Popover Pan vs. Muffin Pan - Eat Like No One Else

Find out the difference between a popover pan and a muffin pan. Can you make muffins in a popover pan? Can you make popovers in a muffin pan?

A close up of a crusty top of a popover still in a popover pan.

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If you are anything like me you love eating yeasty, soft, dinner rolls.

I would love to make them more often.

The biggest issue is time. The time it takes to make the dough, let it rise, form the rolls, let them rise, then bake the rolls isn't always practical. It can be hard to have that much time. I am sure many of us struggle with that same thing.

That's why I love popovers.

Combine flour, eggs, milk, butter, and salt in a blender. Pour batter into a popover pan. Bake for 40 minutes and your done! I don't know of a quicker and easier way to get a roll type bread on the table in time for dinner.

To make the best popover ever, it all starts with the right pan. We are going to teach out all about your options for pans that will give you the greatest chance for your popovers to really pop over!

Jump to:

❔ What is a Popover Pan?
🥊 Popover vs. Muffin Pan
🍳 The Pans I Own
🏆 The Best Popover Pan
🧁 Other Uses for Popover Pans

A 6 cup popover pan sitting on a white title countertop.

What a popover pan is. A popover pan is a pan that has individual cups that are connected together. Air can freely flow around the each cup.

What's the difference between a popover pan and a muffin pan? Besides the obvious appearance, popover pans contain cups that are both deeper and steeper. This gives them the ability to rise to heights you couldn't get in a muffin pan. That is why the pan matters.

You can substitute a muffin pan for a popover pan and still produce popovers. I have done it. They still taste good. They just won't get as big and puffy as popovers in a popover pan. And if you are going to make them a lot, and with how easy they are I don't see why you shouldn't, then getting the real deal is worth it.

Two popover pans stacked on top of each other on a white title countertop.

🍳 The Pans I Own

Let me share what pans I own. Many year ago, the day after Christmas I used some of my Christmas money to purchase a popover pan at Cost Plus World Market for $8.99 (this was probably 10 years ago now)

My new pan produced better results than the 12 cup standard muffin pan I was using. I tried a large muffin silicone pan to, which didn't produce very good results (the standard muffin pan did better). I was excited because finally my popovers looked like the ones I saw on Alton Brown's Good Eats - which is how I was first introduced to popovers.

About a year ago, we found a mini popover pan at a Salvation Army store. It was in very good shape, looked like it has never been used - a lucky find. This pan is designed the same way, it just has 12 smaller cups, than the standard 6 cup model. It doesn't have a brand name on it so I can't say who made it.

A side view of a popover in a popover pan

If you want the best popover pan possible here is what you are going to look for.

Non-stick surface
Deep, steep cups
Enough space in between cups for heat to move around them
Pan should feel heavy
Made of heavy cast aluminum or aluminized steel

I have seen some cast iron pans being labeled as for popovers, but they were still more shaped like muffin pans than for popovers. I imagine if there was a cast iron pan that looked like the ones I have it would be too heavy.

Here are some brands I recommend you take a look at:

I haven't really seen popover pans at store like Walmart or Target. You have to go to places like Cost Plus World Market, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, and Sur La Table. That is unless you get lucky like me and find one at the thrift store! I would say your best bet is to just order one online.

Several finished popover sitting on a white towel with a red stripe.

Being an Alton Brown fan, I don't like unitasker. That is items in my kitchen that only have ea single use. I have searched for other uses for a popover pan besides delicious popovers.

Here are some ideas: