Classic Light and Airy Cheese Soufflé

You can master the famous light and airy cheese soufflé with this easy recipe! Made with only a handful of ingredients, this rich and fluffy egg dish is packed with cheesy flavour! The perfect classy breakfast or impress your guests by serving this for dinner!

This easy cheese soufflé is a rustic version of the classic soufflés found in France. Cheese is a big deal where I live, we are surrounded by many cheese factories and one pretty well known one in these parts. So, it makes sense that many of the classic dishes around me feature cheese.

Soufflé means blown or puffed up, so you know it’s going to be light and puffed up with air. To achieve this light-as-air, texture you must whip the egg whites separately and then gently fold them in to keep as much of the foamy texture as possible.

When to serve a cheese soufflé

This savoury, cheesy, egg dish is served as a main course. As soon as the soufflé comes out of the oven, it is at it’s peek puffiness and should be served right away.

Soufflé can be be flavoured with a wide variety of flavours and ingredients. A sweetened soufflé, sometimes flavoured with chocolate or fruit can also be served as a dessert!

Can you make a cheese soufflé in advance

A cheese soufflé is best served warm, immediately after baking.

While you can prepared some of the soufflé in advance, whipping the egg whites and assembling the mixture should be done right before baking to ensure the peak puffiness of your final dish.

Common problems

If you have ever watch the Classic movie Sabrina starring Audrey Hepburn, you might remember the problems that can happen when trying to make a soufflé.

A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven.

Why did my cheese soufflé collapse or Why didn’t my cheese soufflé rise

This is probably the most common problem with any soufflé. There are a few different reasons why this might happen.

Not properly separating the eggs. To beat egg whites to a stiff peak they must be completely free of all fat. If a tiny bit of yolk sneaks into the egg whites or even if you are using a bowl and beaters with traces of fat on them, the whites will not become light and foamy.

The first is opening the oven before the soufflé is done. This will introduce cold air into the oven which will cause the air bubbles inside of constrict and collapse before the soufflé has a chance to solidify to hold it’s structure.

Overbeating or under beating the egg whites. The egg whites are what gives the soufflé all of those wonderful air bubbles that rise the whole dish. So, needless to say they are a pretty important part of the process. Make sure to whip the egg whites until they hold a stiff peak.

Deflating the egg whites. You have to very gently fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture. If not, you will end up popping too many of those wonderful bubbles.

~If you are worried about your soufflé collapsing, adding ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar, while whipping the egg whites, will help stabilized the beaten eggs.

Why didn’t my cheese soufflé cook through

Soufflés are best served with a slight creaminess to the centre. However, too much liquid in the centre will cause the whole thing to collapse, as this is a sign that it is not fully cooked.

This can happen when you’re removing it from the oven too early or too much cheese was added.

My cheese soufflé is too salty

This can definitely happen depending on the type of cheese used. Cheese is typically quite salty, so make sure to adjust any added salt in the recipe depending on your choice of cheese.

My cheese soufflé is greasy

This is due to adding too much cheese to your mixture. This can easily happen if you measure your cheese by volume instead of by weight.

The thickness of your grated cheese can drastically change the volume of the same amount of cheeses measurement. Weight is a much more reliable way to measure this ingredient.

How to serve a cheese soufflé

Serve this meal in the dish you baked it in. A light dusting of cheese on top is the only accompaniment needed.

Serve with fresh fruit, meat, or just some crusty bread to round off this meal!

What type of cheese to use for a cheese soufflé

You favourite type of cheese is always best for your cheese soufflé. As long as it is easily meltable to make a simple cheese sauce, you can use it for your cheese soufflé.

• Gruyère– It is slightly sweet, nutty, and salty. An amazing choice for a classic cheese soufflé.
• Dubliner – I find this cheese to be similar to Gruyère. Rich, nutty, and slightly sweet. This cheese melts perfectly to make a perfect cheese soufflé.
• Cheddar– One of the most common cheese choices you probably already have in the fridge! There are many varieties of this popular cheese marble, mild, sharp, and aged cheddars, to name a few. All would be ideal choices for a cheese soufflé.
• Asiago– I would use this as part of a cheese mixture. Asiago is a delicious hard cheese, similar to parmesan. It is frequently used in bread baking, usually melted on top.
• Mozzarella – This, very mild flavoured cheese, is perfect if you are wanting a very subtle cheese flavour to your soufflé.
• Gouda– This cheeses sweet, light, buttery flavour is an excellent choice, as it melts well. Try smoked gouda for a slightly different flavour.
• Provolone – This is a great semi-hard cheese. It has buttery, nutty flavours and can range from sharp to milk depending on the variety you choose.
• Parmesan – This classic cheese is rich with nutty, buttery, sharp, and umami flavours making this a popular cheese choice. It is often used as a garnish to elevate your favourite foods.

How to make an easy cheese souffle

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons butter 45 g

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 25 g

½ tsp salt 2.5 ml

¼ tsp dry mustard powder 1.75 ml

¼ tsp cayenne 1.75 ml

1 cup milk 250 ml

1 packed cup shredded Gruyère cheese (or cheese of choice) 170 g

3 eggs

butter for greasing the dish

1-2 Tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese for dusting the inside of the dish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300 ºF (150 ºC).
2. In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Whisk in the mustard, salt, and pepper.
4. Whisk in the flour to make a roux.
5. Gently, whisk in the milk and simmer until you have a thick sauce.
6. Sprinkle over top the shredded cheese. Stir and melt into the sauce. Remove from heat.
7. Separate 3 eggs.
8. Beat the egg yolks until light and creamy.
9. Temper the eggs yolks by adding the hot cheese sauce into the eggs a little at a time to slowly heat up the eggs.
10. Set this mixture aside to cool.
11. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
12. Fold this into the cheesy egg yolk mixture.
13. Grease and coat the inside of the ramekin or casserole dish with grated cheese.
14. Place the mixture inside the dish.
15. Bake for 1 hour or until set and lightly golden, it will still have a little wiggle.
16. Serve immediately!

Looking for some more French inspired cuisine? These are some of my favourites! Flaky French Bakery Butter Croissants Easy Artisan French Baguettes How To Make a Croquembouche

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