Pumpkin Spice Popovers: A Taste of Autumn

These Pumpkin Spice Popovers are crisp and golden on the outside, light and airy inside, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. They have all the cozy flavor of fall without adding pumpkin purée to the batter—which means you still get the dramatic rise that makes a popover so much fun.

Serve them warm for breakfast or brunch with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon sugar, butter, or a spoonful of homemade apple butter.

And despite the name, these are pumpkin spice popovers—not pumpkin popovers. The fall flavor comes from pumpkin pie spice, so you won’t need canned pumpkin for this recipe.

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Popovers

If traditional popovers and pumpkin spice season had a very cozy little autumn baby, this would be it.

• Simple pantry ingredients: Eggs, milk, flour, butter, salt, and pumpkin pie spice are all you need.
• No pumpkin purée: You get warm pumpkin-spice flavor without adding extra moisture that could weigh down the batter.
• Beautifully airy: The thin egg-and-milk batter creates steam as it bakes, giving popovers their signature puffed shape and hollow center.
• Not overly sweet: The popovers themselves are only warmly spiced, so you can make them as sweet as you like with toppings.
• Perfect for fall brunch: Serve them for a weekend breakfast, Thanksgiving morning, or alongside coffee on a chilly afternoon.

What Do Pumpkin Spice Popovers Taste Like?

These popovers have a crisp, deeply golden exterior with a tender, slightly custardy and airy center. Pumpkin pie spice adds cinnamon-forward warmth with notes of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

They aren’t cupcake-sweet. Instead, they’re lightly savory from the butter and salt with enough fall spice to make them feel special. A dusting of confectioners’ sugar gives them just enough sweetness for breakfast or dessert.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The ingredient list is wonderfully short, but each ingredient has an important job.

Butter

Melted unsalted butter adds richness to the batter and is also used to generously grease the baking cups so the popovers release easily.

Eggs

Use three large eggs at room temperature. Eggs provide structure while helping create the dramatic puff that makes a popover a popover.

Milk

You’ll need 1 cup of milk. Room-temperature or slightly warm milk works especially well because the batter can begin producing steam quickly once it reaches the hot oven.

All-Purpose Flour

One cup of all-purpose flour provides the structure needed to trap steam as the popovers rise. This recipe was developed with all-purpose flour, so I don’t recommend replacing all of it with whole wheat flour if you want the lightest texture.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

This is where the autumn magic happens. You’ll need 1 1/4 teaspoons. Use your favorite blend or make my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.

Salt

A little salt keeps the flavor balanced and makes the butter and warm spices stand out.

Confectioners’ Sugar

A light dusting just before serving turns these into a beautiful fall breakfast or brunch treat.

Equipment for the Best Popovers

You don’t need much specialized equipment, but a true popover pan gives the batter plenty of room to climb and allows heat to circulate around the tall, narrow cups.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Popovers

1. Preheat the Oven

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Give the oven time to reach the full temperature before the popovers go in.

2. Prepare the Pan

Generously grease six 6-ounce custard cups or the cups of a 6-cup popover pan with butter. Set the pan or custard cups on a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Blend the Batter

Add the melted butter, room-temperature eggs, milk, all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to a blender.

Blend just until the batter is smooth and evenly combined. It should be thin—much thinner than muffin or pancake batter.

4. Fill the Cups

Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into each prepared custard cup, or fill the wells of the popover pan about halfway.

Don’t overfill them. The batter needs room to climb as steam expands inside the popovers.

5. Bake Until Tall and Golden

Bake for 50 minutes. Avoid repeatedly opening the oven while the popovers are rising because the sudden loss of heat can interfere with their rise.

After 50 minutes, quickly use the tip of a small sharp knife to make a slit in the top or side of each popover. This releases trapped steam and helps keep the inside from becoming soggy.

Return them to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until deeply golden and crisp.

6. Serve Immediately

Remove the popovers from the pan as soon as they’re done and serve them while they’re still warm and crisp.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

Popover Success Tips

Popovers look fancy, but the magic comes mostly from steam. A few small details can make a big difference.

• Start with room-temperature eggs. Very cold ingredients can slow down steam production.
• Don’t use thick batter. Popover batter is supposed to be thin and pourable.
• Grease the pan thoroughly. Popovers need to climb the sides and then release cleanly after baking.
• Give them space. Don’t overfill the cups.
• Keep the oven door closed while they’re rising. Every peek lets heat escape.
• Let the steam out at the end. Piercing each popover helps keep the inside from becoming overly damp.
• Serve them promptly. Popovers naturally begin to soften and settle as they cool. That’s normal.

Can I Make Pumpkin Spice Popovers in a Muffin Pan?

Yes. A standard metal muffin pan can be used if you don’t have a popover pan.

The finished popovers will generally be smaller and less dramatically tall because muffin wells aren’t as deep as popover cups.

Grease the muffin cups well and leave room between portions when possible so hot air can circulate. Because muffin-pan popovers are smaller, begin checking them earlier than the full-size popovers.

Important: Pan size changes baking time, so use their deep golden color and crisp exterior as your guide rather than relying only on the clock.

Why Didn’t My Popovers Rise?

A disappointing popover usually comes down to temperature, batter consistency, or oven heat.

The Ingredients Were Too Cold

Room-temperature eggs and milk help the batter begin generating steam quickly.

The Oven Wasn’t Fully Preheated

Don’t put the batter into an oven that’s still warming. Make sure it has reached 375°F first.

The Oven Door Was Opened Too Often

That impressive rise needs consistent heat. Leave the door closed during the main portion of the bake.

The Cups Were Overfilled

More batter does not equal a taller popover. Leaving room in the cup gives the batter space to expand.

The Batter Was Too Thick

Popover batter should be thin and pourable. If you’re accustomed to muffin batter, it may look surprisingly loose—but that’s what you want.

What to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Popovers

Warm pumpkin spice popovers don’t need much, but fall is not exactly known for restraint.

Try them with:

• Confectioners’ sugar
• Melted butter and cinnamon sugar
• Maple butter
• Honey butter
• Pumpkin butter
• Instant Pot Apple Butter
• Maple syrup
• Fresh apples or pears

For brunch, pair them with scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, fresh fruit, and a hot cup of coffee.

How to Store and Reheat Popovers

For the best texture, eat popovers the day they’re baked. That crisp exterior is at its best straight from the oven.

Room Temperature

Let leftover popovers cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature.

How to Reheat Popovers

Reheat them in a 350°F oven for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through and crisp again.

The microwave will warm them, but it won’t restore that crisp exterior.

Can You Freeze Popovers?

Yes. Let them cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe airtight container or bag. Reheat them in the oven rather than thawing and microwaving so the exterior has a chance to crisp again.

Can I Make the Batter Ahead?

You can prepare the batter ahead and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. Before using it, let the batter return toward room temperature and blend or whisk it briefly to recombine.

For the very best rise and texture, however, I prefer baking popovers soon after making the batter.

Pumpkin Spice Popovers FAQs

Do Pumpkin Spice Popovers Contain Pumpkin?

No. These are pumpkin spice popovers, so their autumn flavor comes from pumpkin pie spice rather than pumpkin purée.

Adding pumpkin purée would change the amount of moisture and the structure of the batter, so don’t add it to this recipe without adjusting the other ingredients.

Can I Make My Own Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Absolutely. My Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice combines cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves and takes only a few minutes to mix together.

Can I Substitute Whole Wheat Flour?

I don’t recommend a full whole-wheat substitution if you want the same light, airy texture. This version was developed using all-purpose flour, which gives the popovers the structure they need while still allowing them to rise dramatically.

Why Do You Cut a Slit in the Popovers?

The slit allows trapped steam to escape near the end of baking. That helps the exterior remain crisp instead of trapping excess moisture inside.

Why Did My Popovers Deflate?

A little settling after popovers come out of the oven is completely normal. They’re inflated largely by steam, so they won’t stay towering forever.

If they collapse dramatically or become soggy, they may need a little more baking time or may not have released enough steam before cooling.

More Cozy Fall Baking

If the pumpkin spice container is already sitting on your counter, don’t put it away yet.

Use it to make Cozy Maple Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream, or switch from pumpkin to apples with these Easy Apple Streusel Muffins.

Both are exactly the kind of recipe that makes turning on the oven feel like the official start of fall.

Pumpkin Spice Popovers: A Taste of Autumn