Cheese Popovers Recipe (2024)

Cheese Popovers Recipe (1)

Cheese Popovers Recipe

If there ever lived a family that could claim all-out bread obsession, it’s got to be ours. The bunch of us could justify hanging up a kitchen sign that says bread or bust. I’ve never seen such fabulous signage, but if you find it…please tell me before anyone else grabs it. I’m sure it’d be in high demand.

Whether it’s a classicCrusty French Breador a tried-and-trueRustic Rosemary Garlic Bread… such a loaf has a lifespan of approximately 17 seconds at our dinner table. I’m lucky if all the hands don’t try to grab (smoosh) all the fresh-from-the-oven breads before I can photograph it.

These incredible cheese popovers are no exception. In fact, they’re extra grab-able because they resemble magical, golden, fluffy rolls you can sink your teeth blissfully into with downright satisfaction. All of it = entirely true. Not only are these cheese popovers unbelievably tender and fluffy on the inside, they manage to be crispy on the outside.

Bonus: the cheese. These golden lovelies are loaded with freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese for unparalleled flavor. My favorite one is labeled “seriously sharp” cheddar cheese and I’d highly recommend it if you can find it.

Also. Did you notice these cheese popovers need only 6 basic ingredients? You probably already have 5 of them in your kitchen this very moment. For more cheesy goodness try my baked puff pancake recipe.

Here’s how we do it…

Tips for the Best Cheese Popovers

  • For starters, you’ll need the right sized pans. I use two sets of thesesmall popover pans, which is ideal because of the deep wells that give the batter plenty of room to puff up without spillage. They also come in 12-cup pans so you don’t have to use two sets. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of my popover pans for less than 20 bucks, so it’s been 100% worth it.
  • That said, you can also use regular sized muffin tins; your popovers may be a bit less tall, but no less delicious. Just make sure your muffin tins are nonstick.
  • The recipe calls for coarse salt, which can be subbed with kosher salt. Occasionally, someone will ask me what the difference between kosher salt and table salt is. Salt is salt, right? Kind of. It’s not so much about the salt’s origins, but more about the volume. Because kosher salt is comprised of much larger individual crystals than table salt, the measured amount of kosher salt will be notably less than a seemingly equal amount of table salt, which I know you know is made up of tiny crystals. ← That’s a lot of words to say be sure to use coarse/kosher salt.
  • I talked about the cheese, right? It’s of utmost important to use sharp cheddar here, and the sharper the better.
Cheese Popovers Recipe (5)

make these popovers, Because:

  • They only need 6 simple ingredients. One of those is cheese. I could end here.
  • They’re crazy easy to make yet people think you spent all afternoon on them (Ha!)
  • They’re fluffy soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
  • They’re perfect for switching it up from the usual dinner rolls.
  • Try one straight out of the oven. You’ll know what we mean.
Cheese Popovers Recipe (6)

You may want this Bacon Egg Casserole, too:

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Cheese Popovers Recipe (7)

Cheese Popovers Recipe

5 from 2 ratings

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These cheesy Cheese Popovers are ultra tender, fluffy, and delectable. This popovers recipe needs only 6 simple ingredients and are sublime for appetizers or serve them in lieu of dinner rolls.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • TB kosher salt
  • 2 cups whole or lowfat milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 oz freshly grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, I use white
  • Other: spray oil for pan

Instructions

  • Place a 12-cup nonstick popover pan (or regular sized, nonstick 12-count muffin tin) on oven rack in lower-middle position. Preheat oven, with empty popover pan in it, to 450F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside on counter.

  • While oven and popover pan are preheating, continue with recipe. In a bowl, hand whisk the flour and salt until combined. Set aside.

  • Add milk to a small saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring and watching carefully until small bubbles form around edges. Remove from heat.

  • In a large bowl, whisk eggs with electric mixer on medium speed just until well incorporated and bubbles form. Continue to whisk on medium speed while very slowly adding the heated milk (don't stop whisking.) Mixture should become frothy. On low speed, gently and slowly whisk in the flour mixture just until batter is smooth; use rubber spatula to scrape sides and fold in any remaining flour. Do not over-mix, as over-mixing creates less tender results.

  • Carefully remove hot popover pan from oven and place it onto foil-lined baking sheet. Quickly spray each cup with cooking spray. Continuing to work quickly, divide batter evenly into greased cups, filling them to the top. Sprinkle cheese evenly on top of each popover, letting cheese sink in naturally.

  • Bake on lower-middle rack for 15 min. at 450F. Then drop to 350F and continue to bake another 15 min. or until popovers are fluffy, tall, and golden brown. Serve warm and fresh out of the oven.

Notes

*Popovers are best enjoyed while warm and fresh out of the oven. After that, they will naturally deflate a bit with time - still delicious, but less fluffy once cooled.

*The best way to reheat leftover popovers is in the toaster oven. Toast until warmed through.

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Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.3g | Protein: 7.8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 72.2mg | Sodium: 309.6mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 2.2g

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Method: baking

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FAQs

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.

Should popover batter rest before baking? ›

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.

What causes popovers not to rise? ›

Preheating your oven to the correct temperature is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure popover success. The hotter your oven, the higher your popovers will rise. Which makes sense: the faster liquid in the batter turns into steam, the more chance your popover has to expand before its crust sets.

How do you keep popovers from collapsing? ›

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.

What is the best flour to use for popovers? ›

Seeking Optimal Lift and Crispness

Not only were popovers made with bread flour about 30 percent taller than those made with all-purpose flour, but their higher walls were also thinner, making them a bit more crisp, and that crispness held up as they cooled. Bread flour was in. Next up: the milk.

Should popover pans be greased? ›

A popover pan should be greased. I prefer to use melted butter, but oil or nonstick spray would work too. Greasing the pan ensures that the finished popovers don't stick and promotes browning on the exterior of the popover. After you've greased your pan, place it into the oven while it preheats.

How do you trigger a popover? ›

How popover is triggered - click | hover | focus | manual. You may pass multiple triggers; separate them with a space. `manual` cannot be combined with any other trigger. Offset of the popover relative to its target.

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

Remove from oven:

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

What is the main leavening ingredient in popovers? ›

Because popovers rely on steam to rise — as opposed to baking powder, baking soda, or yeast — you want your batter warm when entering the oven. This King Arthur Flour article says it best: “The warmer your batter going into the oven, the more quickly it'll produce steam: simple as that.”

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 popover batter be lumpy? ›

Combine all ingredients in the order given and whisk just until combined. Don't overbeat the batter (a bit lumpy is ok). Allow batter to rest 10 minutes. Note that at this point the batter should be the consistency of heavy cream, but not alfredo.

Why did my popovers fall when I took them out of the oven? ›

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 get popovers to rise? ›

Room temperature ingredients mix together to form pockets of air, which when baked result in a higher rise. If you want your popovers to rise high, let your ingredients come to room temperature before mixing.

What makes popovers pop up? ›

As the batter bakes, that heat turns the moisture into steam, causing the popovers' dramatic rise. The deep cups of a popover pan give the batter plenty of room to rise, and provide support for the sides of the popovers as they do so.

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.

Why do my popovers always deflate? ›

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. The perfect popover, however, is easy to master.

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