Lemon Soufflé Recipe (2024)

By Mark Bittman

Lemon Soufflé Recipe (1)

Total Time
About 45 minutes
Rating
4(502)
Notes
Read community notes

This soufflé, adapted from Mark Bittman's famous tome, "How to Cook Everything," is rich, fluffy and very easy. You can also make orange or Grand Marnier variations. If you want to make individual soufflés, use a little more butter and grease four 1½- to 2-cup ramekins.

Featured in: Developing Bittman's Super-Simple Soufflé

Learn: How to Make Soufflé

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • About 1 teaspoon unsalted butter for the dish
  • 1cup sugar, plus some for the dish
  • 6eggs, separated
  • 1tablespoon minced or grated lemon or orange zest
  • ¼cup freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice or Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
  • Pinch salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

236 calories; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 87 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Lemon Soufflé Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Butter a 2-quart soufflé or other deep baking dish. Sprinkle the dish with sugar, invert it, and tap to remove excess sugar. Set aside and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg yolks with ¾ cup of the sugar until light and very thick; the mixture will fall in a ribbon from the ends of the beaters when it is ready. Beat in the flavorings and set aside.

  2. Beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold soft peaks; continue to beat, gradually adding the remaining ¼ cup sugar, until they are very stiff but still glossy. Stir a good spoonful of them thoroughly into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, using a rubber spatula or your hand. Transfer to the prepared soufflé dish(es) and bake until the center is nearly set, 25 to 35 minutes (15 to 25 minutes for individual soufflés). Serve immediately.

Ratings

4

out of 5

502

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Christopher johnson

Superb recipe. So light and fluffy it feels like a tangy cloud! My wife hates me and life is meaningless. Be sure to be careful with the variety of lemon because it can sometimes be too tart. Good luck!

LuvUrZZZs

These are the best notes ever, except for Christopher's troubles of course. Usually they are all "I made this exactly like the recipe except for changing it 90%".

Lawrence Freundlich

I am surprised that that your wife hates you and that you find life meaningless even though you have "superb" lemon soufflé in your life.

Chris

Maybe a recipe that calls for more cooking and less wife is in order. I could recommend Laurie Colwin's mustard chicken, if you haven't tried it already. NYT Cooking covers it. :)

Ted

Mine souffles came out cold and like a thick liquid. I followed the recipe to a tee, except for that whole "cooking it" part. I think next time I'll try cooking it but leave out the ingredients.

Jessica

Most fun and funny comments ever!! I made a Grand Marnier version of this and it was fantastic. But what I’m really thinking about is Christopher and whether he has found any happiness since his comment from three years ago.

Joe

Ok, I tried the recipe and three things:1. It cannot keep in the fridge for 24 hours, unfortunately. It collapses and becomes more of a pudding instead of a souffle2. When baked soon after being made, they was fantastic! I did tweak the recipe just a bit, using juice from Meyer lemons reduced 50% for a stronger lemon taste and adding a 1/2 t. of cream of tartar to help the egg white whipping.3. I used individual 10 oz. ramekins and it took seven of them. They were done at 15 minutes.

NotPennyAnne

Well perhaps your soufflé was TOO TART. Perhaps a nice dark chocolate souffle' to help with your darkish mood dear Christopher. xo

Margo Price

I make the individual soufflés and keep them in the fridge until time to bake. They turn out great!

PSS

I want to try this, especially in individual ramikens, but I'm a little stumped about the timing: how do you get this in the oven during a dinner party and serve immediately after a relatively short time baking? Can you prepare the two souffle mixtures ahead and then fold them together at the last minute?

J Scrapple

Excellent springy start to our Easter lunch/dinner. Taste the batter before adding whites to adjust lemony-ness.

Tanvi

Perfect texture and easy to make. But way too much sugar! It was sickeningly sweet. I would start with 2/3 cup next time. I would have liked more lemony taste to shine through - maybe a tablespoon of zest?

Edward Pottle

Some woman named Martha bakes individual souffles at 375 for 16 minutes. She also says you can keep the mixture in the fridge for up to 3 hours before baking, although I think I'd a couple of minutes to the baking time if straight from the fridge. (Note, I've not tried this).

JANET LEVINE

I made this yesterday, and as soon as i took the soufflé s out of the oven they fell. I made individual ones. I know that you have to have a quiet house and not to open the oven while they cook. Lol, but the noise in my house right now can be deafening, as I am having hurricane impact windows installed, but the good news is that I did not open the oven. Anyway, I served them exactly how they looked and I must say they were like Lemon pudding cake. Excellent & not a total loss.

Madeleine

Followed exactly as written and it was wonderful. First time making a souffle.

Maggie

Followed the directions including some orange liquor. (I just had triple sec). That I topped off the lemon juice with. It came out light, fluffy and delicious! My very first soufflé!

Shelley

I made this and it turned out great--first time making souffle. However, I agree with another commenter. Way, way, WAY too sweet! Literally sickening. Otherwise the flavor was rich, lemon-y, and just right. Next time I won't dust the ramekins with sugar, as called for in the recipe.

Lou in Berkeley

I think you can’t pre-make the batter very far in advance of cooking. I’ve failed twice to get a soufflé, instead being left with a very tasty custard that has a slightly disagreeable texture after refrigerating for a few hours before baking. I’ve made great chocolate soufflés that were refrigerated for several hours, but that doesn’t seem to work here. (In fairness, this recipe doesn’t say you can do that.j

SBS

This was fun, and easy to put together. I used fresh lemon juice. It was my best, flavor wise, Souffle I've ever made. Delightful!

011

can you prepare the mix in advance?

Jo B

Too much sugar.

Charmaine

Reduce lemon juice

Adam

I used 1-cup ramekins (anything larger seems like overkill for a sweet dessert), and cooked at 350 for 18 minutes. It was cooked thru perfectly, delicious and fluffy, and perhaps a smidge too browned on top. Thank God I remembered that our oven has a window and a light so I could check the progress while it cooked.

chrissi

Eating chicken is not the answer, Chris. Great recommendation about cooking--just follow up making the lemon souffle with lemon ricotta pancakes and invite nice people over.

AAcold

Agree on too much sugar. Going to try reducing to 2/3 cup next time. Nice light dessert. A dusting of powdered sugar and a few raspberries elevate it even more.

JR

This recipe has come out perfectly every time. We can all take inspiration from Christopher’s example. When life hands you lemons, make lemon soufflé.

Eric

I wish I'd read these notes first before making this. I used Meyer lemons, which are kind of sweet on their own but the sugar could be cut by 1/3rd and it'd be fine. Bittman usually assumes we know more than we do. Anyway, Christopher, I hope this have improved and that you've settled things with the misses. If not may I suggest J. Child's chocolate mousse recipe in her magnum opus. I need to stop writing after drinking so much. Happy holidays everyone. Use Meyers and less sugar. Be nice Mrs. C.

Adrienne L

Great recipe! However, it doesn't say when to add the lemon and lemon zest. We added in step 1 with the egg yolks.

Nicolecooks2

"Beat in flavorings" in step one refers to when you add lemon or Grand Marnier or whatever flavoring you're using.

Anon

When do we add the liqueur?

David

Fabulous and easy

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Lemon Soufflé Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making soufflés? ›

A pinch of salt added to the half-whisked whites for savory soufflés or a little sugar to the half-whisked whites for sweet soufflés will help to maintain volume. Pay attention to whether your recipe calls for soft peaks, whites that lean to one side stiff peaks, or whites that stand straight.

What are 2 important steps to ensure a perfect soufflé? ›

According to La Varenne Practique (a timeless masterwork you should consider owning if learning more about classic French cooking appeals), there are only a few critical points to perfecting a souffle: a base of the right consistency, stiff egg whites, and the careful folding of the base and the beaten whites.

Why is soufflé so hard to make? ›

If the egg whites are not mixed enough, they will be too heavy to rise, but if they are over-whipped they will collapse in the oven. Finally, and most problematically, any cross-contamination between yolks and whites will cause the whole concoction to collapse, which is the bane of many dessert chefs' days.

What ingredient makes a soufflé rise? ›

The motion of beating egg whites traps air into the mix. The egg white protein seals around pockets of air, creating bubbles. Egg yolks are separated out because their fat prevents those bubbles from forming. Those air bubbles expand in the oven, creating that famous cloud-like formation of a soufflé.

What makes a good soufflé dish? ›

To rise properly, soufflés need a heavy, straight-sided vessel with a fluted rim. Uses for these small dishes, also sometimes called ramekins, go far beyond the eggy French classic. “They're perfect for any time you want to construct a charcuterie board or cheese board,” says Gold.

How long can a soufflé sit before baking? ›

Souffle may be made up ahead and refrigerated as long as 24 hours. Put souffle in cold oven and bake 50 minutes at 325 degrees. It can also be frozen up to 7 days. Allow 50 to 60 minutes to bake frozen at the same temperature.

How do I know when my soufflé is done? ›

How to check when the souffle is perfectly done: To know if the souffle is perfectly cooked inside, you stick a kitchen needle into the middle. It must come out totally clean. If, on the contrary, it comes out wet and covered with egg, prolong the cooking for 2-3 minutes.

What is the best oven setting for soufflé? ›

Bake in preheated 375° F (190° C) oven until puffed and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Why did my soufflé fall apart? ›

Underbake and you'll have a soupy mess. Overbake and a once beautifully majestic souffle will collapse. Get your timing wrong--souffles have no tolerance for late-to-the-table dinner guests--and your souffle will fall.

Do you need cream of tartar for soufflé? ›

You technically could — egg whites will still whip to stiff peaks without cream of tartar — but we highly recommend including it whenever it's called for in a recipe. While developing those lofty Japanese Soufflé Pancakes, Molly quickly realized how integral a stabilizer was to create the perfect pancake texture.

How do you stop a soufflé from deflating? ›

Don't open the oven door: Once the soufflé is in the oven, avoid opening the oven door until it's fully cooked. The rush of cool air can cause the soufflé to collapse. Serve immediately: Soufflés are best served immediately after they come out of the oven, as they tend to deflate quickly.

What do egg yolks do in soufflé? ›

Egg yolks get whisked in for even more richness, and coagulation—as the eggs cook, they set, just like when you fry or scramble them, allowing the soufflé to hold onto its loft for at least some time before deflating.

Why didn't my soufflé rise? ›

'The reason a soufflé doesn't rise sometimes is because during this folding process, you have beaten out too many air bubbles. 'So we tell people to under-fold rather than over-fold. Even if there's still little streaks of egg whites, leave it,' he says.

How long can soufflé batter sit? ›

Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the souffle batter up to 2 days in advance (steps 1-4). Cover and refrigerate the batter in the mixing bowl or in the ramekins/dish until ready bake. Add another minute or so to the bake time if you refrigerated it for longer than 1 hour.

How do you keep a soufflé from deflating? ›

Don't open the oven door: Once the soufflé is in the oven, avoid opening the oven door until it's fully cooked. The rush of cool air can cause the soufflé to collapse. Serve immediately: Soufflés are best served immediately after they come out of the oven, as they tend to deflate quickly.

What are the three components of a soufflé? ›

Souffle Logic: A soufflé is made up of three elements: A base sauce enriched with egg yolks (pastry cream for sweet, béchamel for savory), a filling (anything from cheese to chocolate), and whipped egg whites.

What does cream of tartar do in soufflé? ›

We've all watched in horror as a soufflé that we worked so hard on sinks right before our eyes. Adding a small amount of cream of tartar when beating egg whites helps add structure to each little air bubble that you create in the process. This will lower the risk of the whites collapsing when baked.

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