Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe

The best popovers are the ones you make yourself, and this Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe is easy to make at home. They’re light, crispy, and buttery, too!

Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe

I’m taking a break from sweets today to share with you the best savory popover recipe I’ve ever tasted. I make these amazing popovers almost weekly. All of my previous attempts at popovers have been lackluster at best, either too bland or not enough rise. I was beginning to think I just didn’t like popovers, but this recipe was a real game-changer!

Plan ahead.

The batter is simple to mix, and ingredients should be at room temperature. Plan ahead because it needs to rest 1 hour. Keep it at warm room temperature on the counter (our room temp is about 71°) for the entire hour. Chilled batter would inhibit the rise. Room temperature batter ensures a bold pop!

If you’re like me and only have one popover pan (or no popover pan!) you can use one or two jumbo muffin tins to bake all of the batter. Otherwise you can use 6-ounce custard cups.

Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe

Before baking, the batter is generously topped with a Parmesan, garlic, and dried Italian herb mixture. As you divide the cheese mixture among the batter in the tins, you’ll probably think, ‘wow, this is far too much topping!’ But trust me, it’s not. All that cheesy goodness is essential to forming the crusty, crunchy cap that develops on top of each roll.

The good kind of inflation.

The batter goes in quite thin and flat, and magically inflates in the oven. The rolls become huge! Steam is the main leavening agent. Bake them at a high temperature to achieve maximum ‘pop’. Then, lower the temperature and bake little longer. Until golden brown and sooo delicious!

Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe

These are good on their own, but a pat of salted butter in the center of a warm popover is especially good. I also recommend serving them with marinara sauce, or as a side dish on spaghetti night. We also like dipping them in a shallow dish of seasoned olive oil and balsamic vinegar, just as you would a loaf of good Italian bread. If you’re into savory-sweet, then red pepper jelly or jam is the way to go!

Try this Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe for your next special dinner, but plan ahead – the batter needs to rest for 1 hour with additional bake time of 45 minutes.

Related recipe: Baked Brie Bread Ring

Herb Parmesan Popovers

Heather Baird
This Herb Parmesan Popover Recipe will be perfect for your next special dinner, but plan ahead – the batter needs to rest for 1 hour with additional bake time of 45 minutes.
Popover pans are recommended, because they have the perfect shape to encourage a tall popover top. However, If you don’t have popover pans, use jumbo muffin tins instead. Using the jumbo muffin pans will yield about 9 rolls instead of a dozen.
Don’t open the oven as these bake or they may deflate and never reach their full ‘pop’!
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
1 hour resting time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 2 Popover tin or jumbo muffin tins

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons dried mixed Italian herb seasoning I use McCormick with Flaxseed
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter cold

Instructions
 

  • Place the milk in a saucepan and heat until just warm, about 110°F. Remove from heat.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
  • Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, and beat on medium-low speed until pale and foamy, 3-5 minutes. Pour in the warm milk. Add the flour mixture in 3-4 additions, beating on low speed until just incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.
  • Cover the mixing bowl with a dish towel and let rest, unrefrigerated, for one hour.
  • Mix the cheese, herbs, and garlic in a small bowl.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Grease the cavities of 12 popover cups (2 pans), or 9 cavities of jumbo muffin tins. with cooking spray or melted butter. Place the pans on a large baking sheet.
  • Cut each tablespoon of butter into four pieces, so that you have 12 small square pieces of butter.
  • Fill the prepared pans with the popover batter within 1/8 inch of the top of each cup. Generously divide the cheese-herb mixture among the filled cups. Place one square of butter (1/4 tablespoon) in the centers of each cup.
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 450°F; reduce the oven heat to 375°F and bake for 30 minutes more. When done, the popovers should be well-inflated, and have a deep golden brown exterior with a crisp-looking top.
  • Remove from the oven and cut a slit in the top of each popover to let the steam escape. Serve warm.

Notes

Serve warm with salted butter, or a side of marinara, or with seasoned olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping (or all three!).
Reheat popovers in foil in a 350°F preheated oven for  7-10 minutes. 
If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can make your own with the following recipe:
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoons dried rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Blend all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store airtight. 
Keyword italian seasoning, minced garlic, popovers
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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FROSTED!
FROSTED!
5 years ago

Love Popovers! Can't wait to try this recipe.

Nova
Nova
5 years ago

Excited to make these! I love a good popover recipe.

Carissa Nelson | Spoonful of Easy
Carissa Nelson | Spoonful of Easy
5 years ago

Hi Heather,

These look amazing! Thanks for the links on the pans — I think my husband would flip if I got another pan, so I would need to smuggle it in the house, lol. But popovers are too pretty to not have the official pan! Can't wait to try and that topping looks amazing!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
5 years ago

Carissa – haha! I'm also a member of the pan smuggling club.

Colette (Coco)
Colette (Coco)
5 years ago

Oh, how I love popovers. I used to have 2 popover pans, but got rid of them since I stopped making them at home, for some odd reason. I'm going to have to test out a cupcake pan with your delicious recipe here!

Anonymous
Anonymous
5 years ago

Sounds delicious! Can you use muffin papers to save your pan or will that mess up the baking?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
5 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Hi! Good question. Skip the muffin papers for this particular bread recipe. The thin batter needs to be able to climb the sides of the pan during baking. If you use flour-based baking spray in your tin, there's almost no mess or crumbs left in the pan after you turn the popovers out. I hope this helps!

Suburban prep
Suburban prep
5 years ago

I have been making a Rosemary Parm popover that is wonderful (according to my family).
These sound like it is right up my alley so I am going to try them.
Thank you

Roshini
Roshini
5 years ago

I've never had or heard of popovers in this side of the continent! 😉
But this recipe sounds too good and easy. So I'm going to give it a try 🙂

Molly Ambrai
Molly Ambrai
5 years ago

These look amazing, and are definitely going on my 'to-bake' list! Do they travel or reheat well, or must they be eaten as soon as possible?

TBeth11
TBeth11
1 year ago

5 stars
Delicious addition to Christmas dinner!

JayKay
3 months ago

Delicious, but too dense for what I would expect a popover to be.