Popovers are a favorite in our house for breakfast, brunch—and impromptu, late-night snacks.
These little babies are poofy, pancake-y pillows of perfection that you can slather with butter, jam, maple syrup, Nutella, or, really, anything you want.
The best part?
Popovers only require a handful of ingredients (flour, milk, eggs, salt, and olive oil or butter) that you probably already have kicking around in your kitchen.
Inside, these popovers are rich, golden and eggy.
The secret to perfect popovers
Well, my secret, at least.
I throw in a few extra egg yolks. It makes them a little richer, and (I think) helps them bake up more evenly on top.
If you want to rock more traditional popovers, you can easily omit the eggstra yolks (har har).
Just see the recipe instructions below. It’s totally up to you.
The best way to serve popovers
Popovers are best served piping hot, right out of the oven.
They’ll typically deflate at least a little if you let them sit then reheat them.
Do I need a popover pan?
Honestly? It helps. A popover pan is this thing, here:
A popover pan is narrow at the bottom and wider at the top. It’s also taller than a muffin pan.
Both these things help force the batter up and out as your popovers bake.
Yes, you can make popovers in a muffin pan
If you don’t have a popover pan, you can totally improvise with a muffin pan. They’ll be smaller, not as tall, and probably not as poofy.
You’ll just have to watch them as they bake and screw around with the baking time because of the size difference.
Can I flavor my popovers?
Sure! Fresh green herbs would be great.
Or a little granulated garlic and black pepper.
The trick to adding pretty much anything to popovers is that your additions need to be small and light so they don’t weigh the batter down.
Get creative!
Alrighty, enough chatter. Let’s get popping!
Easy Homemade Popovers
4 large whole eggs
2 extra egg yolks (optional)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons olive oil or melted butter (cooled to room temp)
Spray oil for the pan
Makes about 6 large popovers
Do a little prep
Spritz your popover pan lightly with some oil. Get the edges and the rails, too, for easier popover removal.
Set the popover pan on a sheet pan. (Just in case you have any spillover in the oven, this will make clean up easier.)
Preheat your oven to 450-degrees F.
You want to bake these on the lowest rack (because they get tall), so remove any extra racks. You don’t want anything (another rack or the top of the oven) to singe the tops of your beautiful popovers.
Make the popover batter
Once your oven is up to temperature, make the popover batter.
Put the eggs, extra egg yolks, milk, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined and uniform.
Add the olive oil or melted butter and flour.
Mix quickly with a wooden spoon or large whisk until well combined and frothy. Break up any big lumps. Don’t sweat any small lumps.
Your batter will be really wet and, honestly, kind of mealy looking. That’s just fine.
Bake your popovers
Fill each cup on your popover pan 2/3 – 3/4 of the way up.
Slide your popover pan (which is on a sheet pan) into your pre-heated, 450-degree F oven.
Bake your popovers for 20 minutes at 450-degrees F. Don’t open the oven door, don’t jump around in the kitchen. Let them rise, undisturbed. 🙂
After 20 minutes, knock the heat down to 350-degrees F, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until they’re golden brown.
When they’re done, remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack.
Slide them out of the pan, and serve immediately with cold butter and whatever else you like.
Enjoy!
The Hungry Mouse
Yields About 6 large popovers
Popovers are a favorite in our house for breakfast, brunch—and impromptu, late-night snacks. These little babies are poofy, pancake-y pillows of perfection that you can slather with butter, jam, maple syrup, Nutella, or, really, anything you want. Inside, these popovers are rich, golden and eggy.
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Spritz your popover pan lightly with some oil. Get the edges and the rails, too, for easier popover removal.
- Set the popover pan on a sheet pan. (Just in case you have any spillover in the oven, this will make clean up easier.)
- Preheat your oven to 450-degrees F.
- You want to bake these on the lowest rack (because they get tall), so remove any extra racks. You don't want anything (another rack or the top of the oven) to singe the tops of your beautiful popovers.Â
- Once your oven is up to temperature, make the popover batter.
- Put the eggs, extra egg yolks, milk, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined and uniform.
- Add the olive oil or melted butter and flour. Mix quickly with a wooden spoon or large whisk until well combined and frothy. Break up any big lumps. Don't sweat any small lumps. Â
- Fill each cup on your popover pan 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up. Â
- Slide your popover pan (which is on a sheet pan) into your pre-heated, 450-degree F oven.Â
- Bake your popovers for 20 minutes at 450-degrees F. Don't open the oven door, don't jump around in the kitchen. Let them rise, undisturbed. 🙂
- After 20 minutes, knock the heat down to 350-degrees F, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until they're golden brown.
- When they're done, remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack.Â
- Slide them out of the pan, and serve immediately with cold butter and whatever else you like.Â
- Enjoy!
