This chocolate soufflé recipe creates an elegant yet surprisingly simple dessert that feels truly special! Light, airy, and rich with deep chocolate flavor, it rises beautifully with a soft, molten centre.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
This chocolate soufflé recipe is the perfect balance of elegance and ease. With a light, airy texture and rich chocolate flavour, it’s a classic dessert that looks impressive but is surprisingly simple to make at home—especially if you already love chocolate-forward desserts like my Rich Chocolate Cake or Lava Cakes.
Light Yet Rich
This chocolate soufflé has a delicate, airy rise thanks to whipped egg whites, while the chocolate base delivers a rich, indulgent texture without feeling heavy.
Packed With Chocolate Flavor
Made with good-quality chocolate, this soufflé recipe is deeply chocolatey, smooth, and perfectly balanced—ideal for true chocolate lovers.
Easy to Make at Home
Despite its elegant look, this chocolate soufflé recipe uses straightforward techniques and minimal prep, making it achievable for home bakers of any level—especially if you’ve made classics like my Tiramisu or Crème Brûlée before.
Tips for Making the Perfect Chocolate Soufflé
Use Room-Temperature Eggs
Room temperature egg whites whip more easily and create a stronger, more stable soufflé with better rise.
Whip Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks
Properly whipped egg whites are key to a light, airy chocolate soufflé. Soft or under-whipped whites will result in a dense texture.
Fold Gently, Don’t Overmix
Gently folding preserves the air in the batter, which helps the soufflés rise evenly in the oven.
Prep the Ramekins Properly
Butter and sugar the ramekins thoroughly to help the soufflés climb the sides and rise straight up.
Bake and Serve Immediately
Chocolate soufflés begin to deflate quickly, so serve straight from the oven for the best height and molten centre.
How to Make Chocolate Soufflé
You can find the full list of ingredients for this chocolate soufflé recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (video tutorial is also provided in the recipe card below).
Ramekin Preparation
Generously butter the insides of four 3.5-inch (6-ounce) individual ramekins, using a pastry brush to coat the sides evenly. Add white granulated sugar to each ramekin, rotating to fully coat the buttered sides, then tap out any excess sugar. This helps the soufflé’s rise. Set aside.
Soufflé Batter
Add the chopped chocolate, butter, and oil to a large heatproof bowl. Melt gently until smooth using a double boiler or the microwave in short 20-second bursts, stirring between each one. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate.
Once melted, let the chocolate cool slightly so it’s warm, not hot. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt, then whisk until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
In a clean bowl, using an electric hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). Once foamy, gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form to create a meringue.
To combine, fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture using a spatula. This loosens the batter. Gently fold in the remaining meringue until just combined and no white streaks remain, taking care not to deflate the mixture.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins and smooth the tops if needed.
Place the ramekins in the fridge for 10–15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) conventional.
Once the oven is ready, bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centres still jiggle slightly. This gives you a soft, molten centre. Avoid overbaking, as cracked tops will cause the soufflés to deflate too rapidly.
Once baked, remove from the oven, dust with powdered sugar, and serve immediately. It is normal for soufflés to begin slowly deflating once out of the oven 🙂
How to Store This Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
This chocolate soufflé recipe is best enjoyed fresh, straight from the oven, as soufflés will naturally deflate as they cool. While it’s not recommended, you can store baked soufflés in the fridge in an airtight container. When I’ve done this, they taste like a delicious fudgy chocolate cake straight from the fridge, though the texture is obviously different from the original molten and airy soufflé 🙂
Easy Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Ramekin Preparation
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter - softened
- 2½ tbsps white granulated sugar
Batter
- ¾ cup (130 g) semi-sweet chocolate - roughly chopped or broken into small pieces. I use 50% dark chocolate
- 3 tbsps (42 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp (13 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 3 large eggs - room temperature. Whites and yolks separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- ⅛ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- 2½ tbsps (32 g) white granulated sugar
- powdered sugar for dusting - also known as icing/confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Ramekin Preparation
- Generously butter the insides of four 3.5-inch (6-oz) ramekins, using a pastry brush to coat the sides evenly. Add white granulated sugar to each ramekin, rotating to fully coat the buttered sides, then tap out any excess. Set aside.
Soufflé Batter
- Add the chopped chocolate, butter, and oil to a large heatproof bowl. Melt gently until smooth using a double boiler or the microwave in short 20-second bursts, stirring between each one. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate.
- Once melted, let the chocolate cool slightly so it’s warm, not hot. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt, then whisk until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
- In a clean bowl, using an electric hand or stand mixer (see note 1), whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). Once foamy, gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
- To combine, fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture using a spatula. This loosens the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined, taking care not to deflate the mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins and smooth the tops if needed.
- Place the ramekins in the fridge for 10–15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan).
- Once the oven is ready, bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centres still jiggle slightly. This gives you a soft, molten centre. Avoid overbaking, as cracked tops will cause the soufflés to deflate too rapidly.
- Once baked, remove from the oven, dust with powdered sugar, and serve immediately. It is normal for soufflés to begin slowly deflating once out of the oven 🙂
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
