Want to make scrumptious, puffy popovers without special equipment? This popovers recipe is easy, using just 5 ingredients, a standard muffin pan, and a little TLC!
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Popovers are one of those magical recipes that look impressive, taste indulgent, and yet rely on a surprisingly short list of rules. No yeast. No fancy techniques. Just a simple batter, the right heat, and a little patience. I’ve made a lot of popovers over the years—some lofty and dramatic, some… less so—and the difference always comes down to a few key details most recipes gloss over.
This is a popover recipe you can trust. The kind that rises tall with crisp, shatter-y edges, a custardy hollow center, and that unmistakable buttery aroma that makes everyone hover near the oven. Whether you’re serving them alongside a Chicken Noodle Soup, Pot Roast, or just eating one straight from the pan (no judgment), I’ll walk you through exactly how to get bakery-level results at home every single time!
What Is a Popover?
A popover is a light roll with a crispy exterior and a semi-hollow interior. It’s made simply with flour, eggs, milk and butter, yielding buttery, endearingly eggy flavor.
Popovers are the American version of Yorkshire pudding. The biggest difference is popovers are made with butter whereas Yorkshire pudding is made with leftover meat drippings (typically from a Sunday roast!).
Popovers are often served with Homemade Butter or jam like Strawberry Preserves, whereas Yorkshire pudding is typically stuffed with savory meats and gravies.
Ingredients
- Eggs – popovers have a distinct buttery, eggy flavor. Eggs create the crispy structure that traps steam inside the popovers when they’re rising in the oven.
- Whole milk – whole milk adds rich flavor and creates an emulsion with the eggs.
- All-purpose flour – flour creates a batter.
- Butter – butter adds flavor and richness.
- Salt – salt adds flavor.
How to Make Popovers
Learn how to make popovers. Full instructions in the recipe card; this is just an outline!
- Prepare oven.
Rearrange oven racks so one is closer to the bottom of the oven, and one is closer to the top of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees..
- Grease.
Grease the entire muffin pan very well, including each well and the top of the muffin pan. Place greased muffin pan on the lower rack of the oven to preheat while you make the batter.
- Blend.
Using a stand or hand mixer and the whisk attachment, blend room temp eggs, microwaved milk, and salt until uniform.
- Blend again.
Add flour, and blend on low until smooth.
- Froth.
Add melted butter and blend on medium-high speed until frothy.
- Fill.
Fill each preheated well of your muffin pan 2/3 of the way up (you should be able to fill 11-12 wells).
- Bake.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes without opening the oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees (still without opening the oven), and bake for 10-15 more minutes until popovers are deep golden. If your popovers are getting too brown before the 10 minute mark at 350, lay a piece of foil on the top rack of the oven.
- Serve.
Serve immediately.
Do I Need a Popover Pan to Make Popovers?
No, in fact this recipe works best with a regular muffin tip and no special equipment! Although I have not tested this recipe with a popover pan, it should work with some tweaks if you want to use one. The bake time will likely be longer since the popover wells are deeper and each popover will be bigger. This recipe will also likely make half the amount of popovers with a popover pan!
My Pro Tip
Pro Tips for the Best Popovers
- Grease, grease, grease! It is SO important that you grease your muffin pan well, including the wells and the top of the pan. Otherwise, your popovers will stick to your pan and make you very sad!
- Preheat your oven completely before getting started with the batter.
- Don’t open the oven during the baking process.
- Room temp eggs and milk help the batter immediately start rising once it hits your preheated pan.
Recipe Variations
- Classic butter & sea salt: brush hot popovers generously with melted butter and finish with flaky sea salt.
- Gruyère & black pepper: sprinkle finely grated Gruyère and cracked black pepper into the hot popovers right out of the oven.
- Parmesan & fresh thyme: add a shower of Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves while the popovers are still steaming.
- Everything bagel: brush with butter, then coat with everything bagel seasoning as soon as they come out.
- Brown butter & honey: drizzle warm popovers with nutty brown butter and a touch of honey.
- Lemon sugar: Toss hot popovers with lemon zest and sugar for a bright, sweet finish.
What to Serve With Popovers
Popovers are absolutely delicious on their own. But here are some sweet and savory options to serve with your popovers, for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
- Butter (or as I say, BUTTAH!)
- Homemade Strawberry Preserves
- Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar
- Muhammara
- Whipped Ricotta
- Stuffed with crumbled sausage, herbs and cheese
- As a side dish with soups like Chicken and Rice Soup, Black Bean Soup, and Split Pea Soup
- As a side dish with anything from Italian Pulled Pork to Braised Short Ribs to Scrambled Eggs!
Storage and Reheating
To store: store leftover popovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat: reheat popovers, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until hot and crispy.
To freeze: you can freeze popovers but they won’t be as puffy as when they first come out of the oven. Reheat them straight from the freezer.
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If you’ve tried this Popovers Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
Easy Popovers Recipe
Equipment
- muffin pan
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature for 20 minutes
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, microwaved for 30 seconds
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rearrange oven racks so one is closer to the bottom of the oven (instead of the middle), and one is closer to the top of the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F before getting started. If oven isn't fully preheated, popovers won't rise.
- Grease the entire muffin pan very well, including each well and the top of the muffin pan. If your pan isn’t greased enough, your popovers will stick! Place greased muffin pan on the lower rack of the oven to preheat while you make the batter.
- Using a stand or hand mixer and the whisk attachment, blend room temp eggs, microwaved milk, and salt until uniform (about 20 seconds).
- Add flour, and blend on low until smooth.
- Add melted butter and blend on medium-high speed until frothy (about a minute).
- Fill each preheated well of your muffin pan ⅔ of the way up (you should be able to fill 11-12 wells). It's okay if the oil on the bottom of each well is dark (you won't be able to taste it).
- Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes without opening the oven. Reduce heat to 350°F (still without opening the oven), and bake for 10-15 more minutes until popovers are deep golden. If popovers are getting too brown before the 10 minute mark at 350°F, lay a piece of foil on the top rack of the oven to protect the top of the popovers from direct heat.
- Serve immediately. If you aren’t going to enjoy them right out of the oven, pierce each popover with a knife when they come out of the oven to keep steam from building inside and deflating them.
Video
Notes
- This recipe for popovers in a muffin pan yields delicious, puffy popovers that are a bit smaller than your classic popover pan result.
- While you can use a popover pan for this recipe, the bake time will likely be longer since the popover wells are deeper and each popover will be bigger. This recipe will also likely make half the amount of popovers with a popover pan!
- If your popovers stick, don’t panic. Use a sharp steak knife to gently loosen them from the pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank I am going to attempt this recipe today โฅ๏ธ I only have muffin pans ๐
Brenda,
You’ll do great!! Let me know how they turn out ๐
Grace