There are some recipes that seem daunting, but once mastered, make you feel like you put on your big-girl pants in the kitchen. This Classic Gruyère Cheese Soufflé is one of these recipes.
This cheese soufflé is one of the first classic French recipes I remember eating, thanks to my French stepmother and step-aunt, both of whom made loads of soufflés when I was growing up. Over time, this cheese soufflé became my reference point for understanding eggs, structure, and why technique matters more than fear.
Why You’ll Love This Cheese Souffle
This cheese soufflé uses more egg whites than egg yolks, making it noticeably more stable and forgiving than many traditional versions. The result is a cheese soufflé that rises evenly, holds its shape, and still feels light and airy thanks to properly beaten egg whites whipped to stiff peaks.
Since my first trip to France as a teen, through living there in my 20s, and now, when I visit almost annually, cheese soufflé has been my go-to recipe.
As I cooked more and more, I realized that eggs were that thing: though I loved eating them, they weren’t second nature to cook. But getting really good at making any egg dish, be it scrambled eggs, quiche, omelets, or poached eggs, makes you a better all-around cook.
So I tapped my French stepmother for all her tips, and after many fails, finally got the hang of it. The truth is, a successful soufflé comes down to a few key tips. Stay within those culinary guardrails, and you can riff all you want within them.
Here are all the tips I’ve learned, along with a recipe for a super classic cheese soufflé that’s sweet, savory, and uber airy and can be made in under an hour.
Recipe Ingredients
This cheese soufflé relies on a short list of classic ingredients, which means quality really matters—especially when it comes to a classic French dish.
- Unsalted butter (plus more for greasing the dish)
- Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (plus more for coating the dish)
- Whole milk or half-and-half
- Fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, or marjoram (optional)
- Shallot or garlic (optional)
- Bay leaf or black peppercorns (optional)
- All-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour
- Egg yolks, at room temperature
- Egg whites, cold
- Cream of tartar (optional but helpful)
- Gruyere cheese (or aged Cheddar, Gouda, or Comté)
How to Make This Cheese Souffle Recipe
Making a cheese soufflé is about preparation, timing, and resisting the urge to rush—or open the oven door too soon.
- Heat the oven and generously butter the soufflé dish, then coat it with Parmigiano-Reggiano and chill until ready to use.
- Warm the milk with salt and any aromatics, then set aside once heated through.
- Make a roux with butter and flour, then whisk in the warm milk to create a thick, smooth base.
- Stir in the cheese until melted, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.
- Whip the beaten egg whites until soft peaks form, add cream of tartar if using, and continue whipping to stiff peaks.
- Fold one-third of the whites into the base to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites.
- Transfer to the prepared dish and bake until the cheese soufflé is puffed, golden brown, and just set in the center.
Tips To Make A Successful Savory Cheese Soufflé
- Use A Straight-Sided Baking Dish: If you have a 1.5-quart soufflé dish, now is the time to pull it out. But the reality is, any 6-cup baking dish will work. Ideally, it would have straight sides (to help the soufflé rise!), but you could even use a square glass baking dish if needed—just know it won’t rise quite as much!
- Line The Dish With Butter And Cheese: Prep the baking dish with a generous coating of butter, then add some cheese to coat the dish (as you would with flour for a cake). The cheese will not only help the soufflé base climb as it bakes, but it will also provide an evenly browned crust and a dash of extra salty, savory flavor.
- Have Everything Measured Out Before You Cook: In an ideal world, you’d always have all your ingredients measured out and prepped before you start a recipe, but we know that isn’t real life. But this recipe is one where you really, truly need everything ready to go before you start cooking.
- Separate Eggs Before You Cook: Speaking of prep, you’ll also want to separate the eggs into yolks and whites before you start cooking.
- Whisk By Hand For Precision: If you want to make quick work of whipping the egg whites, go ahead and pull out your stand mixer. But if you want to make sure you don’t over-whip the egg whites, well, that’s easier to monitor when whisking by hand. FYI, it will be easier if you use a French-style wire whisk (aka a balloon whisk), which brings way more air into the eggs as you whisk, as opposed to a flat or other whisk style.
- Rinse Everything In White Vinegar: You may already know that egg whites will not whip up properly if they have egg yolk (or really any bits of fat) in them. That means you not only want to carefully separate the egg whites and yolks, but also make sure everything you use to whip the egg whites is impeccably clean. The easiest way to do this is to clean everything in hot, soapy water before you get going, then rinse it quickly with white vinegar, which will not only eliminate any grease but also stabilize the egg whites so they hold together better!
- Add Cream Of Tartar To Your Egg Whites: For extra assurance that the egg whites hold up well, add a pinch of cream of tartar before whipping. Generally, you want 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar for each cup of egg whites!
- Bake Less For A Custardy Center Or More For Firm Eggs: Just like with scrambled eggs, you can have your soufflé on the slightly runnier, custardy side or firmer, drier. We recommend baking it for 30 to 35 minutes (at 400°F) for a more custard-y soufflé, or for 40 minutes for a firmly set soufflé.
How To Make A Soufflé Ahead Of Time
Yes, it is totally possible to make a soufflé ahead of time. Well, let’s be 100% clear: you can prepare the soufflé base ahead of time and then just bake it when you’re almost ready to eat.
To make the soufflé ahead of time, you have a couple of options. You can just make the base with the egg yolks added up to 1 hour ahead and keep at room temperature, then whisk and add the eggs when you’re ready to bake the soufflé.
Or, more commonly, people make the entire soufflé but refrigerate or freeze it (just defrost fully before baking). The soufflé will definitely deflate a bit as it sits, but it will still rise a bit and, of course, remain delicious.
Now you’re armed with all the top tips you need to know to make your own soufflé. We like to have our Potato Leek Soup as a first course, then have this soufflé with a vinegar-y salad as a main course. Or serve it as a twist on Mother’s Day brunch, along with some bubbles and a fruit salad. No matter how you serve it, we can guarantee you it will be delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions About Cheese Souffle
A cheese soufflé is a classic French dish made from a thickened base enriched with cheese and egg yolks, then lightened with beaten egg whites and baked until airy and puffed.
A cheese soufflé tastes savory, rich, and light all at once, with a tender, slightly custardy center and a golden brown top.
A cheese soufflé is typically served with a simple green salad, soup as a first course, or crusty bread to balance its richness.
Variations on This Recipe
Once you understand the structure of this cheese soufflé, you can adapt the method to countless savory variations. I tested this exact egg-white-heavy ratio while developing Keys to the Kitchen—including an oatmeal soufflé—and it’s a framework that works across most soufflé recipes.
Other French Recipes To Try
Here are a few of our other favorite French recipes to try:
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{Soufflé Au Fromage} Classic Gruyere Cheese Soufflé Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more to coat the baking dish
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for coating the baking dish
- 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs or parsley or marjoram (optional)
- 1/2 medium shallot or 2 garlic cloves (optional)
- 4 black peppercorns (optional)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten free all purpose flour
- 4 egg yolks room temperature
- 6 egg whites cold
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
- 4 ounces shredded Gruyere, aged Cheddar, or aged Gouda or Comté cheese
Instructions
- Prepare The Soufflé Dish: Heat oven to 400°F, arrange rack in lower third, and place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack. Generously coat a 1.5 quart soufflé dish or 6-cup baking dish with butter. Add a spoonful of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (above and beyond the measured amount), rotate the dish to fully coat the inside with flour, then turn over and tap to get rid of any excess. Place the soufflé dish in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Make The Soufflé Base: Place the milk and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan and add in any flavorings you'd like (such as a few sprigs of thyme, marjoram or parsley, a grating of nutmeg, a bay leaf, a few garlic cloves or shallots, or even a few peppercorns). Heat over medium-high until it just comes to a boil, about 5 minutes, then set aside.Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it foams, sift the flour over the butter and whisk it in and cook until the raw flour taste is gone, about 2 minutes. While continuously whisking, slowly pour the milk or half-and-half in a constant stream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the mixture is as thick as Greek yogurt and pulling away from the sides, about 3 minutes.Remove from the heat and stir in the measured cheeses and stir until all the cheese is melted. Add the egg yolks one and a time and whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool while you whisk the egg whites.Place egg whites in the impeccably clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream of tartar, if using, then increase the speed to high and beat until peaks are stiff but not dry, about 1 minute more. Add 1/3 of the whites into the cheese mixture until blended and no white streaks are visible. Add remaining whites and gently fold until thoroughly combined.
- Bake The Soufflé: Immediately turn the mixture into the prepared dish and, if desired, use an offset spatula to even out the top of the soufflé. Place the soufflé on the heated rimmed baking sheet and bake until it is well risen, the top is browned, the edges appear dry, and the center is just set (it will just a bit), will lightly jiggle (like J-ELLO), about 30 minutes if you want it slightly custard-y or more like 35 minutes to have it fully set.Serve immediately along with a vinegar-y salad and crusty bread.
