Contents 10 sections
- The whey protein crepe recipe
- The nutrition figures for one whey protein crepe
- Whey crepe or classic crepe: the comparison
- Our tips for getting your protein crepes right
- Which whey should you choose for protein crepes
- What should you fill your whey crepes with
- How long do whey protein crepes keep
- Our alternative: protein crepes without whey
- Our verdict on whey protein crepes
- Frequently asked questions
Summarise this article with:
💡 The essentials
With 30 g of whey isolate, 50 g of oats, 2 eggs and 200 ml of skimmed milk, you get 6 crepes at around 8.7 g of protein and 85 kcal each. That is twice the protein of a classic crepe batter, weight for weight.
- The anti-lump secret: shake the whey into the milk before anything else.
- The right rest: 10 minutes, so the oats take up the liquid and the batter holds together.
Love crepes but keeping an eye on your protein and your muscle? Whey works beautifully in a crepe batter, as long as you get the dose and the mixing right. Unlike pancakes, a crepe needs a thin batter with no raising agent: the whole challenge is avoiding lumps of powder and a batter that tears in the pan.
Here is our whey protein crepe recipe, its calculated nutrition figures and a comparison with a classic crepe, so you know exactly what you gain.
🥞 The whey protein crepe recipe
- Preparation: 10 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting
- Cooking: about 10 minutes in total
- Makes: 6 crepes (20 to 24 cm pan)
Kit and ingredients
- 1 shaker (or a jar with a lid), 1 mixing bowl, 1 whisk, 1 non-stick frying pan
- 30 g of unflavoured or vanilla whey isolate (one serving, ideally from Nutripure)
- 200 ml skimmed milk
- 2 eggs (about 100 g shelled)
- 50 g rolled oats blitzed very finely (or oat flour)
- A few drops of vanilla extract and 1 pinch of salt
Method
- Pour the milk into the shaker, then the whey, and shake until no powder is left.
- In the bowl, whisk the eggs with the oat flour, the vanilla and the salt.
- Add the protein milk a little at a time while whisking, to get a smooth, thin batter.
- Leave it to rest for 10 minutes. If the batter has thickened, loosen it with a splash of milk.
- Heat the pan on the hob over a medium heat, pour in a small ladleful of batter and tilt the pan to spread it thinly.
- Flip the crepe once the edges come away (1 to 2 minutes), then cook the other side. Repeat until the batter is used up.
📊 The nutrition figures for one whey protein crepe
One crepe brings around 8.7 g of protein for 85 kcal, before any cooking fat. Here is the breakdown for 1 crepe (1/6 of the recipe):
- Calories: around 85 kcal
- Protein: around 8.7 g
- Carbohydrate: around 6.6 g (of which sugars: 1.7 g)
- Fat: around 2.4 g (of which saturates: 0.6 g)
- Fibre: around 0.9 g
Three crepes come to around 26 g of protein for 254 kcal, which sits inside the 20 to 40 g of protein per serving benchmark from the ISSN position stand. If you would rather swap the vanilla extract for a sachet of vanilla sugar, count its calories on top: the Ciqual table gives 397 kcal per 100 g of vanilla sugar.
🔬 Our method
We did not measure these crepes in a laboratory: every figure is worked out ingredient by ingredient. The raw eggs, the UHT skimmed milk, the rolled oats, the T45 wheat flour and the semi-skimmed milk come from the Ciqual table published by ANSES, the French food safety agency (in French); the whey figures come from the label of the unflavoured Nutripure whey isolate (380 kcal and 89 g of protein per 100 g of finished product). We counted 50 g per shelled egg, 1 ml of milk as 1 g, and left out the vanilla, the salt and the cooking oil (around 45 kcal per 5 g of oil if you use any). With a different whey, redo the sums from your own label.
⚖️ Whey crepe or classic crepe: the comparison
Weight for weight, the whey batter holds twice as much protein and half as much carbohydrate as a classic batter, for slightly fewer calories. We compared 100 g of raw batter from our recipe with a standard classic batter (250 g of T45 plain flour, 4 eggs, 500 ml of semi-skimmed milk), using the same sources.
| Per 100 g of raw batter | Whey crepe | Classic crepe |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 13.7 g ★★★★★ | 6.7 g ★★☆☆☆ |
| Carbohydrate | 10.5 g ★★★★☆ | 22.8 g ★★☆☆☆ |
| Fat | 3.8 g ★★★☆☆ | 3.1 g ★★★★☆ |
| Calories | 134 kcal ★★★★☆ | 148 kcal ★★★☆☆ |
The classic crepe only keeps the edge on fat, and only just, because oats are fattier than white flour. It also remains the benchmark for taste and for how supple the batter is: the whey version is a trade-off you make knowingly, for your goals.
✅ Our tips for getting your protein crepes right
- Never tip whey powder straight into the eggs: it forms lumps that are very hard to rescue. The shaker solves that.
- Blitz the oats very finely, because pieces of oat flake make the crepes tear.
- A good hot pan, but not a smoking one, and a non-stick pan to keep the fat down.
- Rotate your whey flavours (vanilla, chocolate, caramel) to change the taste without adding sugar.
- Make the batter the night before if it suits you: covered, in the fridge, then whisk it again before cooking.
🥛 Which whey should you choose for protein crepes?
A whey isolate is our first choice for crepes: very concentrated in protein, low in fat and sugars, and it dissolves well in milk. The label of the unflavoured Nutripure isolate shows 89 g of protein, 3 g of carbohydrate and 1.9 g of fat per 100 g, along with 0.2 g of lactose. To understand what sets an isolate apart, read our article on what whey isolate is, and to compare the brands, see our pick of the best whey isolate.
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🍓 What should you fill your whey crepes with?
High-protein toppings carry the point of the recipe through to the plate: fromage blanc or skyr with fresh fruit, or a thin layer of peanut butter. For a more indulgent dessert, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, a little jam or chocolate spread are all still on the table, as long as you count them in your total. With an unflavoured whey, the batter also takes savoury fillings: egg, ham, spinach.
🕒 How long do whey protein crepes keep?
Once cooked, they keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer, going by the guidance from Health Canada (in French) for cooked egg-based dishes. Stack them with a sheet of baking parchment between each crepe so they come apart easily.
🌱 Our alternative: protein crepes without whey
If you do not like whey, or if you do not eat dairy, our recipe for protein crepes without whey swaps the powder for chickpea flour. You can also replace the serving of whey with a pea protein powder, adding a little more milk: in that case, redo the sums with the label on your product.
🏆 Our verdict on whey protein crepes
For us, this is the best way to keep crepes on the menu during a cutting phase or a muscle-building phase: 26 g of protein for three crepes, very little sugar, and a recipe that asks for nothing more than a shaker. Shop-bought protein crepes and powdered mixes do exist, but the homemade version lets you choose your whey and know exactly what is on your plate.
This is not the right recipe if what you really want is the texture of a Breton crepe, if you are allergic to milk or eggs, or if you simply do not need the extra protein: a classic crepe will do the job perfectly well then. If pancakes appeal more, try our whey protein pancakes or browse our other whey protein recipes.
⚠️ Watch out
Whey, milk and eggs are all allergens: if you are allergic to any of them, this recipe is not for you. If you have kidney disease or are pregnant, ask your doctor before adding protein supplements to your diet.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can you put whey in a crepe batter?
Yes, whey stands up to cooking and works very well in a crepe batter. The heat changes the shape of the proteins, just as it does in an egg, without making them disappear. Shake it into the milk first to avoid lumps.
How many calories are there in a whey protein crepe?
Around 85 kcal per crepe with our recipe, for 8.7 g of protein. Add the cooking fat and whatever you put on top. The figure shifts with the whey you use and the size of your crepes.
Why do my whey crepes keep breaking?
Most of the time the batter is too thick or the oats are not blitzed finely enough. Loosen the batter with a splash of milk, let it rest for 10 minutes, and only flip the crepe once the edges lift away on their own.
Do whey protein crepes make you put on weight?
Not on their own: it is your calorie balance across the day that moves the scales. At 85 kcal apiece, they fit into most eating plans. Our article on whether whey protein makes you fat goes into this in detail.
