The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (2024)

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The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (4)

The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (5)

They are the uniquely British culinary icon, an institution, arguably the best part of a Sunday lunch… So it’s really very little wonder that Yorkshire puddings have their own day, celebrated across the country on 5 February. Done properly, they can take a roast from good to unforgettable, and done poorly put a damper on the whole meal. So to make sure your Yorkshire puddings lean towards perfection, we’ve pulled together a can’t fail guide.

First the basics...

The ingredients in a Yorkshire pudding are usually the following

  • Plain flour
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • Fat for cooking in

Some recipes also include water (the amount of water should be around two thirds of the amount of milk used).

Yes, there are multiple food allergens in Yorkshire puddings. Of the 14 major food allergens, most Yorkshire pudding recipes count Milk, Eggs and Cereals containing Gluten (in flour) among the ingredients.If you use the Erudus Recipe Builder tool, you can easily keep track of the allergens in a particular recipe - as well as the portion costs and nutritional content, and download into an easy to read and reference PDF single page document.

Yorkshire puddings are not vegan if you use the traditional recipe, but read on to the tips section to find out how you alter and substitute ingredients to make them vegan friendly.

The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (6)

Yorkshire puddings take around 20-30 minutes to cook in the oven, but it’s important that the oven is very hot - at least 225 degrees celsius - before they go in.

And now onto the tips…

  • Yorkshire puddings should be the last component of a roast to be cooked - though easy and effective to freeze for later, once cooked they are best eaten fresh.
  • The failsafe method for making Yorkshire puddings is to mix equal parts egg, milk and plain flour together with a pinch of salt. Whisk until the batter resembles wallpaper paste.
  • To make vegan Yorkshire puddings, use self-raising flour instead of plain flour, and substitute cow milk for soya milk. Then instead of eggs, use 100ml warm water and half a teaspoon of baking powder.

The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (7)

  • After making up the batter, leave it to sit for at least an hour before cooking. You can even leave it overnight - though if you do, give it a good stir before pouring out.
  • Picking the right fat is crucial, and the right fat is the one able to get the hottest. Vegetable oil is preferable to olive oil as it has a higher smoking point, but lard and beef dripping are the best choices.
  • Getting the ratio of hot fat to batter right makes all the difference when it comes to cooking Yorkshire puds - aim for 25% fat and 75% batter in your tin. A small knob of lard in each cup is enough if using that.

The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (8)

  • Delia Smith cites a cast-iron enamelled gratin dish as the ultimate cookware for Yorkshires, but so long as your Yorkshire pudding tin is metal (and not silicone) you’ll be fine. A muffin tray also works for large, fluffy Yorkshire puddings, because of its depth.
  • Opening the oven door is a cardinal sin when it comes to making Yorkshire puddings, as it makes them sink. When you take out the tins with the hot fat close the oven door rather than leaving it open while you pour in the batter.
  • If you want to go Instagram-ready with sky-high fluffy Yorkshires, add an extra egg white to your batter. They’ll tower over the competition.
  • With that in mind, always make sure your Yorkshire puddings have room to rise in the oven. The top shelf is the hottest and therefore the best for cooking them, but you don’t want them to get squashed against the oven roof.
  • Mini Yorkshire puddings are a great English tapas dish - serve topped with roast beef and horseradish sauce, or a mini sausage and mustard. So moreish.

The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (9)

  • Once you've perfected your Yorkshire pudding recipe, record it in Erudus's Recipe Builder and collate all of it's nutritional and allergen information, as well as serving costs, into a single PDF document to be referenced whenever needed.

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The Best Yorkshire Pudding Tips and Menu Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good Yorkshire pudding? ›

The secret to crisp Yorkshire puddings is to get both the tin and fat piping hot. There should be a sizzle when you pour the batter into the hot oil. The batter will immediately start cooking, resulting in higher and crispier puds.

What to serve in Yorkshire pudding? ›

Load up your pud with all your favourite roast dinner staples. From juicy cuts of meat, to crispy roast potatoes and a selection of vegetables, all glazed off with a lip-smacking gravy.

What is Yorkshire pudding traditionally served with? ›

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.

How do you make Yorkshire pudding rise higher? ›

Resting the batter overnight is key for developing better flavor. Forget about cold batter: letting it rest at room temperature helps it rise taller as it bakes. A combination of milk and water gives the Yorkshire puddings extra rise and crispness.

Is it best to let Yorkshire pudding batter rest? ›

How do you make Yorkshire puddings rise higher? Let the batter sit. Make sure you rest your batter rest for at least an hour before you cook to ensure a good rise and deliciously light puddings.

Should I put more or less eggs in Yorkshire pudding? ›

Yorkshire puddings are made with a classic batter, but switching up your egg quantities can make a difference. Using one extra egg white could help make them extra tall.

What do they call Yorkshire puddings 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.

What is the proper way to eat Yorkshire pudding? ›

Now Yorkshire Puddings tend to be lighter and crispier and they are served and eaten with the meat course, with lashings of beef gravy with them!

What is the best fat for Yorkshire puddings? ›

This needs to get to the exact temperature and be piping hot to ensure the maximum sizzle for the maximum rise in those puds! The oven temperature you'll need is around 220oC / 200oC Fan. What oil is best for Yorkshire puddings? We believe that a cold pressed Rapeseed Oil is the best oil for the job.

What is the best pan for Yorkshire pudding? ›

You can make Yorkshire pudding in any dish, tray or pan as long as it can withstand the high temperature required for cooking. but I have never had great success with glass, even Pyrex, but some swear by them. When stuck, I have used a copper frying pan, a Swiss roll tin and Victoria sponge tins.

What is so special about Yorkshire pudding? ›

The pudding would have originally been cooked beneath the meat (usually beef) as it was roasting on a spit above a fire. This position would have meant that the fats and juices from the meat could drip onto the batter pudding, flavouring and adding colour.

Why do you put water in Yorkshire pudding? ›

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.

Should Yorkshire pudding batter be thick or runny? ›

The batter should be about as thick as double cream (so easily pourable but with some body). Why do my Yorkshire puddings rise then go flat? It might be because the oven door was opened while they were cooking. Yorkshire puddings need a consistently high heat to rise fully and set.

What is the best oil for Yorkshire puddings? ›

These days, the beef drippings are placed in the muffin tin with a spoon, and the batter is cooked in the drippings. You can of course use olive oil/vegetable oil, but beef drippings certainly bring extra flavor. If you are using oil, remember that the best oil to make Yorkshire puddings will have a high smoke point.

How do you keep the bottom of Yorkshire puddings from getting soggy? ›

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 best oil or fat for Yorkshire puddings? ›

Cold batter and hot oil are the successful combination for a well risen and crisp pudding. Make sure your Rapeseed Oil is smoking hot before pouring your batter into the tin. It's the best oil for the job.

What causes Yorkshire puddings not to rise? ›

The fat isn't hot enough (it should be smoking hot). The oven isn't getting hot enough (needs to maintain a 220C/425F temperature). Your oven loses heat too quickly when you open the oven door and/or you leave the oven door open for too long whilst you're filling up the Yorkshire pudding tins with batter.

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