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Like and fluffy, but also rich and decadent, this classic Cheese Souffle with roasted asparagus will have your family and friends begging for more. Ready in under an hour, this is the perfect Spring recipe!
This post was originally published in April 2018. It has been updated for content.
There is nothing like a souffle to make you look fancy. Especially when you add cheese and roasted asparagus.
This Cheese Souffle recipe is the perfect summer dish...with fresh roasted asparagus, light and fluffy egg whites, and of course, the rich and creamy melted Gruyere.
Plus, and guys I'm not lying here, it is EASY TO MAKE. Souffles are not as hard as they may seem. Follow a few steps and your friends and family will think you're a gourmet chef!
Why This Recipe Works
- Egg whites whipped to stiff peaks allow the souffle to rise and become light and fluffy.
- A bechamel base mixed with Gruyere and roasted asparagus is mixed with the whipped egg whites for the perfect decadent flavor.
- Roasting the asparagus before adding it to the souffle adds an extra dimension of flavor.
- It works perfect as a main course, or as a course at a dinner party.
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and drizzle the asparagus with 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and about ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper.
Roast the asparagus 15-20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
While the asparagus is roasting, butter 6 ramekins and place in the fridge to cool while we make the souffle filling.
Remove the asparagus from the oven and set aside. Reduce oven to 375 degrees.
Beat the egg whites on high until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold into the bechamel filling being careful not to deflate the egg whites (see instructions a few paragraphs below with step by step photos).
How to Make Bechamel
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until combined. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 1 minute.
Slowly add the warmed milk, just a little at a time, whisking constantly to keep lumps from forming. If you add the milk all at once, you run the risk of getting a lumpy bechamel.
Once milk is incorporated, add the black pepper, nutmeg and cream. Then add the asparagus, bacon, and brandy and stir well. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the cheese, mix until melted, and remove from the heat. Gently fold into the egg whites as explained above.
Spoon the mixture into each of the buttered ramekins. Place ramekins in an ovenproof baking dish filled with ½ to 1" of water. This helps keep the soufflés from cracking.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and risen above the edges of the ramekins.
Once your soufflés are ready, I HIGHLY recommend serving them with this awesome blender hollandaise sauce or this sous vide hollandaise (perfection!)
Expert Tips
- Make sure the egg whites reach stiff peaks. Otherwise the souffle may not rise correctly.
- Gently fold the bechamel mixture into the egg whites. Over mixing can cause your souffle to deflate quickly or not rise at all.
- Always generously grease the ramekins before adding your batter. If the ramekins are not greased, the batter may stick to the edges and not rise as intended when baking.
- For a clean look, run a knife edge across the top of the ramekin to smooth the batter.
- Always bake souffles on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Use a toothpick to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, the souffle is done. If it has batter on it, cook for another 2-3 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does cheese souffle taste like? A cheese souffle is a savory souffle that tastes mildly of egg and cheese. This cheese souffle recipe also contains roasted asparagus, brandy, and bechamel sauce for extra flavor.
- How do you check if a souffle is done? The easiest way to check doneness is to stick a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean it is done. If there is still batter on it, it needs to be cooked longer. If it still has batter on it, you may need to cook it another 2-3 minutes. In addition, typically a souffle will have risen about 1-2″ above the edges of the souffle dish/ramekin when it’s done.
- Why did my souffle fall? The air bubbles in the souffle are what cause it to rise in a hot oven. Think like a hot air balloon. Once the souffle starts to cool, it will inevitably fall. Souffles are best served immediately. Not getting the right consistency for your egg whites can also cause your souffle to not rise correctly, as well as over-mixing the souffle batter. See recipe notes for suggestions on making the best souffle.
- How long can a souffle sit after baking? I highly recommend serving the souffle within 5 minutes of baking. They will start to deflate upon removal from the oven, so it's best to get them out there!
- Can I make this cheese souffle ahead of time? The souffle can be made ahead of time and the batter placed in the ramekins and stored, covered in plastic wrap, in the fridge overnight. Bake the next day following the recipe instructions.
Related Recipes:
Sous Vide Asparagus
Meyer Lemon Souffle
Rate the recipe and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out!
Cheese Souffle Recipe with Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 4-6 oz. asparagus spears, cut in ½ to 1" pieces
- 8 oz. Gruyere, grated
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ¾ cup bechamel sauce (see below)
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 tbsp. brandy
- Hollandaise sauce, (optional)
Bechamel Sauce:
- 1 cup milk, warm
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 2 tbsp. cream
- â…› tsp. black pepper
- â…› tsp. nutmeg
Instructions
Cheese Souffle:
- Butter 6 ramekins and place in the fridge to chill while preparing the filling.
- Roast the asparagus on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until browned and tender. Set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Make the bechamel sauce (see below) and add the asparagus, bacon, and brandy. Stir until combined.
- Add the cheese, stir and remove from heat and place in a large bowl. Add any salt to taste at this point.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the bechamel sauce, making sure the egg whites don't deflate. The filling should still be light and fluffy when you're done. It's ok if it doesn't look fully mixed.
- Fill the ramekins to the top edge with the souffle mixture. Place ramekins in an ovenproof baking dish filled with ½ to 1" of water. This helps keep the souffles from cracking.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and souffles have risen up over the edge of the ramekins.
- Serve immediately, alone or drizzled with hollandaise sauce (totally try the hollandaise sauce).
Bechamel Sauce:
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until combined.
- Slowly add the warmed milk, just a little at a time to keep lumps from forming. Make sure to whisk constantly as you're adding the milk.
- Once milk is incorporated, add the black pepper, nutmeg and cream.
- Use as directed above.
Expert Tips:
- Make sure the egg whites reach stiff peaks. Otherwise the souffle may not rise correctly.
- Gently fold the bechamel mixture into the egg whites. Over mixing can cause your souffle to deflate quickly or not rise at all.Â
- Always generously grease the ramekins before adding your batter. If the ramekins are not greased, the batter may stick to the edges and not rise as intended when baking.
- For a clean look, run a knife edge across the top of the ramekin to smooth the batter.Â
- Always bake souffles on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Use a toothpick to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, the souffle is done. If it has batter on it, cook for another 2-3 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.Â
Nutrition
Jo
I'm so drooling all over my keyboard just looking at those souffle. How delicious does that look and sound! I can easily finish a couple of these in no time! YUMMY
Danielle
LOL! Thanks so much Jo 🙂
Mirlene
I am so scared to make souffles. I run away from it. Although I like asparagus I think I may have to try my hands with this one. Wish me luck 😜pictures and recipe are enticing.
Danielle
Good luck Mirlene! It's not as hard as it seems, I promise!
Swathi
I agree with you this finger licking dish. Love the combo of roasted asparagus and gruyere cheese. creamy deliciousness in every bite.
Danielle
Thanks so much Swathi 🙂
April
I am so ready to scrape every single piece out of my ramekin - this souffle is absolutely amazing!
Danielle
Thanks April!
Melissa
Cheese and asparagus, what could be better!? Oh wait, the HOLLANDAISE sauce you drizzle over the top! This is going on my menu for Mother's Day, how delicious for afternoon brunch!
Danielle
Yay! Hope you love it Melissa!
Bee
his may be one of the best things you’ve made on this blog (to me only b/c i love both souffle and asparagus! beautiful job.
Danielle
Thanks so much Bee 🙂
Mahy Elamin
Asparagus Souffle oh my Danielle this has to be food for the gods – looks wonderful as always 🙂
Danielle
LOL - thanks so much Mahy!
Cheese Curd In Paradise
This is a perfect recipe for my Easter brunch! I love the combo of the gruyere and asparagus! I can't wait to make this recipe again.
Danielle
Thanks Ashley! It's perfect for easter brunch!
Sabrina
Oh yes, I'll definitely be scraping every last little bit of this out to eat! Not letting anything to waste!
Danielle
Right? LOL!
Cathy
Souffle?! All you had to say! I'm in!! Now roasted asparagus?! Totally in!!! This recipe looks like a recipe that will just totally be impossible for me to turn away from Danielle! So making this!!!
Danielle
LOL - thanks Cathy! Hope you do love them 🙂
Shanika
Wow, this souffles look amazing! I'm loving the brown tops and roasted asparagus and gruyere! Yum!
Danielle
Thanks Shanika!
Valentina
Gruyere is my all time favorite cheese. And it's so divine with eggs and greens. So yes, I'm totally in. Beautiful.
Danielle
It's such an awesome cheese!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme
You had me at gruyere! These souffles look beautiful.
Danielle
Thanks so much 🙂
Marvellina | What To Cook Today
This is like the most beautiful souffle I've ever seend Danielle! Pinning this!
Danielle
Thanks Marvellina!
Healthy World Cuisine
This souffle is a stunner. With all of the tasty roasted asparagus and cheese and THAT SAUCE! Killer good sauce. Seriously we could just do shots of the sauce and be happy! Sharing, of course!
Danielle
Thanks! The sauce was a last minute after thought and ended up being so key to the meal. We definitely enjoyed this one 🙂
Janette | Culinary Ginger
I love a savory souffle and this is perfect for the season
Danielle
It's a great way to use all this affordable asparagus!
Tara
Yum! Love the combination of asparagus, gruyere, and bacon! It sounds perfect with that hollandaise drizzle.
Danielle
The hollandaise sauce was an afterthought, but totally brought it home!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
This is such a delicate, beautiful dish. Perfect for Mother's Day, I think! Your photos are mouthwatering, too!
Danielle
Thanks Lisa! This would be a great Mother's Day dish.
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog
Never thought of combining roasted asparagus with cheese souffle. Incredible flavors going on here, I can imagine this delicious smell in the kitchen!
Danielle
The smell is amazing Alina!
Ali Randall
This looks delicious. I have become such a new fan of asparagus and combined with gruyere cheese, I am sure I could not turn away from this dish.
Danielle
Asparagus and Gruyere together is awesome 🙂