Julia Child Cheese Soufflé Recipe

Julia Child Cheese Soufflé is the iconic French dish that rises like a golden cloud and delivers rich, cheesy perfection. It’s simpler than its reputation suggests. Master the egg whites, understand the timing, and you’ll wonder why you ever feared it.

Julia dedicated pages 163-164 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking to this foundational recipe. She explained that “the glory and lightness of French soufflés are largely a matter of how voluminously stiff the egg whites have been beaten and how nicely they have been incorporated.” Those beaten whites are tiny air bubbles that expand in the oven, pushing the soufflé into its magnificent puff.

My first soufflé collapsed before it reached the table. My second was glorious. The difference? I stopped opening the oven door.

What is a Cheese Soufflé? A thick cheese sauce base lightened with beaten egg whites, baked until it puffs dramatically above the dish. Served immediately before it deflates.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Dramatic showstopper. Guests gasp when it arrives at the table.
• Easier than you think. It’s really just cheese sauce plus whipped egg whites.
• Ready in 50 minutes. Weeknight-friendly once you know the technique.
• Impressive but approachable. Julia taught millions to make this. You can too.
• Endless variations. Spinach, salmon, mushroom. Same base, different add-ins.

Julia Child Cheese Soufflé Ingredients

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, Pages 163-164. Serves 4.

For the Mold:

• 1 tsp butter (for greasing)
• 1 Tb grated Parmesan or Swiss (for coating)

For the Sauce Base:

• 3 Tb butter
• 3 Tb flour
• 1 cup boiling milk
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch nutmeg
• 4 egg yolks

For the Soufflé:

• 5 egg whites (room temperature)
• Pinch of salt
• ¾ to 1 cup coarsely grated Swiss or mixed Swiss and Parmesan

How To Make Julia Child Cheese Soufflé

Step 1: Prep

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Position rack in middle.
2. Prepare the mold: Butter a 6-cup soufflé dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese, rotating to coat sides.
3. Measure everything. Have all ingredients ready. Soufflé-making moves fast.

Step 2: Make the Sauce Base

4. Make a roux: Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring, without browning.
5. Add milk: Remove from heat. Pour in all the boiling milk at once. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
6. Season and thicken: Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Return to heat and boil 1 minute, whisking. Sauce will be very thick.
7. Beat in yolks: Off heat, drop in egg yolks one at a time, whisking each into the hot sauce immediately.

Can pause here. Dot with butter to prevent skin. Reheat to tepid before continuing.

Step 3: Beat the Whites

8. Beat to stiff peaks: Add pinch of salt to egg whites. Beat until peaks stand straight up. They should be smooth, voluminous, and hold their shape.

Step 4: Fold and Fill

9. Lighten the base: Stir one quarter of the whites into the sauce. This loosens it.
10. Add cheese: Stir in most of the cheese, reserving 1 Tb for topping.
11. Fold in remaining whites: Gently fold, not stir. Stop while some white patches remain. Over-folding deflates.
12. Fill the mold: Pour into prepared dish. It should be about ¾ full.
13. Finish: Tap mold on counter, smooth top, sprinkle with reserved cheese.

Step 5: Bake

14. Start hot, reduce: Place in 400°F oven. Immediately reduce to 375°F.
15. Don’t open the door. For 20 minutes. Seriously.
16. Bake 25-30 minutes: Until puffed 2 inches above rim and golden brown on top.
17. Test: A thin knife inserted through the side should come out clean. Bake 4-5 more minutes to firm.
18. Serve immediately. It waits for no one.

Recipe Tips

• Room temperature whites: Beat more voluminously. Let sit out 15-20 minutes.
• Stiff peaks are critical: Whites should stand straight up and look velvety, not grainy.
• Fold gently: Better to leave white patches than to deflate by over-mixing.
• Never open the oven door early: Cold air collapses the puff.
• Serve immediately: A soufflé waits for maybe 5 minutes in a hot oven, then sinks.
• The ahead-of-time trick: Filled soufflé can wait covered (with a large pot) in a warm place for up to an hour before baking.

Recipe Variations

• Spinach Soufflé: Add ¾ cup blanched, chopped spinach to the sauce base.
• Salmon Soufflé: Fold in ¾ cup flaked cooked salmon.
• Mushroom Soufflé: Add ¾ cup finely diced sautéed mushrooms.
• Soufflé Vendôme: Place cold poached eggs in the middle of the soufflé before baking. Each portion gets a whole egg inside.

Soufflé Mold Sizes

Capacity	Servings	Bake Time
3 cups	2-3	20-25 min
6 cups	4	25-30 min
8-9 cups	6-8	30-35 min

What To Serve With Cheese Soufflé

Keep accompaniments light:

• Green salad with vinaigrette
• Crusty bread
• Dry white wine (Chablis, Sancerre)
• Fresh fruit to finish

The soufflé is the main event. Don’t compete with it.

Make-Ahead

You can prep most elements in advance:

• The sauce base: Make through adding yolks. Dot with butter, cover, refrigerate. Reheat to tepid before proceeding.
• Filled but unbaked: The mold can sit covered with a large pot in a warm place for up to an hour. Then bake as directed.
• Cannot be held after baking. Once out of the oven, you have 5 minutes max.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1/4 of soufflé):

• Calories: 350 kcal
• Protein: 18g
• Total Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 10g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 3g
• Sodium: 520mg
• Cholesterol: 280mg

FAQs

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child, Pages 163-164

– Claire