Lemon Soufflé is made with only three ingredients: lemons, sugar, and eggs and can be ready in less than 30 minutes. They are so simple but so delicious and the lemon ramekin is beautiful and unique.
Soufflés are a complex dessert. They are incredibly simple, but each component has to be executed well in order for them to turn out light, airy, and beautiful. This 3-Ingredient Lemon Soufflé recipe is the perfect way to dip your toes into the soufflé world. Not quite ready for the challenge? These Chocolate Pots De Crème are just as tasty and fancy but a bit easier!
One of my favorite parts about these lemon soufflés is that they can be baked right in the lemon! It saves me a couple of dishes, is so fun, beautiful, and it really amps up the lemon taste. You can also make these in ramekins if you don't want to use the lemon. If you're a lemon lover then you should also try my Lemony Ricotta Cookies!
If you're looking for something other great recipes to impress check out these Roasted Strawberry Shortcakes, S'mores Hand Pies, or Toasted Coconut Bread Pudding.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The Lemon Soufflé presentation is visually appealing and unique. They will impress any guest! Much like this Chocolate Dipped Honeycomb Brittle.
- It is light and airy dessert that won't sit too heavy after a meal.
- It is a simple dessert that takes attention to detail to perfect, so it will challenge your baking skills. Try out these homemade Marshmallows for another fun baking challenge!
Ingredients
- Lemons. If you're planning on using the lemons as the ramekins you will want to buy bigger lemons. Lemon also flavors my Lemon Lavender Cookies.
- Eggs. We will use the egg whites and the egg yolks separately.
- Granulated sugar. This will sweeten the lemon soufflés and add structure to the french meringue.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- The lemon could be substituted for any other citrus fruit.
- As long as you keep the base of the egg yolks and sugar and the french meringue, the soufflé can be flavored in a variety of ways.
- Add some blended raspberries to the soufflé base for a delicious raspberry and lemon flavor combination. This will also change the colour of the soufflés!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Lemon Ramekins
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
STEP 2: Cut the bottom off of the lemons so that the lemons can sit flat. You don't want to cut off too much, just the very bottom. Cut the top off of each lemon, about ¼ of the way down.
STEP 3: Remove the insides of the lemon, leaving about ¼ inch at the bottom. I find the easiest way to remove the insides of the lemon is to use a paring knife to cut around the edges and then cut it into 4ths and scoop the insides out. Place the pulp in a strainer that is set over a bowl. Squeeze the juice out of the pulp.
Normal Ramekins
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
STEP 2: Spray the ramekins with non-stick spray and add a small spoonful of sugar to each. Spin the ramekin around until the sugar coats the entire inside of the ramekin.
STEP 3: Juice the lemons into a strainer set over a bowl.
Soufflés
STEP 1: In a heatproof bowl combine the egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whisk until well combined. Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to whisk for about 3 minutes, just to cool it slightly, and then allow it to chill while you prepare the french meringue.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl beat the egg whites with a hand mixer on low speed until the whites are frothy. Turn the speed up and slowly add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
STEP 4: Using a silicone spatula add about ¼th of the meringue into the yolk mixture and stir until fully combined. This will lighten up the yolk mixture and allow it to fold more easily in the meringue. Add the rest of the meringue and gently fold until mostly combined. There should only be a few streaks of yellow left in the mixture. If you were to mix it fully you would lose a lot of the volume, which is critical in a soufflé.
STEP 5: Gently add the mixture to the lemons or the ramekins. Fill to just below the rim. Place the lemons or ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until risen at least an inch over the rim and browned on top. Remove from the Lemon Soufflé from the oven and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Soufflés need to be served immediately. They will start deflating almost the second after you remove them from the oven. So you’re going to want to bake them when you’re ready to eat them.
- Once the batter is mixed it can hold for about an hour or so before the meringue will start to deflate. So you could mix it up before dinner and bake it when you are ready for dessert.
- You need to get the meringue really stiff. Soft peaks are going to create a less firm soufflé, so make sure you have stiff peaks before combining the two mixtures.
- If you leave the soufflés in the oven for too long they will cave in on themselves. Be sure to remove them before they get too tall.
Recipe FAQ's
The key to a perfect soufflé is the french meringue. The egg whites need to be beat to stiff peaks so that they hold up to the folding and then rise as they should in the oven.
The temperature in the oven might have been too low, resulting in the soufflé not being able to rise. The soufflé batter could have also been over folded, pushing out too much of the air so they soufflé couldn't rise.
The temperature in the oven was probably too hot, resulting in an over rise of the soufflé.
You can make the soufflé mixture about an hour ahead of time, but the soufflés need to be eaten immediately after baking.
No, they can't. The Lemon Soufflé will start to deflate almost immediately after being removed from the oven, so they will be completely deflated if they are served chilled.
Lemon Soufflé will not hold over in any circumstance and should be eaten as quickly as possible after removing from the oven.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you tried these Lemon Soufflé or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I so appreciate hearing from you!
Recipe
Lemon Soufflé
Ingredients
- 4 large lemons
- 2 eggs separated
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
For Lemon Ramekins:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Cut the bottom off of each lemon so that the lemon can sit flat. Cut the top off of the lemon, about ¼ of the way down.
- Remove the insides of each lemon, leaving about ¼ inch at the bottom, and place the pulp in a strainer set over a bowl. Squeeze the juice out of the pulp.
For Normal Ramekins:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Spray ramekins with non-stick spray and add a small spoonful of sugar. Roll the ramekin around until the sugar coats the inside.
- Juice the lemons into a strainer set over a bowl.
For Soufflé:
- In a heat-proof bowl, combine egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whisk until well combined.
- Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to whisk for about 3 minutes and then chill while you make the french meringue.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer. Start slow and when the whites get frothy increase the speed. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Using a silicone spatula add about ¼ of the meringue into the yolk mix and stir until fully combined. Add the rest of the meringue and gently fold until mostly combined with only a few streaks of yellow left.
- Gently add the mixture to each lemon or ramekin. Fill to slightly below the top.
- Place the lemons or the ramekins on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the soufflés have risen at least an inch above the edge and the tops are browned.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
- Soufflés need to be served immediately. They will start deflating almost the second after you remove them from the oven. So you’re going to want to bake them when you’re ready to eat them.
- Once the batter is mixed it can hold for about an hour or so before the meringue will start to deflate. So you could mix it up before dinner and bake it when you are ready for dessert.
- You need to get the meringue really stiff. Soft peaks are going to create a less firm soufflé, so make sure you have stiff peaks before combining the two mixtures.
- If you leave the soufflés in the oven for too long they will cave in on themselves. Be sure to remove them before they get too tall.
Nutrition
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Martina Mason says
Do you treat the inside of the lemon as you do a ramekin? Spray and add sugar coating?
Ellie Haley says
No, I just put the filling straight in there.
kris says
Mine turned out too eggy
Ellie Haley says
Sorry to hear that! This was probably due to over mixing or not adding enough lemon.
Saima says
The recipe seems easy and delicious.
Mackenzie Brand says
These were so good! They look DELICIOUS aNd they tasted even better than they look. I will DEFINITELY be mankig these again.
Ray Mack says
Awesome recipes! Can't wait to try them.