Cooking School: How to Make Perfect Yorkshire Pudding

Contrary to what many people think, there is no actual ‘pudding’ in true Yorkshire Pudding.

I’m speaking of those delightful, airy baked morsels, know to some as ‘Popovers’, that are traditionally British and served up with a classic roast beef dinner. They originated in Yorkshire, England, but for me, surfaced during my childhood years at the frequent request of my British father.

My mother could never make enough ‘Yorkshire pudd’, as we shortened it to, and now as a mother myself, I’m often in the same dilemma. Roast beef, new potatoes, and vegetable sides all take a back seat when there’s a basket of Yorkshire pudding on the table. Noah can polish off five or six on his own.

Once, at age four, he produced giggles from our guests when he sat stationed with a Yorkshire pudding in each hand, took a bite of their softness and, with a heavenly glance, moaned “Thank you, Lord”.

Sufficiently to say, we’re keeping with British tradition in our house – well those of a puffy nature, anyway.

What wonderful, crispy, eggy bites Yorkshire pudding are! Popped piping hot out of the pan onto the dinner plate, cozied up between the beef and the mashed potatoes and doused in gravy – they complete me.

Yorkshire pudding doesn’t have to accompany only roast beef, however. Serve them alongside roast chicken and gravy, with Thanksgiving dinner, or even for breakfast, with a side of scrambled eggs or pot of jam. If there ever are any leftovers, I add them to Noah’s lunch box with a wedge of cheddar and a slice of cold roast beef. Fit for a king!

Tips for Perfect Yorkshire Pudding

You don’t need a special pan or fancy gadget for Yorkshire pudding, however there are a few guidelines to follow for success. Remember, these have been tested over and over in my household, so mind you read the recommendations!

  • Ingredients must be at room temperature when they are mixed.
  • The batter should be chilled after mixing for at least an hour before baking.
  • Batter should be poured into a hot pan containing hot grease.
  • Yorkshire Pudding are best served straight from the oven, as they will start to deflate as they cool.
  • Cook should have some British ancestors (Kidding! Although it works for me…)

Recipe: Yorkshire Pudding

Yields: 12

  • 7/8ths of a cup of flour (125 grams)
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2-3 Tablespoons butter or lard (for pan)

TIP: Have all ingredients at room temperature.

  1. Sift salt and flour together into a bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, into which pour the milk and water. Beat thoroughly with a whisk.
  2. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, beat the eggs until frothy and add to the batter. Beat the better well.
  3. Cover batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 400°F and generously butter a 12- cup muffin tin.
  5. Remove Yorkshire pudding batter from fridge and beat until small bubbles rise to the surface.
  6. Place the buttered muffin tin into the oven until butter is sizzling and slightly browned (about a minute and a half). Remove pan from oven and quickly pour batter into muffin cups, distributing the batter evenly between the 12 cups.
  7. Return to oven as speedily as possible and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. You may need to raise the pan to the top shelf of the oven to get a nice browning on the tops.
  8. Remove from oven, and with a fork, pop Yorkshire pudding into a waiting napkin-lined basket. Serve immediately.

Yorkshire Pudding in your home: tradition or novelty?

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78 Comments

  1. Mmmm! We love us some Yorkshire Pudding. Fun fact: I’ve worked in catering for the past five years. The company I work for is called Yorkshire Pudding and one of our signature hors d’oeuvres is a YP stuffed with roast beef and horseradish. Delish!

  2. I have never had it, but my sister-in-law is from England, so we might have to try it out 🙂 If I can master this, maybe I will try out bangers and mash next!

  3. I’m from England so definitely tradition. Roast beef without Yorkshire Pudding is just incomplete. Oh and some horseraddish sauce too!

  4. I’ve always wanted to try these! I’m going to book mark the recipe. Maybe I’ll add it this weekend’s line up! Thank you.

  5. I’m British and absolutely adore Yorkshire pudding (my boyfriend is from Yorkshire so they go down particularly well with him). They definitely aren’t a pudding as in a dessert, but have you ever tried them with something sweet? Nigella Lawson suggests drizzling them with golden syrup and cream for the ultimate indulgence. Yum!

  6. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding have always been a tradition in our house. My only problem is that when I try to make them, I tend to set off the fire alarm because the hot grease drips in the oven.

  7. Tradition!! I remember YP from those Sunday roast beef dinners – with melted butter & gravy on top! Sadly, I’ve only made them a few times for my own kids… I have amends to make!

  8. Ooo. Those look really good. I’ve never had Yorkshire pudding, and until now, didn’t realize that it wasn’t pudding – which is why I’ve avoided it in the past. Bookmarked this one!

  9. First, that Noah – he’s a kid after my own heart.

    Secondly, James may hug and kiss you the next time he sees you, because now I’m going to surprise him by making them *myself*. They only ever get made when he does it, and that just isn’t fair.

  10. Oh Aimee! These look lovely! I confess that I was a complete ignoramus about Yorkshire Pudding and never quite knew what Dickens was talking about – until now. Thank you for broadening my horizons. This country bumpkin family is going to love Yorkshire Pudd! It’s printed and in the recipe book already.

  11. I’ve never made these before, but I am just dying to try them now. Your suggestion to serve them alongside a pot of jam (and perhaps a light dusting of powdered sugar?) sounds positively divine.

  12. aaah, Yorkshire pudding… reminds me of Sunday dinners at my Grandparent’s house (*always* roast beef and YP).

    I’ll have to try these out. And try not to eat the whole pan myself.

    thank you!!!

  13. Your Yorkshire Pudding looks fabulous Aimee. I’m with Noah all the way, one in each hand and *Thank-you Lord* and thank you for sharing your recipe and tips.

  14. Occasional treat when my mom made them. She called these “popovers”, even though my paternal grandfather was from England. Everyone else in my family devoured them, but as a child I was always disappointed that they “deflated”, thinking we’d done something wrong. Serving them with syrup (maple in New England) & cream sounds yummy! My husband likes them; I will have to try your recipe sometime. Thanks for all your helpful hints!

    Funny story about 4 yr old Noah. LOL

  15. My mother-in-law introduced me to Yorkshire Pudding 35 years ago. Everyone in the family wondered who would inherit the Yorkshire pudding pan..the only thing EVER made in it was the “pud”. She had inherited it from her mother who was British to the core. My daughters are now fighting over who will inherit it from me.

      1. My family always uses a cast iron skillet, one of the big ones (8 or 10 inch). It’s the only thing this pan is used for and works marvelously.

  16. Your son’s thankfulness to God for Yorkshire pudding echoes mine – it’s one of my absolute favorites and a Christmas dinner tradition in our extended family. Thank you for posting your recipe!

  17. We eat this for breakfast, but with more eggs and flour (part whole wheat) and milk and baked in a 9×13 pan. Serve with warm vanilla pudding, maple syrup, and red raspberries. (Though for a more utilitarian breakfast, the kids enjoy it plenty well with just syrup.)

      1. The vanilla pudding is a light one—1/3 cup sugar to 1 quart milk, with only 1 tablespoon of butter.

        You come to my house and I will mother you to pieces! (Um, that sounds vaguely threatening…)

  18. I made these tonight! I couldn’t wait for roast beef so I made them with steak and your twice baked potaoes. YUM! We’ve never had them before and now must try them with the vanilla pudding and raspberries mentioned above 🙂 Loved this, thanks!

  19. I grew up with my dad making popovers in his special pan. I don’t want yet another specialty pan in my cabinets; glad to see this recipe doesn’t require one! At one point in my life, I was engaged to an Englishman, and we had many YP’s with his family. I had forgotten about how put together those dinners were. Everything was timed out perfectly and plates were warmed before dinner.

    When reading through the recipe, I do have two questions: 1) When you say “beat” do you mean by hand and with a whisk or with a mixer and a paddle? 2) You really do mean to mix the heck out of it, right? I always get nervous with flour batters that the gluten will develop and turn out tough. This isn’t a ‘mix until just combined’ situation, if I’m reading correctly.

    Thanks!

    P.S. I just reread the recipe to make sure I spelled “batter” correctly. I noticed in step 2, “batter” is spelled “better.”

  20. A Christmas tradition for us. I still want my mom to make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and happily, she does. She makes it it a big pan, though. Not a special pan; I think it’s the pan the beef was in. The popovers look awesome too!

  21. True confession = I never knew that’s what Yorkshire pudding was! We call them popovers. And I can’t keep them on the table. My kids devour them. We usually have them on soup night as a consolation for having to eat soup. LOL.

  22. Definitely tradition! But as far as I know, it has nothing to do with ancestry. My mom used to make them for special meals when I was small.

    Reminds me, I haven’t made them for a long time. Maybe soon!

  23. I have to perfect yorkshire pudding countless times. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come out with yorkshire pucks instead of yorkshire puddings! I will have to try your recipe.

  24. I have always been a fan of yorkshire pudding, although I must say I have not eaten it all that often. Your recipe looks wonderful. A great winter dish.

  25. I’ going to try this tomorrow! 🙂 I just got invited to a Canadian Thanksgiving lunch and it’s just the perfect excuse to try them!
    I’m moving to England next year and I really have to start working on my british cuisine skills :-p
    Thank you for the recipe!

  26. I’m going to try this tomorrow! 🙂 I just got invited to a Canadian Thanksgiving lunch and it’s just the perfect excuse to try them!
    I’m moving to England next year and I really have to start working on my british cuisine skills :-p
    Thank you for the recipe!

  27. Hi Aimee! Thanks for posting this recipe. I was searching for a yorkshire pudding recipe, found this, tried it and it was perfect! The yorkies rose nicely in the oven with that perfect hollow in the centre. My husband and I had a good time lapping up the beef gravy with this! Thanks!! 🙂

  28. This is really a beginner’s question – but that’s what I am! I want to make the recipe, but I don’t want to make it all at once since it’s only me eating. Does it do the muffin pan any harm or does it change cooking time if I only fill in every other well?

  29. I have to be honest here. was trying to make a batch of 6 instead of 12 so I halved the whole recipe. It turned out to be the worst yorkshire pudding mix ever. I knew something looked off when this recipe only asked for that little amount of liquid compared to solids.

    to everyone that tried this.. you will agree this is a fail.

    1. JM, how much flour did you use? The recipe, as written, is confusing. I think it calls for 7/8 of a cup of flour, not 7 or 8 cups.

      1. Of course a small pan of Yorkies couldn’t possibly call for 8 cups of flour. I’ve reworded the ingredients slightly. Sorry for any confusion.

    1. Thank you, Richard. Sounds like a special Christmas eve. Now you’ve got me thinking that it’s been far too long since I’ve made these..

    1. I was thinking the same thing, Don 🙂 I always make mine using drippings from the roast, rather than melted butter. Oh, the flavor…!!!

  30. I followed these instructions and I they turned out great! Which, I was thrilled, because it was my very first time. I’ve always been afraid before, but I don’t need to be afraid anymore.
    Question though, I used a full 3 Tb of butter to grease my muffin tin, but the bottom of the Yorkshire pudding still managed to stick to the inside of the tins and was a bit difficult to get out. (Most of them ended up not having any bottom at all). Is there something I can do to remedy this?
    Other than that, they were quite perfect and delicious. Definitely satisfied my cravings, and I’m adding this recipe to my box. Thank you!

  31. My Mom’s grandparents were from England and so we would have yo on Sundays with our roast beef. My Aunt got us kids to try them with ketchup. If you haven’t tried them like that, you should. It sounds nasty but I don’t think I could eat them any other way now.

  32. hallo!
    i just wanted to make a note to your conversion, i usually measure in grams and i followed your 250gms of flour which i think is wrong, i made my batter and it was super super thick! and i was referencing other photos and the batter looked quite thin.

    i googled a conversion for 7/8th of a cup and turns out its only 109 gms!

    1. Hi Stephanie,

      Thanks so much for taking the time to drop me a note. I’ve been in the kitchen with my scale getting dusted in flour. 😉
      Although the recipe has worked well for many people, they were probably following the cup measurement and not the weight.
      You’re right, the recipe needed to be adjusted. I didn’t get quite 109, more like 125 grams for 7/8 cup of flour, but that all depends on how you scoop your flour, I guess. It also depends on the type of flour, the scale, and so on.
      But the recipe has be updated and thanks again. Best- A

  33. This is by far the best and easiest yorkshire pudding recipe I have used! It’s hard to make these picture perfect with most recipes, but this one makes them turn out perfectly! Thank you!

  34. My friend Tess made the Yorkshire Pud this Christmas. She is a passionate cook and her Pud was spectacular. She made them in LARGE muffin tins and they looked like large mushrooms. The recipe I gave her [off the net] said to bake at 450, so they were a little dark. Edith Wimbush[your Grandmother] always said to bake the Pud at 425, and I believe this to be right. These Puds were top contenders at the table- taste excellent-perfect with the roast lamb and the gravy which had a wine\vinegar flavor. The recipe said 3\4 c fl., 1\2 tsp. salt, 2 eggs and 1cup milk. The large puds were perfect as one small one is never enough.

  35. The pudding does not mean pudding as we use it in the US! It means any sort of quick bread that is not left to rise, often baked or steamed. In the UK it’s come to mean any dessert and here in the US it’s come to mean a thickened milk-based dessert. Next, no need to let the batter set, but it won’t hurt. I would often make the batter in a blender, and cook it immediately – turns out fine. Also, no need to have the pan hot, or the oven pre-heated. The hot pan with grease added help with the puddings not sticking (though with only moderate success), but with modern pans and the use of non-stick cooking sprays, etc. you can skip this hard-to-accomplish step. I use non-stick aluminum foil now. I’ve made these in a hot oven, and from a cold to hot oven, and both equally successful. With my recipe for Prime Rib Roast the cold oven method is easiest to work into the meal. The roast is cooked, then rests, then I heat it up in a hot oven for a last brown. For this I put it in and turn the oven to 450F and wait 30 minutes. This is perfect for the Yorkshire pudding and it turns out puffy and well browned.