s a similar recipe without it: http://j3nn.net/blog/2012/05/04/gluten-free-grain-free-flatbread/

15 Zazalu April 1, 2013 at 1:23 PM

Thank you! They look wonderful, too. What kind of skillet do you use? I’m wondering if I need to invest in one of the new “green” 6″ pans.

16 j3nn April 1, 2013 at 2:05 PM: I have two main nonstick skillets: A ceramic one (that’s worn out now) and this “Orgreenic” nonstick pan http://amzn.to/15xLZLD You can see a post where I recently made a banana pancake in the Orgreenic one: http://j3nn.net/blog/2013/03/01/two-or-three-or-four-or-more-ingredient-pancakes/ It does have a great nonstick surface. I’d recommend it.

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17 kat April 16, 2013 at 9:29 AM