Yucatán Crispy Crepes (Marquesitas)
A thin, lacy crepe cooked until the edges crackle, then rolled hot around melted Edam cheese and cajeta or Nutella. This is the beloved night-market snack of Mérida, made foolproof at home.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Mix the batter
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, 50 g of the melted butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt directly into the bowl, then whisk until the batter is completely smooth with no lumps.
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml milk
- 50 g melted butter
- 30 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g flour
- 30 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: the batter is thin, pourable and lump-free, like a loose pancake batter
Rest the batter
Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. This relaxes the flour so the crepes cook up thin and crisp instead of chewy.
✅ Done when: 15 minutes have passed and the batter looks slightly thicker and settled
Cook the first side
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Flip briefly
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Fill and roll
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Serve immediately
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Mix the batter
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, 50 g of the melted butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt directly into the bowl, then whisk until the batter is completely smooth with no lumps.
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml milk
- 50 g melted butter
- 30 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g flour
- 30 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: the batter is thin, pourable and lump-free, like a loose pancake batter
Rest the batter
Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. This relaxes the flour so the crepes cook up thin and crisp instead of chewy.
✅ Done when: 15 minutes have passed and the batter looks slightly thicker and settled
Cook the first side
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Flip briefly
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Fill and roll
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve immediately
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Marquesitas take their name from a street vendor known as "La Marquesita" who sold these rolled crepes in Mérida, cooking them to order on a flat round griddle originally built for ice cream cones. The combination of a mild, slightly salty Dutch-style cheese with something sweet reflects Yucatán's long history of trade with Europe, which also gave the region its taste for queso de bola (Edam) in dishes like queso relleno.
Today marquesitas are a fixture of Mérida's parks and night markets, cooked fresh at street stalls where vendors pour, swirl and roll them in seconds, calling out the fillings on offer.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The contrast of a crackly, almost cookie-like crepe with melted salty cheese and sweet cajeta or chocolate is unlike any other crepe in Mexico, and it has made marquesitas one of Yucatán's signature street snacks.
💡 Fun Fact
The classic filling pairing — Edam cheese with cajeta — mixes a cheese that arrived through colonial trade with cajeta, a caramel born in the central Mexican city of Celaya, showing how far Yucatán's ingredients travelled before meeting on one crepe.
Mérida, Yucatán
20.97°N, -89.59°W
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