No Fail Easy Yorkshire Pudding Recipe (Small Batch)

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Are your Yorkshire puddings too small or don’t rise? Do they deflate when you take them out the oven? What if I told you that with just a few simple tricks, you could guarantee perfect Yorkshire puddings EVERY time? Keep reading to learn all my secrets, and see just how easy this no fail Yorkshire pudding recipe is!

Alongside crispy roast potatoes, honey roast vegetables and pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puddings are a Sunday roast staple! So why do we struggle so much to make them at home? Well, there are quite a few places to go wrong. From oven temperatures and oil types, to resting and cooking times – there’s a fair few variables.

But don’t worry! This Yorkshire pudding recipe honestly couldn’t be any easier. And when used alongside my simple but very effective tips – guarantee great results every time!

But PLEASE make sure you keep scrolling and read the tips section before you have a go. I promise, you won’t regret it!

What’s the best oil to use for Yorkshire Puddings?

In my experience, I’ve had the best results with Rice Bran oil (affiliate link). Why? Because it has a very high smoke point (250ºC). Meaning that you can get this oil really hot before it starts smoking.

Olive oil’s smoke point can be as low as 190ºC, making it a bad choice for cooking Yorkshire puddings.

Can you reheat homemade Yorkshire Puddings?

Yes! I actually find this to be the most convenient method. You don’t want to cook the rest of your Sunday roast at 230ºC do you? No, you’ll burn everything to a crisp.

Cooking them a little before the rest of your Sunday dinner, then reheating to crisp them up for 4-5 mins before serving, means you get the best Yorkshire puddings without spoiling the rest of your dinner! Giving you time to do other things, like learning how to steam broccoli!

Can you freeze homemade Yorkshire Puddings?

Yes, you can freeze homemade Yorkshire puddings! Simply cook them, cool completely, then freeze for another day. Just make sure you pack them well so they don’t get freezer burn. Make sure you use them within 1 month.

What is the secret to making Yorkshire puddings rise?

The secret to perfect Yorkshire puddings is all in the resting, and the temperature of your oven/oil. If you allow your batter to rest at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before baking, the rise will be a million times better.

Preheating the oil in your tin before adding the batter, and having a very hot oven, is equally as essential. Do them both and your Yorkshire puds are going to be seriously bad boy!

How do you stop Yorkshire puddings deflating/getting soft?

The answer to this is three fold. Firstly, your oven needs to be hot enough, and they need to be cooked on the top shelf, as that’s where it’s hottest.

Secondly, you need to preheat the oil in the tin until it’s SUPER hot before adding the batter.

And thirdly, you need to cook them until they are dark brown. None of this flimsy light golden nonsense – that’s a recipe for deflating Yorkshires. Push the cooking as far as you can before burning. This will make the batter more crisp and sturdy, preventing deflation and sogginess!

How long should you let Yorkshire pudding batter rest for?

This is a really important part of making Yorkshire puddings, as it gives them a much better rise. To show you exactly how much – I did an experiment to test how different resting times would effect the rise. Here are the results…

The following Yorkshire puddings were rested for 1 hour before baking…

These Yorkshire puddings were rested for 2 hours…

And these ones were rested for 4 hours…

Let’s take a look at a side by side comparison shall we? From left to right they were rested for 1 hour, 2 hours and 4 hours.

That’s a pretty big difference isn’t it?! Some things really are worth waiting for! In my experience, I recommend resting for a minimum of 2 hours before baking, to get a really good rise. Have 4 hours to spare? As you can see, you’ll get an even better result!

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s what you need to know…

• Egg – I prefer free range organic but whatever you have will work fine. Try to use an average sized egg (not too big, not too small).
• Milk – I find semi skimmed to work best but you can substitute with most milks, including dairy free. Just be aware that it may effect the flavour.
• Water – Cold tap water is perfect!
• Flour – Use only plain/all purpose flour for making Yorkshires. Do not substitute with self raising flour.
• Salt – Regular table salt will work fine as we want flavour, not texture (which is where sea salt etc comes in).

Easy Yorkshire pudding recipe tips

Important, please read! These tips are paramount to making perfect Yorkshire puddings every time.

• Whisk the batter until smooth, you don’t want any lumps.
• 100% rest your batter before you bake it. (See the section How long should rest Yorkshire pudding batter for? for specifics.)
• Use Rice Bran oil (affiliate link) as you can get it much hotter than other oil types.
• Cook your Yorkshire’s an hour or so before the rest of your Sunday dinner, then warm through/crisp up for 4-5 mins before serving.
• Don’t have the time or oven space on the day? You can freeze your Yorkshire puddings and reheat them straight from the freezer instead.
• Bake Yorkshire puddings on the top shelf of your oven as this is where it’s hottest.
• Get the oil as hot as you can! It should sizzle when you add the batter.
• Don’t open the oven door during cooking or they could deflate. If you absolutely have to – make it QUICK!
• Don’t be fooled by the colour. Keep baking them until they’re a dark brown colour. They’re less likely to deflate this way.
• Have your Yorkshire puddings deflated? It could be that your oven wasn’t hot enough, the oil wasn’t hot enough when you added the batter (did it sizzle?), or you didn’t cook them for long enough. Don’t aim for pale golden, go darker!

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.

• The batter itself will take you less than 5 minutes to prepare.
• Resting time is up to you. You need to allow a minimum of 1 hour. 4 hours is best if you have the time!
• You could let the batter rest overnight in the fridge. Just bring it back to room temperature and mix it until smooth again before using.
• Allow time to preheat your oven (usually about 20 minutes). The oil and pan will need to preheat within this time too.
• Cooking will take about 20 minutes.
• You can make your Yorkshire puddings ahead of time. Then cool completely, store in a tub or bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Simply reheat straight from frozen for about 5 mins or so.

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

• Vegetarian mince and onion pie
• Ultimate roast vegetables
• Easy crushed baby potatoes

Easy Yorkshire Pudding Recipe – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to serve 2-3 people (makes 5-6 small / 2-3 large).

Please be aware of the resting time required in this recipe before making.

• 1 Egg, beaten
• 60ml (4 tbsp) Milk
• 60ml (4 tbsp) Water
• 32g (4 tbsp) Plain/All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Oil for Cooking

Essential equipment

• Jug
• Fork/Whisk
• Yorkshire Pudding Tin

Batter instructions

To make the batter, beat together the egg (x 1 beaten), milk (60ml | 4 tbsp) and water (60ml | 4 tbsp) in a jug with a fork, until it’s nicely blended together.

Then add the flour (32g | 4 tbsp) and salt (1/4 tsp) and beat again. You want it to be as smooth as possible. If you can’t achieve this with a fork, grab a whisk and use that instead to beat out any lumps.

Once completely smooth, cover the jug and leave to rest at room temperature for an absolute minimum of 1 hour. Ideally 2 hours or, if you have it, 4 hours!

When there’s about 15-20 mins left on the ‘resting time’ clock, it’s time to prep for cooking…

Baking instructions

Pour about 1 tsp of oil into each of the 6 holes of a Yorkshire pudding tin.

Place it onto the top shelf of your oven then preheat to 230ºC/Fan 220ºC/446ºF. You want that oil HOT! Wait for your oven to come up to temperature and the oil to heat up before moving on to the next step.

If your batter has split during resting, give it a stir with a fork to bring it back together again. Then, acting quickly, take the hot tin out of the oven (close that door quick!) and pour the batter into each hole. The oil should be so hot it sizzles when the batter hits it.

Carefully but quickly, put the tin straight back in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Until the Yorkshire puddings are a dark brown colour.

Don’t be tempted to open the door constantly. Leave it closed the whole time! If you absolutely need to check, open and close the door very quickly.

And there you have it! Some seriously epic homemade Yorkshire puddings! Well done you 🙂

How to store homemade Yorkshire puddings

If you’d like to remove some Sunday dinner making stress – cool your Yorkshires completely and freeze in an airtight container or bag. Then simply reheat straight from frozen at a later date! Use within 1 month.

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No Fail Easy Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Rest Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

This easy, no fail, Yorkshire pudding recipe will become your go to for guaranteed perfection! No more deflated disasters in THIS kitchen!

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Ingredients

• 1 Egg, beaten
• 60ml (4 tbsp) Milk
• 60ml (4 tbsp) Water
• 32g (4 tbsp) Plain/All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Oil for Cooking

Essential Equipment

• Jug
• Fork/Whisk
• Yorkshire Pudding Tin

Instructions

1. Beat together the egg, milk and water in a jug with a fork.
2. Add the flour and salt and beat again until smooth and lump free. If you are struggling with a fork, use a whisk instead. Cover and rest at room temperature for up to 4 hours (a minimum of 1 hour).
3. When 20 mins is left on the timer, pour 1 tsp of oil into 6 of the Yorkshire pudding tin holes and place it on the top shelf in your oven. Preheat to 230ºC/Fan 220ºC/446ºF.
4. When the oil is hot and the oven has preheated, pour the batter into the Yorkshire pudding tin holes. The oil should sizzle.
5. Quickly put the tin back in the oven and bake for 15-20 mins until a dark brown colour.
6. Serve immediately, or reheat for 4-5 mins just before serving.

Notes

If you would rather use a more in depth picture recipe, please see the main body of this post. Where you’ll also find lots of extra FAQs and helpful tips, should you need them.

Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.

Tips

• Whisk the batter until smooth, you don’t want any lumps.
• 100% rest your batter before you bake it. (See the section How long should rest Yorkshire pudding batter for? for specifics.)
• Use Rice Bran oil (affiliate link) as you can get it much hotter than other oil types.
• Cook your Yorkshire’s an hour or so before the rest of your Sunday dinner, then warm through/crisp up for 4-5 mins before serving.
• Don’t have the time or oven space on the day? You can freeze your Yorkshire puddings and reheat them straight from the freezer instead.
• Bake Yorkshire puddings on the top shelf of your oven as this is where it’s hottest.
• Get the oil as hot as you can! It should sizzle when you add the batter.
• Don’t open the oven door during cooking or they could deflate. If you absolutely have to – make it QUICK!
• Don’t be fooled by the colour. Keep baking them until they’re a dark brown colour. They’re less likely to deflate this way.
• Have your Yorkshire puddings deflated? It could be that your oven wasn’t hot enough, the oil wasn’t hot enough when you added the batter (did it sizzle?), or you didn’t cook them for long enough. Don’t aim for pale golden, go darker!
• If you'd like to reduce Sunday dinner stress - cool your Yorkshires completely and freeze in an airtight container/bag. Then simply reheat straight from frozen when needed. Use within 1 month.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

• 
  Pyrex 500ml Measuring Jug
• 
  12 Hole Shallow Bun & Small Yorkshire Pudding Tin

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 37Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.

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Other tasty Sunday Roast sides

• Buttered cabbage with fennel seeds
• Crispy coated roast potatoes

Emma Mason

Experienced British Online Publisher, recipe writer, and home cook, Emma has a background of over 20 years in British cuisine and cooking. Born and bred in the UK, she excels in classic British dishes, is passionate about air frying, and loves sharing her Gran’s old school recipes. She has been featured in popular publications such as Food Network, Cosmopolitan, and The Huffington Post.

Knowledgeable On: Traditional British Cuisine, Recipe Writing, Air Frying, Home Cooking.