Popovers
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These popovers bake up beautifully tall and crispy, with a melt-in-your-mouth, eggy interior and crisp, golden crust—no popover pan necessary. Cheese optional, but highly recommended!
Popovers are essentially hollow rolls made from an eggy batter that rises dramatically as steam builds inside, creating that signature “pop.” What makes them truly special is the texture: crisp and golden on the outside, with a soft, almost custardy interior. While popovers are traditionally baked in special pans, you don’t need one here—a standard muffin tin works beautifully. This easy popover recipe comes together in one bowl, with a batter similar to crepes or pancakes. The cheese topping is optional, but trust me, it’s a game changer. The idea comes from the the cheese-topped popovers served at BLT Steak—truly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!
Popovers are perfect alongside a hearty beef stew, tomato soup, or a roast beef tenderloin. For breakfast, they’re delicious with over easy eggs and bacon or slathered with butter and jam (just omit the cheese for the sweet version).
What You’ll Need To Make Popovers
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the batter, creating a tender crumb.
- Eggs: Essential for the popover’s structure, helping them rise and become fluffy.
- Milk: Provides moisture and helps create the steam needed for the popovers to puff up.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the batter, giving the popovers their structure and texture. To ensure accuracy, measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Gruyère Cheese: Optional topping that adds a savory, nutty flavor and creates a deliciously crispy crust.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the lower-middle middle position, allowing at least 5 inches of space above the rack for the popovers to rise. Place a 12-cup muffin pan in the oven while you make the batter. Pouring the batter into a hot pan maximizes the amount of steam generated, resulting in fluffier, lighter, and taller popovers.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, and salt.
Whisk in half of the milk.
Add the flour and whisk until completely smooth. Add the remaining milk and whisk until combined.
Carefully remove the muffin pan from the oven and generously spray the whole pan, including the parts between the cups, with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour or ladle the batter into the muffin cups, filling to just below the rim.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the batter, if using.
Return the pan to the oven (remember it’s hot!) and bake until puffed and golden-brown, 40 to 50 minutes. Don’t open the oven until after 35 minutes, or you’ll risk the popovers deflating.
Lift the popovers out of the pan and onto a serving platter. Serve immediately. The popovers will deflate a bit as they cool; this is normal.
Video Tutorial
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Popovers
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ cups milk
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 oz Gruyère cheese, finely shredded (optional but recommended; about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and set an oven rack in the lower-middle middle position, allowing at least 5 inches (13 cm) of space above the rack for the popovers to rise. Place a 12-cup muffin pan in the oven while you make the batter.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and salt. Whisk in half of the milk. Add the flour and whisk until completely smooth. Add the remaining milk and whisk until combined.
- Carefully remove the muffin pan from the oven and generously spray the whole pan, including the parts between the cups, with non-stick cooking spray. Pour or ladle the batter into the muffin cups, filling to just below the rim. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the batter, if using. Return the pan to the oven (remember it’s hot!) and bake until puffed and golden-brown, 40 to 50 minutes. (Don’t open the oven to check until after the 35-minute mark, or you’ll risk the popovers deflating.)
- Lift the popovers out of the pan and onto a serving platter. Serve immediately. The popovers will deflate a bit as they cool; this is normal.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these with Gluten Free flour (King Arthur), and even the non-GF eaters loved them! They were SO much lighter than most GF bread/ baked goods. Can’t wait to make them again-super easy!
Hi Jenn, I love all of your recipes. I am a big fan 💕 I’ll be making the beef stew tonight and wanted to accompany it with the popovers. Do you have any suggestions for a cheese substitution? I haven’t been able to find Gruyère cheese at any of my local stores. It’s been out of stock, I think it’s because we’re in the holiday season and everyone is charcuterie crazy lol. I was thinking Parmesan or maybe Gouda. What do you think?
Hi Trinity, so glad you like the recipes! Gouda would make a nice substitution for the Gruyere. Hope you enjoy!
Somehow my popovers didn’t rise and were super dense little muffins after 40 minutes. Might that be from overmixing? (I regularly make dutch babies – a similar concept – and they usually turn out great, so perplexed on what we did wrong. Maybe because we are at 6,000 feet altitude?
Hi Anne, Sorry you had a problem with these! I feel pretty confident that it was as a result of the altitude. You may find the tips in this post helpful (see #14 – Make Adjustments at High Altitude). Good luck!
These were so easy to make and delicious that my son ate 3 of them standing over the tray! They popped up beautifully and paired well with a hearty soup. I will be making these again!
Hi,
Could you prep everything in the muffin pan, and leave it in the fridge until ready to use? I’m trying to make life a little easier after working all day. :-). Thanks
Hi Meredith, I think you could get away with making the batter ahead and refrigerating it but the muffin pan needs to be hot when you put the batter in, so I’d hold off on doing that part. Hope you enjoy!
I love your recipes. Unfortunately I do not do well with wheat flour. Have you ever tried this with a one-to-one gluten-free flour? I would love to try these.
Hi Dori, I haven’t but I think it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
Hello,
You say ” no popover pan necessary.”. How does that work?
Please describe.
Hi Francoise, you don’t need a popover pan as a muffin pan works well for this recipe.
Would these work in a silicone muffin pan or is metal critical to their baking?
Hi Tina, I think your instinct is correct on the metal. I’d stick with the regular muffin pan.
Don’t open over for after 35 minutes? Unclear.. Bake for 50 minutes and then let sit in oven another 35? OR, just don’t open the door to check on them until they have been in the oven 35 minutes? Call me stupid
Hi Markey, Yes that’s correct – don’t open the oven to check the popovers until after the 35-minute mark, or you’ll risk the popovers deflating.
Two questions: can you mix the batter in a blender without affecting texture? And could you halve the recipe (maybe still use 3 eggs)?? Thanks Jenn.
Hi Mary, yes, you can mix the batter in a blender and it would be OK to have the recipe. Regarding the eggs, I’d use 2½. Use 2 full eggs; beat the third one in a measuring cup, discard half of it, and use the remaining half. Enjoy!