Soufflé au Chocolat (Ritz Paris Chocolate Soufflés)

Making homemade chocolate soufflés is not nearly as intimidating as one would think. This recipe is easy to follow and hails from the Ritz Paris, so you know it's the real deal! If you want to make the best authentic French chocolate soufflés, then look no further. As a bonus, they are naturally gluten-free.

(This recipe was originally published in October 2011, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).

French cuisine is known for its decadence, and French pastries and desserts in particular are world famous. One of the most iconic French desserts is the chocolate soufflé. You can make soufflés either savory or sweet with many different flavor profiles, but in the sweet realm chocolate reigns supreme.

Soufflés are typically baked either in smaller individual sized ramekins or a single large soufflé dish for sharing. The only leavener in a soufflé is the egg. Egg whites are beaten and folded in to yield a super aerated and delicate creation that puffs up tall with straight sides. In fact, the eggs in this recipe are also responsible for most of its structure, as this chocolate soufflé recipe doesn't contain any flour, making it naturally gluten-free!

While some chocolate soufflé recipes simply combine the melted chocolate with butter before folding in the eggs, this one adapted from the Ritz Paris uses a simple unsweetened pastry cream as the base. Meanwhile, sugar is whipped into the whites to create a shiny meringue. This combination definitely yields the perfect creamy texture!

Ingredient notes

• Bittersweet Chocolate: At the Ritz Paris they use equal parts Valrhona Manjari chocolate (64% cocoa) and Valrhona Guanaja chocolate (70% cocoa). I use a 50/50 combination of 60% and 70% chocolate bars for mine, but you could just stick with one variety of high quality chocolate if you prefer. Chocolate soufflés are only as good as the chocolate you use. Buy good quality baking chocolate such as Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Ghiradelli, Lindt, Green & Black's, Baker's, or Moser Roth (from Aldi). Do not use chocolate chips as they contain stabilizers and will not yield the best results.
• Eggs: It's easier to separate eggs when they are cold, but easier to whip egg whites when they are at room temperature. You'll need a lot more egg whites for this recipe than egg yolks. I like to individually freeze raw egg whites leftover from making other recipes where I only needed yolks. Then I transfer the frozen whites to a freezer bag for occasions just like this! That way I don't waste a bunch of egg yolks (they don't freeze as well as the whites do) to make this recipe.
• Milk: I've tested this recipe with whole milk and also with low-fat milk and honestly it not only works but is delicious in both cases. I would suggest using whichever type you have on hand, but the added fat from whole milk won't hurt.

How to make it

Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush soft butter on the bottom and sides of six 8-ounce ramekins. Dust the insides with sugar, rotating to ensure the entire interior is evenly coated, and knocking out any excess.

Add egg whites to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until frothy but not stiff. Next, add sugar and continue beating until you achieve glossy stiff peaks.

Add chopped chocolate to a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water.

Make sure the bowl does not touch the simmering water below. Heat until the chocolate in the bowl melts, stirring occasionally. Then turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the water to keep the chocolate melted.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and set it beside the stove. Whisk together the milk and potato starch or cornstarch in a small saucepan. Heat, whisking continuously until thickened. Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks about a tablespoon at a time to ensure you don't cook the eggs.

Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the heat. Incorporate a dollop of the whipped egg whites into the milk mixture. Then fold a dollop of whipped whites into the melted chocolate (PHOTOS 1-2).

Combine the 2 mixtures until smooth. Then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks or lumps remain.

Spoon the soufflé batter into each prepared ramekin. Use a straight edge (like an offset spatula, back of a butter knife, or bench scraper) to level off the top of each. Wipe off any drips of batter with a damp paper towel.

Run your finger around the inside edge of each ramekin to create a lip. It will slightly separate the batter from the edge of the ramekin, and will help it rise even and tall. The lip may not be visually obvious but it will still serve its purpose. If you have enough extra batter, you could make a 7th soufflé or discard it.

Arrange the filled ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, place in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 400°F (200°C). Bake chocolate soufflés for about 15 minutes or until puffed up about 1-to-1 ½ inches from the top of the ramekins.

Once they are done they shouldn't really wobble if you give the pan a slight shake. Do not open the oven door until you're ready to check if the soufflés are done. This could cause them to deflate. Use your oven light and peek in the oven window instead!

Dust chocolate soufflés with confectioners’ sugar if desired and serve immediately. They will begin to deflate within 5 to 10 minutes of coming out of the oven, but will still taste fabulous even after they start to sink.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips and FAQs

The ingredients in this chocolate soufflé recipe are easily divisible by 3, using the metric values in particular. Thus you can conveniently reduce this recipe to make 2 or 4 soufflés if you prefer. Just note that if you reduce the recipe the eggs will require less time to whip, and the milk/starch will take less time to cook, so adjust those times as needed.

Folding egg whites separately into the custard and the melted chocolate before combining them all together helps lighten each component individually. This will yield a better homogenized mixture once you combine the two. At this stage it's ok if you over-mix a little in order to remove lumps. By the point that you are folding the egg whites into the final mixture, be more careful not to over-mix and deflate.

You can serve chocolate soufflés by poking a hole in the center and filling it with creamy vanilla sauce such as crème anglaise, a very thin vanilla custard. Here's an easy shortcut. Melt some vanilla bean ice cream until it's a pourable consistency and use it in a similar fashion, or simply serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Other recipes you may like

• Tea Soufflés
• Chocolat Chaud (French Hot Chocolate)
• Viennoise au Chocolat (Vienna Bread with Chocolate)
• Mango Tarte Tatin (French-Style Mango Tart)
• Tarte aux Pommes (French Apple Tart)
• Pain d'Épices (Bouchon Bakery French Gingerbread Loaf)
• Donauwelle Kuchen (Danube Wave Cake / Snow White Cake)
• Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

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