Serves: Makes ~8 puddings
Cost: ~€0.50
Preparation time: ~40 minutes
Calories: ~80 calories per pudding
No tour of England would be complete without a Sunday roast, and while I’ve done “the main event” before, as well as some traditional accompaniments, I’ve never actually posted Yorkshire puddings which are, for me, a vital part of the traditional Sunday roast. A couple of golden, crispy yorkshire puddings is the perfect side for a big plate of roast beef, roast potatoes, some veg and, of course, good old gravy!
If you have a muffin pan these are the easiest things ever to make, and the ingredients are just as simple – it’s basically a pancake, but the trick is to whip as much air into it as possible so it will literally puff up like a crispy little cloud. Ok – cloud isn’t the best term – crispy little pot would be better. I personally prefer the small versions of the puddings – though people occasionally make large ones – the size of plates, which can then be filled with all sorts of things – sausages and onions for example!
In this case I served them up with some chicken breasts roasted with some thyme and some stir-fried asparagus. Good – yes – but definitely no roast beef dinner – sigh, next time maybe.
There’s just one thing you need to remember when you’re making your Yorkshire Puds – for optimum cooking conditions, just make sure the oil or fat you’re cooking them in is hot. As with roast potatoes, oil so hot it’s pretty much smoking is the key to a good golden, crispy shell.
I’ll be back on Thursday with something slightly different to my regular posts (what fun!) and then back once again on Saturday with something new which I’ve never made before which I’m very much looking forward to. Have a great week everyone!
Yorkshire Puddings
[learn_more caption=”Video Recipe”]
Ingredients
- Equal quantities of Eggs, Milk and Flour – for example: 2 Eggs (~150ml), 150ml Plain Flour, 150ml Milk
- 2-3 tbsps Sunflower or Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Start off by pre-heating your oven to about 200 degrees Celsius and placing a couple of teaspoons of oil in the bottom of each well in the muffin pan. If using the recipe above with two eggs then it will make about 8 puddings, so plan accordingly. Place the tray into the oven and allow to heat up, then whisk the eggs and milk together vigorously until increased in volume and bubbly. Add in the flour, bit by bit, continuing to whisk well. Set aside.
- Once the oil has been in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, take out the pan and spoon out batter into each muffin well, filling it about one third of the way up. Return the tray to the oven, at the same temperature.
- Allow to bake for about 20-25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven – you should try to coincide the finishing of the cooking of the puddings with the rest of your dinner – hot and crisp from the oven is the best possible way of serving these!
- Serve up with your choice of meat, vegetables, sauce – and enjoy!
This looks like such an amazing place! … I’ll have to try the recipes out sometime; they look so delicious! ..
Thanks Loveforfood 🙂
Wow, what a lovely thing this is; and the ingredients just sound so simple!:) A picture of perfection, and simplicity is indeed in its best form here 🙂
Thanks Christy – it’s definitely a simple dish. I can’t believe there are people who *buy* these ready made from stores in England… come on, it’s basically a baked pancake :s
Hi Charles,
It’s weird but here I am reading your post when I get a message that you have just left a comment on mine!!
Apparently Walkers Crisps did a Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding flavour for the World Cup a couple of years ago-had mixed reviews and I don’t think they do it anymore.
Anyway, loved your post as always and yet again it reminds me that it has been years since I made any!!
Hi GD – I’ve gotta say – Walkers (or Lays as they’re called over here) should just ditch all flavours with three exceptions:
Ready Salted, Salt and Vinegar, and…….. PRAWN COCKTAIL! Those three are the the three flavours to rule them all… there’s just no competition. I’ve always disliked these weird bbq, chicken, beef flavours – they’re just not good!
No, no, no must have my cheese and onion!
I can’t believe I’ve never made (or tasted) Yorkshire puddings… I can’t believe they’re so easy to make, I always had this notion that they were much more complicated!
Hi Gourmantine – they’re incredibly easy – you can make them even better by using beef fat or lard in place of vegetable oil… just don’t forget the gravy – that’s one amazing dinner you’ll have then 🙂
I’d like to keep it a secret but I’ve actually never made Yorkshire Puddings. I have wanted to for the longest time but became tense over the fact you had to use beef fat rendered from the roast. And my roasts have never been that fatty. And then Rick Stein put out a recipe for roast beef and Yorkshire Puddings and it was so complicated I cowered in a corner. Thank you for posting a version so achievable and yet so perfect looking. I love how yours have risen so well. I will definitely be trying this and reporting back to you xx
Hi Charlie – I can’t believe it!! You have to remedy that – they’re just SO easy! You definitely don’t need to use any weird fat or lard. They will definitely be even more tasty if you do, but it’s certainly not obligatory.
Do let me know if/when you try – I’d love to know how they turned out 🙂
Bacon fat (which is always available in my fridge) is a good substitute when you don’t have any beef drippings. 🙂
Gorgeous ‘pudds’. I’ve found there’s never enough gravy to pour over the whole batch when I make the roast beef version cause SOME people get carried away when they serve themselves. Oh well, all that means is you have to dollop some raspberry or strawberry jam on top and eat them for breakfast.
Ah, yes – I know the feeling. Being the polite host I will always proffer the gravy boat or sauce jug to my guests and as they have first dibs on the full jug they tend to get a bit carried away and I can feel myself starting to get antsy – I’m sure I start sweating – as I see the precious sauce flow over their plate, gradually depleting the precious stock inside the jug which should rightfully be destined for my own plate 😀
“I’m sure I start sweating – as I see the precious sauce flow over their plate”
I know what you mean. It’s so hard to keep smiling encouragingly and say “oh no, please, have some more gravy”.
YAY, Yorkshire Pudding!! I can sincerely say that Yorkshire pudding is my absolute favourite English delight. And you totally rocked it – look at those puffy puppies!! :). (love the oven shot too). I have to try your recipe (we make them every year at Christmas) because mine are not quite as robust as yours ;-), and I also like the carved out interior – so, so…, authentic looking, you British guy you ;-). We smother ours in gravy! YUMMM – great post Charles!
Hi Kelly – I was actually surprised at just how *much* they puffed up – normally they go up so much. I used an electric whisk this time and really frothed the life out of that batter so that must be the key 😀 According to Wiki, a Yorkshire pud is not a yorkshire pud unless it’s at least 3 inches tall, or something crazy like that, lol 😀
I would have loved some gravy too, but alas – it wasn’t to be yesterday 🙁
3 inches you say? Well, mine are more like flat muffin tops ;-( – I am definitely going to try your method (maybe even this weekend for Easter) because these are the definition of success!
Thanks Kelly – it’s very kind of you to say! Do let me know if you try them… I hope they turn out well for you! 🙂
My yorkshires are rising as I type – they look gorgeous!!!
Eeek, I hope they turn out well! I made some more today and discovered that they can take quite a beating, baking-wise. I had to open the oven during cooking three times and they were sinking into little heaps, but they still puffed up again spectacularly by the end so disaster averted! 😀
Oh I just love Yorkshire pudding. I believe this was a 4-spoon dish all around in our house last year. That was when we made our British Sunday roast with the potatoes you suggested (in the goose fat). Oh I just salivate at the thought. That was one seriously good meal. These Yorkshires look fantastic! So crispy and sooooooo good. Looking forward to Thursday’s post, sounds fun. 🙂
Thanks Kristy – I wasn’t sure if you’d made Yorkshires or not when you made the roast – I was going to go back and check but then I remember how
enragedjealous I felt last time I saw how amazing the roast looked – the kind of roast I’ve been striving all my life to achieve – I blame France and their rubbishy meat cuts they seem to have here 🙁 – anyway, in the end I decided against making myself feel miserable 😀LOL. Why thank you Charles. But you realize that you actually deserve much of the credit for that meal. I doubt it would have been nearly as successful without your input. 🙂 It’s funny…I actually don’t want to go back and look though either. It will just make me hungry. We did end up making another couple batches of those potatoes with the goose fat throughout the year though. Yum!!!! You were right, it makes all the difference.
Did you ever get around to making larger roast potatoes in the end, or did you always have them small like this? It’s an interesting idea – I’ve only ever had them big. I’m going to try your way next time 🙂
We’ve kept that small, but I should remember to try them bigger next time. My mom usually leaves them cut bigger. 🙂
These are neat! I have never had nor made anything like this. I love your recipes they inspire me always!
Thanks Jen – the next time you’re making a roast beef or chicken with a nice meaty, brown sauce, I strongly recommend giving these a try – they’re always a popular fixing 🙂
Those are very beautiful yorkshire puddings and quite frankly I could just eat them with gravy and forget the roast beef! Actually, a relative from Italy holds the record in our family for eating 12 in one sitting he loves them so much … poor guy, he had to take a very extended post lunch nap afterwards!
12 puds in one sitting – damn… did he actually eat anything else, or did he just pack away 12 puddings and shove the rest of the meal aside? 😀
Thanks for your compliment Chica – I could certainly wade through them with gravy myself. When I make too much gravy and puds, my guilty pleasure is to stand in the kitchen at midnight before bed, dipping the leftovers in the cold gravy…. omnomnom
I think the puddings were the main part of the meal for him! And like you, I enjoy the same guilty pleasure…maybe a spot of horseradish sauce too just in the dip of the pudding 😉
Haha, awesome – did he plan specially to eat that many or did everyone else end up going without? Lol, the former, I hope! 😀
The story was that he and his wife could not spend Christmas in the UK (this was a few years back when I still lived in London) but they drove over from Italy in September where all our families got together and had Christmas lunch one late September Sunday afternoon. No one wanted turkey (but we did have crackers and Christmas pudding!) so we had beef. He requested plenty of Yorkshire puddings and an excessive amount were made as we knew he´d also eat them cold that evening/next morning and things just snowballed….we all got our share too and it´s a “Christmas” I´ll never forget. My brother even dressed up as Father Christmas ? Brilliant fun!
Ah, not so bad then – as long as no-one else went without 🙂 Sounds like a fun meal you all had!
I haven’t made these in a long time: over here we call them popovers and eat them for breakfast with butter and jam. I thought you had to use dripping in Yorkshire pudding or cook it in a pan with a roast or something.
Hi Sharyn – I’d never heard of popovers until you mentioned them – indeed, they’re very similar… pretty much the same in fact, just eaten in different ways. As you said – Yorkshire puddings are definitely even more delicious if cooked using beef fat/drippings or other rendered animal fat, but sometimes, a man just wants a pud – in those cases, when there’s no beef fat to be found, he’s gotta make do with what he has 😀
What beautiful puds! I have been known to have a #fail or two but the last batch I made looked and tasted pretty good. I’m going to try your method and maybe I’ll be brave enough to make them for guests. 🙂
Hi Maureen – As long as your oil is really hot, this recipe is fool-proof! I hope you give it a try – let me know how it goes 🙂
One more bookmarked recipe from your blog! I have always wanted to make Yorkshire pudding. I’m sure I would love it because I love the pudding-like consistency. Your puddings look so cute and delicious! I love the oven photo (it was an excellent idea). It looks like magic. I suppose they rise quite quickly and are fun to observe! (I have also started to cook asparagus and will post something with them soon! I’m so happy they are finally on the markets!)
Hi Sissi – I was shocked – I wasn’t expecting them to rise so much. Normally they rise a good amount, but never this “insane cloud”. One minute they were still liquid – when I looked again… this?! It must be because I whisked them for a long time using an electric whisk!!
If you make these, I really recommend eating them as part of a nice roast dinner – at the very least, serve them with a good gravy – it’s the best way to eat them! 🙂
By the way, is the cute rabbit on the banner this week’s modification? I haven’t noticed it before… I like it a lot 😉
Haha, thanks Sissi – yeah, it’s a special Easter logo. I’ll switch it back to the Spring-time one after Easter is over 🙂 I do kind of want to post an easter recipe… it really depends how much time I will have to be honest… must wait and see how busy things are later in the week! 🙂
I haven’t made Yorkshire puddings in ages, Charles, thanks for the reminder. We’re having a turkey dinner for my family the weekend after Easter, I suppose I shall have to add this to my list of things to make. Just lovely!
Hi Eva – turkey dinner… yum. Do you ever have any problems getting turkeys outside of the Christmas period… or maybe you buy two in during November/December and keep one frozen? I find them impossible to get whole so alas I need to stick to roast chickens :p
Hi Charles, I was a bit worried as my family dinner is the week after Easter, but our local butcher can bring them in on order! Not cheap, mind you. Last year we did a spiral cut ham and it was $75! I’m hoping the turkey will be less! I’ll be writing the menu this weekend, I’ll be sure to include the Yorkshire pudd!
$75?! That’s a lot of ham… or at least a lot of cash! Bet it was delicious though – hope you’ll post photos of the turkey feast! 🙂
I saw this for the first time a couple of months ago when the daring bakers made quick breaks. Some people call them popovers but Alton Brown goes into details about Yorkshire pudding. I tried them once with butter and jam and they were brilliant. I must give them a go with a main meal
Hi Sawsan – indeed, I’d never heard of popovers until Sharyn mentioned them earlier. For me it seems strange to eat them with jam, but many people say it’s delicious! I hope you’ll trust me enough to try them with a roast dinner or something similar – make sure you serve them with a good gravy-like sauce! It’s really important I think 🙂
I saw someone made these on Food Network once and I was mesmerized at how quick they made it and how the pan had to be hot. So I definitely learned a lot more ont his blog.. and one day I will tackle making this 🙂
Hi Kay – they’re incredibly fast to whip up and super easy to make – just make sure the oil is really hot and you’re good to go. Totally delicious with meat, potatoes, veg and gravy – let me know if you try it 🙂
Charles, these are terrific! I love Yorkshire puddings and – would you believe – it’s something I didn’t have while in England? Now I’m craving it!
Oh no – all those visits to our fine British public houses and pubs and you didn’t even have a yorkshire pud? Were you there on a Sunday? You should have found a place doing a carvery lunch – a good carvery in a pub on Sunday is wonderful!
Okay, I’m definitely making this recipe. Yorkshire pudding has been on my list of things to make for years — so what could be better than using a recipe from a great cook who hails from England?
Haha, you’re too kind Barb – these were pretty good though – just don’t forget the gravy… hmm, I should really post a recipe for that sometime too because you just can’t beat a good gravy!
They look good, where is the gravy? lol.
Ah indeed – the mystery of the missing gravy 🙁
I like thinking of it as puffing up like a little cloud though (: like ann, i actually also have never had a yorkshire pud. havent had a proper sunday roast in a british household before in fact. i’m missing out aren’t i?
You’ve never had a yorkshire pudding? Oh my God! Grab your friend(s), look around near where you live, find a pub which does a Sunday lunchtime carvery – very often you’ll find a place which will serve you a great plate of meat and unlimited fixings like potatoes, beans, yorkshire puds, for £6 or £7 or so. Makes for a great Sunday lunchtime meal – I used to work in a pub and Sunday lunchtimes were so hard… I managed to survive by guzzling deep-fried stuffing balls, lol 😀
Wow, didn’t realize how easy it is to make. The ingredient list is very similar to cream puffs that I use to make. I’d bake them and they’d puff up and I’d fill them with something sweet or savory. It’s been years since I’ve made them. I watched your youtube video, great video and great voice too!
Thanks Lisa – they’re very simple to do – kinda like a waffle or pancake, but roasted in boiling oil instead. I find the whole process fascinating – how they all puff up but have the little well in the middle 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed my youtube video – I always think I sound terrible… I think my voice could sound a little more “energetic”, but maybe it’s just because I hate the sound of my own voice.
Very recently I learnt about this pudding and now looking at yours I am tempted to make mine soon! I know it’s tricky to puff it up neat and nice.. and i see that you nailed it!
Thanks Kankana – I do hope you are able to give them a try soon – do let me know how it goes if you try it!
I haven’t had Yorkshire Pudding in years, and I didn’t realize it was so easy to make! Thanks, Charles, as always an inspirational post!
Thanks so much Betsy – they’re incredibly easy to make – takes just a minute to whip up the batter and as it’s basically a pancake batter you don’t need to have exact measurements either!
I learned about Sunday Roast tradition from my friend in UK. It’s such a lovely tradition. I then learned about Yorkshire pudding and you don’t believe how much I wanted to make this. I actually want to bake both pop overs and Yorkshire puddings but without having special pan for pop over, I can’t… but these Yorkshir puddings, I can! Sounds easy enough for me to try this. I love carbs and I already feel it can be dangerous dinner. =P Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try!
Thanks Nami – if you decide to make a roast, I’d really recommend Kristy’s roast been recipe… it looks so beautiful… I could really never hope to make a better one to be honest! I hope you will give it a try – if you do, you should wait a bit longer because I will try and post a gravy recipe soon. A good gravy is vitally important to the “perfect roast dinner”!
I like the little ones … they’re crispier and I like the bite. The big ones sometimes don’t get cooked through and I dislike the soggy center. I can’t wait for Saturday … assuming it’s what I’m thinking about?
I actually never made a big one before – the only ones I’ve had have been commercially made, so no risk of under-cooking there. I’m eager to try making one myself though – I think it must be rather fun to have a big fluffy bowl to fill with food 😀
Ah, I meant to say:
“assuming it’s what I’m thinking about?”
It’s actually not! 😀 My apologies for getting your hopes up, but don’t worry, that will come soon too!
Wanted to ask you something – why is is named a pudding, when “pudding” usually means smth sweet like this http://images.gourmetrecipe.com/images/gourmetrecipe/recipe_images/ua-cornstarch-chocolate-pudding-recipe-1040.jpg ?
I think the use of pudding to describe something like that is something very common in the US. It has older usages, such as “plum pudding” (Christmas pudding), or batter puddings, such as the Yorkshire pudding above. Apparently, “pudding” even comes from the french word “boudin”, which means small sausage, so now I understand the liaison between the French “boudin noir” and the English “black pudding”!
they look like perfection! Seriously, absolutely beautiful and delicious
Thanks KB – They were really good, although I was a bit sad I didn’t bother making any gravy 🙁
Looks great Charles! Especially aside that asparagus and chicken. No roast beef dinner, but that doesn’t mean this doesn’t look amazing! I’ve never made Yorkshire puddings…and actually don’t think I’ve tried them before either. So…wanna ship some my way?? 😉
Ah, another one who hasn’t tried Yorkshire puds! You’re really missing out Caroline! I fear that if I mailed some they’d be rather dry and inedible when they arrived. Fresh from the oven is the only way to enjoy them – they’re super easy, you should really make some sometime!
I can remember the first time I had yorkshire pudding…I thought I died and went to heaven.
Haha, you they can’t be beat! In a wonderful roast they’re a perfect side 🙂
We made something somewhat similar recently, and I need to make the classic. I love how they rise, look and TASTE!
Thanks Greg – do give them a try 🙂
I have never made this or tasted it. It looks wonderful! Love all your recipes.
Thanks Asmita – if you ever have a chance to try a traditional English sunday roast, I do hope you get a chance to try these – they really complete the meal 🙂
These Yorkshire puddings are gorgeous! How do you get them to puff up so much? I’ve tried making popovers many times before and they never seem to pouf much and end up tasting like dense muffins. Maybe I didn’t let my muffin tray preheat in the oven long enough?
Hi Kyleen – the trick is to whisk them for a long time. I used an electric whisk and when I mixed the milk and eggs I whisked them for quite a few minutes until it was really doubled in volume! The oil has to be so hot it’s pretty much smoking too, for best results! 🙂
Yorkshire Puddings are my hubby’s favorite and I make them from time to time…on special occasions. 🙂 Yours look wonderful and mouth watering. Hm…maybe I’ll make some this Easter Sunday with a roast.
Hi Amy – I’m definitely gonna be having them myself as part of a nice roast on this Sunday I think 🙂 Thanks for dropping by today!
I’ve never had this before but looks light and fluffy. I think my husband would like this and I predict that he will make this for me in the near future. He totally would. Love it!
Thanks Nipponnin – I do hope you decide to give them try – just don’t forget a good meat sauce to go with them! 🙂
Charles these Yorkshire puddings look wonderful. Years ago a neighbor who was from England used to make these every Sunday with gravy. He was always kind enough to invite us over. Delish. So glad you posted this I have lost the recipe he gave me. Do you use a product called Bisto to make gravy?
Hi Suzi – haha, free sunday lunches? Sounds wonderful 😀 As for the bisto – I’ll admit to using it sometimes when I’m lazy. You can’t beat a good gravy made from the meat juices, onion and nice stock, but in a pinch, Bisto will do 😀
These remind me very much of popovers, which I absolutely adore! In fact, I can’t make them too often because I’m always tempted to eat the entire pan :).
Hi Laura – I’d never heard of popovers until I made this post and someone mentioned them earlier. They do indeed seem very similar – just the methods of eating are different.
mmmm! These yorkshire puddings look amazing! I love that they don’t require very many ingredients and don’t cost a lot to make as well! But they showcase very well!
Thanks Sammie – they’re basically roasted pancakes, lol 😀 I love how magically they puff up with the little wells in the middle – so awesome and delicious too!
Hi Charles!
I have heard soo much of yorkshire pudding, its about time I get to taste it! Your post made me want to go to england now and to experience all those flvoures live.
hey that bunny is cute in your page logo. =D
Thanks Helene – I find the bunny rather sweet 😀
I do hope you have a chance to try these – I had some more for dinner tonight. I used a bit more oil this time so the bottoms were oily and crispy and oh-so-good!
Charles, your Yorkshire puddings look perfect! Reminds me, I haven’t made them in years (yonkers)! I like to use beef dripping when I have it. Looking at the lovely texture of yours, I was reminded of my cousin in the Lake District taking us to Sunday lunch at her friend’s house. The friend was a warm and wonderful woman, but her cooking left something to be desired. Her Yorkshire puddings were completely hard and brittle, almost impossible to cut with a knife, thought I’d have to pick it up and eat it out of hand! Can’t quite recall how I managed. Perhaps I pocketed the little hockey puck!
Hi Jean – beef dripping is most definitely one of the best things to cook them in. The well rounded, meaty flavour it imparts is just incredibly good. No oil can ever come close to that, although I used an oil today which I’ve been previously using to deep-fry potato chips and parsnip chips in and so it gave them a potato-ey, parsnip-ey flavour – really good.
I had a good chuckle at your story… “hocky puck”, aaahaha, I know that feeling from past experiences!
Love yorkshire pudding and yours looks perfect! So crisp and light. I’ve never tried making my own but maybe I should. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thanks BA – I hope you decide to give them a try – do let me know if you do!
Charles, this is an amazing recipe 🙂 Yours look so incredibly light and airy, nice job! I enjoyed your video recipe, too. Also, I see you have migrated to the outdoors for some light 🙂 it must be warming up where you are now! Ah, spring 🙂
Thanks Sydney – glad you enjoyed the post, and yep – I now try and take as many of my photos as possible on my kitchen balcony. It’s not ideal… it’s in full view of the mid-afternoon sun which can cause really harsh light but it’s better than inside 🙂
I’ve yet to attempt Yokeshire pudding — you made it look so simple 🙂
Hi Kiran – it’s so simple… I’d recommend giving it a try!
Back in Bournemouth in England, I had this Japanese friend from Nikko I was practicing karate with who lived in a home whose wife was from Yorkshire! As I was invited for dinner a couple of times there I ate the best Yorkshire puddings of my life right out of the oven!
And people say there is no gastronomy in England…!
Hehe, I’ve always thought crispy, fresh Yorkshire puds are a level of gastronomy unto themselves to be honest! So good 😀
I can’t agree more!