Chocolate Soufflés Recipe (2024)

By Claire Saffitz

Chocolate Soufflés Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(312)
Notes
Read community notes

While soufflés are delicate and sensitive creations, they're also fundamentally simple, consisting of a flavored base that's lightened with beaten egg whites. The keys to success are beating the egg whites properly so they're stable and voluminous, working quickly to prevent their collapse, and thoroughly greasing the ramekins so the mixture can rise unencumbered in the oven.

Featured in: How to Make the Best Soufflé (It’s Much Easier Than You Think)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for ramekins
  • 7tablespoons/87 grams granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling and for ramekins
  • 3large egg yolks
  • cup/80 grams whole milk
  • 2tablespoons brewed coffee
  • 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
  • 4ounces/113 grams bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5large egg whites, at room temperature
  • ¾teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

332 calories; 15 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 328 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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Chocolate Soufflés Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush the bottoms and sides of 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with room-temperature butter, using straight, upward strokes along the sides and brushing all the way to the rim. Sprinkle the ramekins with sugar and shake to coat, then tap out the excess. (The upward strokes and sugar give the batter something to cling to as it rises.) Set aside ramekins.

  2. Step

    2

    Fill a medium saucepan with about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons/37 grams of the sugar and 2 of the egg yolks until combined, then whisk more vigorously until the mixture is pale, light and thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly, followed by the coffee. Add the flour and cocoa powder, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and lump-free, then set the bowl over the saucepan, taking care that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Cook the mixture over the double boiler, whisking constantly, until it’s the consistency of thin pancake batter, faintly holds the marks of the whisk and any foam has subsided, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan (careful: It’s hot).

  3. Step

    3

    Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl and whisk briefly to incorporate it, then set aside the bowl for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Slowly whisk the mixture until smooth, then whisk in the remaining egg yolk and the vanilla extract. Set aside the bowl to cool slightly. (Don’t let it cool completely, or the chocolate will harden.)

  4. Step

    4

    In a large metal or glass bowl — avoid plastic, as it can hold on to fat residue — combine the egg whites and salt, and use a hand mixer to beat on medium-low speed until the whites are broken up and frothy, about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the whites are foamy and opaque, about 30 seconds, then gradually add the remaining 4 tablespoons/50 grams sugar in a slow, steady stream, beating constantly. Once all the sugar is added, continue to beat just until you have dense, glossy egg whites that hold a stiff peak. Try not to overbeat, or the whites will take on a dry, grainy texture and be difficult to incorporate into the chocolate base.

  5. Step

    5

    Scrape about one-third of the beaten egg whites into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, and whisk quickly and briefly to combine. Using a large flexible spatula and broad, decisive strokes, fold in the remaining beaten egg whites in 2 additions, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl and rotating the bowl as you work, until the mixture is almost entirely streak-free.

  6. Step

    6

    Gently scrape the batter into the prepared ramekins, dividing it evenly and using all of it. (The ramekins should be filled to the very top.) Tap the ramekins delicately on the work surface to help settle the batter, then, working one ramekin at a time, use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to smooth the surface and, working over the batter bowl, scrape off any excess batter so that it’s level and flush with the very top of the ramekin. If necessary, transfer any excess batter from one ramekin to another to ensure they're all filled to the very top. Repeat until all the ramekins are leveled. (At this point you could have a small amount of batter left over — if so, discard it.)

  7. Step

    7

    Lightly sprinkle the surfaces of the batter with a thin, even layer of sugar, then, working with one ramekin at a time, run a clean thumb around the inside of the rims to wipe away a ring of batter and expose the inner lip of the ramekins all the way around. (Use the natural indentation inside the ramekins as a guide for how deep to make the ring.) This will ensure that your soufflés rise straight upward and maintain level tops. Wipe away any streaks of batter from the rim and outsides of the ramekins.

  8. Step

    8

    Place the ramekins on a sheet pan, spacing them evenly. Transfer the sheet pan to the oven, immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until the soufflés are risen, firm and springy to the touch across the surfaces, and have a slight wobble, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the soufflés from the oven and serve immediately.

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312

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Lynn

As a favor to everyone (including myself) here's a link back to the original NYT article that provides additional context, notes and tips, on how to make a souffle:§ion=Food

Gabriel

I would prefer one large soufflé. May I use the same recipe, cook time, and oven temperature, if I am willing for a less perfect result?

bill

We are gluten free. Can I sub GF flour?

BigDnyc

I watched Claire's video on YouTube and was impressed with how clearly, yet simply, tips and technique were explained. However, it seems impossible for the single home cook to prepare souffles for a dinner party without disappearing for a significant period of time after the main course. Any "do-ahead" suggestions?Secondly, should the hot ramekins be placed on a cloth napkin to prevent diners from getting burned if they need to hold on to get the very last morsel?Thanks.

mk

Worked like a charm - light and delicious and rose beautifully. Followed instructions exactly as written and along with the helpful video had great success as a first time soufflé maker.

Ferguson

I made the full recipe, we ate two hot out of the oven and refrigerated the other two and reheated them in the microwave the next day. The refrigerated ones deflated to the top of the ramekins but they still tasted delicious. They just weren't as photogenic. This is not a dish I would make for a formal dinner but they are a lovely treat to serve family.

Grandmadoc

Edna Lewis was famous for chocolate soufflé. Am looking for her recipe. Be interesting to compare.

trexgirl

Can I easily double this?

rk

I was thinking of using caster sugar but the grams are not the same. So I wasn’t sure if I should go by weight or the number of tablespoons.

mam

Note that in the recipe it says to use a saucepan to simmer the water. Don’t! Use a pot. Just watch the video, Claire shares some great tips.

NYT Cooking staff is AMAZING

I wanted a vanilla soufflé recipe and reached out online. Liz A very thoughtfully and thoroughly replied with modification to this chocolate soufflé recipe. Ultimately, I used both recipes — both the chocolate and the vanilla were delicious! Never the easiest to get egg whites just so but this straightforward recipe was a big success. Huge thanks to Liz and to NYT Cooking!!

gf baking

I recommend using Cup4Cup as a good gluten free flour substitute. I used 2 tbsps of C4C and the souffles rose beautifully.

Rob N.

I doubled the recipe to fill six 8-ounce ramekins. With larger ramekins, cooking time must be increased to more than 20-25 minutes in order for the batter to set.

Inny Dhla

What would be the best gluten free flour to use?

Judy

So making a dessert souffle *IS* every bit as difficult as I thought. Especially fiddly individual souffles. I wouldn't dream of making this for a dinner party. Sounds delicious, though. Might make a batch for the 2 of us & call it dinner!

Julia

Just feeling nostalgic. When I was a teen I had an intense interest in baking. I even have a part time job at a bakery. On holidays and summer vacations I dove into every difficult and mysterious recipe out there. I still laugh at the memories of my dad being served soufflé after a hard days work. This looks fantastic. Will make it for my partners birthday.

Genevieve

My husband and I used this recipe to make soufflés for the first time and they turned out perfect! I definitely recommend watching the accompanying video as a guide.

Sue Fisher

Could you substitute a liqueur for the coffee?

Sue Fisher

Would it be helpful to use a collar when baking these? I used to do that with large souffles, but was wondering whether it would be a good idea to use them with these smaller ones.

A&kSous

To the people wondering if this can be made ahead: short answer is no. The beaten egg whites are the leavener, once you add them, you need to get it into the oven fairly quickly to get the desired loft. Otherwise you'll get a fairly dense, but I'd wager a still delicious, dessert. You could possibly make everything up to the point of beating and adding the egg whites, but if you're refrigerating the chocolate mixture, it will harden. It needs to be slightly warm to incorporate well.

Alexandra

I was thinking of adding some cream of tartar to the egg whites so they'd be more stable--wonder if that would help in order to make ahead?

Camille

When do I add the vanilla?

Sue Fisher

Step 3 along with the last egg yolk.

Jennifer

Worked well. I was worried but they came out nice!

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Chocolate Soufflés Recipe (2024)
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