Fluffy souffle accented with green tea powder, this Matcha Souffle is simply irresistible! For a thorough visual guide, I recommend watching the video first.
Making Green Tea souffle has been on my baking bucket list for as long as I remember. Unless you are in Japan, this unique dessert doesn’t normally appear on the dessert menu in your local cafes and restaurants. The only way to taste the incredible warm fluffy texture of souffle accented with the unique bitter matcha flavor is to make your own.
Today, unlike my usual posts, I want to talk about the little struggles I had with this recipe.
Now if you have attempted to make souffle at home AND tried to take good pictures of it while the souffle is risen up, you know this is not easy to do (unless you’re an experienced pâtissier). No matter how many times I make this souffle, each souffle at every test comes differently. The shot of PERFECT souffle? It’s nearly impossible for this novice baker. After my experience with the Chocolate Souffle, I tried taking pictures of the souffle in the kitchen for the first ones I baked, right out of the oven. This shot was taken after a midnight baking session with my new indoor lights.
I struggled to capture that moment. The moment when the souffle reached the highest peak. While the green tea souffle was in the oven, I prepared styling, composition, and camera setting… and I thought I was ready. However, when the food gets placed in the location for the camera, there was always something I need to adjust. And every second that goes by, the souffle starts to slowly deflate. This dessert has a mind of its own and doesn’t wait for me.
Next time I baked during the daytime and tried it with natural light. I had to run to “the studio” in my living room where I get good natural light. Ran as fast as I could, with the souffle in my hand. Hurry, hurry, click, click, click… And here’s the result I ended up with.
Deflated a little bit. But honestly, this is the best I could do with my current baking & photography skills.
We tested the recipe several times and made several more rounds of scuffles in order to shoot for video and photography. Although we love this green tea souffle very much, if Mr. JOC and I had to eat every single one we would have some serious calories to burn off (Didn’t I tell you I work out 5 days a week? Now you know why!). We fed our friends and relative through the recipe development process and the feedback was really awesome. They all loved it! By the way, if you really love matcha flavor, use 2 Tbsp of matcha as the recipe calls for; otherwise, you can decrease it to 1 Tbsp.
Lastly, I have one important thing to say about this recipe. Use a kitchen scale (highly recommend for perfect results) and follow the recipe as precisely as you could before adopting. For all the recipes in Just One Cookbook, I tested many times until the result satisfies me. This is a simple recipe, yet I’d say it’s not so easy to make it right.
I hope you will enjoy making this Green Tea Souffle recipe! If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook. Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Matcha Souffle
Video
Ingredients
For Coating the Ramekins
- ½ Tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 4 tsp sugar
For the Custard
- 3 large yolks
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 150 ml milk
- 100 ml heavy (whipping) cream
- 1–2 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) (1 Tbsp matcha is 6 g)
For the Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- 4 Tbsp sugar
For Dusting
- 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). You will need 4 4 oz (1/2 cup) ramekins.
To Prepare the Ramekins
- Brush the ramekins with ½ Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, using upward strokes. With 4 tsp sugar, put 1 tsp sugar in each ramekin and rotate the ramekin to dust the insides with sugar. Remove the excess sugar from the ramekin and chill in the refrigerator to set. (This gives the soufflé something to grip onto as the batter climbs up the sides of the ramekins during baking.)
To Make the Custard
- In a large bowl, beat 3 large yolks and 2 Tbsp sugar together.
- Sift 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) into the egg mixture and mix well.
- Heat 150 ml milk and 100 ml heavy (whipping) cream in a small saucepan until almost boiling.
- Add a splash of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk well until the mixture is smooth.
- Then gradually whisk in the rest of the milk mixture.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk the mixture constantly AT ALL TIMES over a medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until thickened and smooth. KEEP WHISKING during this process; otherwise, your custard will overcook and become clumpy.
- When the custard has thickened, immediately transfer to a bowl (otherwise the remaining heat from the saucepan will “overcook” the mixture). Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature for about 30 minutes (or you can put it in the refrigerator to make this process faster).
- Once the custard has cool down, sift 1–2 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) into the custard.
To Add the Meringue
- Whisk 3 large egg whites in a clean bowl until bubbles start to form (Kitchen Aid mixer Level 3 for 2 minutes).
- Gradually add 4 Tbsp sugar, one spoonful at a time. Once you add all the sugar, increase the speed to Level 8 and whisk to make a firm, glossy meringue, about 3–4 minutes.
- Whisk one-third of the meringue into the custard and mix until homogenous.
- Very carefully fold in the rest of the meringue using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix.
To Bake the Soufflés
- Divide the soufflé mix into 4 ramekins. Tap them on the work surface to level the mixture and run your thumb around the edge.
- Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 12–15 minutes until well risen and slightly golden on top. The souffle should wobble gently in the middle when it’s ready.
- Dust with 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar and place on a plate. Serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 days.
Hi Nami! This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it! My only question is, can I make the mixture the day before? I was hoping I could have all of the ramekins prepared ahead of time, then bake them when I need them! If you don’t think this will work, can you recommend a traditional Japanese dessert that can be prepared ahead of time? (I’ve made your mochi ice cream many times and absolutely love it, but I wanted to try something different!). Thank you!
Hi Jaime! Unfortunately, souffle batter needs to go into the oven immediately while the air bubbles are incorporated in the egg whites. So you can’t leave it out in the fridge overnight. That air is necessary for the souffle to rise.
How about these? They are relatively easy and you can make ahead:
Dorayaki: https://www.justonecookbook.com/dorayaki-japanese-red-bean-pancake/
Castella: https://www.justonecookbook.com/castella/
Matcha Marble Pound Cake: https://www.justonecookbook.com/matcha-marble-pound-cake/
Sweet Potato Pie: https://www.justonecookbook.com/sweet-potato-pie/
Souffle Cheesecake: https://www.justonecookbook.com/souffle-japanese-cheesecake/
Purin: https://www.justonecookbook.com/no-bake-creme-caramel/
Matcha Madeleines: https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-madeleine/
Thanks for making my mochi ice cream so many times! 🙂
Thanks, Nami! I might tackle the Dorayaki (or even the Purin Dora!)… I also found your green tea pudding which looks delicious!
Great! Hope you enjoy making them! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I tried making this souffle. The texture and taste were right and my boyfriend and I really liked it!
I’m hoping to make it again for other people but the souffle didn’t look too pretty. It deflated a lot when I took it out of the oven and there are cracks along the top of the souffle. Do you know how to address this issue? I only have a hand mixer that’s set from 0 – 6.
What type of milk am I supposed to use for this souffle? I used 1% earlier.
Thanks for the recipe!
Kris
Hi Kris! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! A hand mixer is totally okay, but it takes a much longer time to whip egg whites. Since you said it deflated fast, I think 1) meringue was over/under whipped. 2) maybe it wasn’t baked enough (undercooked?) so the structure collapsed immediately after the temperature change. As for milk, I typically use whole milk for making desserts. I hope the next one will be perfect! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe! I’ve made it several times for my family and every time it comes out beautifully and delicious. Definitely have the same problem as others with consistency in amount made, but having a little extra is no problem!
Hi Will! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it. I’ll double-check the amount next time I make – I remember I had excess but not enough for one more…
Hi Nami,
Love your cookbook!
Can I use this matcha souffle recipe but substitute cocoa powder for the matcha powder?
I know you have a chocolate souffle recipe, but I want to use up my whipping cream at home and also I only want to make 4 ramekin servings.
Thanks!
Wendy
Hi Wendy! Thank you so much! I think so – if you decide to try, let us know! 🙂
I just made this and it turned out so great, especially since it was my first time ever making ever souffle!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Hi Alanna! I’m so glad to hear yours came out well! Thanks for trying my recipe and for your kind feedback. xoxo
Hi! It’s so yummy! Thank you so much! Is it ok to premix the souffle mix a day or few hours ahead of time? Will it rise properly? Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe again!!!
Hi Katie! Sorry about my previous comment. I was responding to many souffle cheesecake questions one after another that I thought you were also asking about souffle cheesecake I apologize it didn’t make sense.
Souffle – you have to make on the same day (obviously) and ideally you want to prepare everything at one go, but if you really need some time away from making, then I would make batter first. Then beat and add egg white before baking. I’ve never done it myself, and I hope that will work. 🙂
Thank you for taking time to reply, Nami! You’re awesome 🙂
[…] one can say no to a warm chocolate souffle, especially when it’s topped with ice cream. Try the Matcha Souffle for a Japanese […]
[…] Green Tea Soufflé: Mastering the soufflé is a goal of many home cooks. Why not add a tangy twist and try this delicious matcha variation? It’s fun to practice because you get to eat your mistakes. […]
This was my first time making souffles, and I was so happy with how they turned out! The matcha flavor was too strong though, but that’s my fault. I used up the rest of my matcha in the recipe and it was a bit more than the suggested amount. This made the taste a bit too bitter. But otherwise, yum!
Hi Colleen! Thank you for your feedback. I also want to mention that the quality of matcha affects the bitterness and color. Higher grade it is, it’s nice green color and less bitter taste. 🙂 Glad your souffle came out well. Thank you again for trying this recipe!
Dear Nami,
I would like to ask, what if I replace the granulated sugar with cane sugar, would you know if it would affect the texture of meringue or soufflé in any way?
Thanks and can’t wait to try!
PS would u consider making cheese Souffle and chocolate molten lava in the future! I trust and love following your recipes!
Cheers and have a great day!
Hi Amanda! To make meringue, it’s recommended to use fine granulated sugar so that sugar is dissolved fast and well. Well that’s kind of a common knowledge so I had never attempted to try…. but you never know until you give it a try. It may work without any issues (or it may fail) but you just have to try once! 😀
Thank you for your request! I’ll put them down in my to do. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for your prompt reply. Yes I know it’s common knowledge, just trying my luck to see if anyone knows the effect of cane sugar on meringue. I think it’ll probably not work ????
Thank you once again and look forward to your upcoming recipes!
Lots of love, Amanda
Do you think you can substitute elderberry powder in for the green tea in this recipe?
Hi Fran! I’ve never tried elderberry powder before so I can’t quite say how it’s like to be in souffle… sorry! The portion of matcha may not work well with elderberry powder too… too little too much.. i can’t tell without testing the recipe…. Sorry I can’t answer to your question.
My 12yr old niece and I made this and it was so delicious! The video was helpful, especially for my niece is new to baking.
We only had 8oz ramekins so we doubled the recipe since it was intended for 4oz ramekins but in the end we wound up with way more. We’re not complaining but couldn’t explain how that happened unless our meringue was too fluffy?
Hi Wendy! I adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Raspberry souffle (link in recipe Note), and I did also have some extra. Next time I make this, I’ll check on the exact final amount and update the serving list. Thank you for trying thi srecipe with your niece! So happy to hear yours came out well! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Just a quick question, can I substitute green tea with chocolate ?
Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! Maybe try this Chocolate Souffle recipe instead? 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/chocolate-souffle/
I didn’t realize you have the chocolate souffle. Thank you Nami 🙂
Enjoy! 🙂
This looks so good! Are we supposed to double the amount of heaving whipping cream to 200 mL?
Hi Kazue! Do you mean by….
100 ml heavy whipping cream (double cream)
Sorry for confusion. I just omitted “double cream” in the recipe. My readers in UK told me they call “double cream” for heavy whipping cream in the US. 🙂
Hi!
Ohhh i see! Thank you for replying back so soon! I made these yesterday using 100 mL and it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe! Sorry for the misunderstanding!
Glad you tried the recipe with 100ml and enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Hi hi, if I intend to make only 2 soufflés , is it OK if I just divide all ingredients by 2? Thanks!
Hi Maggie! Well, technically you can, but it’s hard to divide this recipe, when it requires 3 egg yolks…. I generally don’t like to “divide” unless it’s easy to cut ingredients in half. How big is your souffle dish? I wrote 4, but you can get extra with this recipe, so you might be able to do by divide by 3. Sugar etc should be easier as it doesn’t have to be super precise… 🙂
Great! Thanks Nami. Can’t wait to try this 🙂
Oh my ramekin is 10×7 cm .. is that the same size as yours?
Hi Maggie! Sorry for my late response.
My ramekin is this: http://amzn.to/1U2XW8t