For the easiest, most foolproof and tasty, bready yet gluten-free side, these tapioca flour popovers are a must-try. All eaters will enjoy these golden-brown bites. Popovers are delicious with soup or stew, or as a snack. And they are so quick, you'll wonder why you never made them before!
Popovers are the same as Yorkshire pudding but baked in individual cups, thus the popover pan. The popovers should be hollow in the middle, and in researching these popovers I learned that typically the hollow is filled with meat.
When I was growing up, my mother would make large pans of Yorkshire pudding, swimming in butter - to go with roast beef. It was one of my favorite dishes, and I'm delighted to find this GF version.
Gluten-Free but doesn't taste like it
Here’s the highest praise the gluten-free baker can imagine. I made these to go with a big batch of soup. Upon tasting her first popover, my daughter-in-law said with disbelief, are these gluten-free?
All I can say is, if you’re missing bread, try popovers!
The secret to the texture is the smoothness of tapioca flour. Tapioca has the same effect in my Brazilian Cheese Bread recipe, though I blend in some cassava flour there for extra fiber.
What gluten-free flour blends work for tapioca flour popovers?
In addition to tapioca, you will also use some gluten-free flour blend. Many of these blends already contain tapioca or another very fine starch, for extra lightness.
I have tried both Better Batter or Cup4Cup and both were excellent. The author of the recipe I modeled mine on said not to try bean-based flour blends, and I haven't.
Can tapioca flour popovers be made vegan?
This recipe contains three eggs, so it's certainly NOT vegan. I have not tried these gluten-free popovers with any egg replacer, so the recipe is vegetarian as-is. If I do try it with an egg replacer I will update the post and let you know.
The recipe is dairy-free but you can use dairy milk. Whole milk (full-fat) works best.
The coconut milk in the carton works better in this recipe than canned because the consistency of coconut milk in the carton is less thick, more like dairy milk.
What kitchen appliance is best to blend the popover batter?
I love food processor recipes! My Cuisinart does a terrific job of mixing the batter and bringing it to the froth you need so that you get airy popovers.
You can use a blender too. An advantage of the blender is that it’s easier to pour the batter into the cups of the popover pan since the blender has a pour spout. A high-powered blender can also be easier to clean.
Popovers predate both machines, of course, and if your arm is strong, you can use a whisk to beat this popover batter to the necessary froth.
Do I need to preheat the popover pan?
Heat relationships are so important to these popovers that you preheat the oven and the pan before you start mixing the batter. I measure out all the ingredients in advance so that once I have placed the oiled popover pan into the preheated oven, I only need to add the ingredients to the food processor in the right order.
The preheating time is just about what it takes to blend the ingredients.
Then once the five minutes of preheating are up, I whip the pan out of the oven, pour the popovers into the cups, and place the pan back in the oven.
What can I bake these in besides a popover pan?
A popover pan is a pretty specialized piece of equipment, for sure. If you don't have one, pour the batter into a well-oiled muffin tin. As the muffin cups are smaller, you'll get more but smaller popovers - about 10-12 instead of 6.
Kitchen tip: MCT oil (see this page) is the best I've found for oiling baking pans and muffin cups. I use MCT oil even if my bakeware is non-stick. MCT works even better than the coconut oil it's derived from.
Other gluten-free baked goods on A meal In Mind
How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread
Almond-Flour Biscuits; 5-Ingredient
Low-Carb Nut and Seed Bread; Paleo and Gluten-Free
Coconut oil pie crust; gluten-free and vegan
Flourless Oatmeal Coconut Milk Pancakes
Cranberry Pumpkin Bread; Gluten-Free Libby's Copycat
If you make this or any of the recipes on A Meal In Mind, please let me know! Or if you like the recipe, leave a comment, rate it, post pictures on Facebook or Twitter. Hashtag a photo #amealinmind on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thank you so much!!
Beth
I shared this recipe to Fiesta Friday # 373 this week, hosted by Angie @ FiestaFriday.
Easiest Tapioca Flour Popovers - Gluten-Free
Equipment
- Popover pan or large muffin tin
- MCT Oil
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (from carton, see note) or oat or dairy milk
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt or a bit less if you plan to put salted butter on these
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup gluten-free flour blend I use Better Batter or Cup4Cup
- ½ teaspoon baking powder gluten-free
- 3 - 5 teaspoons Coconut oil or other high-smoke-point cooking oil about 1 teaspoon of MCT oil per well
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F, depending on your oven (415 F worked best in mine, even at high altitude). Assemble ingredients.
- Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of oil to each of 10 muffin cups or 6 popover cups. Place pan in the oven for 5 minutes to heat the oil. While the pan and oil are heating, add eggs, milk and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or blender).
- Blend until bubbles form on the top, about 30 seconds. Add flours and baking powder and blend until creamy, about a minute, scraping sides as needed with a spatula.
- Once the pan with the oil has heated, carefully and quickly remove the pan from the oven and close the oven door. Pour the batter evenly into each cup. Each cup should be about ½ full (⅓ full for muffin tin).
- Immediately place pan back in the oven and bake for 22 - 24 minutes until golden brown. DO NOT open the oven door while baking. Remove popovers from the pan right after baking and place on a cooling rack.
- Allow popovers to cool for at least 5 minutes before trying to open them - they can release a bit of steam. I know you just want to butter and eat them!!
Notes
Nutrition information can't be guaranteed accurate, as it represents information entered as approximations into the nutrition calculator, which doesn't contain all food items. It can, however, give you an estimate of the nutritional values.
Please pin for later!
Of Goats and Greens
Looks fantastic! Even though I do not need to be gluten-free, some of my friends do - and having a recipe using tapioca flour is good to have in my recipe box! I plan to experiment with these in the near future - thanks. And thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday. And have a great weekend.
Beth
I'm so happy to hear this recipe appeals - and trust me, your gluten-free friends are likely to be as surprised as my daughter-in-law was to learn that these popovers are GF. Thank YOU for co-hosting Fiesta Friday and I hope your weekend was great too!
Lisa
Oh my goodness, these turned out great
I've been on a candida diet for almost 6 months....
I used 1/4 th cup cassava flour in place of gf flour. turned out super yummo.
Thank you so much❤
I am also high el. Approx 6, 200 feet. Used oven temp of 415°
My roommate (ex-husband) even loved them. "Don't lose this recipe" lol. Nope, this is a keeper.
Thanks again.
Beth
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the popovers! It's so helpful to know that you were able to sub cassava flour for the GF flour, I know that many readers will appreciate knowing they can make that substitution. And I always like knowing what works for high-elevation readers. Thanks!
Deborah in Nova Scotia
I served these with Roasted Leg of Lamb. They were absolutely fabulous, and were
devoured, sopping up our delicious gravy. These are now a staple in our house. THANK YOU for this delightful recipe!
Beth
Deborah, I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe - I can imagine how good they were with the lamb.
Nisha
What a wonderful idea to make these popovers with Tapioca flour! Combined with coconut milk, I can already imagine the flavors. Nice to know about the popover pans and they really make such nice-shaped popovers.
Beth
Thank you, Nisha. These popovers have been such a great discovery since they are so tasty without any dairy.
Deborah
These look so amazing. I have been wanting to try making popovers but I do not have a pan yet. Do you have a recommended brand? Thanks for sharing a gluten free version with tapioca flour for those times when it's needed.
Beth
Thanks, Deborah. These popovers are really rewarding to make since they're easy and showy. My pan is the Bellemain 6 Cup Nonstick Popover Pan but if I were buying a new one I'd go for a 12-cup - six popovers are gone in a wink. I don't always recommend nonstick if I can manage without it but for fine starches like tapioca it really helps be sure they are easy to remove.
LaRena Fry
I am so glad to see gluten-free pop overs. They look so tasty. Can't wait to try this recipe.
Beth
Thanks, LaRena, the tapioca flour makes them so light, they are really a treat.
Angela
I need to buy a popover pan since I have to borrow one from my neighbor. These gluten-free popovers are so yum and the rise is just lovely.
Beth
Thanks, Angela. The pan certainly makes for a showy popover and though it can be nice to share if a neighbor has a pan that works, this one is worth the storage space in my kitchen.
Jacqueline Debono
I loved Yorkshire pudding with our Sunday roast when I was growing up! I've never had popovers though! Love the pan. Definitely want to get one and try out your recipe.
Beth
Jacqui, I'm curious to know if it will be a challenge or not to find a popover pan in Italy? It could be a fun search - thanks for the comment!
Wendy
Has anyone ever tried throwing some fruit or pie filling into them before they go into the oven and then baking them? I’m wondering how they’d come out? Was thinking of putting a small spoonful of apple pie filling in them but am not sure if it would work or when the best time to do that would be? (Bake with and put in before, put in when they’re 2/3 done baking, or wait until they’re done and put in after baking)?
Beth
Hi, Wendy, that is a really good question. I haven't tried it, but if I did, it might be with just a couple in a batch to see if the fruit would interfere with the rising of the popovers. The batter is so light I'd use just a small spoonful. If you do try it, I'd be curious to know how they turn out!
Wendy Campbell
I love this recipe!! I add a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar in with the flour to sweeten them up a bit along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Then after I pour the batter into the muffin tins I scoop in some chopped up apple pie filling!! Then when they come out I spread cream cheese icing of them and oooommmmggg they are so goooood
Beth
Wow, these changes have taken the popovers right to an elegant dessert. I can't wait to try them like this, thank you for sharing your additions.
Michelle
anyone try an egg substitute in this recipe?
Beth
Hi, Michelle, I haven't tried an egg substitute myself, so I browsed online a little. I found one vegan popover recipe that used Ener-G egg replacer and another that referred to Vegg baking mix. If you do try something like Ener-G in this recipe, I'd love to know how it worked!
Samantha Alhart
I LOVED these so much, I ate 5 right out of the oven. I have been on a restricted diet and not eating any grains, etc - but I just wanted to have something "bread-like" and crispy - these hit the mark perfectly. I was so amazed at how much they puffed up, and were so light and crispy - I will make these again and again!
Beth
Hi Samantha, I'm glad the recipe helped with that wish for bread. Always nice to hear they worked as intended.