The Secret to These Backpacking Crepes? Pre-Make Them.

Pancakes are a classic, but camp crepes? That’s truly next level. These French-inspired cakes are thin, chewy, and easy too. Pre-make these pancakes and pack in for a simple but impressive breakfast, dinner, or dessert.

No-Frills Crepes

• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups whole mil
• ¾ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

At home: Mix all ingredients together and blend until smooth. Pour ¼ cup at a time into a buttered 8″ skillet over medium heat. When the edges are noticeably crispy, flip the crepe. Lift the edge with a spatula, then flip with your hands to avoid tearing. Cook until golden brown. Let the crepes cool, then stack them (separated with pieces of wax paper), and put into a large zipper-lock bag. Store flat like a stack of tortillas in the fridge. Makes 8 to 10 crepes. Crepes last up to 3 days on the trail.

Option: Use watered-down pancake batter to make crepes in camp. Pancake mix is sweeter than crepe mix, which makes it better for dessert crepes than meal crepes.

Bananutella Crepes

• 2 bananas
• 1 cup Nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread available in most supermarkets)
• 4 crepes
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped

At home: Pack bananas in your cooking pot.

In camp: Spread approximately ¼ cup Nutella on each crepe. Peel and cut bananas lengthwise, using a half for each crepe. Sprinkle with walnuts. Roll up. Serves four for dessert, two as an entrée.

Salmon Crepes

• 2/3 cup water
• 1 small bouillon cube
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8-oz. pack salmon (foil pouch)
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes (or fresh)
• 6 crepes
• ½ cup Swiss cheese, shredded (optional)

At camp: Boil water with bouillon cube and set aside. Put olive oil in skillet and add mushrooms; sauté for 2 minutes. Add onion and celery; continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour, stirring constantly for 2 more minutes. Add bouillon and Worcestershire. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to the consistency of alfredo sauce. Stir in salmon, tomatoes, and parsley. Heat 1 minute. Place ¼ cup salmon mix onto each crepe. Add cheese. Roll up. Serves three.

Southwest Scramble Crepes

• 1 12-ounce carton Easy Eggs or Egg Beaters (or powdered equivalent of 6 eggs)
• 1 small avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 4-ounce can green chilies, diced
• 2 red chili peppers, diced
• 1 cup shredded jack cheese
• 4 crepes

At home: Drain green chilies and pack in small zipper-lock bag. For squish-free transport, carry avocado in cooking pot.

In camp: Dice chilies and peppers. Scramble eggs, cilantro, green chilies, and red peppers in frying pan. Scoop egg mix onto crepe; top with avocado and cheese. Roll up. Serves two.

Originally published in 2005; last updated in 2022