Perfect Popovers Recipe
Crispy on the outside, soft and custardy inside, this is the Best Popover recipe. Inspired by the popovers served at Neiman Marcus, this one is easy to make and the best thing ever to fill your bread basket.
Carbaholics, this one is for you. I’m a big supporter of the bread basket. Anytime I go out to a restaurant and they ask if we would like a basket of bread I almost jump out of my seat with glee. Who turns that down?
I know, the bread basket is the holder of all the calories and you can fill up on the bread ruining your lunch. But there’s always the doggie bag and then you’re just prolonging the happiness from your lovely lunch out with friends.
Right? I mean, why would you turn down the bread basket. But some places don’t even offer a bread basket. They do one better, they offer freshly baked, straight from the oven warm Popovers. Have you ever had a Popover? They’re magically delicious light, airy and pure heaven.
This recipe is as simple as it gets and has been my favorite roll to make for holidays since the very first time I pulled them out of my oven. It makes the best popovers you’ll ever try.
Ingredients for Popovers
- Dairy – I use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream to create the rich insides of this popover recipe. You can substitute with half and half, if available.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works perfectly for popovers.
- Baking Powder – For the beautiful rise, baking powder is a necessity. Be sure to check the expiration date.
- Eggs – Large eggs were used to test this recipe. Be sure they’re room temperature.
- Vanilla – Traditional popovers don’t normally call for vanilla but I like the light floral notes it adds. If you want a savory popover, skip the vanilla and add 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese for cheese popovers.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
What Are Popovers
Popovers are a baking miracle. A buttery, crispy treat with a soft, custard-y center that you slather with butter and stuff in your face. They’re called popovers because they, literally, pop over in the pan while they bake.
This Classic Popover is an American version of England’s Yorkshire pudding and other batter puddings that are popular in Europe. The only difference between a popover and Yorkshire Pudding is, even though they use a similar batter, popovers are made a special pan, like a popover pan, and Yorkshire Puddings are usually baked in a pan in which a piece of beef has been roasted and placed in the bottom of each cup to utilize the beef drippings.
I had my first one during lunch at Neiman Marcus about 15 years ago and have craved them ever since. But since my bank account can’t really afford to eat lunch at Neiman Marcus on the regular, I had to take matters into my own hands and learn to bake them at home.
Guess what? They’re ridiculously easy to make and then you can slather them with things like Orange Marmalade , Strawberry Jam or Apple Butter when they’re fresh from the oven.
How To Make Popovers
This recipe is adapted from the Neiman Marcus Popover version. They share it in their cookbook and I added a few things just to make them slightly better. The high temperature causes the batter to puff up and popover which is where they get their name.
You could just start to call them Better than Neiman Marcus Popovers but I didn’t want to be too boastful because that’s just not attractive. But if YOU call them that, then it’s totally cool. Right?
- Whisk together the all purpose flour, kosher salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and beat until fluffy and light yellow in color. Slowly add the milk and vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour to the egg mixture and beat on medium speed.
- Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Coat nonstick popover pans or standard muffin tin with nonstick spray or melted butter and pour batter to fill the popover wells almost to the top with the batter.
- Place popover pan on a baking sheet or cookie sheet and transfer to the hot oven.
- Bake the popovers at an oven temperature of 450˚F for 15 minute. Without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 375˚F and bake for another 30-35 minutes until the popovers are deep golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove from the oven and transfer the hot pan to a wire rack.
- Serve warm or room temperature with honey butter and jam.
If you don’t have a popover pan or standard muffin pan, you can use custard cups lightly greased with butter or cooking spray.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
I love this handy popover pan because it is perfect for airy, light popovers. The non-stick coating ensures they pop right out of the pan. You can also use the pan for muffins, cupcakes and Yorkshire puddings.
How To Make Popovers In Advance
You can definitely make the Popover batter a day in advance and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Before baking, allow the batter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes and then stir prior to dividing among the popover pan wells.
Bake as directed.
You can make batches of popovers for large gatherings and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve.
How To Reheat Popovers
Popovers are best served right from the oven, but can be kept warm by arranging on a baking sheet and storing in a warm oven until ready to serve.
If your popovers have cooled and you need to reheat them, place them on a baking sheet and reheat in a 450 degree oven for 3-4 minutes.
Easy Popovers are the best addition to any Easter or holiday brunch or breakfast. They’re fantastic for dinner parties and I absolutely love them on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
If you’re in a pinch and need buns in a hurry…try these easy Cream Biscuits made with just TWO ingredients or bake up a loaf of buttery brioche if you’re looking for something with a bit more substance. Or try this EVERYTHING Brioche Bread for a fun and tasty twist on the usual loaf.
We also love these easy Brioche Dinner Rolls, they’re so buttery and DELISH!
What To Serve With Popovers
- Serve alongside the BEST Filet Mignon Recipe
- Fill them with a scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream
- Drizzle them Strawberry Puree
- Spread with a spoonful of Basil Pesto
- Roasted Garlic is like a pat of butter on your popover
- Honey Butter
- The Best Blueberry Jam
Want to see what else we’re baking up this season? Follow us over on Instagram!
Get the Recipe: Best Popover Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
- Popover Pan
Instructions
- Place the milk and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Heat until the milk is warm to the touch.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat for 3 minutes fluffy and light in color. Turn the mixer to low. Slowly add the milk and vanilla.
- Gradually add the flour to the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Allow the batter to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Coat a popover pan or muffin tin with cooking spray and fill the popover cups almost to the top with batter. Place the popover pan on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
- Bake the popovers for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside.
- Remove the popovers from the pan and serve hot.
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25 Comments on “Perfect Popovers Recipe”
I have to say this is the best popover recipe I have tried over the numerous ones I have tried over the years. I live at 5200 feet and I think that is why my popovers are more like bullets than popovers. I tried this recipe and they turned out exactly what popovers should be. They rose up beautifully like I’ve never had before. I made a bath and had some left over batter because I have a mini popover pan. I used some custard cups for the leftover batter and about halfway through the oven went dead. Turns out a thermal fuse blew. I left them in the oven for a while and then I move in to a small toaster/convection oven to finish cooking. Even that batch turned out perfect too! I couldn’t believe it. My search for the perfect popover recipe is over. THANK YOU,
You’re welcome!
i LIKE THE RECIPE BUT COMPARED TO MY PREVIOUS POPOVER RECIPE, YOURS DOES’NT CONTAIN MELTED BUTTER AND IT’S LACKING IN FLAVOR. HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE WITH MELTER BUTTER ADDED?
I use heavy cream for the richness butter adds normally. You can replace with melted butter instead of the cream, if you wish.
I too discovered Popovers at Neiman Marcus with my mother years ago. I have a regular Non-stick Popover Pan as well as a Mini Non-Stick Popover pan. I use the recipe that came on the Popover Box and have found that having the ingredients at room temperature and pre-heating the pan as the oven pre-heats does the trick of making the Popovers puff up splendidly. Perhaps you might try this approach sometime, and see what you think.
Yeah, I’ve done it both ways. But thank you for your comment.
if i halve the recipe to make only 6 popovers, do i cut the cooking time in half also?
No, you’ll still bake them for the same amount of time.
Did you use a mini pop over pan?
I used a standard pop over pan, if you use a mini be sure to cut back on the baking time.
Where is the banana bread?
https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/best-banana-bread-recipe/
Where’s the banana bread? You have banana bread as a keyword. Is there supposed to be banana in the popovers?
I don’t see where I have banana bread as a keyword but here’s the link: https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/best-banana-bread-recipe/
I am making these to be a part of Thanksgiving dinner. Would you leave out the vanilla for a more savory flavor or should the vanilla stay?
You can omit the vanilla if you’d like.
I am on the process of making your popover recipe and noticed there is no mention of when to add the vanilla. My batter is resting so I will have to add it now or before they go in the oven. Please advise?
I’m so sorry, your comment was in my spam folder! You add the vanilla directly to the batter. I’ll update the recipe.
I just made these this afternoon and wanted to tell you they were great!! 🙂 Thanks again!
Thank you so much!!! So glad you liked them!
I tried this yesterday and something didn’t work. I had “pop cups” they didn’t rise at all. They were like a cross between unsweet pound cake and bread pudding also recipe calls for vanilla, but isn’t included in directions? I added to egg mixture. I’ll try another batch and see if I get different results. I ate my pop cups with syrup this morning, almost French toast!
Oh no! They sound good, though. Maybe check to ensure your ingredients haven’t expired which could affect the rise. But I think you invented a new recipe!!
Thank you for this recipe! My mother used to make popovers for our family. Now, we all make them for our families and each othet. I once was going to make these as a special treat for my Sunday School class and I had someone not know what they were. I was aghast!! 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! We use a different one. No matter! Popovers are always good.
Thank you again!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I love recipes that remind me of family and past memories. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Wonderful rolls! My first time to make yeast rolls and they are not bad, need to work on my shaping technique.
Taste is reminiscent of Cafeteria rolls back in the 70’s.
Thanks for the nudge
RW