Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy (2024)

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Popovers are a delightful treat, crispy on the outside and filled with air on the inside. Learn to make them at home. Julia Child recipe | classic cooking | popovers

Homemade Popovers based on Julia Child's classic recipe.

Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy (1)

I still remember the first time I had a popover at my mother's suggestion. The waiter brought me this giant muffin looking thing that was almost empty inside with a crust that was both crunchy and custard-y at the same time.

I was hooked.

I checked out a copy of Baking with Julia: Savor the Joys of Baking with America's Best Bakers (affiliate link) from the library and saw at least 10 recipes I wanted to make. But, I started with this one because the popover pan my mother had given me was buried in the back of the cabinet crying from neglect.

Yes, I have popover pan.

No, you do not need one.

Custard cups or muffin pans will work fine if you follow the directions below.

Tips for Making Julia Child's Popovers

There is no denying popovers can be tricky, I have failed more than once, especially when I haven't made them in awhile.

But, here are a few tips to help you achieve that beautiful pop with the empty middle:

  • have the eggs and milk at room temperature
  • do not overfill the cups
  • if using a muffin pan leave every other one empty
  • oven rack must be on the lowest possible position
  • slice with a sharp knife immediately after removing from the oven (Julia doesn't mention this, but....)

And remember, even if they aren't perfect, they are still delicious.

Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy (2)

Recipe

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole or 2% milk (room temperature)
  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Move the oven rack to the lowest possible position. Preheat oven to 425° F. Liberally grease the popover pan, custard cups or every other cup of a muffin pan with butter or cooking spray.

  • Be sure to have milk and eggs at room temperature before proceeding. Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. No lumps!

  • For the popover pan or custard cups: pour ⅓ cup batter in each.

  • For the muffin pan: pour ¼ cup of batter into every other cup.

  • Bake for 25 minutes WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR!

  • Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15-20 minutes (FYI, mine were done in 10 minutes, but I'm telling you what the recipe says).

  • Remove from oven and cut a slit in the top to allow the steam to escape. Serve immediately.

Notes

The right pan is critical for these. If you do not have apopover pan(affiliate link) you can use every other cup of a 12 muffin pan (you'll want two) or ¾ cup capacity custard cups on a rimmed baking sheet with plenty of room in between

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzy Godfrey

    I don't believe I've ever had a popover! Thanks for hosting and have a great week!

    Reply

    • Audrey

      They used to be pretty popular, hopefully they will make a comeback.

  2. Lisa/Syncopated Mama

    I actually don't really care for popovers, but I can remember being so excited to make my first one, years ago. Your explanation of them is really great!

    • Audrey

      It is exciting when they turn out the way they are supposed to.

  3. Treat and Trick

    Those popovers sound easy and yummy. I want to give this a try. Thanks for hosting too...

    Reply

  4. Ellen

    I make popovers every Christmas! Putting this recipe in my holiday folder.

    Reply

  5. Amy (Savory Moments)

    I've never made or eaten popovers! They've always intrigued me though and this is a great tutorial!

    Reply

  6. Erin Vasicek

    Even though I have a popover pan I have yet to make them!

    Reply

  7. Sydney Roussel

    The Neiman Marcus store is famous for their Popovers, their recipe
    has baking powder and says to let batter rest at room temperature
    for one hour. I am going to try this recipe," for the sake of argument".
    Julia Child is seldom wrong.

    Reply

  8. Elizabeth Brett

    Thank you! I lost my Julia Child books in a move and I've been desperate for this amazing recipe!

    Reply

    • Audrey

      oh no! THE HORROR! haha! I am glad I could fill the gap somewhat.

  9. Judy Wiest

    Help.....I love popovers but for the life of me they don't rise nice and high.
    Eggs and milk are room temperature, Have tried popover pan they just get too hard with no rise. I have baked them a little slower no luck there. I have used my muffin tins every other cup still no luck. Why o why are these soo hard to make?

    Reply

    • SuperBoy

      Hello Judy. They really are not difficult. It's so few ingredients you can almost NOT go wrong.
      It's important to grease the pan you use very well (can use a spray, too)
      Maybe you want to put your pan in the oven 10 minutes before puting batter in
      Be sure you start out with 450°oven & watch them rise -/+10-15, then DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN & cut the oven temp to 350-375° for another 10-15 minutes (usually it doesn't take very long, but you will see them Browning. YOU CAN DEFINITELY DO THESE🥳

    • Audrae

      All the recipes instructions are correct. To help myself even more, I’ve picked up the following tips—I preheat the greased pan and put a drop of cold butter right before I add the batter. I also let the batter sit out at room temp for at least 15 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour. They rise nice and high! Don’t forget to immediately put them on a cooling rack and cut them open with a sharp knife. This lets steam out so they stay crisp on the outside. Try again! It is so satisfying when you finally get them right!

  10. Thomas Gould

    How many popovers does this recipe make?

    Reply

    • Audrey

      It depends on what pan you use and how much batter you put in. There should be about 2 cups of batter overall, so that's 6 in a popover pan and about 8 in a muffin pan.

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Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to popovers? ›

If it's your first time making popovers, consider these tips before making a batch of these eggy, fluffy treats:
  1. Use a popover pan. The key to perfect popovers is using a popover pan. ...
  2. Bake on the lower rack. ...
  3. Avoid opening the oven door during the bake.

What makes popovers not pop? ›

The gluten in flour (and protein from the eggs) create the structure that traps steam in rising popovers. Without this structure, steam will escape like air from a punctured balloon, and your popovers will puddle, not pop.

What makes a popover rise? ›

Basic popovers are made with eggs, milk, and flour. The batter is thin enough to be pourable, about as thick as heavy cream. The high proportion of liquid in the batter creates steam that causes the popovers to puff up like the popover pictured below. The conversion of the liquid in the batter to steam is dramatic.

What is the difference between Yorkshire and popovers? ›

Cooking fat: Yorkshire pudding is a dripping pudding, meaning that chefs traditionally make it using the meat drippings leftover from cooking a Sunday roast dinner. Meanwhile, popover recipes tend to call for butter instead. Yorkshire pudding batter, therefore, takes on a more savory flavor than popover batter.

Should I let popover batter rest? ›

There's just one thing that will make the popovers better, and that's time. The batter needs time to rest before baking so that it creates a more tender popover in the end.

Why did my popovers turn out dense? ›

If you add more flour, the batter will be heavier and the popovers won't rise quite as high. The lower the rise, the more dense the bread filling and the smaller the hollow center.

What are the biggest causes of popover failures? ›

Until last night…
  • Preheat your popover pan.
  • NEVER open the oven door while baking.
  • Use room temperature ingredients.
  • Use the freshest eggs possible.
Jun 22, 2016

Should popover pans be greased? ›

Greasing the pan ensures that the finished popovers don't stick and promotes browning on the exterior of the popover.

What are popovers called in England? ›

Yorkshire Pudding/ Popovers

Yorkshire Puddings are a staple in England with a Roast Dinner. Here in the US we know them as Popovers which are the same thing as the modern Yorkshire Pudding, except using a different pan.

Should popover batter be cold or room temp? ›

How to make popovers. Before we get started: all of your ingredients should be at warm room temperature. To warm ice-cold eggs from the fridge, place them in a cup of hot tap water for about 10 minutes.

How do you know when a popover is done? ›

Oven temperatures can vary wildly, so check the popovers about 10 minutes or so before the baking time is up to see how brown they are. They should be very well-browned—peek through the glass on the oven door. Be sure not to underbake or the popovers will be soft and collapse after you take them out of the oven.

What nationality is popover? ›

The popover is an American version of Yorkshire pudding and similar batter puddings made in England since the 17th century, The oldest known reference to popovers dates to 1850. The first cookbook to print a recipe for popovers was in 1876.

What is another name for a popover? ›

What is another word for popover?
tarttartlet
sweet rollcruller
doughtwist
sconesausage roll
Cornish pastymuffin
15 more rows

Do you need a special pan for popovers? ›

You can buy special popover pans, with deeper, narrower cups which force the tops up in a more pronounced fashion, but I wouldn't bother. Any muffin pan will produce a perfect popover if the butter is hot, the batter is rich and smooth and the baker is patient.

What is similar to a popover? ›

In the UK, they are called Yorkshire puddings, which are slightly different. Yorkshire puddings are typically made using the meat drippings leftover from cooking a roast dinner (making them lightly more savory), while popovers are made with butter.

How to keep popovers from falling? ›

The cookie sheet will shield popovers' tops from direct heat. If you plan on serving the popovers immediately, remove them from the oven, and stick the tip of a knife into the top of each, to release steam and help prevent sogginess. Slip them out of the pan, and serve.

How do you keep popovers crispy? ›

Butter the preheated popover pan – this is what gives the popover its crispy golden exterior. You can use melted butter or little pats of butter. You'll need to add 1 teaspoon melted butter to each one. For extra buttery, add 2 teaspoons, up to you.

What makes a good popover pan? ›

Popover pans are distinguished from regular muffin tins by their deep, steep-sided wells. This forces the batter upwards and results in a popover with a puffy dome and crispy sides. Many popover pans have the cups welded to a wire rack. While this looks odd, it promotes even circulation of air and heat around the tins.

References

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