Your breakfast and brunch menu just got an upgrade! My Muffin Tin Popovers have a crispy exterior and lightly sweet, airy centers and are ready in about 30 minutes. Split one open and add butter and jam, or top with sweetened yogurt and fresh fruit. There are no wrong choices!
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The very first time I ate a Yorkshire pudding, at Hawksmoor in NYC, I knew I wanted to remake them into breakfast popovers. My Muffin Tin Popovers are a lightly sweet, delicately airy alternative to traditional breakfast pastries, and I am in love.
The first time I tried to make them, they were a bit more eggy than I like. It tasted more like a frittata than a light and airy popover. It was not the vibe. This new and improved recipe has the perfect balance, with just enough sugar to make it feel decadent.
I like to serve mine with a big dollop of whipped greek yogurt cream, a bit of jam, and all the fresh berries I can find. Or you can go wild and add whipped cream or ice cream and turn them into a delicious dessert!
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❤️ What you'll love about this recipe
- Easy - All you have to do is whisk together some pantry staples and fill a muffin pan.
- Fast - Even with the recommended resting time for the batter, you can have this popover recipe done and out of the oven in as little as 30 minutes!
- Crowd-pleasing - This recipe makes a dozen puffy popovers. Enough for a crowd, or just a few greedy brunchers.
- Flexible - Leave out the sugar and make them savory. Top with ice cream and chocolate syrup and have dessert. Pour the batter into small cast iron pans and make a mini cast iron dutch babies. Your batter, your life, your decision!
Yorkshire Pudding vs Popovers
If you aren't really sure what the difference is between Yorkshire pudding and popovers, get in line. They are almost identical in ingredients and technique, but there are a few small differences:
- Country of origin - Strictly speaking, Yorkshire puddings are from England, and Popovers are the Americans version.
- Butter or drippings - A traditional Yorkshire pudding is baked in the drippings (fat) leftover from cooking a roast, while popovers use butter, either in the batter or in the preheated pan. Yorkshire puddings, with the beef drippings and all, are very much a savory side dish. while Popovers can be sweet or savory.
- Baking vessel - I have seen Yorkshire puddings made in a special pan, and I have seen popovers made in pans made just for that purpose, but I have also seen Gordon Ramsay make Yorkshire puddings in a regular muffin pan. Now am I going to argue with Gordon? I don't think so. Use whatever pan you have and feel good about it.
More to love If you think this is fun, you should try my Yorkshire puddings baked around savory breakfast sausages. My quick and easy Breakfast Toad in a Hole is a delicious way to put a little British in your breakfast!
Ingredients
Honestly, you probably have all the ingredients right now and could be tucking in to a popover (or four) in no time!
* Not pictured, 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter or oil
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
There are very few ingredients, so few places to hide, but here are a few subs you can make and still get darn tasty popovers.
- Milk - I like to use whole milk because I prefer it, but you can use 2% or even nonfat if you prefer.
- Sugar - I use powdered sugar because it dissolves faster and because the small amount of cornstarch helps the eggs to bind and "pop" up. If you don't have it you can use caster or super-fine sugar or even regular granulated sugar, but whisk thoroughly and again before pouring, to be sure it fully dissolves.
- Non-dairy - In place of dairy milk, you can use your preferred plant based milk or other vegan alternative. You can also use margarine or a neutral oil in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free - I have not tried it myself, but other recipe developers have made popovers using a 1 to 1 gluten free flour, like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Baking Company.
Equipment
I'm pretty sure everyone has a muffin pan at their disposal, but do you have the best one for these Muffin Tin Popovers? Having owned quite a few crummy pans in my life, I have no problem paying a bit extra for a high quality nonstick muffin pan. Mine has more than paid itself in muffins and mini frittatas that come right out of the pan without a paper liner.
If you don't have a nonstick muffin pan, I would not recommend using muffin liners as the popovers will definitely stick to the paper. Instead, spray each well lightly with nonstick spray,or grease with a neutral oil. Then give each popover a gentle twist when they first come out of the oven to encourage them to unstick.
Instructions
Things move pretty quickly once your batter has rested. Reading through the entire recipe and having all your ingredients ready to go will set you up for success.
- Start by setting your oven temperature to 450°F and placing one oven rack towards the bottom of the oven and one near the top. Then slice 3 tablespoons of butter into 4 pieces each, for a total of 12 little bits of butter. Now we can make our popover batter.
Step 1: In a large measuring cup, or pitcher with a spout, whisk or use a blender or immersion blender to mix the eggs and milk until frothy.
Step 2: Add in all purpose flour, powdered sugar, and kosher salt and mix thoroughly just until you have a smooth batter. Let the batter rest on the counter for at least 15 minutes. While batter is resting, place muffin pan in oven to preheat for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Remove pan from oven. If your pan is not nonstick, spray each well lightly with nonstick spray.
Place a small piece of butter, or about ½ teaspoon of oil into each well and allow to melt.
Step 4: Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, about ½ to ¾ full.
Step 5: Immediately place pan in hot oven and allow to cook, without opening the oven for 10 minutes. If you want the tops of the popovers darker and a bit crispy, place on a higher rack, poke each one with a knife or skewer to release some steam, and bake for 1 to 2 additional minutes, watching closely, removing when they are deep golden brown.
Final steps: Remove popovers from the oven and remove each one to a wire rack, placing them on their sides. Poke a small hole in the side of each one to release some steam. They will still deflate a little bit, but will be delicious anyway.
Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with sweetened yogurt or whipped cream and fruit or jam. Or all of them. Go wild!
Expert tip
Popovers form when the high heat of the oven and the liquid in the batter collide and form steam, which makes the "pop" up. This will happen best if all your ingredients are at room temperature when you start. You can bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of sink-hot water for 10 minutes. Then microwave your milk for 45 seconds to take the chill off.
If you want to make your batter ahead of time, you can refrigerate your batter overnight, but allow it to come to room temperature for at least 45 minutes before preheating your oven and muffin pan.
Recipe FAQs
No you don't. Although a special popover pan, which has deeper wells that are attached to each other by wires, make taller popovers, the ones made in a muffin tin still rise tall and bake up deliciously. I actually hate storing single use items in my small kitchen, so I gave mine to the bakery where I worked and started using a regular muffin tin and I've never looked back.
Popovers are one of the few pastries that I feel are best eaten right then and there, but if you need to store them for later you can keep them loosely wrapped in a zip top bag (don't fully zip it closed) for a day.
Although they will never again reach the great heights of their youth, you can reheat a popover for 5 minutes in a 350°F oven.
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Muffin Tin Popovers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (360 g) whole milk room temperature
- 4 large (200 g) eggs room temperature
- 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter or neutral oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and cut your butter into 12 tiny pieces.
- In a large measuring cup, or pitcher with a spout, whisk or use a blender or immersion blender to mix the eggs and milk until frothy.
- Add in flour, powdered sugar, and kosher salt until thoroughly mixed. Let the batter rest on the counter for at least 15 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight. (allow to come to room temperature before baking)
- While batter is resting, place muffin pan in oven to preheat for 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and if your pan is not nonstick, spray each well lightly with nonstick spray.
- Place one piece of butter or a half teaspoon of oil into each well and allow to melt.
- Divide popover batter evenly among the 12 muffin tin wells, about ½ to ¾ full.
- Immediately place pan in oven and allow to cook, without opening the oven for 10 minutes. If you want the tops darker and a bit crispy, place on a higher rack for 1 to 2 additional minutes, watching closely.
- Poke a small hole in the side of each popover as soon as they come out of the oven to release some steam. They will deflate a little bit.
- Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with sweetened yogurt or whipped cream and fruit or jam. Or all of them.
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
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