These Meyer Lemon Crepes are just fancy enough you’ll everyone about how easy they are to make. Sweet Meyer lemons (part lemon, part tangerine, all delicious) meet warm cardamom in a stack of tender crepes that are easier to pull off than they look. Perfect for Mother’s Day or whenever you want to treat yourself. Originally published May 9, 2014.
Have you guys hopped on the Meyer lemon train yet? Honestly, I was resistant for a long time. I thought Meyer lemons were just a different variety of lemon, and I haughtily disregarded all the fuss I kept hearing. It’s just a stupid lemon, it can’t taste THAT different. (Now you know what a fine palate I have.)
But then I read somewhere what a Meyer lemon actually IS: a cross between a lemon and tangerine/mandarin orange. Like a pluot (plum-apricot.) Now that’s a game changer my friends. I apologize to all food bloggers and cooks everywhere whose Meyer lemon recipes I brushed aside. Now I’m on the bandwagon. Meyer lemons be rockin the house.
They are sweeter than a lemon, but you still of course can’t just bite into one. They serve just as lemons would most of the time, but with a tangerine-y citrus flavor that I’m kind of failing at describing right now. Just trust me you guys, it’s delicious.
I’m dying to try it as regular lemonade, like this Meyer Lemonade from White on Rice Couple. (Except I would probably add basil because didn’t we just talk about how I’m obsessed?) I feel like most of the time you see Meyers in desserts, but you can definitely get creative on the savory side too. See the bottom of the post for some Meyer lemon recipe links.
For the love of crepes!
Raise your hand if you love crepes! My mom makes a mean crepe and I used to beg her to make them when I was kid. (I especially loved these Chicken Crepes with Jalapeno Cheese; still a favorite of mine.)
Don’t fret if your crepes look like a bloody train wreck on the first couple tries flipping (See all my tips for making great crepes!). It takes some practice. If your crepe turns out looking fabulous on the first try, then head to Vegas, because you have an awesome case of beginners luck. Honestly it doesn’t matter much what they look like because you are folding or rolling them anyway.
Oh, and don’t be freaked out by the cardamom. I promise it’s delicious. Cardamom and lemon, sittin in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage… These Meyer Lemon and Cardamom Crepes would be a nice recipe to change it up for Mother’s Day on Sunday.
What are you guys doing? My mom and I are going on a local Garden Tour. That’s right, we are actually paying to walk around a hoity-toity neighborhood and feel jealous of other people’s fake waterfalls and overly manicured lawns. Then we will go back home and cry over our scrawny tomato plants and barely-surviving crabgrass. And then we will stuff our faces with these crepes, and everything will be better.
How to make Meyer Lemon Crepes
For my newest and best crepe cooking tips, check out my recipe for the best crepes I’ve ever had. As you follow the instructions in the recipe below one of the keys to great crepes is briskly whisking your batter to get it smooth. Once you’ve done that, it takes some trial and error to figure out the right amount of batter for your pan and the ideal amount of time. You want it just thin enough to cook through quickly and just brown enough but still on this side of crispy.
I promise crepes are hard to mess up, but if you are hoping for traditional then you want them looking more like the one on the left than the one on the right above. The brown one is a little crispy on the edges because technically it is overcooked. I actually kinda like it that way. (BOOM that was the sound of me getting hit upside the head by French people everywhere.)
When you serve these lemon crepes, my suggested order of applying the toppings is first brush on the lemon juice, then sprinkle with sugar, finally adding lemon zest on the rolled up crepe. The sugar dissolves just a bit in the juice, but still adds a slightly satisfying crunch to the texture of your bite. Yum!
You can fold your crepes however you like. I like to fold it in half, add toppings, then roll.
I love that you can see the specks of cardamom. CardaMOM. See I told you this was perfect for Mother’s Day. Okay Karen, here’s your sign. Time to shut up.
More great lemon recipes!
- Meyer Lemon Curd Tart Recipe with Shortbread Crust
- Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
- Glazed Lemon Loaf
- Ridiculously Tart Lemon Bars
- Meyer Lemon Iced Raspberry Yogurt Cake from Kitchen Trial and Error <–I’m so making this
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Meyer Lemon Relish from Brooklyn Supper
- Winter Pear Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette from Damn Delicious
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Meyer Lemon Crepes with Cardamom
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon meyer lemon zest
- 2 cups milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons meyer lemon juice
- 3 & 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
- melted butter, to brush the pan
- juice from 3 meyer lemons, warmed in the microwave
- zest from 3 meyer lemons
- sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cardamom, and meyer lemon zest.
- Gradually add the milk while whisking. Get out all the lumps. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter, and whisk for a couple minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, brush some melted butter on the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of crepe batter into the pan. Quickly lift the pan with your hand and rotate it so that the batter swirls around to coat the bottom of the pan. You want a very thin layer. Here’s a good crepe video.
- Cook for about 1 minute, until the top of the crepe is mostly dry. Then carefully flip with a large spatula. Cook for another 15-45 seconds. Some brown spots are okay, but don’t overcook them or the edges will get crusty.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter. You can remove the crepes to a plate and then cover them with foil to keep warm.
- To serve, lay a warm crepe flat on a plate and brush generously with warm Meyer lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1-3 tablespoons sugar. Top with a sprinkling of zest. Then either fold the crepe into quarters or roll it. I folded mine in half, then rolled. Top with additional juice, sugar, and zest.
These sounds so yummy, I think tonight this will be dinner! (Well, minus the extra sugar ect at the very end)
I actually mix all of my crepes in a blender, it works great and are easy to pour out of. I also let mine rest for 30 minutes, I don’t remember the exact reason (I think texture, it’s be long enough I forgot why 😂), but I think with something like this with cardamom it’ll help the flavor marry.
To everyone who if just to frightened to make crepes, do it! Just trust me, it’s way scarier than it is hard! Yes, some (maybe most) will come out ugly… Who cares? They’ll taste just as lovely ugly as they would if they were pretty. My first 4 or so always look HORRIBLE, but I eat them anyway. I avoided them for a long time thinking they were super hard, and when I took the least I the first time I was like…”huh, that’s it?” You can do it, you really can.
For people looking for Meyer lemon, be aware they often look different from batch to batch, I usually have to give the labels a look to make sure, because the ones we get in AK look just slightly smooth lemons, you’d easily pass them up. I’ve never found the super pretty Orangey colored ones. I over looked them for years thinking they were just lemons. Oops!
Thank you for all the tips! It’s so true, the first crepes always turn out looking weird. :)
Well, you have convinced me about Meyer Lemons! I didn’t really realize they were all that different from regular lemons! Plus the color is so pretty – I need to get some! Your crepes look so perfect. I love the flavors that you used in them!
Well, the first ones are usually the ugly ones… :)
But seriuosly, this looks mouthwatering. Been menaing to make some crepes for ages but then I always forget… :( This should be the sign to make them soon. :)
Thanks so much Tina! Crepes are always a good (if time consuming) choice :)
Love crepes, but never thought of adding cardamom. These look magnificent!
Um yes, if your first crepe looks good . . . you’re some kind of magician. I think I end up with one decent-looking crepe for every 30 crappy ones. I love the taste, but I hate making them haha.
Also, I’ve never seen a Meyer Lemon. Ever. Anywhere. I’m going to go cry now. Because they sound AMAZING!
I feel so uneducated right now…I’m pretty sure I’ve been eating Meyer lemons from my backyard and didn’t even realize it until now. It’s a rental so I didn’t plant it but I was wondering why they tasted somewhat like an orange. Hmmph!
I can imagine the flavor is fantastic in these crepes! They look so soft and pillowy, I could just rest my head on them and take a nap…
Welcome aboard the meyer lemon band wagon! Aren’t they fabulous? I love these crepes! The lemon and cardamom combo is so unique. Crepes are definitely one of my favorite breakfast treats, can’t wait to try them out! Pinned!
I am extremely disheartened that I have not jumped on the meyer lemon bandwagon yet, but I think that you are just so adorable and amazing with words that I must go to the market RIGHT NOW! If i wasn’t so terrified of making a crepe, I’d be making them ASAP. Maybe I will have to give it a shot this weekend ;). Thank you so much for sharing! Pinned times a million!
Hehe I love your writing style..so witty and hilarious ;). I absolutely adore meyer lemons..and plots and all the fun-named hybrids. I’m so impressed by your crepe making skills! They look perfectly thin and light. Meyer lemon + cardamom – love the way you roll! Hope you had a wonderful mother’s day!