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 literally 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 literally 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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Lindsay Wolsey says
Hi, I found by freezing them and reheating from frozen eliminates the 'soggy bottoms'! My non vegan daughter who has never liked 'normal' Yorkshires thought these delicious! Dijon mustard really helps the flavour. Many, many thanks x
Lisa says
Can I use English mustard instead?
A Virtual Vegan says
English mustard is a lot stronger. I wouldn't personally use it but if you like the flavour of English mustard and are ok with your pudding tasting mildly of it then go ahead. Dijon has a much milder flavour and is a more all purpose kind of mustard.
Sarah says
We cooked the gluten-free version of these yesterday. Absolutely amazing! Your recipe is so wonderful and my mother is very grateful after years of failed gluten-free, vegan Yorkshire puddings. The star of our meal. Thank you so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you all enjoyed them!
Sarah says
Hi! Is your muffin tin for larger muffins? I have an average sized 12 muffin tin but I think I may have used too much oil as they just came out like crispy oil bombs unfortunately - not at all like a Yorkshire pudding texture :( Yours look amazing! Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
My muffin tin is a regular sized muffin tin. You can't really use too much oil either. The more the better. Something else must have gone wrong. Everything with this recipe has to be followed absolutely exactly for it to work well.
Rachelle Beinart says
Hi, can you make the batter in advance and cook the next day? Or will the long resting period affect it badly? Thanks! x
A Virtual Vegan says
No it needs to be made fresh for best results.
Alison says
Maybe that’s where I went wrong. Mine turned out terrible but I left the mixture standing for 30mins before cooking as we were not ready to use it straight away.
Keri says
You have changed my life forever. I’ve tried EVERY vegan Yorkshire pudding recipe I could find and all with horrifying results. This. Recipe. Is. Amazing. Thank you SO much. Even my omni partner is impressed. I’m a very happy pregnant lady now who can finally enjoy a full vegan Christmas dinner this year!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Ah that's amazing Keri!I'm so pleased you all enjoyed them. Merry Christmas!
Lucy Moore says
Just made these as a practise run for Christmas Day. I made them with all chickpea flour. Amazing!! Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed them Lucy!
Phoebe says
Hi There! I’ve just practiced these for Christmas day. They’ve been in over over 40 minutes, rose really well & super crispy (I took one out at 35 mins, delicious crunchy outside!) but the inside is basically raw batter. Not a nice ‘gooey’ but really quite raw. Could there be something impacting this? FYI I weighed ingredients. Thanks in advance!
A Virtual Vegan says
They are quite soft inside unless you cook them longer. That's why I mention in the directions to cook them until they have dried out to your liking. If they start getting a little well done elsewhere you can tent them in foil. After 40 minutes they will definitely be cooked through and the batter won't be raw. It's just soft because it's harder for the liquid to evaporate/bake out in the centre than it is on the edges. Hope that helps!
Fay says
I had the same experience.
They looked good but we're pretty raw in the middle even after cooking for 45 minutes. The oil was also an issue. What I could salvage was incredibly oily yet they stuck to the pan. Followed the ingredients to the letter and the oil and oven were smoking hot. They weren't far off, but don't know how to tweak it...
Lindsay says
I actually lined every hole of the muffin tin with non stick foil! Froze the cooked puds and reheated in oven few minutes, that dried the bottoms
Dan says
I added sage to the mix and a slice of red onion first with the oil. Worked very well (although they ballooned rather than keeping the traditional dish shape).
Mike says
Hi there,
I made everything to your measurement but the mixture was very thin not really like batter Although it did do exactly 6 so the quantity is right. Sadly though they haven’t risen at all. I’m clearly doing something very wrong but can’t figure it out. i have a fan oven. I’m going to keep experimenting but Is there any potential pointers you could give me? I need to make a vegan Christmas dinner! Hehe!!
Thank you in advance!
Mike
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi there Mike. The batter is quite thin but that's what makes the puddings puff up. If it's any thicker they don't rise as well. It does thicken up a little during the 10 minute rest period though.
This is a very finnicky recipe. Everything about it has to be exactly right for it to work. Any even slight changes will make a big difference. You cannot change or substitute any of the ingredients and for absolute best results you must weigh the flour and chickpea flour. Cups are not accurate enough. When I've troubleshooted with other people who had problems, usually we found it was because they didn't weigh the flour, or they didn't use proper measuring spoons when measuring the baking powder etc. They were just eyeballing it or using teaspoons/tablespoons from their cutlery/flatware set. It is really important that all measurements are absolutely exact. You cannot change a single thing.
If they didn't rise at all, is there a chance you forgot the baking powder or the vinegar? And the other majorly important factor for rise is that the oil be absolutely smoking hot. It must literally be so hot it smokes or they won't work. When you pour the batter in it should sizzle and spit and bubble. You should actually see them start to rise a little right away.
Speed is key as you need to get the batter in the tray and back in the oven before you lose heat. You can't leave it sitting around.
I hope that helps and you can maybe work out what might have gone wrong.
Mike says
Hi Melanie,
Thank you for coming back to me I really appreciate it.
So I have tried 5 more times. I’m carefully weighing and then using proper spoon measures. I have tried with the oil ultra hot and smoking a lot through to just hot. I have tried with light roasting olive oil and sunflower oil. Sometimes the odd one will rise a tiny bit but I essentially end up with an oil soaked soggy cake.
Should I be whisking the mixture more or something? I’m perplexed as other people seem to be nailing it. I know there’s probably little more advice you give but I thought I’d reach out once more. Sorry I’m not the most accomplished chef so I’m sure I’m doing something super wrong.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Mike. So sorry you're still having problems.
The kind of oil you use shouldn't make a difference so that's not an issue. The oil has to be absolutely smoking hot though. Anything less and they won't work for sure.
As long as you're combining all of the ingredients when mixing that's enough. You don't need to whisk it for a ridiculously long time or anything.
What brand and kind of flour are you using? Have a look at the protein content in the nutritional info. Maybe that's the culprit. Mine has 5g per 1/4 cup (30 g). The protein gives it strength. Maybe your flour has less?
Also is your chickpea flour very fine?
You are using a metal muffin pan? Not a silicone pan or anything like that? With this recipe it absolutely has to be metal.
Make sure you are resting the batter.
And your oven. Is it definitely hot enough? Have you had any issues with following other recipes, maybe with them taking longer to cook than they should? The heat is so important with these and ovens vary so much.
Lastly, your baking powder. Is it fairly new? It starts to lose its potency after about 3 months. I go through it so quickly when testing recipes so don't need to worry, but I know most people have one pot that can last a long time. It might be worth buying a new one next time you try.
It's so hard to work out what's going on wrong without actually being there to see so I hope this helps!
Syreeta says
Hello. I have just made these puddings ... I am 30 mins in and they look very well done on the surface but not on the top. I ok my oven to 218°c .. is this for a fan oven? If not, what temperature for a fan oven? Thank you so much
A Virtual Vegan says
When you have a fan oven you need to compensate for that by reducing the oven temperature stated in recipes by 20°C, unless a recipe specifically states it's for a fan/convection oven. Most recipes you will find in books and on websites are designed for conventional ovens, not fan.
The forced air from fan ovens can affect the rise of Yorkshire Puddings or make them misshapen. Too late for this time, but if you have the ability to turn the fan off in your oven I would recommend it for best results.
Tenting them in foil would help them finish off without burning. I hope that helps!
Lindsay Wolsey says
I have a vegan son in law who loves Yorkshires. I'm practising for Christmas, hope they turn out well. Also, am thrilled to learn they freeze, it will be a lot less fraught on the day, what with the 14 other sides I'm doing! You may have found the 'Holy Grail' of Vegans! Thank you x
A Virtual Vegan says
I hope you enjoy them Lindsay! And 14 sides???? Wow. I don't envy you! Good luck!
Corinne says
Hi there, I’m a bit confused by your instructions, you say a scant 3/4 cup of chickpea flour which means to provide grudgingly. So do you mean use less than 3/4 cup? I think it’s the same with one of the other ingredients too (maybe mustard). I want to make sure I get it right first time, as I’m looking forward to trying!!
A Virtual Vegan says
As I stress in my post, I highly recommend using a scale when making this recipe as it's so important everything is exactly measured for these to work. There can be no variations at all. When measuring flour like substances cup measurements are just not accurate enough. Every single time you fill a cup it weights a slightly different amounts, sometimes varying as much as a third.
Digital kitchen scales are so cheap these days. You can get some for less than $10 and they take any of the guess work out of measuring.
If you do choose to use cups though, when measuring ingredients "scant" means lacking a small part of the whole – not quite up to full measure or just barely. In other words, 1 scant teaspoon means not quite a whole teaspoon but a little less. A scant 3/4 cup means not quite a whole 3/4, just a little less in the cup. So basically just barely reaching or not packed." It's a common term when writing recipes, but also another reason I recommend weighing as then there can be no ambiguity.
Hope that helps!
Alan says
Really wanted to make these today but very confused by need for precise measurements but only a picture of ingredients. Got frustrated and gave up.
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't know what you mean by only a picture of the ingredients? Everything is there with full detailed measurements. You need to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post, or click "jump to recipe" at the top of the page. Everything you need to make them successfully is listed there.
Anna says
Hi would this recipe work for toad in the hole or does it only work with small Yorkshire puddings
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tried it myself but quite a few people have shared pictures of their Toad in the Holes made with it on Instagram and they looked good! Just be sure to use a metal pan and make sure it's smoking before you add the sausages, onion (if using) and batter and do it super quick. Good luck!
Jess says
Made the gluten free version with the potato flour etc. Turned out amazing! So crispy on the outside and a little gooey on the inside. Like them better than the original Yorkshires I made before I went vegan!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed them! It's good to know the potato flour option worked out well too. Thank you!
Sue Chant says
Made these yesterday and they were excellent - I need to tweak temperature and timings to suite my oven better but I will be making them again. Also going to try pancakes with the leftover batter, but that's for later.
I have a question about the gluten-free version - did you try rice flour at all? And if so, what were the results?
Thx
Sue C.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad you enjoyed them Sue! I didn't try rice flour because it doesn't have a high enough protein content and it's the protein in the flours that makes these successful and replaces the protein from the egg. This recipe is very finicky and I wouldn't recommend changing it at all.
Sue Chant says
Thanks for that - I will follow your advice.