This cheese soufflé is easy to make and oh so delicious. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll have a perfectly fluffy soufflé every single time.
The BEST Cheese Soufflé
It’s soufflé time, cheese lovers! And have no fear, we’re walking you through the entire recipe step-by-step to ensure you have a perfectly fluffy soufflé to serve.
why you’ll love it!
- Ready to serve in under an hour!
- Features parmesan AND gruyere cheese 😀
- Fool proof.
Cheese Soufflé Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Grated parmesan cheese
- All-purpose flour
- Heavy cream
- Kosher salt
- Paprika
- Dry mustard
- Ground nutmeg
- Gruyere cheese
- Sherry vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Egg yolks
- Egg whites
- Cream of tartar
How to Make a Cheese Soufflé
Prepare casserole dish
Preheat the oven to 375℉. Rub 1 tablespoon of softened butter onto the bottom and sides of a 1.5 quart round casserole dish. Then add 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese to the dish. Turn the dish so that the parmesan covers the bottom and sides.
Prepare roux
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and flour to a pan and place over medium/high heat. Cook the flour and butter for about 1 minute until a golden paste has formed. Add the heavy cream to the paste mixture, whisking vigorously.
Add ingredients
Transfer the thickened cream to a large bowl and mix in the dry seasonings. Next, mix in the shredded gruyere cheese and the remaining parmesan cheese. Add the egg yolks to the cheese mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
Prepare egg whites
In a separate large bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer, mix until soft peaks form.
Fold together
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cheese mixture. Then transfer into the greased soufflé dish.
Bake & Serve
Bake for 30 minutes. When the soufflé is done it should stand about an inch or two above the rim of the soufflé dish. It will deflate slightly before serving.
Top Tips for Perfect Cheese Soufflé
- Gruyere is the most traditional cheese used in a cheese soufflé. Emmental would be a great substitute for the Gruyere if you’re looking to switch it up.
- Don’t over whip your egg whites. We say soft peaks for the egg whites because it is easy to over-whip egg whites. If they are over-whipped the soufflé won’t fold together well and it won’t puff up as well while cooking.
- Contrary to cooking myth, you can open the oven and check your soufflé while cooking. In general it is not recommended to open and close the oven door often but it will not deflate because of checking once or twice.
- We recommend cooking this soufflé for 30 minutes. The finished soufflé will be jiggly but solid. If you would like a stiffer middle then cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
FAQs
What does cheese soufflé taste like?
Cheese soufflé has a similar texture and taste to an omelet with a light and airy middle.
Is cheese soufflé difficult to make?
Contrary to popular belief, cheese soufflé is relatively easy to make if you follow our instructions carefully.
What do you eat cheese soufflé with?
Serve your cheese soufflé with other brunch favorites, such as bacon, toast and field greens.
What to Serve with a Cheese Soufflé
Round out the perfect breakfast with any of the following recipe pairings to serve alongside your cheese soufflé:
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- Leftover Cheesy Potato Pancakes
- Skillet Breakfast Potatoes
- Arugula Goat Cheese Salad
- Caprese Salad
Storage
This cheese soufflé is best enjoyed immediately, but if you have leftovers, first allow them to fully cool. Then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When reheating: Cover and bake in the oven at 350ºF for 5-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
Cheese Souffle Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, divided
- 2 oz. grated parmesan cheese divided (~5 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1.25 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 oz. gruyere cheese ~2 cups
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 4 large egg yolks
- 5 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Rub 1 tablespoon of softened butter onto the bottom and sides of a 1.5 quart round casserole dish. Then add 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese to the dish. Turn the dish so that the parmesan covers all of the bottom and sides. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and flour to a pan and place over medium/high heat. Cook the flour and butter for about 1 minute until a golden paste has formed.
- Add the heavy cream to the paste mixture, whisking vigorously. The cream should become thickened. Cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.
- Transfer the thickened cream to a large bowl and mix in the dry seasonings.
- Next, mix in the shredded gruyere cheese and the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Add the egg yolks to the cheese mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer, mix until soft peaks form. This took between 1-1.5 minutes with our hand mixer at full speed.
- Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cheese mixture. Then transfer into the greased souffle dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. When the souffle is done it should stand about an inch or two above the rim of the souffle dish. It will deflate slightly before serving.
I left out the sherry vinegar (because I did not have any) and the Dijon. I used 2 cups of Emmental and one cup of Gruyere along with 8 eggs (because we have too many eggs). I essentially increased the size by around 50%. Anyway it turned out delivious and had a great rise. Will make a great breakfast for the next few days. Thanks for the recipe!
What a beautiful souffle, Pete!
This turned out well, despite a couple changes due to pantry issues. Misread dijon as dry mustard, and missed the vinegar completely. But when are they added? Along with the dry ingredients, even though they’re liquid?
Also, I found the result a bit too salty for my taste, so will use 1t salt next time.