Light-textured and full-flavored, this recipe for Popovers with Bacon and Goat Cheese is the perfect addition to any bread basket. They’re easy to make, too!

popovers with goat cheese and bacon in a bread basket
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When I think of spring, popovers immediately come to mind. Something about their puffed, crisp shells and tender, airy interiors fits so well with the lighter feel of the season.

As a child, I remember being fascinated by their ballooned rise as my mother pulled them out of the oven. It always seemed like magic!

We’d always eat the warm rolls with butter and honey (or sometimes, with strawberry butter, as served at our favorite destination for girls’ shopping luncheons).

eggs, milk, and flour to make popover batter

Over the years, I’ve experimented with seasonal popovers recipe variations, and decided to pair them with one of my favorite ingredients for spring: goat cheese. In these savory beauties, traditional popover batter meets salty bacon crumbles, creamy goat cheese, snipped fresh chives, and a hint of black pepper.

Light-textured, full-flavored, and easy to make, this Popovers Recipe with Goat Cheese and Bacon is perfect for any time of day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner!

whisked popover batter in a bowl

What are Popovers?

“Popovers” get their name from how the batter rises in the pan and “pops” over the tops of the wells. Considering that you’re only pouring a few tablespoons of batter into each well, the rise is quite dramatic. It’s fun to watch them through the oven door as they bake.

Popovers are similar to British Yorkshire puddings, which are baked with the drippings from roasted meats instead of melted butter or cooking spray. The base of both batters is a simple mixture of milk, eggs, flour, and salt.

How to Make Popovers

Some popover recipes call for using a blender, but I’ve found that hand-mixing with a whisk produces a more tender final product and doesn’t take much longer.

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients will yield a thin batter, somewhere between the consistency of half and half and heavy cream. The liquids create the steam needed to make the batter rise, puff, and form the popover’s characteristically hollow center.

popover pan filled with popover batter, bacon, and goat cheese

Homemade Popovers: Tips for Success

To achieve the loveliest rise and texture when making this recipe for popovers, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:

  1. Your popover pan needs to be preheated with your oven so that you’re pouring the batter into hot wells.
  2. The eggs and milk should be at room temperature. Batter made with chilled ingredients will not rise as well.
  3. Start the popovers in an extra-hot oven (425 degrees F), lowering the temperature after they’ve “popped” (20 minutes) and baking until golden. I’ve found that the deeper the color, the better the popovers retain their shape.
  4. Resist the temptation to open the oven door during baking, or your popovers will deflate!
  5. When filling with cheeses, especially softer varieties like the goat cheese used in this  popovers recipe, placing the pan on a lined baking sheet is essential. As the batter rises, it’s inevitable that a bit of the cheese will bubble out.
  6. Much like soufflés, popovers are best served immediately after baking. As soon as they come out of the oven, pierce the top or side of each roll with the tip of a knife to release the steam. This will help them hold their shape and texture for a few extra minutes.

(Note: in terms of shape, plain popovers will tend to crown a bit more in the center than filled, goat cheese popovers, as the batter naturally balloons around the filling.)

baked popover recipe in pan

Do I Need a Popover Pan? Making Muffin Tin Popovers

If you don’t have a popover pan (I’ve used a 12-cup mini popover pan here), a standard muffin tin also works well. Popover pans have deeper, straight walls, which will encourage a higher rise. Though they will be shorter and a bit wider, rolls baked in a muffin tin are still delicious!

Read: Popover Pans: Are They Necessary for Perfect Popovers? from Kitchn.

Bringing a gorgeous basket of popovers to the table is an easy way to make any meal feel a little more special. Just whisk, fill, and bake!

Tip: Make your prep easy by baking your bacon! The crispy bacon crumbles well, and cleanup is a breeze. Check out my How to Cook Bacon in the Oven tutorial for instructions.

hollow goat cheese popovers with bacon, cut in half

More Spring Goat Cheese Recipes:

5 from 12 votes

Popovers Recipe with Bacon and Goat Cheese

These light and airy popovers with bacon and goat cheese can be served with any meal from brunch to dinner. Don’t miss the tips in the blog post above for perfect popovers, every time!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 12 small popovers

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk , room temperature
  • 3 strips bacon , cooked crisp and crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  • 3 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs , room temperature
  • cooking spray , for greasing pans
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a 12-well popover pan (preferred) or a standard, nonstick 12-cup muffin tin into the oven, on a lined baking sheet, to heat.
  • In a small bowl, stir together goat cheese and chives. Set aside. Measure out flour, salt, and pepper, and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together milk and eggs until frothy, 1-2 minutes. Add flour, salt, and pepper, and whisk until just combined and only small lumps remain. Whisk in melted butter. Batter will be relatively thin, with the texture of cream.
  • Remove popover pan from oven and coat wells with cooking spray. Fill each well about halfway with batter. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese into the center of each well and sprinkle with some of the crumbled bacon.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for about 15 minutes, until popovers are golden and tops are dry. Popovers will rise considerably. 
  • Immediately remove popovers from pan and use a sharp knife to pierce the sides of each to allow the steam to escape. For the crispiest exteriors, serve immediately.

Notes

Using room temperature ingredients is very important to achieve popovers with the best texture and rise. If time is of the essence, the milk can be microwaved until just warm and the eggs can be placed in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 58mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About our recipes

Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.

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*Post originally published April 20, 2016.

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35 Comments

  1. Rachel @ Bakerita says:

    I need a popover pan because these look SO good and I want mine to look as gorg as yours! But I guess I can settle for making them in the muffin pan for now…love that you added cheese and bacon! Makes everything better :D

  2. Sarah says:

    These look amazing – perfect for Spring celebrations!

  3. Roy (at Poc) says:

    these are little beauties..gosh! I am gonna try these soon for my lil one. :)

  4. Blair says:

    Such pretty photos, and you cannot go wrong with the flavor combo of bacon and cheese — especially for brunch. Heaven!!!

  5. Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'! says:

    I’m so glad you mentioned using a muffin tin instead! I honestly had that question in my head the whole time :) So many great tips in this post, I can’t wait to try these.

  6. Megan @ Meg is Well says:

    So many good tips! I’ve only made popovers once a long time ago and I think they came out fine by pure luck. Now I can make them again with confidence!

  7. Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery says:

    These sound — and look — incredible! Putting them on my “must make” list.

  8. Willow | Will Cook For Friends says:

    These popovers sound absolutely amazing! Confession, though: I’ve never actually made popovers from scratch. *gasp* — I think that needs to be remedied, STAT! Pinning this for later!

  9. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says:

    Oh, yes! Popovers remind me of spring, too, especially with those chives included! These look wonderful — love the addition of the bacon (hello!!!) and goat cheese. What a lovely treat!

  10. Elena says:

    These babies look fabulous! I need to buy a popover pan asap! Pinning it for later!

  11. Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says:

    These popovers look absolutely scrumptious! I love bacon and cheese together!

  12. Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas says:

    I’ve been meaning to try popovers, and would kill to get my hands on a popover pan. Your recipe is just what I needed to push me over the edge. I am trying these this weekend.

  13. Florentina says:

    Wowza ! I would be all over those babies, minus the bacon for me, but that goat cheese has my heart! Perfection!

  14. Mackenzie Ryan says:

    Popovers have a special place in my heart because they remind me of a restaurant that we ate at in Maine the anniversary before we had our first child. Something about beautiful, sunny days always makes me crave them! I’m excited to try these soon!

  15. Oana@AdoreFoods says:

    I have always wanted to make popovers but I am really scared they will not come out like yours…just perfect! Loving the bacon and goat cheese combination :) Perfect!

  16. Sabrina says:

    Wow these popovers look amazing !! They came out perfectly!

  17. Liz @ Ready to Yumble says:

    What a great idea! With all that space inside a popover, might as well fill it with something good! And goat cheese and bacon definitely qualify as “something good!”

  18. Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says:

    Gorgeous popovers and I love the bacon-goat cheese combo! My little girl loves goat cheese and I know she would have so much fun watching these rise in the oven :) I don’t have a popover pan (yet) but I’ll have to try these in the muffin tin because I know they will taste so delicious! Pinned :)

  19. Shadi says:

    I LOVE goat cheese, I can literally have it every day! I have never made popovers though but now I’m quite determined to make some! I should go find myself a popover pan!

  20. Kate @ Veggie Desserts says:

    What a fantastic idea! We call them Yorkshire Puddings in the UK, but I”ve never seen them flavoured like this. Fab recipe :)