Homemade Popovers based on Julia Child's classic recipe.
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
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
Sound fabulous? Share it!
Suzy Godfrey
I don't believe I've ever had a popover! Thanks for hosting and have a great week!
Audrey
They used to be pretty popular, hopefully they will make a comeback.
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.
Treat and Trick
Those popovers sound easy and yummy. I want to give this a try. Thanks for hosting too...
Ellen
I make popovers every Christmas! Putting this recipe in my holiday folder.
Amy (Savory Moments)
I've never made or eaten popovers! They've always intrigued me though and this is a great tutorial!
Erin Vasicek
Even though I have a popover pan I have yet to make them!
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.
Elizabeth Brett
Thank you! I lost my Julia Child books in a move and I've been desperate for this amazing recipe!
Audrey
oh no! THE HORROR! haha! I am glad I could fill the gap somewhat.
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?
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!
Thomas Gould
How many popovers does this recipe make?
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.