Savory Crepes with Almond Cheese, Sautéed Spinach and Vegan Hollandaise

Are you more a savory or sweet crepe person? I was always more of a sweet crepe person growing up. Sweet fillings helped mask the eggy flavor of the crepes, which was definitely my least favorite thing about them. That’s all changed now though, as my vegan crepes do not taste eggy at all (obviously)!

Don’t get me wrong, I still love chocolate filled crepes, but I’d rather start my day with savory ones (though, breakfast deserves a dessert finish too, don’t you think?)! These savory crepes are a perfect hearty start to your day, stuffed full of soft vegan cheese, garlicky sautéed spinach, and doused with an easy creamy vegan hollandaise.

I start with my easy vegan crepes, and you can either make the crepes in advance and just reheat them on a hot skillet before filling, or you can make them to order. I love this crepe recipe! It makes the perfect thin and chewy pancakes with crispy lacy edges. The crepes themselves aren’t sweetened so they can be enjoyed with sweet or savory fillings.

For the filling I love my creamy vegan almond cheese, it’s tangy and salty and has a little garlicky bite to it. It’s also nice and rich, just like any good cheese should be. Feel free to substitute another creamy vegan cheese, like a vegan ricotta or a soft and mild nut cheese spread. Alternatively you could use your favorite vegan mozzarella.

Paired with the creamy cheese is some lemony and garlicky sautéed spinach. I use baby spinach as it’s extra tender, quick to cook up, and comes already washed.

To serve the crepes, I blend together an easy vegan hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise is a sauce traditionally made of egg yolks and butter with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of cayenne or black pepper.

It’s a rather tricky to make as you have to emulsify the egg yolks with the rest of the ingredients (which are mainly butter) over heat without scrambling them. Luckily, the vegan version is not only much heart healthier, but it’s one of the easiest things to make.

I use silken tofu for a creamy base. Silken tofu blends up super easily even if you have a non-powerful blender. It’s rich and creamy enough on it’s own that you don’t need to add gobs of butter, just a couple tablespoons of your favorite vegan butter is perfect. Coconut oil (use refined unless you don’t mind a coconutty flavor) works beautifully as well.

I add a little nutritional yeast, which performs a double duty of giving some extra nutty and umami flavor to the sauce while adding a subtle yellow color. Ground mustard seed adds a bit more flavor, giving the sauce a bit of a bite.

For some spice I use white pepper and ground cayenne. White pepper adds some peppery heat without much flavor, and also leaves the sauce speckle free. Lastly a pinch of turmeric turns the sauce a beautiful pale yellow.

All these components add up to the most delicious and indulgent tasting crepes that are perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner! I know, I literally just listed all the meals.

To prep everything in advance:

Everything can be made or prepared in advance for a pretty quick meal. For the crepes you can blend up the batter the night before to make fresh crepes in the morning, or make the crepes in advance and reheat to fill and serve.

For the cheese, I love making a big batch and having it on hand for a host of different uses (cheese and crackers, cheese on toast, cheese on pizza, cheese on pasta, um, you get it). The hollandaise can be made in advance as well and just heated to serve. It may need to be thinned with a little water if it has thickened in the fridge.

You could even sauté the spinach in advance, but it will brown a little from oxidizing. It’s so quick and easy to make though that I probably wouldn’t bother making it in advance.

Are you ready to impress yourself or some guests with your vegan crepe skills? Let me know if you make these savory crepes! Comment and rate the recipe below and tag recreations @thecuriouschickpea and #thecuriouschickpea on Instagram, or share with me on Facebook!

Notes:

• If you want to avoid tofu in the hollandaise you can substitute cashews. Substitute 1/2 cup of soaked and drained cashews with 1/2 cup of plain non-dairy milk for the tofu and blend for longer to get a smooth and creamy sauce.

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Savory Crepes with Almond Cheese, Sautéed Spinach and Vegan Hollandaise

Yield: 6 crepes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Delicious vegan crepes are stuffed with creamy almond cheese and sautéed spinach and drizzled with warm vegan hollandaise to serve.

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Ingredients

Vegan Hollandaise

• 8 oz/1 cup silken tofu
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp melted vegan butter or refined coconut oil
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• pinch of turmeric
• pinch of ground cayenne

Everything Else

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Easy Vegan Crepes, recipe below
• Vegan Almond Cheese, recipe below

Instructions

1. Make the Hollandaise sauce: blend together all the ingredients until creamy. Warm the sauce to serve.
2. Cook the spinach: Heat a large skillet over medium low and add a teaspoon of oil and baby spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Push the spinach to one side and add the second teaspoon of oil in the empty side of the pan. Immediately add the garlic to that and let it fry for 30 seconds before mixing it in and sautéing the spinach about 1 more minute. Turn off the heat and mix in the lemon juice. Set aside.
3. Cook the crepes according to the recipe directions or reheat pre-cooked crepes over medium heat until warm.
4. When the crepes are flipped to cook on the second side, spoon some vegan almond cheese down the center of the crepe and top with some sautéed spinach. Fold the edges into the center to cover and transfer the crepes to a plate. Drizzle with warm vegan hollandaise sauce to serve.

Notes

*Double the sautéed spinach if you want to make 10 crepes. Otherwise, save your extra crepes for dessert!

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Easy Vegan Crepes

Yield: ~10 crepes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Rest Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

These egg-free, vegan crepes are delicious for sweet and savory breakfasts. They're easy to make, thin and flexible, perfect for rolling up or folding over and filling with your favorite things!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (470g) plant milk
• 1/2 cup (118g) water
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp (8g) arrowroot powder, substitute cornstarch or tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp (2g) salt
• oil to cook with

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until well combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Transfer the batter to a sealed container and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours before. Stir before using. If you're in a hurry you can rest the batter at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. When ready to make crepes, heat a 9 - 10" non-stick skillet or specialized crepe pan over medium-low heat. Lightly spray with oil and pour 1/3 cup of batter in the center of the pan. Use a crepe spreader to easily spread the batter in a circle until you have a thin pancake. Otherwise lift the pan and rotate it in a circular motion so the batter spreads to the outside of the pan to make a thin pancake.
   If the batter dances around when it hits the pan and forms a lot of bubbles, the pan is too hot. Turn down the heat to go slower at a lower temperature.
4. Let the crepe cook until the batter no longer looks wet and the edges are starting to curl up. The side touching the pan will be a lightt golden color. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Loosen the edges of the crepe first by running the spatula under to release, then slide the spatula under the crepe and gently lift and flip the crepe.
5. Cook an additional 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, or until the bottom side is cooked and lightly golden. When you flip, this is when you can add any fillings that you want to melt such as: butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, chocolate chips, vegan cheese, etc.
6. Repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the pan with oil between each crepe.
7. Store leftover crepes in a sealed container and reheat on a dry warm pan.

Recommended Products

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• 
  De Buyer Crepe Pan, Blue Steel, Made in France, 8-Inch Cooking Surface, 9.5-Inches Rim to Rim
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  Lodge 10.5 Inch Cast Iron Griddle. Pre-seasoned Round Cast Iron Pan Perfect for Pancakes, Pizzas, and Quesadillas.
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  ORIGINAL Crepe Spreader and Spatula Kit - 2 Piece Set (6” Spreader and 14” Spatula) Convenient Size to Fit Large Crepe Pan Maker | All Natural Beechwood Construction
• 
  Bobs Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour, 16 Ounce (Pack of 4)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 3gSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g

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Creamy Vegan Almond Cheese

Yield: ~2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

A creamy almond based vegan cheese. Can be used as a cream cheese or a chevre type cheese.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups blanched slivered almonds, soaked and drained
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (~ juice from 1 lemon)

Instructions

1. Put soaked almonds, olive oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup of water* in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down as you go. Add more water a little at a time if necessary.
2. Then add lemon juice and blend to incorporate. Taste and add salt or more lemon juice if desired.

Notes

If you know you want a thicker cheese, you can try starting with only 1/4 cup of water and only adding more if your machine needs it.

This recipe is slightly adapted from The Vegetarian Times

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