Getting the crepe batter just right is a must in crepe-making. While you can make compromises with other batters, crepes don’t tolerate any compromises. Too thick or too thin crepe batter will definitely ruin your crepe experience, so how to fix too thin or too thick crepe batter? 

If the crepe batter is too thick, it either needs more liquids or more mixing. If the crepe batter is too thin, it has either been overmixed, or it needs more solids. Whichever it is, it can be fixed by adding more flour, butter, milk, or water and by mixing more, less, or applying another mixing technique.

Crepes have made a name of being a bit high-maintenance and reasonably so. They need attention, gentility, and patience. Crepes also require some knowledge and technique in addition to the basic ones, so I can easily say that they are the snowflakes among the desserts. 

To improve your crepe experience and become a real pro in this area, it would be helpful if you knew a few things about making the batter just right. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, I will share the same easy fixes for dealing with too thick or too thin crepe batter. 

How to Fix Too Thick Crepe Batter?

To fix thick crepe batter, you first need to establish what kind of thick it is. If its thickness resembles porridge, then you need to solve this problem by adding sparkly water. 

Since sparkly water is carbonated, it will create air pockets in the porridge-like crepe batter, which will help you dissolve the flour lumps and make the batter thinner. In addition to sparkly water, you will also need to put in some elbow grease, as you will need to mix and mix well. 

The mixing and the sparkly water will help you get your crepe batter where it needs to be. 

Another kind of thick is sticky thick. If your batter doesn’t resemble porridge but it is sticky and hard to mix, it is definitely sticky-thick. It will also have a glossy appearance. 

This means that you went overboard with thickening agents; maybe you added one egg too many, in combination with an extra tablespoon of flour. Whatever the reason, you can fix this by adding milk or carbonated water. 

Milk is preferable here, as you don’t need to create air pockets inside the batter but just help the eggs better dissolve and homogenize with the rest of the ingredients. 

Another possible reason for a thick batter is not enough mixing. Mixing doesn’t only help the ingredients homogenize, but it is also very helpful to make the batter thinner.  

Therefore, whenever your batter seems thick, try mixing it first to see if it helps, and then continue with the other methods if the mixing alone doesn’t work. 

What Happens if Crepe Batter Is Too Thick?

If the crepe batter is too thick, it will be hard for you to pour it into the crepe pan. If you somehow manage to pour the batter into the pan, that won’t be the end of your crepe problems. While baking, the crepes will become very sticky and will be likely to burn. 

How to Fix Too Thin Crepe Batter?

If your crepe batter is too thin, it might be because you have overmixed it and broken the internal molecular bonds between the ingredients; you have gone overboard with the liquids, especially the sparkly water. Whatever the reason, you can solve the problem by adding flour and/or butter. 

If the problem is the mixing, you should add more flour and some butter to restore the consistency and the stability of the batter. Slowly pour the flour into the batter and mix gently to homogenize it. If you add butter, melt it first. 

If the problem is too much liquid, then the solution is more straightforward; you just add more flour, tablespoon by tablespoon, until the batter thickens sufficiently. You can also add some milk  ¼ of a cup to increase the thickness of the batter.

What Should Crepe Batter Consistency Look Like?

Crepe batter should be elegant, smooth, and silky. Between liquid and creamy, it should gravitate more toward liquid, and it should be easy to pour. The color should be eggshell, not white.

It is normal for bubbles to appear on the surface of the batter; in fact, that’s a sign that your crepes will be airy, fluffy, and light. 

To check if your crepe batter’s consistency is good, test it by cooping it with your ladle and pouring it back into the bowl. A good battery will be easy to scoop, lump-free when you pour it down, and when it merges with the rest of the batter, the surface smoothens out immediately, with no swirls on top. 

How to Fix Lumpy Crepe Batter?

A lumpy batter can only be fixed by mixing it further. You need to mechanically break the lumps. Adding liquids could help, but more often than not, lumpy batter indicates undermixed batter. 

Lumpy batter and thick batter aren’t the same. A lumpy batter can also be thin with some solid lumps that need braking. The batter rarely needs adjustments in terms of ingredients, so try mixing the batter to mechanically break the lumps before you add anything to the batter. 

What Happens if You Overmix Crepe Batter?

Overmixing causes the molecular bonds in the batter to break, and therefore it results in thin batter. However, the thin batter is the final result of overmixing. 

If you mix past that point, the batter will start to break. This means that the solid ingredients will begin to separate from the liquids, resulting in a batter you can’t even scoop into your ladle. 

If this happens, the batter is beyond fixing, so you must be very careful how much you mix. Undermixed batter is easier to fix than overmixed, so mix continuously but gently and carefully. 

The first sign of overmixed crepe batter is losing color. The color should be full eggshell, so if you notice that it is starting to get lighter or even a bit see-though, that’s your cue to stop mixing immediately. 

How to Make Crepe Batter Thinner?

There are several ways to make your crepe batter thinner. The most obvious ways are to add an extra egg, milk, or sparkly water. 

Another way is to further mix the batter, which is what I’d recommend you do first. If the batter seems thicker than it should be, the first thing to do is to mix it some more. The mixing will work to some extent, and if you’ve done everything right, it should fix the problem altogether. 

However, you keep mixing, and the batter isn’t getting much thinner; it is time to adjust the ingredients because you risk overmixing the batter beyond repair. 

The first thing you should add is sparkly water, which will likely be the solution you’ve been looking for. If sparkly water doesn’t do the trick, then pour some more milk. The milk will add creaminess which will make it easier to mix. 

Keep the extra egg as a last resort if nothing else works. 

Can You Make Pancakes Crepe Batter?

Pancakes are thicker, smaller in diameter, and fattier than crepes. Therefore, you cannot make pancakes using crepe batter without adjusting it. 

Considering that pancake and crepe batter are made of the same ingredients, to make pancake using crepe batter, you will need to adjust the quantities of the flour and butter. Therefore, it will no longer be crepe batter but proper pancake batter. 

If you have a ready crepe batter, and you suddenly change your mind and want to have pancakes instead, one more cup of flour to the batter and some more melted butter. 

Since pancakes tolerate more experimentations, you can also add cream cheese, ricotta, or heavy cream to your newly- developed pancake batter.