Popovers are a fluffy and airy spin-off of the classic Yorkshire pudding. The secret to light and airy popovers is to mix the ingredients lightly and bake them in a hot oven.
Those golden nuggets make for a fun weekend treat when served for breakfast or brunch with a dollop of jam, but they pair wonderfully with a hearty dinner such as stews, roasted bell peppers cream soup, or roasted chicken.
Popovers are pretty easy to make. You can buy a special popover pan with deep and narrower cups that force the top up theatrically, or you can use a muffin tin that produces a perfect popover a bit smaller.
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In this Article
- Subscribe to Giangi's Kitchen!
- Why you will love this recipe
- What is a popover?
- The secrets to great popovers
- Ingredients needed to make this popover recipe
- Equipment Needed
- Step by step on how to make these delicious popovers
- Pro Tips
- Popover Recipe Variations
- Storing and Reheating
- Frequently Asked Questions
- If you enjoy this popover recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
- Popovers
Why you will love this recipe
Quick and easy to prepare – within 30 minutes, the best popover will be on the table.
It can be enjoyed with such a wide variety of food—from breakfast to soups or alongside roasted chicken—that this popover recipe will adapt to most menus.
Pantry-ready ingredients – each ingredient is a pantry staple, making this recipe super easy to make at the last minute.
What is a popover?
A popover is a light roll made from thin egg-based batter instead of yeast. It is airy and hollow, with a crispy golden exterior and a soft interior.
They are called popovers because they pop over the top of the pan. They can be served in a bread basket with dinner or with butter and jam for breakfast or brunch.
The secrets to great popovers
Although it is a straightforward recipe, four little secrets will make it a success.
- You must pre-heat the pan in the oven before pouring in the batter. Add butter to the cavity of your pan so that a crisp bottom will form almost immediately when you add the batter.
- Fill each tin section no more than half full. They will rise.
- Place the tin immediately back in the oven so the baking will continue. If it sits too long outside the warm butter and the popover container will cool off, making it a bit longer to pick up and rise.
- NO peaking while they are in the oven.
Ingredients needed to make this popover recipe
This is a short introduction. The ingredient list is also brief. It includes essential items that you may already have in your pantry. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Whole milk – gives that rich flavor to this recipe
Unsalted butter – always use unsalted butter. You want to have control of the seasoning, and salted butter will not only add too much salt to your dish but change its flavor. Used to butter the popover holders and added to the custardy batter.
Large eggs – at room temperature
Salt
Sugar – balances well against the salt and the flour
All-purpose flour – King Arthur is one of my favorites; ensure it is unbleached.
Equipment Needed
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Popover tin or muffin pan
Step by step on how to make these delicious popovers
With all my recipes, please assemble all the ingredients before starting cooking and baking.
Start by
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Drizzle a teaspoon of melted butter into each popover tin cavity and put it in the oven while making the batter. Keep an eye on it, as you do not want to burn over.
Making the batter
Beat the eggs, milk, salt, sugar, and cold melted butter. Once well blended, add the flour slowly and continue to mix until smooth.
Baking
Slowly and carefully remove the popover tin from the oven; it will be hot, and the butter will burn.
Pour the batter into each cup filled halfway.
Place the tin immediately back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 425 F.
I placed my popover tin over a cookie sheet with parchment paper. This step is not necessary, but it prevents the butter from spattering all over the oven.
Reduce the oven heat to 350 F and bake for 15 minutes until the popover is puffed and golden brown.
Remove from oven and serve immediately.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a very simple recipe.
Pro Tips
- The melted butter must be hot when the batter is poured into the popover pan, which must then be immediately put back into the oven once filled. This will allow the batter to crisp up at the bottom and rise beautifully.
- Your oven temperature is essential: it should be hot when the popovers are placed inside and lowered once the baking process is underway. This step will achieve a beautiful golden crispy crust and pop over the tin.
- Butter tends to splatter; you may want to place a cookie sheet over the oven rack to prevent a mess from being cleaned later.
- They must be eaten as soon as they are out of the oven.
- The mixture can also be prepared in a blender.
Popover Recipe Variations
Savory or sweet, you can enjoy creating your spin.
- Add fresh thyme, or dry, into the batter. Any fresh minced herbs will work.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over them.
- Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese to the flour mixture to make them savory.
Storing and Reheating
Popovers are best enjoyed right out of the oven, if possible. The longer they sit, the less height and crispiness they will have. That said, you can make them ahead of time, and they will still be good.
Reheating: They can be reheated in a warm oven at 350F for about 5 minutes or until warm and crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Yorkshire pudding and popovers?
They are almost the same, using the same batter mixture. The difference is that the popovers are traditionally baked in a popover pan coated with butter, while the Yorkshire pudding is baked in beef drippings.
How to keep the popovers from collapsing?
The popovers will begin to collapse as soon as they are out of the hot oven. One way to prevent this is to puncture the top or side with the tip of a small, sharp knife to release some of the steam trapped inside.
Should you let the batter rest?
It is recommended you do for at least 15 minutes, this will allow any lumps to rise to the surface. Please give it a good whisk to blend all the ingredients well.
What is the secret to popovers?
Eggs should be at room temperature. The oven should be fully pre-heated before baking. The hotter the oven, the higher your popovers will rise.
Do NOT open the oven door. However tempting that may be, this will cause your popovers to deflate immediately.
If you enjoy this popover recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
Popovers
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Drizzle a teaspoon of melted butter in each popover tin and put in the oven while making the batter.
- Beat together the eggs, milk, one tablespoon of melted butter, salt, and sugar. Gently add the flour and mix well. The texture should be smooth.
- Slowly and carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven and fill each cup halfway. Bake for 15 minutes at 425F, then reduce the heat to 350 F degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes or more until popovers are puffed and browned. Please do not open the oven door to check the popover until they are baked for 30 minutes.
- Remove from pan immediately and serve hot.
Equipment
Notes
Pro Tips
- The melted butter must be hot when the batter is poured into the popover pan, which must then be immediately put back into the oven once filled. This will allow the batter to crisp up at the bottom and rise beautifully.
- Your oven temperature is essential: it should be hot when the popovers are placed inside and lowered once the baking process is underway. This step will achieve a beautiful golden crispy crust and pop over the tin.
- Butter tends to splatter; you may want to place a cookie sheet over the oven rack to prevent a mess from being cleaned later.
- They must be eaten as soon as they are out of the oven.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Classics, Dinners
- Cuisine: American
- Season: Fall
- Type: Affordable Gourmet, Under 45 minutes
Did you make this?
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Wonderful recipe, Giangi! Love how detailed and easy-to-follow your instructions are. The tips for achieving the perfect crispy exterior and airy interior are especially helpful. Can’t wait to try these popovers this weekend
Giangi Townsend
Thank you, I try to be as detailed as possible.
Enjoy the popovers!
michael W Tietje
for the receipt popovers, does not say how much milk, from the picture, it looks like 1 cup. please advise. thank you
Giangi Townsend
Hi Michael, thank you for brining it to my attention as I have omit hte milk in the recipe card.
Yes it is a cup of whole milk,
Enjoy!