Perfect Vegan Yorkshire Puddings - Tall, crispy, golden sides, soft and slightly gooey bottoms, and a deep hollow just waiting to be filled with tasty gravy! And there's a gluten-free option. Perfect for enjoying with roast vegan beef and all the trimmings!
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Wanna know something? This Vegan Yorkshire Pudding recipe officially breaks all recipe testing records. I have been working on this recipe, on and off for well over a year in a desperate attempt to make my Vegan Roast dinners great again and I finally cracked it!
Are Yorkshire Puddings Vegan?
Traditional Yorkshire Puddings are not vegan because they contain eggs and milk.
In a vegan Yorkshire pudding the milk part is easily replaceable with any plant-based milk (or water as is the case with my recipe) but just like with vegan quiche, the eggs are much harder to substitute. They have a unique job when it comes to Yorkshire Puddings, and unlike in other kinds of vegan baking, a couple of flax or chia eggs in their place will not act in anything like the same way.
Even the magical aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) struggled a bit with this job. But I finally did it and these Yorkshire Puddings are, I am pleased to say, vegan!
I grew up eating Yorkshire Puddings every Sunday while growing up in England and was a Yorkie master before I turned vegan, so I know what I'm talking about. But, if I am completely honest, this recipe I am sharing with you today is delicious and very similar to a traditional Yorkshire Pudding, but it is not exactly the same. This is something I really struggled with and I nearly didn't share it for that reason. As with most of my recipes though, I share my recipe testing on my Instagram stories. People were quite litreally going crazy there wanting the recipe, but I still didn't feel confident about it.
The whole premise of my blog, A Virtual Vegan, is that I want the recipes I share here to be amazing with no compromises. With this recipe, there is a compromise because it is not the same as the non-vegan equivalent. That's why I wasn't completely sure that I should share it.
So, how did I decide I would?
I Googled "Vegan Yorkshire Pudding" recipes, and I printed out every single one there is on the internet and I made them all. All of them. Every. Single. One. Multiple times. My house was seriously like smoke central for 3 days.
And you know what I found? None of them were any good. They were all cakey, squat, and not well risen, and none of them had a proper hollowed-out bowl-shaped inside for holding gravy and they didn't have crispy outsides. Or not consistently anyway. Even the recipe from Sainsbury's that everyone seems to rave about. You can find it here if you want to check it out. And most importantly of all, none of them tasted that great.
That's when I realized that my Vegan Yorkshire Pudding recipe was actually pretty good. Much better than any of the others and it deserved to be let loose out in the wild. So here it is!
Ingredients
Perfect Vegan Yorkshire Puddings are not difficult to make, but you must follow the recipe exactly. There can be no substitutions at all. Believe me, I have tried every combination of ingredients and methods possible, and to get the best result you cannot change a thing.
Here is what you need:
- You will also need a muffin pan. You cannot use a shallow Yorkshire pudding pan for these. It must be a muffin pan and it must be metal and not any other material or they will not work. Don't use your very best muffin pan because the smoking hot oil tends to not be too kind to them and it's pretty impossible to clean them up perfectly after. I have an old pan that I use just for Yorkshire Puddings.
- A medium-sized mixing bowl
- A jug for pouring the batter into the pan quickly and easily
- And a balloon whisk
I also highly recommend that you weigh the flour when making this recipe. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best results. If you do need to use cups then be sure. to use them correctly and spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount.
If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than is needed and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Digital scales are available at most grocery stores or online stores like Amazon and you can pick them up cheaply. They are a great investment and so worth having!
How To Make This Yorkshire Pudding Recipe Gluten-Free
Yes! Finally a decent gluten-free Vegan Yorkshire Pudding! You can safely replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe with more chickpea flour. It works like a dream. In fact, they turn out even lighter. But they do have more of a chickpea flour flavour which isn't unpleasant but worth mentioning. I did try some other gluten-free flours but they didn't work nearly as well.
How To Make Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
Ok, so now you've got what you need, here is how it's done (if you're more of a visual learner watch my recipe video):
STEP 1 - Preheat the oven. Very high consistent heat is key to good results.
STEP 2 - Make the batter. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl, then combine to make a thin batter. Let it rest.
STEP 3 - Oil the muffin pan and preheat it until it is quite litreally smoking. The trick to successful Yorkshire Puddings, vegan or not, is smoking hot oil!
STEP 4 - Work super quickly and pour the rested batter into the smoking oil and get the pan back in the oven as fast as humanly possible. Now is not the time to get distracted. You will see the batter start to fizzle and cook as soon as it hits the oil.
STEP 5 - Watch through the oven door as they grow before your very eyes!
Expert Tip - When making these Vegan Yorkshire Puddings, you need to use a muffin pan or a popover pan. Both have deep wells. A traditional shallow Yorkshire Pudding pan will not work well.
Making Ahead
Vegan Yorkshire Puddings freeze perfectly. Make as directed, cool on a wire rack then lay them out on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking tray. Pop the whole thing in the freezer uncovered. As soon as they are hard remove them and put them in containers or freezer bags. Treat them gently so they don't crack or get squashed.
When you want them put them on a baking tray straight for the freezer at 425°F/218 °C for about 10 to 15 minutes to heat through.
Serving Suggestions
Yorkshire Puddings are traditionally served with roast beef and of course, I had to make a vegan beef recipe so this was possible. You can also serve them up with my Vegan Turkey Roast and you'll be onto a winner!
They are also great with my Vegan Meatloaf and Gravy, Crispy Roasted Potatoes and steamed veggies, or with my Vegan Instant Pot Portobello Pot Roast, but any meal that has copious amounts of gravy involved will do. They work incredibly well with vegan sausages, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
My grandparents always used to cook extra, so that leftover puddings could be eaten for dessert. They were reheated and served up with Lyle's Golden Syrup and clotted cream. Again, not very vegan, but if you were to omit the mustard or Kala Namak in my recipe, you could do something similar. Lyle's Golden Syrup is something that's popular in England and it's a really unique product. I've never seen anything like it here in Canada, except in the English aisles in some supermarkets where it is imported from England. It is vegan and it is a sweet-toothed person's dream.
So for a vegan Yorkshire Pudding dessert, serve up the hot puddings with either Golden Syrup (if you can get it) or maple syrup then top with whipped coconut cream in place of the clotted cream. Totally indulgent, not very good for you, but so amazingly delicious!!
More English Recipes
Recipe
Perfect Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 75 g (½ heaping cup) all purpose flour ,(plain flour in the UK). SEE RECIPE NOTES FOR GLUTEN-FREE
- 75 g (scant ⅔ cup) chickpea flour
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric , OPTIONAL - helps to give the puddings a slightly yellow colour.
- scant ½ teaspoon dijon mustard , or ¼ teaspoon of Kala Namak (I think mustard gives the best flavour)
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons (90 mls) aquafaba , (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 360 mls (1½ cups) water
- lots of oil for pan , mild olive, canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218 °C) and have a shelf set about ¾ way up with an old baking tray on it. The tray must be preheated with the oven.
- In a medium bowl, add the all purpose flour, chickpea flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk them together. As I mention in my post, I highly recommend weighing the ingredients for optimum results.
- In another bowl or jug, combine the mustard, apple cider vinegar, aquafaba, and water and whisk them together.
- Pour the combined liquids into the dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth and bubbly. Pour into a jug to make pouring quick and easy, then leave to rest while you proceed with the next step.
- While the batter is resting, prepare your muffin pans. They must be metal muffin pans and not silicone or ceramic, and they must be muffin pans and not shallow Yorkshire pudding pans. If you use a pan with shallow wells this recipe will not work.
- Add enough oil to give a depth of about 3 to 4mm, then swirl it around in the pan so it goes up the sides. Don't be tempted to use less oil as the recipe won't work as well. Put the oiled muffin pan in the oven on the old baking tray that preheated in the oven until it's literally smoking hot. This should take about 10 minutes.
- You need to work very quickly now. Make sure your jug of batter is right next to you as you open the oven. Very quickly, but very carefully, remove the baking tray & muffin pan from the oven, making sure to close the door immediately to keep the heat in. In a long, thin stream, pour the batter into the hot oil in each well of the pan. You need to fill them nearly to the top. The oil will rise above the batter. Stop pouring once the oil is just about level with the rim. You need to do this really quickly because you need to keep the heat in the pan for the puddings to work well. As soon as the wells are all full, put the pan (on the baking tray) right back into the oven and shut the door quickly. Do not open the oven door, not even for a quick peek until you are at least past 25 minutes of cooking or they will collapse.
- Cook the puddings for at least 30 minutes, or up to 40 minutes for more dried-out, crispy puddings. I like them a little gooey inside and 30 minutes is about right. If you prefer them dryer again, turn the oven right down and let them cook a bit longer. Do not open the oven door, not even for a quick peek until you are at least past 25 minutes of cooking.
- Remove the puddings from the oven and serve immediately.
NOTES
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Kirsty Baggs says
I'm going t try this this weekend! As a Brit in the US, we have tried to perfect vegan roasts but until now have stayed away from the vegan Yorkshire debacle. After making your pancakes earlier this week, I am daring to give this a go as you know what you're talking about :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Ha ha, thank you for trusting me with your first vegan Yorkshire Pudding experience. They are not exactly the same, but after a whole year of trying absolutely everything, I think they are as close as we are going to get.
Rebekah says
Hi I made these but they seemed to sink in the oil (which had been in the oven and was piping hot) and were soggy and greasy. What did I do wrong?
Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm not sure what you mean by sink in the oil. When you add the batter it is normal for the oil to cover the batter completely. It's the hot oil that makes them puff up and then created the hole. The oil needs to be more than piping hot. It needs to be literally smoking. And if you don't work fast enough and get that batter poured into the oil super, super quickly, and back in the oven super quickly, the oil cools down and the puddings won't rise properly. Smoking oil and speed is the most important thing when making these. Hope that helps!
Wendy Wright says
Hi made these tonight they rose well I cooked them a bit longer as like them crispy. The outside was really crispy but the inside base was a bit soggy not looking quite cooked. Can you give any suggestions as to what I’ve done wrong. Your recipe has the most promise from any I’ve tried as other recipes have looked like biscuits. I’ll have another go so fingers crossed I’m excited as love Yorkshire’s
A Virtual Vegan says
They can be a little gooey in the inside. They aren't exactly the same as regular Yorkshire puddings as I explain in my post. You can turn the oven down towards the end (after 25 mins) and cook them longer until they have dried out if you would prefer them that way. Hope that helps!
Julie says
Over the moon to find this recipe. I've had a go with some success but would like a pointer or two please....
Firstly, the batter I made (promise I followed the ingredients to the letter, including weighing!) was very runny. I expected it would be a bit thicker from your description. It made way more than the 6-8 also, I got 12 (over 2 test batches) and threw a bit away.
My first go was not a success - I think that was my fault, method-wise. Flavour fine but the rest was not good!
Second go much better, I got the bowl shape, although my puds look very bubbly on top where yours in the picture look smooth, mine are kind of dimpled with tiny craters all over. I wonder if this is something to do with the thin batter consistency?
I left the puds in the oven for longer than the 30 mins, but the bottoms were still very gooey. Tops looked nice and were crispy, flavour is great but the bottom was more stogy than I like. I wonder if you would recommend less batter mixture or longer cooking time? I didn't want to burn the top!
My oven is gas and I had it set high, but not max, about 220. It is fan assisted but not as efficient as a fan assisted electric and I don't think the temperature is consistent across the oven.
Still the best vegan yorkie recipe I've found so I'm very happy and will be sharing it - I'd just like to find out where I went wrong! Any pointers welcome!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Julie. In answer to your questions:
The batter is pretty thin. It thickens up a little bit while it rests but isn't as thick as a traditional yorkshire pudding batter. I found if it was any thicker it was too heavy to rise up and they just ended up like little fried doughy cakes.
Did you pour the batter in a thin stream into the smoking hot oil? That makes a difference as it cools the oil more slowly and helps cooks the batter as it hits. And speed is so important. You need to work as fast as humanly possible to minimize the oil cooling.
The puds are a little gooey inside. They aren't quite the same as traditional yorkshire puddings in that respect. Once they have been in the oven for the designated time, you can turn it down lower and cook them long enough to dry them out. They won't deflate.
Lastly, these were created and tested in an electric oven. No fan. Can you turn your fan off? Fan ovens tend to cook a bit quicker which wouldn't necessarily be a good thing with these, and the air movement in the oven might have contributed to the dimply tops maybe? That's a wild guess.
I actually have a gas convection (I believe that's the same as fan oven?) oven now, but it's so new that I don't want to cook yorkies in it and get it dirty. Once the novelty has worn off I will test them in it and amend the directions accordingly!
LYdia says
Have you whisked the Aquababa or has it gone in straight as it is out of the tin?
A Virtual Vegan says
As it is straight out of the tin!
James says
Hi,
These look lovely, unfortunately someone in my family has an allergy to vinegar and alcohol, even after cooking. Do you know of a substitute that would work in place of the Apple Cider Vinegar?
Thanks for your help.
A Virtual Vegan says
I think you could probably get away with lemon juice instead but I haven't tried it so can't say for sure.
Samantha says
Fantastic recipe! The best vegan yorkshire pudding recipe I've tried.
Trudie Thompson says
Hello there!
Just made these exactly as the recipe said and they look amazing! Can I freeze and reheat?
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great! You can freeze them. Just cool on a cooling rack then freeze. Be careful in the freezer though as they are really fragile. Reheat them straight for the freezer on 425°F/218 °C for about 10 minutes.
Ronnie says
Thank you so much for this recipe. tired for the first time today (two rounds) and failed miserably. I used butter bean aquafaba instead of chickpea, I wonder if it makes a difference? Will get some chickpeas tomorrow and try again. Also, used a very old not non-stick metal muffin tin, that may also be a problem, as round one just stuck to the tin and round two did not rise into the dip in the middle shape. So, another purchase tomorrow will be a metal non-stick muffin tin. Will let you know the result.
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tested them with anything other than chickpea aquafaba so that could be the reason. If they stuck and the 2nd batch did not dip, perhaps you didn't use enough oil, or the oil was not hot enough. It has to be literally visibly smoking. Are you weighing the ingredients? I really recommend that to get the best results.
Denise says
These are the best vegan Yorkshire Puddings ever. I was so amazed when I saw them rising in the oven. My vegan son-in—law will be so pleased on Christmas Day when they are served for dinner and he sees the hole for the gravy. Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Denise, I'm so pleased you think so. Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. I really appreciate it! Merry Christmas!
Rayne says
Thanks for the recipe!
I was wondering if the chickpea flour was absolutely mandatory? Can I just use plain flour?
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
The chickpea flour is mandatory. They will not work without it.
Jade says
This sounds amazing though not a huge fan of chickpea flour. Not sure if I can use something else? I don't need it to be gluten free just need to be vegan. Thank you x
A Virtual Vegan says
You cannot use anything else. The chickpea flour is essential. Believe me, I have tried every single thing possible in the year I was developing this recipe. You cannot change it at all or it won't work. Sorry!
Vicky Jones says
Hi, these look amazing and would like to make these for Xmas, what are the measurements for the ingredients as I couldn't see it listed? Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
All of the measurements are there in the recipe card. Just scroll to the end of the post :)
Susanne Jones says
This has just made the world a better place
A Virtual Vegan says
Ha ha. I tend to agree! What is life without Yorkshire Puddings! ;O)
Jennie says
Mel you are AWESOME ???? Mum and daughter are both coeliac and we're vegan so I've been looking for a GF + Vegan Yorkshire recipe for ages. I've just made a GF version of your recipe using a 25g each mix of Cornflour, potato flour and tapioca flour in place of the 75g all purpose, as I'd looked at the ingredients on shop bought GF ones and bought those flours in already. Other than that I kept to the recipe. The look, taste and texture are AMAZING ???? I'm going to freeze a couple and reheat them tomorrow and if that goes well I'll be able to make ALL the Christmas Yorkshires this way and in advance and just reheat them on the day...thank you soooo much, you may just have made my Christmas ????❤️
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed them Jennie. I've made my own Christmas too! I've wanted Yorkshire Pudding with my roast dinner for so long. It makes me happy to think of everyone enjoying them on Christmas day.
Give them a try with all chickpea flour if you ever run out of the flours you bought. They turn out just as good and the mustard hides any trace of chickpea taste. I'm going to add the combination of flours you used to the recipe notes for anyone who is gluten-free to benefit from. Thanks so much for stopping by to leave feedback. I really appreciate it!
Maureen Cram says
These look the closest to any non vegan Yorkies I have ever seen! Going to make them as soon as the weather cools down here in South Africa. Thank you so much for all the testing xxx.
A Virtual Vegan says
I hope you enjoy them Maureen!
Barbara says
I’m so glad you posted these today as they were just in time for our roast dinner. They were absolutely perfect. I’ve tried so many vegan recipes and they have never worked well before. You are amazing! Thank you!
Laura says
Amazing. Just need a
Recipe
For ovenpuff
Apple pancake now... and
i can die happy
Louisa Berry says
Really looking forward to trying these this week as a trial run for Christmas. I dont have any djon mustard, will a little bit of mustard powder work instead? And would this work as the batter for a toad in the hole type dish? Thanks :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I think a little mustard powder would be fine. Probably about 1/4 of a teaspoon? And I think this batter would make a fantastic Toad in the Hole, although I haven't tried it yet. I'm currently all Yorkshire Puddinged out. I plan to make one for the blog in the new year, once the January healthy eating phase has passed for everyone!
Daria says
I can’t wait to try this recipe!! Yorkshire Puddings were my Dad’s speciality, when I was little he’d make them with a roast and was so proud of his delicious puddings!
Excited to make them this Christmas
A Virtual Vegan says
I hope you enjoy them Daria!