• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Christmas ⭐️
      • Starters
      • Mains
      • Sides: Warm & Hearty
      • Sides: Light & Fresh
      • Desserts
      • Breads
      • Christmas Leftovers
    • Iconic + cult classics
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish recipes
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Salads & veg
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
    • Cookbook recipes
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Breads

Crumpet recipe

By:Nagi
Published:17 Jul '20Updated:15 Aug '23
573 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This is the crumpet recipe released by Warburtons, the UK’s biggest commercial crumpet maker. They’re an absolute dead ringer for store bought – except far better – with the signature holes, distinct “spongey” texture, perfect for toasting. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make a crumpet, this is going to blow your mind! And it’s easy!

Close up of homemade crumpets with honey and butter

Crumpet recipe

Warburtons is the UK’s biggest and most popular commercial crumpet producer. They make over 700 million of them a year!

To cheer up the UK public during lockdown, they shared their secret crumpet recipe for people to make at home. Though I doubt it’s the precise commercial batter recipe (they probably adapted it for the home cook), the end result is EXACTY like store bought crumpets.

After many, many, MANY failed crumpet attempts over the years (even from notable chefs!), I am still shaking my head at how astonishingly perfect these crumpets are – and how easy they are to make!

What are crumpets?

Hailing from England, they’re like a cross between an English muffin and pancakes. Their distinguishing feature is the surface that’s riddled with holes which allows butter to permeate through from top to bottom. The surface has a unique almost “spongey” texture, but it’s very fluffy inside, just like bread!

Overhead photo of homemade crumpets

Hand picking up homemade crumpets

What goes in crumpets

Here’s what you need to make crumpets. I always knew yeast was in the batter. The addition of baking powder was the key that made all the difference – from crumpet making fails to crumpet making success!

Crumpets recipe ingredients

  • Yeast – use instant / rapid rise yeast or active dry yeast (sometimes just labelled “yeast”). Both work just fine.

  • Fresh yeast? Haven’t tried with fresh yeast but see no reason why it wouldn’t work using the standard conversion of 7.75g / 0.275 ounces fresh yeast per 1 teaspoon of dry yeast. Crumble into warm water with sugar and follow above directions for active dry yeast.

  • Flour – just normal plain / all purpose flour. Not self raising flour, not wholemeal flour.

  • Gluten free – unfortunately doesn’t work with gluten free flour. We tried, and it was a dismal failure!


How to make crumpets

Here’s how to make crumpets in 3 easy steps:

  1. Mix water, flour and salt to form a sticky but stirrable batter. Then mix in yeast dissolved in a bit of water, baking powder and sugar to form a smooth batter;

  2. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until the surface gets foamy; then

  3. Ladle into rings and cook on the stove until bubbles pop on the surface and the top is cooked.

It is quite straightforward, but because homemade crumpets is a bit of a unique recipe, I’m going to add a bit more information about each step in the proceeding sections. If you’re not interested, jump to the recipe! (Or video – or Dozer 😂)

How to make crumpets

The crumpet batter

The crumpet batter is literally a dump-and-mix job, though you do need to mix well for a couple of minutes by hand (or half that time using a handheld mixer) which I assume is to get good gluten formation to get that signature chew for any type of yeast bread, as opposed to being “cakey”.

Then once mixed, you simply put it in a warm place so it gets nice and foamy. This is the equivalent of dough rising so the crumpets rise when they’re cooking.

The crumpet batter won’t increase in volume very much – just around 10 / 15%.

Crumpet batter
PRO TIP: Ice cream scoop with lever is an excellent handy tool for cooking batters – like pancakes, fritters!

Crumpet rings

Crumpet rings are a “thing”. They are around 9 cm / 3.5″ wide and about 2.5cm / 1″ tall. The ones I have are non stick, but they come in silver too.

But honestly, anything metal and round will do the trick – egg rings, biscuit cutters, scone cutters, even cleaned large tuna cans. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be round! Star shaped crumpets, anyone??

Cooking crumpets

Cooking crumpets

Now, I’m not going to lie to you – you probably won’t nail the first one. It does take practice – but no more than when you first started out perfecting the art of golden fluffy pancakes or pikelets!

The secret to cooking crumpets perfectly is to start them off on a high heat to get those bubbles activated, then turn the stove down so the crumpet cooks through without burning the base. The cooking technique is one change I made to the original Warburtons recipe – they say to cook on medium high the whole time = scorched base.

Though store bought crumpets don’t have colour on the holey side, I like to flip to get a blush of colour on it and cook any residual raw batter.

Overhead photo of homemade crumpets

And here’s a close up of the inside of the crumpets with the signature vertical “tunnels” from the holes!

Showing the inside of homemade crumpets

Even better the next day!!

An essential step with crumpets is to cool them completely, otherwise they are kind of moist and “doughy” inside.

In fact, if you want an absolute dead ringer for store bought crumpets, they are best made the day before, or the day before! They keep for days in the fridge – I’ve kept them for 5 days and once toasted, they are perfect.

Can you freezer homemade crumpets?

They freezer perfectly too. Thaw or even microwave thaw, then toast as usual!

Toasting crumpets

How to eat a crumpet

I realise that writing about how to eat crumpets may induce eye rolling from Crumpet-Eating-Experts. But bear with me – not everyone has been eating crumpets all their life!

Toasting is essential to make the golden base crispy. Then slather with butter (what do you think all those holes are for?? So the crumpet gets soaked with butter, from top to bottom!) then spread of choice.

Drizzling butter on homemade crumpets

What to put on crumpets

As far as what to put on crumpets (other than the mandatory butter) – honey is by far the top choice (think – hole seepage). My personal second choice is Vegemite (it’s an Aussie thing 🇦🇺), followed by jam. Other spreads like Nutella and peanut butter go great too – whatever you put on toast, you can put on crumpets!

Though if you want the ultimate crumpet experience, don’t go past butter and honey. That moment when you bite into the crumpet and salty melted butter and sweet molten honey squirts into your mouth…

Arrrgh … I’m torturing myself at the thought. I’m off to toast another crumpet for morning tea! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of homemade crumpets with honey and butter

Crumpet recipe

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Bread, Breakfast
British, UK, Western
4.99 from 191 votes
Servings6 crumpets
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is the crumpet recipe released by Warburtons, the UK's largest commercial maker of crumpets! The batter is extraordinarily easy to make, but cooking them may take practice to get the temperature right for your stove. But if you've nailed pancakes, you will nail crumpets!
Double rising agent is the key here for the signature holes - baking powder PLUS yeast. Just one doesn't cut it, and baking soda doesn't work as well.
It's alarming how much time I've lost watching the bubbles pop...it's mesmerising!!!

Ingredients

  • 150g (1 cup) white flour , plain / all purpose
  • 200ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) warm water , tap water (200g) (Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp salt , cooking/kosher salt (1/4 tsp table salt)
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Yeast Mixture

  • 1 tsp yeast , instant/rapid rise OR dry active yeast (Note 2)
  • 1 tbsp warm water (just tap water)

Cooking:

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted (or vegetable oil)

Instructions

Crumpet Batter:

  • Place flour, water and salt in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes (electric beater 1 minute on speed 5).
  • Yeast Mixture - Dissolve Yeast into 1 tbsp warm water in a small bowl.
  • Add Yeast Mixture, sugar and baking powder into bowl, then whisk for 30 seconds (or 15 sec speed 5).
  • Cover with cling wrap or plate, then place in a very warm place for 15 to 30 minutes until the surface gets nice and foamy. It will only increase in volume by ~10 - 15%.

Cooking Crumpets:

  • Grease 2 or 3 rings with butter (approx 9 cm / 3.5" wide, though any ring or metal shaper will do, Note 3) (TIP: Non stick rings - brush with melted butter. Everything else - smear with butter)
  • Brush non stick skillet lightly with melted butter then place rings in the skillet.
  • Turn stove on medium high (medium for strong stoves) and bring to heat (Note 4 for "sizzle test").
  • Pour 1/4 cup batter into the rings (65ml), about 1cm / 2/5" deep (will rise ~60%).
  • Cook for 1 1/2 minutes - bubbles should start appearing on the surface (but not popping yet).
  • Turn heat down to medium, cook for 1 minute - some bubbles should pop around the edges.
  • Turn heat down to medium low, cook for a further 2 1/2 to 4 minutes, until the surface is "set" and it's clear there will be no more bubbles popping! (At this stage you can help the final bubbles pop with a skewer!)
  • Remove rings (you might need to run knife around to loosen).
  • Then flip and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds for a blush of colour.
  • Transfer to write rack (golden side down) and fully cool.
  • Can be eaten once cool, but it's even better the next day (Note 5).

How to eat crumpets:

  • Toast in a toaster until the base is crispy.
  • Slather generously with butter, then spread of choice (honey is perfection) and devour immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Warm water - just tap water, warm enough that you'd want to take a bubble bath in it, not so hot that you'd scorch yourself.
200ml = 200g (handy so you can just pour straight in rather than measuring out separately!)
2. Yeast - original recipe calls for normal active dried yeast. Works exactly the same with instant / rapid rise yeast - tried with both, no difference.
Fresh yeast - Haven't tried but see no reason why it wouldn't work using the standard conversion of 7.75g / 0.275 ounces fresh yeast per 1 teaspoon of dry yeast. Crumble into the warm water with the 1/2 tsp sugar per recipe, and follow recipe as written.
3. Rings - anything round like biscuit cutters, egg rings or even a cleaned empty tuna can (remove top and bottom, clean thoroughly and use labels, grease well).
Though why restrict yourself to round?? Any cookie cutter will work here!
4. Pan heat - the batter needs to sizzle gently when it hits the pan, otherwise it's not hot enough to get the bubbles happening. But if too hot, the crumpets will burn!
TEST by putting a dab of batter on the end of a butter knife and pressing it on the skillet. Sizzle = hot enough. There should not be wisps of smoke coming from the pan at this stage (too hot).
COOKING TIP: Heat control is key to crumpet success! You need stronger heat at the begin to get the holes bubbling, then lower heat so the crumpet cooks through without burning the base BUT still strong enough to make the bubbles "pop". The temps provided in the recipe are for a standard stove - if yours is extra strong (like the portable one I use for videos), dial it down a bit.
Bubbles will start to pop around the edges first, then in the centre. There can be some wisps of smoke from the butter around the rings, but if it gets quite smokey, it means the skillet is too hot. If this happens, remove skillet from stove to cool it down a bit, then return it to the stove.
5. Texture of crumpets really becomes just like store bought if you leave them overnight, more of that signature "rubbery" texture (I realise that sounds totally off-putting but I don't know how else to describe it!).
6. Crumpet height / size - makes 6 crumpets using 9cm / 3.5" rings that are about 1.7cm / 2/3" high (store bought height). If you want to go a bit trendy-bistro style and make thicker ones, use a heaped 1/4 cup (about 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) for each ring - you will get slightly less holes on the surface (thicker = less holes) but can make them about 2.2cm / just shy of 1" thick which looks very puffy and impressive - some trendy bistros charge upwards of $20 for house made thick crumpets!
6. Gluten free flour - this doesn't work with gluten free flour. Tried and it was a dismal fail!
7. Different cup sizes - cups and tablespoons differ slightly between countries (with the US having the greatest variance to the rest of the world). It's best to make this recipe with the provided weights if you can, for absolute accuracy. But I did make it using US cups mixed with Aussie tablespoons and it works just fine. So it seems to be a pretty forgiving batter - it's the stove cook temp that makes the most difference.
8. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days, or freeze 3 months.
9. Nutrition per crumpet.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 134cal (7%)Carbohydrates: 21g (7%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 4g (6%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Cholesterol: 10mg (3%)Sodium: 198mg (9%)Potassium: 130mg (4%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 118IU (2%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: crumpet recipe, homemade crumpets, how to make crumpets
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

And every once in a while, his patience pays off and food I’m shooting falls to the ground….

Dozer crumpets

Dozer crumpets

Previous Post
Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Salad
Next Post
Asian Slaw – healthy, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

No Knead Cheese Bread ready to be eaten

Cheese Bread (no knead!)

Glazed lemon loaf ready to be served

Glazed lemon loaf

Overhead photo of slices of Easy pizza bread

Lunchbox Pizza Bread (easy)

More Breads

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




573 Comments

  1. Dionne says

    December 11, 2023 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    So yummy and easy to make

    Reply
  2. Sara Poulson says

    December 1, 2023 at 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve tried making crumpets from other recipes and never had any luck. Yet another recipe from Nagi that never fails

    Reply
  3. Colleen King says

    November 22, 2023 at 2:48 pm

    My waistline doesn’t stretch to crumpets very often these days but when I do, my spread of choice has to be Golden Syrup. Wouldn’t put it on toast but love it on crumpets. All about what you grow up with, I think. Have made crumpets once using sour dough discard and they were lovely so am keen to try these ones.

    Reply
  4. Margret says

    November 12, 2023 at 3:23 pm

    These are REALLY good, ridiculously easy, frugal – and fun to make too! I used 8 egg rings and cooked them all at once which used up all the batter in one batch – and I cleaned up as they cooked, so that’s another win! They egg rings ARE a bit small but as I have 8 anyway and more than enough kitchen toys, I’m sticking with using them – as hubby said, meh have 3 instead of 2 or have just 2 if you’re dieting. He gave them a big thumbs up as well. Looking forward to trying them toasted tomorrow because they’re already ridiculously good. THANKS NAGI !!

    Reply
  5. Linda Parsons says

    September 30, 2023 at 8:47 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve yet to make these and have them last to the next day. They are glorious!

    Reply
  6. Lizzie says

    September 25, 2023 at 7:45 am

    5 stars
    Water temp about 104°.
    Rising temp about 80°.

    Reply
  7. Aunt J says

    September 24, 2023 at 11:42 am

    5 stars
    Today was my first try at crumpet making. Purely by accident I ended up cooking them in browned butter. It smelled so good. I can barely wait to try them tomorrow morning.

    Reply
  8. Andrea Jane Fielding says

    September 22, 2023 at 2:00 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe, I made the yesterday and they were just fabulous. The taste and texture are exactly like Warburtons crumpets, however the price isnt…I made 6 for literally cents and will be making them again very soon. Thank you Nagi, I love your recipes 🙂

    Reply
  9. Michele says

    September 18, 2023 at 7:02 am

    5 stars
    I appreciate your thoroughness with your recipes. They are easy to follow and replicate. These crumpets are so damn good. My son got into fresh brewed tea with loose tea last December for Christmas. He asked me if I could find a crumpet recipe, and boom there you are. I did 3 different recipes and he chose yours as the best. Now I make him crumpets to go with his tea.

    Reply
  10. Verena says

    September 3, 2023 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    Well, once again my partner says he won’t go back to store bought. ( every time I bake something he likes !!!) This recipe is the bomb, Lol . Instructions were great. Took 2 batches to get the cook right on my stove . It takes 10 minutes at low for them to cook through . I found I needed to start them on 4 for 1 1/2 minutes and then lower the temperature right down to low . Every stove is different.
    Anyway, thanks again for another great recipe !

    Reply
  11. Ali says

    September 3, 2023 at 11:16 am

    5 stars
    Easy to make, and even easier to eat.
    I’d purchased crumpet rings years ago with the inspiration to make my own, and this recipe is just what I needed to finally christen them.

    After trying home-made, not sure I’ll be going back to store bought. These are light, tasty, golden.

    Reply
  12. Bonnie Carpenter says

    August 27, 2023 at 10:45 am

    5 stars
    I don’t know how I did it, but these turned out! I must’ve read the directions a dozen times before I started. And you’re right; the temperature is the most challenging bit. I can’t tell you how happy I am because I live in the north west part of the United States, and finding crumpets is almost impossible, unless you want to pay an extraordinarily premium price, Thank you, thank you for this recipe

    Reply
  13. Loreta says

    August 14, 2023 at 9:34 am

    Thanks very much for this recipe. I recently tried a few recipes I found online but this was by far the most successful. And vegan if using vegetable oil instead of butter for cooking. Clear instructions.

    Reply
  14. Nina says

    August 11, 2023 at 7:48 pm

    This recipe is great and has worked for me many times.
    Here is a challenge: I’m trying to make crumpets with sourdough discard using this method but a different recipe. So far it has been a fail – any thoughts?

    Reply
  15. Sally Triskel says

    July 30, 2023 at 10:35 am

    5 stars
    Perfection!!!
    Such a cosy winter delight.
    Controversially enjoyed with butter and Vegemite in my household! A cinch to veganise.

    Reply
  16. Julie says

    June 27, 2023 at 11:55 pm

    finally got my crumpet rings, only took me what, oh 3 years to buy some. Can’t wait to make them now, the challenge will be to find a warm spot in my fridge of a house. 🙂

    Reply
  17. Tracey Jackson says

    June 16, 2023 at 7:33 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe, the only issue I had was the room was not hot enough to rise the batter, soon solved, perfect crumpets. Very moorish. I made slightly smaller ones and ate 4 straight off (just to test them)

    Reply
  18. Dawnacita says

    June 12, 2023 at 4:46 am

    5 stars
    Wow, these are really good. The directions are great. I followed them exactly and they turned out mostly well. Moderating the heat was difficult. It was hard to balance the heat with the slight smoke from the butter and the doneness. The crumpets had a faint butter smoky taste from the bottom (hubby didn’t notice so I might be over critical). Has anyone experimented with oil or oil/butter to increase the smoke point? I could have let them cook a bit more but was afraid to make the bottom too dark.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      November 17, 2023 at 2:03 pm

      Have you tried using ghee? It has a higher smoke point than (and tastes more buttery than) butter! See Nagi’s ghee recipe.

      I’m yet to make the crumpets, but am a total ghee convert.

      Reply
    • Jean Morrison says

      August 3, 2023 at 4:47 pm

      I used oil today but I won’t do it again. I had massive problems getting the crumpets out of the non stick rings. I oiled them so well too. Perhaps the issue would not have arisen had I used butter as Nagi does.

      Reply
  19. Donna says

    June 10, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    5 stars
    First attempt and not too shabby….will toast a couple more tomorrow and see how they go. Look pretty good and taste delicious…even if I say so myself! 😀

    Reply
  20. Sybille says

    May 29, 2023 at 12:28 am

    5 stars
    We just made (and ate 🙂 the yummiest crumpets ever. We couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Will make a new batch now for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you , Nagi!

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On
  • Goodfood
  • Food Network
  • Better Homes Gardens
  • Taste
  • Nine
  • Network 10
  • BuzzFeed
  • Daily Telegraph
  • Women's Day

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe to my newsletter and receive 3 FREE ebooks!

Subscribe
Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • By Category
  • Collections
About
  • About Nagi
  • About Dozer
  • RecipeTin Meals
Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Central
Help
  • Contact
  • Image Use Policy
© RecipeTin Eats 2023
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits
Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
All Rights Reserved

Subscribe to my newsletter

Sign up and receive 3 FREE EBOOKS!