These Popovers in a Muffin Pan are ultra-tall, fluffy, made in a blender, and the most impressive breakfast or afternoon treat, slathered with a simple sweet cinnamon honey butter.

They are modeled after the enormous popovers served at Jordan's Pond House in Acadia National Park, Maine.

Popovers in a bread basket lined with a soft linen napkin on top of a drying rack on a white marble background.

Recipe Testing

This recipe underwent over two dozen trials before finally finding the right balance of temperature, height, and flour-to-milk ratio (my kids got a little tired of them after the first dozen rounds). But after having them in Acadia at the Pond House overlooking the lake, where, after the first bite, I had tears in my eyes, it felt important to get it just right.

Popovers need really high heat to pop and to maintain their structure after coming out of the oven. A temperature that’s too high for too long results in popovers that are overbaked. Turn the temperature down too early, and they collapse. It’s quite the needle to thread.

I don’t own a popover tin, and my guess is most people don’t either. With limited space and budget, it's not at the top of the list (even after more than 24 batches). So, this recipe is designed to work with a regular muffin tin. The recipe has been tested for both non-stick and regular muffin tins (see images and notes below).

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make these Popovers in a Muffin Pan with Cinnamon Honey Butter.

Popovers

Eggs: Use large eggs at room temperature. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm, but not hot, water for 1 minute.
Milk: Use whole milk, heated to a warm room temperature. I've also made this with 1% milk, and while it's best with whole milk, 1% works just fine, and the same is true with 2% milk.
Salt: To bring out flavor.
Flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour. I use a ratio of 140g per cup of flour. There is no universal method or weight for 1 cup of flour, so the best way to be precise is to measure your flour by weight to match the recipe. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use the dip-and-sweep method to approximate 140g.

Cinnamon Honey Butter (ingredients not shown)

Butter: Softened to room temperature. If your butter is cold, leave it near the preheated oven to warm up (watch so it doesn’t melt), or microwave it at low power for 10 seconds at a time. Butter is also used to grease the muffin tins for the popovers.
Cinnamon: I recommend using high-quality Ceylon cinnamon. You can really taste the difference.
Honey: Adds a subtle sweetness. It's not overpowering. Use any kind you like.

How to Make Popovers in a Muffin Pan

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Popovers in a Muffin Tin.

This recipe uses a blender to combine the ingredients (which really simplifies a lot), but they can be made with a mixer if needed. See notes below.

Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.

The popover ingredients in a blender before and after being blended together.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter every other cup of a 12-cup muffin pan, including the bottoms, up the sides, and even the top of the muffin pan. Prepping and using every other cup allows for better air and heat circulation, which creates taller, fluffier popovers. I recommend doing two batches, one at a time. If you are short on time and you have two muffin tins that fit side by side in the oven, you can fill every other cup of the two muffin tins and bake them at the same time.

Step 1. Add Ingredients to the Blender: Add the warmed milk (ensure it's not hot), room temperature eggs (if cold, place in a bowl of warm water for 1 minute), salt, and flour to a blender.

Step 2. Blend: Use a large blender to blend the ingredients on low speed for 5-10 seconds. Scrape down the blender (some flour may get stuck to the sides), and blend again on high speed for 4 minutes. The mixture will get bubbly and frothy and increase in volume from roughly 3½ cups to 4½ cups. It will be a light creamy color and the consistency of heavy cream.

I find that on my blender I have to hold the lid extra securely to ensure that the liquid does not bubble out.

Popover batter in two muffin tins with every other cup filled before and after baking in the oven.

Step 3. Fill and Bake: Fill every other cup ¾ full or slightly more in two muffin tins (or work in batches if you only have one). Be sure to fill the cups that you already buttered. Bake one muffin tin at a time (for taller popovers), or if you are short on time and you can fit two muffin tins in the oven side by side, you can do this as well.

Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn the heat down to 350°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Butter, cinnamon, and honey in a small white ramekin before and after being combined.

Step 4. Cinnamon Honey Butter: While the popovers are in the oven, make the cinnamon honey butter. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, cinnamon, and honey.

Serve the popovers warm with the cinnamon honey butter.

A dozen popovers laying on their sides on a diaganol on a metal drying rack.

Tips for the Best Popovers

Thoroughly Preheat the Oven: Many ovens indicate that they are fully preheated when they are not. Preheat the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking. For extra insurance, use a separately purchased oven thermometer to verify the actual temperature in your oven. You’d be surprised at how different it may be from the display temperature and where the different hot spots are in your oven.
Room Temperature Ingredients: This recipe hinges on the ingredients all being at a warm room temperature. The popovers need to rise quickly, so you don’t want the oven to have to work to heat up cold ingredients.
Butter the Muffin Tin: You want the popovers to release and not get stuck to the sides of the muffin cups as they rise. It is important to butter the bottoms, sides, and the tops of the muffin tins. It is helpful to do it even if the muffin tin is non-stick, but it's absolutely crucial for regular muffin tins.
Fill Every Other Muffin Cup: For tall popovers, use two muffin tins and butter and fill every other muffin cup with batter, for 6 popovers in each muffin tin, or 12 total. This helps with even heat circulation, which helps them rise. Also, because the popovers “pop”, they can end up bumping into each other, which also dampens their rise potential. If you want to take this one step further, you can fill only the four corners of the muffin tin, but this would require either baking three rounds (3 sets of 4 popovers), which adds quite a bit of time, and from my perspective, not worth it.
Material and Color: Different muffin tins are made of different materials and therefore conduct heat differently, which will affect the rise of the popovers. Darker and thinner materials conduct heat quicker, which creates a taller rise compared with thicker or lighter colored materials.
Pour with a Spout: For easier pouring, pour from a container with a spout. Typically, a blender will already have a spout, but if not, you can transfer the batter to a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout. This makes it much easier to pour into individual muffin cups without spilling.
Don’t Open the Oven: It may be tempting, but DO NOT open the oven until the popovers are completely done. Otherwise, they will collapse or, at best, not pop quite as well.
Mixer: If you do not have a blender, you can use a handheld mixer or stand mixer. First, in a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Then, beat the eggs together until frothy, 2-3 minutes. Add the milk on low speed, and finally sift in the flour mixture little by little while mixing on low. Blend on high for 3-4 minutes until light, frothy, and similar in consistency to heavy cream.
Extra: You may end up with additional batter. This depends on how much air was beaten into the batter in the blender. It can be used to make additional popovers.

Storage Tips

To Store: The popovers are best warm out of the oven. However, they can be reheated and enjoyed for 1-2 days after baking. Store any leftover popovers in an airtight container (a gallon-sized freezer bag is easiest) at room temperature.

To Reheat: Place in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for roughly 8 minutes until warmed through. Serve with leftover cinnamon honey butter.

One popover sitting on top of a muffin tin, showing its height.

What to Serve with Popovers:

Breakfast or Brunch: Pair the popovers with a Ham and Cheese Frittata or a Bacon and Leek Frittata.
Dinner: Make alongside this Honeynut Squash Soup.

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