How to Make Perfect Popovers

Light, fluffy classic Popovers are easy to make with just 6 ingredients, and they always bring the wow factor!

If you've never tried them, you will be surprised by just how easy it is to make sky-high, light-as-air popovers at home

These buttery, perfect popovers pair well with soups like beef stew and are wonderful with roast beef, because they are great for mopping up every last bit of sauce. Similar to Yorkshire Pudding, these popovers have a crispy exterior and a light hollow interior.

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We got hooked on popovers at the famous Neiman Marcus Rotundra restaurant in San Francisco. They deliver them to your table piping hot, along with strawberry butter, for a sweet version that we loved so much, we just had to recreate them, along with the fabulous Strawberry Butter!

Ingredients Needed:

Just 6 simple ingredients needed!

• FLOUR - All-purpose flour is the best choice
• OIL - Use vegetable oil for greasing the popover molds
• BUTTER - we use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted, that will work too
• SALT - sea salt is our favorite choice
• EGGS - Choose fresh large eggs
• MILK - Whole milk is recommended

How to Make Popovers

While popovers are easy to make, there are a few "must-do" steps, beginning with positioning the racks properly in the oven and preheating the oven before starting. Since there are no active ingredients (such as baking powder) in the batter, the "pop" is created solely by heat. It's also important to ensure the ingredients are at room temperature.

Prep the oven and the pan:

• Position an oven rack on the lower shelf of the oven. Position a second rack at the top of the oven and place a sheet pan on it. The top rack and sheet pan will act as a sort of heat shield so that the popovers don't get too brown.
• Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Make sure you allow the oven to fully preheat because the initial heat is what helps create the "pop" in popovers.
• Oil the cups of a steel popover pan, or muffin tin, heavily, as well as the top of the cups. We recommend using oil, not butter, because butter can burn.
• Place the prepared pan on a sheet pan.

Prepare the Batter:

• Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. The eggs and milk should be at room temperature.
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and salt until combined and the batter is no longer streaky. We use a stand mixer, but a hand mixer or blender will work too.
• Add the flour and beat until frothy and no large lumps remain. With a stand mixer, this takes about 30 seconds. A few small lumps are okay.
• Mix in the melted, cooled butter and blend briefly. The batter should be thin, like pancake batter.
• Pour the batter into a large measuring cup (this makes pouring the batter into the pan super easy, but you could also use a large ladle)

Preheat the Pan:

• Place the prepared pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. The goal is to get the oil sizzling and the pan preheated. This helps create the initial pop and puff of the batter.
• DO NOT skip this step!

Cook the Popovers:

• Remove the hot pan from the oven and carefully fill the cavities ¾ full with the prepared popover batter (our pan uses about 2 ounces of batter).
• Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Resist the urge to check on the popovers at this point and do NOT open the oven door. They will pop and start to turn golden like the photo below ⬇️

• Reduce the heat to 350˚F, and continue to cook for an additional 10-14 minutes.
• The popovers should be golden brown, tall, and fluffy.
• NOTE: Timing may vary based on each oven and pan size. 6 jumbo popovers will cook a little longer, and minis will cook for less time.
• Remove from the oven and immediately unmold the popovers onto a wire cooling rack.
• Popovers are best served warm. They will begin to deflate after a few minutes as they cool.
• We LOVE them served with Strawberry Butter or any of our flavored Compound Butters.

Are Popovers and Yorkshire Pudding the same thing?

They are similar yet not exactly the same. The difference is the baking method. Yorkshire puddings are made using sizzling hot beef drippings, which results in a denser, moister, eggier, and richer flavor, while popovers are lighter and more airy, and cooked in greased pans.

Variations:

Our master recipe is for unflavored popovers, but they can be savory or sweet depending on any additional ingredients. The additions should be hand-mixed into the batter after the melted butter (final mixing step).

Here are some of our favorite additions:

• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon or orange zest

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sugar combination

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped herbs

• 4 Tablespoons of finely grated cheese (parmesan, gruyere)
• Spice it up with a dash of cayenne or smoked paprika