My Vegan Blood Orange Crêpes recipe uses seasonal citrus fruit for a delicious alternative to lemon and sugar pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Get the recipe below.
A twist on a classic
On Shrove Tuesday (or pancake day), people around the world are making pancakes. These days these might be fluffy American style pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup. They might be stuffed with spinach and mushrooms and drizzled with cheese sauce. But the traditional way to enjoy them is with a sprinkling of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
I didn't want to depart too far from that classic way of enjoying a thin, unleavened pancake (aka a crêpe) but now that blood oranges are in season I thought I'd use them in place of the lemon.
The result is something a little sweeter - you can omit the sprinkling of sugar completely if you don't want the pancakes too sweet. Alternatively you could add some whipped vegan cream or a dollop of vegan yogurt to balance it out a little. Maybe even a drizzle of bitter, dark chocolate.
My sweet tooth likes them just the way they are.
What are blood oranges?
Blood oranges are very similar to regular oranges but they have a slightly different flavour profile. Regular oranges are often quite sour. Blood oranges, however, are much sweeter with hints of red grapefruit, raspberry and even cherry.
Their syrupy flavour goes well in both sweet and savoury dishes. In sweet dishes, floral notes and aromatic spices add real depth of flavour to stop the final dish being too sickly.
Their more obvious difference (and the reason for their gruesome name) is that inside they can be either flecked with or be completely red! They get this distinct colouring from a pigment that is triggered when the temperature is warm in the day but then drops to -1°C or -2°C at night.
Where are blood oranges from?
There are 3 main varieties: the ‘Tarocco’ (grown in Italy), the ‘Sanguinello’ (grown in Spain), and the ‘Moro’ (which is grown in Sicily). They then get shipped to the UK for us to enjoy.
When are blood oranges in season?
The blood orange season is incredibly short which is why people get so excited about their arrival in the shops. You will only find them at the end of winter – i.e. between January and March.
How to slice a blood orange
You're not going to want to eat a blood orange with the peel and pith still in tact. To get a pretty blood orange slice you can enjoy on top of your crepes you will need to remove the peel and pith.
To do this simply cut the top quarter of an inch off of the top and bottom of the orange. This will create a flat surface to rest it on and will show you roughly how thick the pith and peel is.
Beginning at the top of the orange and slicing down, carefully cut away the blood orange peel by cutting around the fruit.
Once you've done this you can slice the remaining fruit thinly.
The recipe
Vegan Blood Orange Crêpes
Ingredients
For the pancake batter
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon caster sugar
- 425 ml almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 g non-dairy butter
- Oil for cooking
For the garnish
- 2 blood oranges peel removed and cut into slices
- 4 tablespoon caster sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sugar.
- In a separate jug, mix the almond milk, vanilla extract and melted butter.
- Slowly pour these wet ingredients into the flour, first to create a paste and then adding slowly to make a smooth, thin batter.
- Once all of the ingredients are combined mix well to ensure the batter is completely smooth and to create little air bubbles.
- Brush your pan with a little oil and then heat on a medium heat.
- Hold your hand a few centimetres away from the pan to see if it is hot. Once you can feel the heat, pour over some of the batter and swirl it around the pan until you have a thin circle.
- Cook until the underside is golden underneath then flip it to cook it on the other side.
- Serve immediately with the slices of blood orange and a sprinkling of caster sugar.
Nutrition
Can I use blood oranges to make Crêpes Suzette?
This recipe is very similar to the French classic, Crêpes Suzette. The difference is that Crêpes Suzette involves turning the freshly squeezed orange juice into a syrupy sauce using sugar that is caramelised and adding booze and butter. Sometimes it is even set on fire!
You can absolutely use blood oranges in place of normal oranges to the same effect.
More vegan crêpe recipes
What do you savoury or sweet crêpes? And are sweet crepes breakfast, dinner or dessert? Let me know your thoughts below.
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