This soufflé recipe will WOW your family and friends with how great it looks and tastes! Ham and Cheese Egg Soufflé brings a gourmet touch to your kitchen table!
This fluffy Ham and Cheese Egg Soufflé is made with eggs, chopped ham, grated cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and minced chives. The best breakfast ever!
I’ve found that people shy away from preparing souffles purely because they believe the urban myths that revolve around them. Let’s chat a minute about these.
Myth #1
You have to be quiet or else it will collapse. FALSE. The theory behind this is that any vibration, walking or yelling will push the air out of the souffle, causing it to collapse.
Think about this… I highly doubt you could produce enough vibration from everyday activities. Although I have not tried to make souffles while throwing a raging party, I still doubt it would have much effect and this would be a rare occasion.
Myth #2
You can’t open the door when baking souffles. KIND OF FALSE. Really, you should not open the oven door too much when making anything. Opening the door drastically cools the oven by allowing the hot air out and the cool air in.
The first third of any baking time is the most crucial. If you have to open the door, you might need to tack on a few extras minutes in the oven. This is also why they make oven windows and lights!
Myth #3
You are on a race against time. FALSE. In fact, the souffle base can be made ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator. You might lose a little fluff, but not enough to severely impact your souffle. On the flip side, souffles must be eaten immediately after being taken out of the oven.
Any food tastes better right out the oven, but I actually baked, then covered and refrigerated this souffle for one day and saw no drastic decrease in height.
Myth #4
You must use a round ramekin. KIND OF FALSE. You can use any shape ramekin you want, but in order to get an equally baked souffle, your best bet is to stick with circular and focus your creativity on what you choose to put in your souffle.
So don’t be scared, try whipping up a batch today!
Also a tip on whisking eggs whites, prepare a metal bowl, preferably copper (however I used my Kitchen Aid) by making sure it is very dry and free of any residual fats or oils.
These two items are the nemesis to whipped egg whites, ensuring you will never get fluffy peaks no matter how long you whisk.
Check out these other easy breakfast ideas:
Blueberry Waffle Recipe
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
How to Poach an Egg
Ham and Cheese Egg Souffle Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 eggs , room temperature, yolks and white will be used separately
- 1/2 cup ham , chopped
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese , finely grated, plus more for topping
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons bacon , cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chives , minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour to form a roux. Continue to whisk until roux is a light brown (blond roux.)
- Slowly pour milk into the roux, whisking until smooth. Batter will be thick. Whisk in salt, nutmeg and black pepper. Remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Fold into roux along with shredded cheddar cheese and ham. Set aside.
- Whisk egg whites and cream of tarter until soft, fluffy peaks form. This process is incorporating air into the mixture, which is what increased the volume significantly.
- After egg whites are foamy and fluffy, gently fold them into the ham and cheddar mixture. Do not over mix, as this will push out the air.
- Prep 6 4-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and place onto a rimmed baking sheet. Spoon mixture evenly into each ramekin. Fill approximately 3/4 of the way.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and top each with a pinch of cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and chives.
- Serve immediately.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
Is this really supposed to be at 200 F? I used 4oz ramekins, I’m not at a high altitude and it’s not humid. What else could possibly be the issue? My soufflés have been in the oven for almost 50 minutes and they’re still runny.
Yes, it is a really low temp. Can you email me at jessica@savoryexperiments.com to troubleshoot the issue?
Loved it! I will totally make it again. Easy to follow instructions too.
There are lots of comments on the low temperature and cook time – mine also turned out needing more time and higher temperatures to cook this – it was still runny after 50 minutes at 200 F. Other than that it was good. I am not at high altitude and used small ramekins. I would like to see the recipe with a glass 9 inch pie pan with adjusted bake temperature and time.
Thanks for the feedback, Becky- we will send this one back to testing!
Is it 200 degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Fahrenheit
Why is the oven temp only at 200 when all other egg souffees are cooked at 375?
That is the way I cook mine- on a low temp. These are also much smaller cups, are the ones you are referring to larger?
Yes my cups are 7 oz. I turned up the heat and continued cooking for 5 mins. It started to rise right away. Next time I will go for 350 .
Loved everything about this dish, except the cook time. I followed the recipe as written and after 30 minutes in the oven, the souffle were not set. I actually checked the temp of one to see were I was at and the internal temp was only 125 degrees. They ended up cooking for another 25 minutes before they were done. With that said, the flavor is awesome and the end product is exactly what I was looking for. I like egg frittata but my issue with them is the browned bottom so this was perfect. Also I prefer the light texture of the souffle. So back to the oven temp and baking time. Any suggestions for what may have gone wrong?
Hi Kyle! Thanks for the feedback. What size ramekins did you use?
4oz round
Are you at a high elevation or was it particularly humid the day you made them? I’m honestly a little perplexed.
Not at a high elevation but now that you say it, it may have been quite humid that day. I am going to make these again and pay more attention to the weather. My family and I loved them and they were quite a bit easier than I anticipated. I will let you know how it goes.
Great! Let me know… I am super curious as to what went wrong.
I love to bake but the thought of souffles always daunted me! Thanks so much for debunking- i’ll have to give them a try! Plus its an excuse to get more ramekins- yes, please!
xx Kait
Good luck, Kait!