Make a soft and fluffy homemade chocolate soufflé dusted with powdered sugar. Serve with a side of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, drizzle chocolate sauce on top, or a dusting of powdered sugar for a restaurant-level dessert!

Do you remember my Chocolate Ice Cream recipe that you need to wait five days to get the perfect results? That recipe required six egg yolks, and I had to figure out what to do with the leftover egg whites. That’s how I came up with this amazingly delicious Chocolate Souffle.

It turned out that I needed an additional two egg whites for this recipe, but my oh my… it was heavenly. From the outside of the oven window, I could see the souffle rose high above the ramekins. It was a beautiful sight; the texture looked fluffy and airy. After I took out the perfect-looking souffle from the oven, I was mesmerized by the beauty for several seconds, which brought me back to reality. When I realized that, it started to deflate slowly. Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I quickly dusted powder sugar, ran to my “photo studio” (just part of my living room next to a big window), and started taking pictures. No, I wasn’t ready for a photoshoot. As I took pictures, I immediately gathered some props (a spoon, fabrics, etc). The result? I’m unhappy because I couldn’t capture my perfectly risen souffle!
It was probably the most challenging food photo I’ve taken, even more time-sensitive than an ice cream shot, and I wasn’t prepared.

The story does have a happy ending. As the souffle beckoned for a bite, I took a big spoonful, rich from the chocolate flavor. I forgot about the chaotic photo session until I started writing. Maybe I’ll have to make it again and retake pictures. I will set up everything this time and run to the “studio” as fast as possible! I hope you enjoy this Chocolate Souffle.
What’s Half-and-Half?
Half-and-half is an American dairy product that blends equal parts whole milk and light cream with a 10-12% fat content.
If you live outside of the U.S., here is a substitute for 2 cups of Half-and-Half in the recipe.
- Option 1: Mix 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk + 1 cup (240 ml) light cream (18-30% fat).
- Option 2: Mix 1 ½ cup (360 ml) whole milk + ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (36-38% fat).
- Option 3: Mix 1 ⅓ cup (320 ml) low-fat milk + ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream (36-38% fat).

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Chocolate Souffle
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Unsalted butter (to coat the ramekins)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (to coat the ramekins)
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (next time I'll use really good chocolate)
- ⅓ cup half-and-half (an American dairy product of equal parts whole milk and cream that contains 10.5-18% milkfat; Substitute 1: Mix ⅙ cup (40 ml) whole milk + ⅙ cup (40 ml) light cream (18-30% fat). Sub 2: Mix ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk + 4 tsp (20 ml) heavy cream (36-38% fat). Sub 3: Mix 3½ Tbsp (53 ml) low-fat milk + 5 tsp (26 ml) heavy cream.)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup water
- 8 large egg white
- ½ cup sugar
- confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).
- You will need 6 4-oz (½ cup, 120 ml) ramekins. With a pastry brush, coat the inside souffle ramekins with softened butter.
- Put some granulated sugar in the ramekin and cover the opening with your hand and circulate. Once sugar is attached to the ramekin, remove the excess to the next ramekin and continue this process until all ramekins are coated with sugar.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
- Pour the half-and-half into a saucepan and heat over medium high heat until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and make a ganache by adding the chopped chocolate. Stir well until combined and all of the chocolate has melted.
- Make a double-boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water. Place the ganache in the mixing bowl.
- Add the cocoa powder and water, and mix until very hot. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the egg whites in a stand mixer and whip on medium speed until foamy.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and make a meringue. Add 1 Tbsp sugar at a time and whip the whites till stiff but do not over whip the egg whites.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold about half the meringue into the warm chocolate mixture.
- Then fold (not mix) the chocolate mixture into the remaining meringue in a standing mixer bowl. Do not deflate the batter. It’s okay if you still see streaks of meringue in the batter.
- Use a large spoon to gently place the souffle mixture in the ramekins. Fill to about 1/4 inch below the rim of the ramekin. Run your thumb around the rim to remove the excess butter and sugar. Place the ramekins in a baking pan (for easy transfer to and from oven).
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) until the souffle has risen to about 1 ½-inch over the rim and starts to brown on top, about 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To reheat, bake the room temperature souffle in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for about 6 minutes, until they rise.
Hi!
Can I use the batter from your other recipe “Fluffy Japanese Souffle Pancakes” to this recipe? I’d like to make this one in plain/egg flavor. Thanks!
Hi Meigo, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
The Fluffy Japanese Souffle Pancakes are using different methods to cook and we are not sure how the outcome will be.
Let us know how it goes!
If I’m preparing beforehand, can I first prepare the batter, then bake just before when I want to serve?
Hi Hui Min! Hmm I think the egg whites will deflate while you keep in the fridge… Souffle requires air bubbles to keep the batter rise and you can’t make the air bubbles beforehand…
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can you make the chocolate souffle in one larger souffle dish instead of 4 ramekins? How would the process be changed to do that?
Hi Sharon! I had been to a souffle specialized restaurant, and they did serve a big ramekin of souffle. I think it’s possible, but I feel like it’s harder to make it perfect. The baking time will be more for sure but I’m not sure how many minutes more as I’ve never tried it before.
A good tip is to keep the ramekins cold and you’ll get better height when you bake your soufflé
Thank you for sharing your tip, Karen!
Hi.. Just wondering if i can use this recipe and bake it in a regular baking pan instead of ramekin? Thanks
Hi Jil! You mean muffin pan? Hmmm… how do you serve it? I think souffle should be served in an individual ramekin so that you can dig in and eat it. If it’s muffin pan, you can’t really take it out… 🙂
Hi Nami,
Just wondering how long does the Chocolate Soufflé last?
Thank you.
Hi Liz! I’ve eaten the following day, but I won’t keep it for too long. Not to mention, the fluffy texture won’t stay…
Hi Nami, 8 egg whites is equal with….. Gram? I have an egg whites in fridge but i forgot the amount
Hi Kenken! I don’t measure the egg whites by gram, but according to the following website,
Weight of 1 Large Egg:
In Shell = 57 grams
Without Shell = 50 grams
White Only = 30 grams
Yolk Only = 18 grams
http://www.joyofbaking.com/eggs.html
Hello,
I just tried to make this souffle and it was severely under cooked. I followed the instructions 100% and it didn’t turn out. How long am I supposed to keep it in the oven? The written instructions say 11-12 minutes but the instructions at the top indicate a cook time of 20 minutes. I’m very disappointed in the results and hope to try again. Please advise on cook time.
Thank you!
Leah
HI Leah! Thanks for trying this recipe! This is not my original recipe (I put the original link in Note section), but this recipe works for me every time I make. You mentioned undercook, and first thing came to my mind was if your oven is at the right temperature. Have you tested your oven temperature to see if your oven heats up to the right temperature? Sometimes it takes a long time to reach to the desired temperature (even though the oven indicate it’s at that temperature). It might be a good idea to check the temperature.
Hello!
I just made this soufflé and it tastes amazing! Thank you so much!
I was just wondering what I can do to make my soufflés turn out better the next time around. They rose, but the had cracked tops. What could I do to make the tops come out smoother?
Thanks so much!
Hi Hannah! I’m so glad to hear that! Maybe the meringue is over-beaten. Try a little less next time. Hope it will work out! 🙂
DELISH!!! Thanks for the recipe. I had leftover egg whites and this was a perfect opportunity to use them.
Hi Liebelle! I hope you enjoy(ed) this dish! 🙂