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

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 makes popovers puff up? ›

What makes popovers pop? Unlike cake or bread, popovers use neither baking powder/baking soda nor yeast to provide leavening. Steam is the engine that makes them rise — and rise, and rise!

Why aren t my popovers airy? ›

Dense popovers (either from not rising or not getting nice hollows inside) can result from a couple things but usually it is by either not starting with room temperature eggs and milk, not preheating the popover pan, not using a quality popover tin, and/or making too thick of a batter.

What causes popovers not to rise? ›

The oven was not hot enough. Popovers require a fast rise, so that they can expand from the steam before the outside sets.

What is the English version of popovers? ›

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.

What is the secret to good popovers? ›

My biggest tip for creating perfect popovers is to use warm milk and room-temperature eggs with absolutely no chill on them. Do not take the milk and eggs from the fridge and use them. Cold ingredients will give you dense popovers. Warm ingredients will give you light, airy, and perfect popovers.

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 batter rest overnight? ›

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. So, cover the batter and pop it into the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

Is it necessary to poke the popover when it comes out of the oven? ›

Let the steam escape once they're done baking.

Popovers lose their crispiness if they linger in the pan, so turn them out on a wire rack immediately and make a small slit in the side of each with a paring knife to let the steam out.

Should popover batter be lumpy? ›

If your popover batter is excessively lumpy, you may want to strain it, pressing the batter through a sieve to remove lumps. However, if your batter is slightly lumpy, this is normal—much like making pancake batter.

What type of flour is best for popovers? ›

using room temperature eggs (see recipe for how to quickly bring your eggs to room temperature) room temperature milk (see recipe for how to quickly bring your milk to room temperature) hot oven. bread or all-purpose flour: for especially loft popovers, bread flour is your gal!

What happens to an underbaked popover? ›

If your popovers lose volume when they come out of the oven, they are probably underbaked. When these airy baked goods aren't cooked enough, too much steam stays trapped inside. That moisture condenses once they're removed from the oven, causing them to collapse.

How to tell when popovers are done? ›

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 15 minutes more, or until popovers are puffed and browned. Do not check popovers until they have baked for a total of 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and serve hot.

Should leftover popovers be refrigerated? ›

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
  1. Store any leftover popovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  2. Freeze cooled popovers in a freezer-safe container for up to a month. ...
  3. Reheat from frozen or refrigerated in a microwave or toaster oven until warmed through and crispy on the outside.
Sep 29, 2021

What country invented popovers? ›

As we alluded to earlier, popovers were invented in America, while Yorkshire pudding was first conceptualized in England.

What do you eat with popovers? ›

What to Serve With Popovers. Popovers are great to have with soup, salad, or alongside roast chicken, roast beef, or just about anything you would serve with rolls. They're also fantastic as a breakfast treat, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and served with butter and jam.

What makes baked goods puff up? ›

A leavening agent is a substance that causes dough to expand by releasing gas once mixed with liquid, acid or heat. Rising agents give baked goods optimal volume, texture and crumb and can include baking soda or baking powder, whipped egg whites or cream, active or instant dry yeast, and even steam.

How to prevent popovers from deflating? ›

An additional trick for keeping popovers crisp is to gently poke a hole in the side of each one with a sharp knife when you remove it from the pan to allow extra team to escape without deflating the crust dome.

How is puffed pastry made to rise so high? ›

Follow this tip: As a rule of thumb, a higher oven temperature (400°F is ideal) results in puff pastry with a higher rise. The higher temperature produces steam, which is the crucial component that makes the puff pastry, well, puff.

Why are my popovers flat on top? ›

SF Gate claims that if your bakes are flat and dense, rather than tall and puffy, you must adjust your ingredient ratios. Usually, the batter consists of a simple egg, milk, and flour mix but if you add too much flour, the batter will be too dense and your popovers won't have the power to rise.

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