Breaded crepes with ham and cheese—crispy on the outside, melty on the inside—are the ultimate comfort food. Stuffed with mayo, ham, and cheese, then breaded and fried to golden perfection, they spell yum in every bite! Shall we?
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Background
Stuffed and breaded crepes (pohovane palačinke) turn delicate European pancakes into a satisfying main course. This crunchy, cheesy delight is also the perfect way to repurpose leftover crepes.
Unlike the classic sweet crepes, these are stuffed with ham and cheese, coated in egg and breadcrumbs, and then fried. The result is a crisp, golden crust with a rich, savory, melty interior you can't stop eating!
You can enjoy breaded ham and cheese crepes as a standalone meal, or eat them with something like tarator salad, ajvar, or beef noodle soup.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Crepes The Savory Way. If you love having crepes as a dessert, then having them as a main dish is even more satisfactory. (Check out our mushroom crepes too!)
- Crispy & Cheesy. There is only one thing better than a crunchy exterior - a gooey, cheesy filling.
- Versatile. Enjoy them as a snack, appetizer, or main course!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make breaded ham and cheese crepes.
Crepes:
- Flour (for making and breading the crepes). Regular white flour.
- Water. Tap or bottled water both work fine.
- Milk. Regular milk is best. Substitute with soy or almond milk.
- Eggs.
- Salt. Regular table salt or Himalayan salt. Avoid coarse-grained salt.
- Baking Powder.
- Oil (for cooking and frying the crepes). Most vegetable oils will do. Substitute with avocado oil, or coconut oil (melt beforehand). Avoid olive oil for crepes.
Filling and breading:
- Mayo. Choose any type of mayo.
- Ham. Cooked, smoked, or fresh are all good choices. Substitute with dried beef, prosciutto, cooked (or sliced) chicken, or turkey breast. Avoid sausage and bacon as it'll make it greasy.
- Cheese. Gouda, Edam, cheddar, or other hard cheese of choice. Avoid soft cheeses.
- Eggs.
- Seasonings. Seasoned salt, crushed bouillon, Vegeta, or a seasoning of choice.
- Breadcrumbs.
Instructions
Here are easy instructions to make today's breaded crepes with ham and cheese.
Step 1. In a large bowl, whisk together dry crepe ingredients. Then gradually add water, milk, and eggs. Whisk (or mix with a mixer) until smooth.
Step 2. Heat a pan, and grease it with an oiled paper towel. Pour batter and swirl the pan to coat evenly. Cook on both sides until golden.
Step 3. (Parallel to frying.) Transfer cooked palačinke to a plate. Add mayo, cheese, and ham. Roll them up.
Step 4. Dip in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs.
Step 5. Fry ham and cheese crepes on both sides.
Handling
Here are a few handling tips.
- Serve ham and cheese crepes warm to hot, or according to your level of comfort. Serve alone or with sour cream, a choice of sauce, ajvar, or a fresh soup or salad.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
- Reheat in an oven or pan to maintain crispiness, or using your preferred method.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! There are two ways to do this:
1. Assemble and refrigerate the crepes, then bread and fry before serving.
2. Make crepes ahead, and then stuff, bread, and fry later.
Make sure that the frying oil is very hot before adding in the crepes. Also, serve breaded crepes soon after frying.
We're not fans of freezing these crepes. However, if you decide to freeze them, here's how to do it.
After assembly (before breading), place crepes on a baking sheet so they can individually freeze. Once frozen, put them in freezer bags and return to freezer for up to 3-4 weeks. When ready to eat, thaw at room temp, coat with breading, and fry until golden.
Thoughts?
If you make today's breaded ham and cheese crepes (pohovane/ pohane palačinke) and like them, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5-star) rating. This will help others find the recipe more easily!
You can also leave a comment, I read EVERY one! Finally, if IG is more your thing, consider tagging us @balkanlunchbox.
Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Breaded Ham and Cheese Crepes
Equipment
- 1 9-inch (25 cm) flat pan crêpe pan is great but not necessary; a flat, non-stick pan, or a stainless steel skillet will do just fine; avoid heavy pans with designs on the bottom, cast iron pans, and woks
- 1 ladle, or ½ cup measuring tool perfect volume for one palačinka
- 1 deep frying pan
Ingredients
Crepe Batter
- 10-11 ounces white flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup water
- oil enough for frying crepes
Filling and Breading
- 7 ounces mayo
- 14 ounces ham diced; substitute with dried beef, chicken or turkey breast (deli meat)
- 8 ounces yellow cheese grated; Gouda, Cheddar, Edam, etc.
- 5 ounces white flour enough to bread crepes
- 4 eggs beaten
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 5 ounces bread crumbs
- oil enough to fry stuffeed crepes
Instructions
Making Crepes
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add milk while whisking (or mixing with a hand mixer). Follow with water, continuing to whisk until smooth. Now add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. At the very end, use a spatula to scrape any flour from the sides of the bowl, and mix it in, to avoid potential crumbs. (If necessary, transfer the batter to another bowl through a strainer or colander.) The batter should be completely crumb-free and have the consistency between milk and heavy cream.
- (Optional) If possible, rest the batter in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (or more). If the batter separates, whisk again before frying palačinke, adding a pinch of water if necessary. (We recommend making crepes the night before for this recipe, however, take them out of the fridge, and let them rest at room temperature for 1 hour before you start cooking. Alternatively, gently warm them up as cold crepes can break.)
- Heat a pan thoroughly over high heat. (However, if your stove runs hotter than most, you can cook them on medium to medium-high heat. Adjust the temperature according to your stove.) Crunch up a paper towel, dip it in oil, and grease the pan lightly but thoroughly (watch your fingers!). (As you're using a small amount of oil on a very hot pan, there is no need to heat the oil further before adding the batter.)
- Using a ladle (or a ½ cup measuring tool), pour the batter into the pan. Swirl the pan around (it may take a couple of swirls). The batter should swirl 'lazily' until it is distributed evenly over the surface. Cook the first side for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the edges start to brown and lift slightly. Flip with a spatula and cook the other side for 30 seconds more.
- After one palačinka is done, coat the pan with oil again using the same paper towel method. While coating it, remove any crumbs that may have stayed from the previous crepe. Repeat until you run out of batter. You should have about 12 or more crepes with this amount of batter.
Breading, Stuffing and Frying Again (Parallel Steps)
- Take a crepe and spread about a tablespoon of mayo over it. Then take about a handful of cheese and two handfuls of diced ham and place on the bottom half of the crepe. Fold the crepe in such a way that you lift the left and right sides and fold them inward just a little bit. Take the bottom of the crepe and roll it upward. You should have a completely folded crepe (kind of like a small burrito).
- Dip the crepe first in flour, then egg, and finally bread crumbs. Repeat for all crepes. Once you have about half of them done, you can start frying.
- In a deep pan heat plenty of oil. After you bread a few, carefully lower crepes into the hot oil. Fry each side for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel. Repeat for the remaining crepes.
Handling
- Serve ham and cheese crepes warm to hot, or according to your level of comfort. Serve alone or with sour cream, a choice of sauce, ajvar, or a fresh soup or salad.Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.Reheat in an oven or pan to maintain crispiness, or using your preferred method.
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