Whether you need a simple breakfast pastry or a carb-based side for dinner, these popovers are perfect. A popover is a light roll made from thin egg-based batter instead of yeast. They are very airy and hollow with a crispy golden exterior. Big, fluffy, and delicious, once you bite into it, you won’t be able to stop at just one! Even better, all you have to do is add all five ingredients into a blender and you’ll have the batter ready in no time.
If you’re making these popovers for breakfast or brunch, pair them with my frittata recipe or homemade quiche. They also go great with a dish like my easy chicken florentine, where they can soak up the sauce.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Milk — milk adds moisture and flavor to the popovers. I prefer using whole cow’s milk.
Flour — to get the strong crust that will trap the steam inside the popovers that helps them get sky-high, you need all-purpose flour. A lower-protein pastry or cake flour will make the exterior too delicate to stretch up while the popovers bake.
Butter — I recommend using unsalted butter for this popover recipe as the salt content in salted butter is inconsistent between various brands.
How to Make Popovers
1. In a blender, blend the eggs, milk, and salt on medium-high speed until well combined, about 15 seconds.
2. Add the flour. Blend on medium-high until smooth, about 15 seconds.
3. Add melted butter, blend on medium-high until frothy, about 15 seconds.
4. Immediately pour the popover batter into the prepared pan, filling each one of the popover pans well. Place on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips in the oven. Bake on the lowest oven rack for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for an additional 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately after they come out of the oven, gently puncture the popovers in the center and remove them from the popover pan before letting them cool completely on a wire rack.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. I recommend always using a scale to measure your ingredients. However, if you don’t have a scale, do not scoop the flour directly from the bag. Be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
- The eggs should be at room temperature to ensure they are evenly and quickly incorporated into your batter. This helps the batter keep from being over mixed. If you forgot to set out your eggs, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- When spraying the popover pan, be sure to spray not just the wells but also the tops. As the batter will rise and overflow, you don’t want them to stick on the top of the pan.
- While you might want to peek while these beauties bake, don’t! Opening the oven door might lead to the popovers deflating.
- Don’t skip readjusting the racks in the oven. Other than the risk of the batter rising to the next rack, you don’t want the popovers burning if they get too close to the heat source.
- You must gently puncture each popover in the center with a pairing knife to allow the steam inside of them to escape. If you do not cut into them, they lose their crispiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this without a blender?
If you do not have a blender, you can whisk the ingredients together by hand. Alternatively, a stand mixer equipped with the whisk attachment will work as well.
Can I make this with a muffin tin?
While it is not my preferred way of making this popovers recipe, you can use a muffin tin if you don’t own a popover tin. Keep in mind that the pan helps the popovers become tall and fluffy through their design. If you use a muffin pan, they will not look the same and will be denser. You’ll also end up with more as the wells aren’t as deep to hold the same amount of batter.
Are these the same as Yorkshire pudding?
At first glance, the two look very similar, but unlike popovers Yorkshire pudding uses beef fat, usually the drippings from a Sunday beef roast. You can also stuff Yorkshire pudding with beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more.
How do I store leftovers?
Popovers are best when eaten straight out of the oven as they start to lose their height and crispness as they sit out. However, if you have leftovers, allow them to fully cool before transferring them to an airtight container. You can leave them at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. If they are still warm when you store them, the bread will become soggy from the condensation.
How do I reheat leftovers?
I recommend popping these popovers into the oven to reheat. This helps them crisp back up compared to reheating them in the microwave.
What else can I add to the batter?
Add-ins such as fresh or dried herbs, shredded cheese, and citrus zest make great additions to the batter. Keep in mind that you don’t want to add too much to it, or you’ll weigh down your popovers.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Popovers recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Popovers
Video
Equipment
- Popover pan
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ cups whole milk (360mL)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Position an oven rack to the lowest level in the oven and preheat the oven to 450° F. (Make sure the other rack is removed or at the top of the oven, as the popovers will rise dramatically while baking.) Spray a 6-well popover pan with cooking spray.
- In a blender; blend together the eggs, milk, and salt on medium-high speed until well combined, about 15 seconds. Add the flour. Blend on medium-high until smooth, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter, blend on medium-high until frothy, about 15 seconds.
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling each well. Place on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips in the oven.
- Bake on the lowest oven rack for 20 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F, and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes more. Immediately after they come out of the oven, gently puncture each popover in the center with a pairing knife and remove from the pan. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. I highly recommend always using a scale to measure. However, if you don’t have a scale, do not scoop the flour directly from the bag. Be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without accidentally overpacking the measuring cup.
- The eggs should be at room temperature to ensure they are evenly and quickly incorporated into your batter. This helps the batter from being overmixed. If you forgot to bring out your eggs, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- When spraying the popover pan, be sure to spray not just the wells but also the tops. As the batter will rise and overflow, you don’t want them to stick on the top of the pan.
- While you might want to peek while these beauties bake, don’t! Opening the oven door might lead to the popovers deflating.
- Don’t skip readjusting the racks in the oven. Other than the risk of the batter rising to the next rack, you don’t want the popovers burning if they get too close to the heat source.
- You must gently puncture each popover in the center with a pairing knife to allow the steam inside of them to escape. If you do not cut into them, they lose their crispiness.
Amy Robbins says
Outstanding recipe! I’ve tried more than a few over the years, and this one is by far the best. Important tips like bringing the eggs to room temperature, using a blender to mix the batter, and setting the pan on the lowest-level rack made all the difference. Many thanks to the wonderful John Kanell!
Juyali (ju-ja-lee) says
I forgot to mention in my previous comment. I din’t have a popover tin, so I used a muffins one. They turned out perfect. I divided the batter into 12. They weren’t as large as the restaurant’s (or yours of course), but they turned out perfect. Very light and airy. So I just had to eat two instead, LOL. 😉
Juyali (ju-ja-lee) says
Hi John,
I made these for NYE dinner last night. We are from WI where “supper clubs” are a thing and they serve popovers before the meal.
So, I wanted to recreate a WI Supper Club dinner. I followed your instructions to the T, and my popovers turned out just perfect. Just like in the restaurant. Thank you so much for the great recipe.. Happy New Year!
Daniel Ziadie says
They turned out amazingly! Thanks
Yvette says
My go-to popover recipe! Super simple and always yields fluffy popovers. Minor edit- cook time is 40 minutes (38-40) not 20 as listed at the top
Melly says
Fantastic and easy recipe! I made it to accompany our roast dinner, and it was a hit! Even received 2 thumbs up from my English brother-in-law. I will definitely make this again and trying it with other toppings (like sausages). The possibilities are endless! Thanks John!
Ashley Young says
These puppies came out SKY HIGH!
Jeanne T. says
I’ve tried multiple popover recipes over the years, to varying results. This recipe never fails to produce delicious, airy, sky-high popovers. It’s the only popover recipe I will now use.
Many thanks!
Laura Kowalski says
My first try at popovers, and it went perfectly thanks to your help! Great recipe. Used my bouchon pan by Nordic ware because that’s what I had. I cooked 15 min at 450 and 15 at 350 because they’re smaller and they were great great great! Looked good and puffed right up, plus delicious! Appreciate the tips and tricks. Used them all. Now I’m confident in making these for Easter. Thanks!