Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (2024)

By

Elaine Lemm

Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (1)

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 12/6/23

Tested by

Danilo Alfaro

Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (2)

Tested byDanilo Alfaro

Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

In the U.K., the word pudding (or "pud") means something totally different than in America. Rather than just a creamy dessert, pudding can refer to sweet and savory dishes of all different kinds, from black pudding to sticky toffee pudding. Yorkshire puddings are almost identical to American popovers, with crispy edges and a creamy center.

Light and fluffy as soufflés, Yorkshire pudding is made of a runny batter with eggs, milk, and flour that is whisked together before resting. Fat such as beef drippings, bacon grease, or lard is added to the hot pan before the batter. Thanks to the eggs and the high heat, the batter puffs up in the hot oven, leaving the signature crater in the middle.

Enjoy Traditionally...Or Not!

Yorkshire pudding shouldn't be reserved just for Christmas dinner. This recipe is simple enough for any weekend meal. Yorkshire pudding is traditionally served with gravy as a starter dish followed by the main dish, or alongside roast beef or similar meat for a dinner spread. Large Yorkshire puddings are filled with things like chili or sausage and served as popular pub food. You can also enjoy it as a dessert and top it with vanilla ice cream.

Tips for Perfectly Risen, Crispy Puds

  • Rest and Chill—Make sure your batter is well-rested for perfect puddings that are tender on the inside.
  • Smokin' Hot—The fat in the baking pan should be so hot it's smoking.
  • Don't Dilly Dally—Once you've poured the batter into the smoking hot fat, return the pan to the hot oven immediately to get the crispiest, lightest puddings.
  • The Best Fats—Some swear by vegetable oil, but this can make the puddings greasy and it doesn't add flavor. It's best to use lard, beef drippings, bacon fat or duck fat.

The Equal Parts Method

  • Note that the ingredient list calls for 4 eggs, 1 cup milk and 1 cup flour. You're aiming for equal parts of all three ingredients and should scale ingredients up or down to ensure this. To do so...
  • First: Crack your eggs into a measuring cup to determine their total volume.
  • Then: Measure out amounts of milk and flour in equal parts (by volume) to the eggs.
  • Measuring the ingredients this way ensures the correct consistency for your batter no matter the size of the batch you're making.

What You'll Need To Make Yorkshire Puddings

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Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 pinch fine salt

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons lard, beef drippings, or vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 450 F/230 C.

    Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (7)

  2. Combine 4 large eggs, 1 cup milk, and 1 pinch fine salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly with an electric hand mixer or hand whisk. Let stand for 10 minutes.

    Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (8)

  3. Gradually sift 1 cup all-purpose flour into the milk and egg mixture, again using an electric hand mixer or whisk to create a lump-free batter resembling thick cream. If there are any lumps, push the batter through a fine sieve.

    Let the batter rest in the kitchen for a minimum of 30 minutes, longer if possible (up to several hours).

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  4. Place a pea-sized piece of lard, dripping, or 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil into each opening in a Yorkshire pudding tin. Alternatively, use a 12-hole muffin tin. Place in the hot oven until the fat is smoking.

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  5. Add 2 tablespoons cold water to the batter and give it another good whisk. Fill the openings in the tin 1/3 full with batter and return quickly to the oven.

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  6. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown, puffed, and crisp. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

    Serve immediately.

    Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (12)

How To Store

Yorkshire puddings are best right after they're baked, but you can refrigerate extras in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze them in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 1 month. Reheat them in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
179Calories
8g Fat
18g Carbs
8g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories179
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g10%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 130mg43%
Sodium 88mg4%
Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 73mg6%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 129mg3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time with this Traditional Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making Yorkshire puddings rise? ›

There is a secret to every Yorkshire pudding recipe when it comes to getting Yorkshire puddings to rise properly. In fact there are two. The first is to let the batter rest once you've mixed and the second is to heat your tin and beef dripping so it's piping hot when you do pour the batter in.

What is the traditional way to eat Yorkshire pudding? ›

This recipe is simple enough for any weekend meal. Yorkshire pudding is traditionally served with gravy as a starter dish followed by the main dish, or alongside roast beef or similar meat for a dinner spread.

What is the best oil for Yorkshire pudding? ›

Vegetable oil has a much higher smoke point than olive oil which means that it is better for cooking at high temperatures. Continuing on with the Perfect Yorkshire puddings, Place the tin in the oven for 10 minutes, you want to get the fat or oil nice and hot.

What is Yorkshire pudding called in America? ›

History. The popover is an American version of Yorkshire pudding and similar batter puddings made in England since the 17th century, The oldest known reference to popovers dates to 1850. The first cookbook to print a recipe for popovers was in 1876.

How do you stop Yorkshire puddings going flat? ›

For Yorkshire puddings to soar, the temperature must too – so never open the oven door when they are cooking, to keep the oven as hot as possible. If opening the oven door is absolutely essential your Yorkshire puddings won't be ruined, but they just won't rise as much as they should.

Should Yorkshire pudding batter be cold or room temperature? ›

And room temperature batter is ideal

Room temperature vs cold batter: if your batter is at room temperature when it hits the hot pan, you will get a better rise with a crispier hollow pudding. If your batter is cold, your Yorkshires will be slightly more dense inside but with that perfect gravy-pooling cup shape.

How do Brits eat Yorkshire pudding? ›

As a first course, it can be served with onion gravy. For a main course, it may be served with meat and gravy, and is part of the traditional Sunday roast, but can also be filled with foods such as bangers and mash to make a meal. Sausages can be added to make toad in the hole.

What makes Yorkshire puddings soggy? ›

Remember to (carefully) flip

Another top tip from Adam: to avoid soggy bottoms, try flipping your Yorkshire puddings two-or-three minutes before the end of cooking time. It will dry the bottoms out and ensure you get a nice, even crunch. But remember to flip them carefully, using a utensil; they'll be boiling hot!

What is the tradition of Yorkshire pudding? ›

The original serving of the Yorkshire pudding was as an appetiser to a main meal, usually with gravy. This was because it would fill you up, meaning you wouldn't eat as much meat, which was expensive. It was originally cooked in northern England over a fire with the meat roasting above it.

What makes Yorkshire puddings puff up? ›

Yorkshire pudding batter has just three ingredients – milk, eggs and flour – but the addition of water can make the finished result puffy and light. The fat content of the milk and eggs brings richness, but it's the water that helps them crisp up.

What causes Yorkshire puddings not to rise? ›

2 main possibilities are not letting batter stand for 30 mins before cooking and not having the oven hot enough. The oil/lard in the metal pudding dish is supposed to be very hot, quite literally smoking.

What is the raising agent in Yorkshire puddings? ›

Steam is a common physical raising agent. It is produced from the liquids (e.g. water, milk, eggs) that are added to mixtures, or from water contained in a solid component (e.g. butter). Examples of recipes which use steam as a raising agent are batters (e.g. Yorkshire pudding) and choux pastry.

Does baking powder make Yorkshires rise? ›

No and here is the reason why! It must be plain flour (no baking powder). 1/ High temperature oven. Yorkshire puddings rise due to quick cooking of the flour and steam being formed in the batter mixture, hence the requirement of a very hot oven and hot oil as you pour the batter into the yorkshire pudding tin.

References

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