Easy Cheese Soufflé {keto, gluten-free}

Looking for a fluffy, easy cheese soufflé to make?

You have to try this recipe!

And not only is this recipe easy to make, but it’s also gluten-free, nut-free, and fabulously delicious!!

A soufflé is one of those kitchen terms that sounds scary and difficult, but this cheese soufflé recipe is easy to make!

Trust me, you don’t have to know any French to be able to enjoy this light and fluffy dish!

I first started looking for a cheese soufflé recipe when I was planning a Beauty and the Beast themed birthday party for my daughter.

My goal was to make some of the dishes found in the song “Be Our Guest.”

This meant finding recipes for beef ragout, cheese soufflé, and grey stuff (and yes it was delicious!).

At the party, the cheese soufflé was a crowd favorite and quickly disappeared!

So whether you are planning a Disney themed birthday party, or just want to enjoy a warm and delectable cheese soufflé, let me show you how to make them!

How to Make the Perfect Gluten-Free Cheese Soufflé

While a soufflé sounds fancy and complicated, there’s really not much too it!

But if you have never made them before and are nervous about it, let me give you a few tips!

Tip 1: Grease the Dish

First, I like to grease the ramekins with a little butter on the bottom and the sides.

Then, add a little Parmesan cheese on the bottom and tap it around the sides.

Some sources will say not to grease the sides, so that the soufflé rises better.

In my experience, the soufflés pillow high even with greasing the sides.

And the advantage of the butter and cheese on the outside is the nice flavored “crust” it makes.

YUM!

Plus, can you ever go wrong with more butter?

I say no, but moving on!

Tip 2: Beating the Egg Whites

My next tip is to how to beat perfect egg whites.

I use “perfect” pretty loosely because my egg whites never turn out the same way twice.

So don’t stress about if the egg whites are “just right”.

There is definitely a range of acceptable egg white firmness for souffles.

So what’s the target then?

I have always had the best success when I beat the egg whites just until firm peaks have formed.

You don’t want to beat the snot out of the egg whites, nor do you want them too soft.

So if you can lift your whisk out of the mixture and the egg whites stand up, they are good!

I have a tendency to be running all over the kitchen when I make recipes, but when it comes to beating egg whites for the soufflé, I like to keep a closer eye on them.

Mostly because if I’m not standing there watching them, I forget about them, and next thing I know my egg whites are in lumps and are way over whipped.

Tip 3: How to Fold in Egg Whites

So now, how do you fold in those egg whites?

GENTLY!

You want to slowly fold the cheese mixture into the egg whites.

Some people have you work in a third of the egg whites at a time, but I’m too busy for that.

I’ve never had a problem with my soufflés rising when I just add all the eggs whites at once.

But it is important that you fold the egg whites in gently.

My method for folding in egg whites is using a rubber scraper to run along the bottom and sides of the pan and then pulling that batter up on top of the egg whites.

Then scoop down through the middle of the mixture, run the scrapper along the edge and sides again and essentially “flip” it over.

Keep scooping and flipping the mixture until the egg whites are somewhat mixed in.

The goal here is to incorporate the egg whites, but the batter doesn’t have to be smooth.

There will still be some egg white “chunks” in the batter, and that’s fine!

Tip 4: Serve Them Fresh and Hot! (if you want them tall)

Possibly the most important tip, be prepared to eat these beauties right out of the oven if you want them to be tall and pillowing when you serve them!

I should mention though that you only need to do that IF you want them tall.

You can read more about this below where I discuss how quickly soufflés should be served.

What Cheese Can Be Used To Make Cheese Soufflé?

The most common cheeses used to make cheese soufflés are cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan.

Usually recipes call for a 50/50 split of cheddar and Swiss cheese with a little Parmesan.

Parmesan is normally used to dust the buttered dish and sprinkle on top.

But you don’t have to use those cheeses!

For example, I have a hard time finding organic swiss cheese in my area, so this recipe calls for all cheddar cheese.

Another popular cheese used for soufflés is Gruyère cheese.

Gruyère cheese can be used by itself or with the Parmesan cheese.

But I don’t think there’s a real secret to what cheese should be used for a soufflé.

When choosing a cheese, just try to select one that your family loves the flavor of, since it will be the showcase of the dish!

The stronger the flavor of the cheese, the more “cheesey” the soufflé will be!

Try different combinations to get different flavors!

Do I Have to Use Ramekins?

I love my 6-ounce, white ramekins as a cute way to make these cheese soufflés, but if you don’t have ramekins, there are other options!

If you have a larger ceramic soufflé dish, that would work perfectly!

Otherwise, honestly any ceramic dish will work.

A circular dish is preferred but if you only have a rectangular dish, break it out!

Just keep in mind that this recipe is enough batter for 24-ounces, so if your dish is larger, you will need to scale up the recipe (scale up buttons provided at the top of the recipe for easy math!)

For another cute option, you could also break out mugs or tea cups, as long as they are approved for use in the oven.

As a last result, use a muffin pan!

Don’t let needing a fancy dish hold you up from enjoying this recipe!

How Quickly Should Cheese Soufflé Be Served?

Even a perfectly whipped, mixed, and baked cheese soufflé will eventually fall.

So if you want to wow guests with the height of your soufflé, you are going to want to have everything else ready so that the soufflé is the last thing to join the party.

Prepare everything else, and then while the soufflés are baking, call everyone to the table.

Then everyone will be there to “Oooo” and “Ahhhh” over the gorgeous soufflés!

However, if you care less about how tall your soufflé is, you can cheat like I do.

Like the title says, I want an EASY cheese soufflé – I’m less about the pomp and circumstance of a soufflé and more about the fluffy cheesiness!

So I tend to make the soufflés the day before a get together.

I cover them and store them in the fridge.

Then about 20 minutes before the rest of the food is ready, I reheat them in the oven.

This will make the soufflé rise back up a little bit.

They will be nothing like the original height when they come out of the oven, but that doesn’t seem to bother my guests once they get a bite of their soufflé!

So it’s up to you, you can plan and prepare everything ahead of time to serve tall, pillowing soufflés.

Or you can be a little more relaxed and not worry about rushing the soufflés to the table at the exact right moment.

So pick whichever method works best for you and your time frame!

What to Serve with Cheese Soufflé

When you think of the flavor profile of a cheese soufflé, think of fluffy cheese.

So the best foods to serve with a cheese soufflé are the same that you would pair with cheese.

For breakfast, serve your cheese soufflés with bacon or sausage patties with a mixed fruit salad.

For a light lunch, serve the soufflés with a tossed green salad (honey mustard dressing would compliment the soufflé flavor perfectly!). Top the salad with nuts, chopped apple, cucumber, grape tomatoes, or strawberries for toppings that pair well with cheese.

On a colder day, pair your soufflé with a soup such as tomato soup (think grilled cheese with tomato soup comfort food!).

If you are going for a more light evening fare, pair your soufflé with grapes, pears, apples slices, mixed nuts, olives, and a red wine!

For a heartier dinner, serve your soufflé with a roasted chicken, roast beef, or a beef ragout (like I did for the Beauty and the Beast party!). Add a vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or roasted Brussels sprouts.

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