Lemon Soufflé Recipe

This delicious lemon soufflé recipe serves four. It's the perfect choice for a double date night or small dinner party!

This Lemon Soufflé recipe produces a simply delicious dessert that is special enough to serve when entertaining. Zesty and light as a feather, it is a joy to eat, and it's a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Soufflé used to be a very popular gourmet dessert and would appear on all the best menus, but sadly it is harder to find these days. This is probably because we tend to prefer quick and easy recipes in our fast-paced world - and soufflé requires a little extra time, care, and patience.

It is also one of those things that you can't make ahead of time, so if you are going to include it in your dinner party menu you need to be prepared to spend a bit of time in the kitchen!

But the results are oh-so-worth the extra trouble they take to make!

What is a Soufflé?

The name soufflé comes from the French word 'soufflér', which means to puff. It dates back to the middle of the 19th century when a French chef began using a new style of oven.

These new ovens were heated by drafts of air instead of coal, which helped the soufflé to rise. This opened up a whole new world of culinary possibilities!

Soufflés then became more and more popular right up until the later part of the 20th century when they started to disappear off menus everywhere.

The good news is that you can make this classic dish at home - but there are a few tips you need to follow in order to get the best results.

Lemon Soufflé Ingredients

While the cooking techique requires a touch of precision, the ingredients to make soufflé are actually very simple.

• Melted butter, for greasing the ramekins
• Lemons
• Egg yolks
• Egg whites
• Super fine sugar
• Cornstarch
• All purpose flour
• Heavy whipping cream
• Milk
• Powdered sugar for garnish

Tips for Cooking a Perfect Soufflé

First, you need to make sure your egg whites are just right! You need to separate the whites from the yolks by cracking them then letting the whites run through your fingers into a bowl.

Do this carefully, because even the tiniest bit of yolk in the whites could ruin your final results.

It is best to use eggs that have been out of the fridge for at least an hour - cold eggs don't form peaks as well as those at room temperature.

Use a mixer to beat the whites if you can. Doing it by hand is REALLY tiring and you might be tempted to give up before they are stiff enough.

Beat them in a large, metal bowl. (Yes, this really helps!)

Also, be sure to use ramekins as stated in the recipe rather than any other type of dish. It makes all the difference.

The straight sides of ramekins help the soufflé to rise properly - this won't happen with any other kind of dish.

Don't skip the step that requires you to sprinkle caster sugar into the ramekins after you've greased them. This is needed to 'grab' onto the soufflé batter and help it climb up the side of the ramekins. 

Can You Open the Oven While Baking Soufflé?

You've probably seen the scenes in movies where someone opens an oven door too early and the soufflé baking inside deflates in comedic fashion.

Our best advice? 

Do. Not. Open. The. Oven. Door.

This is part is actually very important! If you open the door too early - tempting though it is - the cool air rushing in will stop the soufflé from rising properly.

Curious about what's happening in there? Watch it through the oven window -  with the light on - instead.

Lemon Dessert Recipes

If you're like us and you love a lemon dessert, make sure to give this lemon drop meringue cheesecake or these quick and easy cake mix lemon bars a try!

Our gluten free lemon crinkle cookies are also always a crowd favorite.