Light and Airy Popovers | The Recipe Critic

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Golden, crisp, and deliciously airy, these homemade popovers are the best addition to any meal! Made with a simple egg batter, popovers have a buttery texture and the perfect chew!

If fluffy and chewy bread is your thing, you’re going to love these popovers! They’re such a fun twist on a classic dinner roll! You’ll have to try my homemade Yorkshire pudding next. Focaccia and pretzel rolls are great options as well!

What are Popovers?

If you’ve never had them before, popovers are a light and fluffy pastry made with egg batter. It’s also the American version of Yorkshire pudding! The only difference between the two recipes is that Yorkshire pudding uses beef drippings in the batter to make it slightly more savory! I personally love the flavor of popovers. Just simple, buttery goodness!

Although popovers are the textbook definition of light and airy, you don’t need yeast or baking soda to leaven them! The steam interacting with the egg batter is what gives them the perfect rise. They’re great for a breakfast treat, brunch, afternoon tea, or serving alongside hearty meals like a Sunday pot roast! They’re such a fun switch-up from the traditional dinner roll. You’ll have to try them out for Thanksgiving this year!

Popover Ingredients

Easily, the best part of this popover recipe is the fact that you only need 5 simple ingredients to whip up a batch. It’s one of my favorite side dishes to make because I know I have everything ready to go in my pantry! You can find exact measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card below.

• Large Eggs: Eggs help bind all of the ingredients together and give popovers their signature rise!
• Whole Milk: The fat content in whole milk will make your popovers soft and tender.
• Salt: Just a pinch will keep your batch of popovers from tasting bland.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour gives popovers texture that is light and airy while still having the perfect amount of chew. I wouldn’t recommend using low-protein flour like cake flour here because it makes popovers too delicate to rise properly.
• Unsalted Butter: Adds rich flavor and a tender texture.

How to Make Popovers

Popovers are really simple to make! I’ve also added some tips below to ensure that you make a perfect batch! You’re going to love how they turn out. A golden, crispy exterior and soft, chewy center make them one of my favorite baked goods!

1. Preheat Oven and Popover Pan: Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and remove any racks above it, as the popovers will rise quite a bit. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Place your popover pan in the oven to heat while the oven preheats.
2. Mix Batter Ingredients: Add the eggs, milk, salt, and flour to a blender or stand mixer and mix until combined. Add the melted butter and mix again until combined.
3. Rest: Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes while the oven finishes heating.
4. Add Batter to Pan: Once the oven is up to temp, use a hot pan to remove the popover tin from the oven. Spray each well and rim of the pan with cooking spray and immediately pour the batter evenly into the six wells.
5. Bake: Bake for 15 minutes at 450℉ before lowering the temperature to 350℉ and baking for an additional 20 minutes until golden brown.
6. Release Steam and Cool: Remove the popovers from the oven and prick the top of each one with a knife to allow steam to escape. Remove from the pan to cool slightly before serving.