Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding

Name: Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 cup milk or water; 1 cup all-purpose flour; ¾ tsp kosher salt; 3 tbsp unsalted butter *or meat drippings (melted and cooled); neutral oil or nonstick spray (to grease pan)

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This Yorkshire Pudding is my FOOLPROOF recipe that has worked for me every time. Yes, it's what we mistaken as popovers here in the US and I'm sure every person in the UK at one time or another have rightfully gotten annoyed by this. Please forgive us, they look so similar! Tall, light and puffy with a soft custard-y center, and crispy crunchy shell that is the perfect vessel to soak up some onion gravy or enjoy as is.

Jump to:

What Is Yorkshire Pudding?
Why Does The US Call Them Popovers?
Is This Truly A Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding Recipe?
Ingredients For Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding
How To Make Yorkshire Pudding
Suzy's Tips For Success
Best Way To Store/Reheat Yorkshire Pudding
FAQ
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Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

What Is Yorkshire Pudding?

Yorkshire pudding is a baked pastry made mainly from eggs, flour, and milk. Many people hear "pudding" and assume it's served sweet, yet it's actually meant to be savory and commonly served with traditional Sunday Roast dinners. The pudding was originally cooked beneath the meat as it was roasting on a spit above a fire. Not to waste anything, this would allow the fat and juices from the meat to drip down onto the batter, giving it flavor and adding color. This is how it got its original name "Drip Pudding."

Why Does The US Call Them Popovers?

Just my humble opinion, I believe it's simply because we do not experience British Sunday dinners as the UK does. We here in the US are used to enjoying this pastry sweet and they have very similar ingredients. The difference is in the process, overall texture, and how they are served. Popovers are commonly lighter and airier and baked in a lightly greased cold pan at a higher temperature. I've found them served in restaurants accompanied with butter and sweet jam. Yorkshire puddings are slightly denser, baked at a lower temperature, and served as a savory side to enjoy with roast beef and gravy.They are reheated the next day and served with fruits, jam, and syrup.

Is This Truly A Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding Recipe?

I can confidently say if you follow this recipe diligently, you will have tall and airy delicious Yorkshire pudding your family will love. Are we preparing them the classic way with a pan of roast beef? If you are, please invite me over for dinner! Instead, we are adding butter for flavor to substitute for the meat drippings. This way, you can make this any time regardless of what you're serving. Enjoy it sweet or savory! There's also a great debate over whether or not you chill the batter, if your pan needs to be pre-heated, and if you need to change the oven temperature midway.

The reason I say this is a foolproof Yorkshire Pudding recipe is because it's truly hard to mess up. Let's say you don't chill the batter, or bake them in a hot pan. Let's say you just decide towing it. Guess what? They will still be delicious. These are just my best tips on how I get them my Yorkshire pudding light and airy, and more importantly, nice and tall without deflating EVERY TIME.

Ingredients For Foolproof Yorkshire Pudding

Large eggs
Whole milk or water
Kosher salt
Butter: optional - use beef drippings if you're enjoying with a roast beef dinner
Neutral oil or nonstick spray

How To Make Yorkshire Pudding

use a blender or whisk Yorkshire pudding batter by hand

Mix ingredients in a blender or whisk in bowl by hand.

chill Yorkshire pudding batter in a spouted glass

Pour batter in glass with spout (for easy pouring later), cover, and chill in fridge. You can prep this a few hours or a day ahead.

add oil into each compartment of popover pan

Preheat oven and add oil in each compartment.

prehheat oiled pan in oven before adding batter

Preheat oiled pan in oven for 15 mins.

Add batter into heated pan by pouring straight down the middle of each compartment. This will help them rise straight up.

not opening oven door helps Yorkshire pudding rise high

DO NOT OPEN oven door. Bake at a steady temperature throughout, turn off heat for 5 mins, then remove pan from the oven.

Suzy's Tips For Success

Rest your batter: The most important step. It helps create the overall stretchy texture with that amazing bubble in the center and a more complex toasty flavor. You will read recipes (even from famous celebrity chefs) who bake their Yorkshire pudding straight away. Think of how you chill cookie dough. Rest is best.
Pour in oil, and preheat your pan: All my test batches preheating the pan has yielded taller better shaped Yorkshire pudding. But do not fret if you forget. Baking them in a cold pan may not make them rise as high, but they will bake perfectly fine.
Try your best to pour batter straight down the middle: Allow the batter stream to hit the middle bottom straight down, versus letting it stream down the sides. This will help the pudding rise vertically straight up vs sideways. If you cannot master this, do not worry. No matter what direction they rise, they will all be just as tasty! I just wanted to share all that I've learned on why Yorkshire pudding rise the way they do.
Resist opening the oven door: Many recipes claim opening the oven door does not affect the overall bake. I've also read a few who firmly recommend NOT opening the oven door. Only testifying to my own experiences, I definitely feel there's a correlation. Once I resisted the urge to open the oven door, that batch remained tall. I actually left them in the oven for an extra 5 mins with the heat off, just to allow them to cool slowly. Not only did that Yorkshire pudding batch bake nice and tall, they maintained its structure and did not deflate after cooling.

Best Way To Store/Reheat Yorkshire Pudding

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freezer for 1 month. To reheat, bake them at 400º (204ºC) for 5-7 minutes on a baking sheet.

FAQ

Why does my Yorkshire pudding deflate?

This was my number one question after making many test batches. After reading many articles, I learned puddings do deflate a little and it's not an indication they were not a success. They will be just as delicious! Perhaps tall puffy and airy Yorkshire Puddings are how I preferred them.

Let's troubleshoot some of the most common reasons they deflate - proper oven and oil temperature. Make sure you preheat your pan with the oil. This will ensure steam will form when you pour in your batter - listen for the sizzle! The pudding will then puff and get that impressive rise.

Now that you know how important it is to maintain the hot oven temperature, what I believe we must NOT do is open the oven door. You have to resist! This will only result in dropping the oven temperature and releasing the essential steam trapped inside. There's many who claim opening the oven door doesn't make any difference, but I would disagree. This will result in dropping the oven temperature and releasing the essential steam trapped inside. Set a timer and check on them in 35 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn off the oven and allow pudding to sit in oven for additional 5 minutes to crisp up.

Why does my batch come out greasy?

You may be adding too much oil or drippings into each compartment. I'd recommend 1-1½ tablespoon of oil is the right amount.

Can I make Yorkshire Pudding gluten-free?

Yes! You can substitute corn flour or tapioca starch. They will bake crispier and bigger in size than the classic recipe, just FYI. I would avoid the gluten-free flour blends. The extra ingredients (such as rice flour) tend to make heavier and dense Yorkshire pudding, and more costly to buy than corn flour.

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