By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(168)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This soufflé is not too sweet to serve as a starter at your Thanksgiving table, but it also makes an impressive dessert and it’s easier than pie to make. You can make individual soufflés or one large one.
Featured in: Sweet Potato Soufflé
Learn: How to Make Soufflé
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 2pounds sweet potatoes
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3tablespoons sugar
- ¼cup mild honey, such as clover
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛teaspoon salt
- ¼teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 2teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 8egg whites, at room temperature
- ⅛teaspoon cream of tartar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
241 calories; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 198 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Scrub the sweet potatoes and pierce in several places with a sharp knife. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the potatoes on top. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes, until thoroughly soft and beginning to ooze. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Step
2
Adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven and turn the oven down to 400ºF. Rub the inside of a 2-quart soufflé dish or six 1- or 1½-cup soufflé dishes with butter and dust with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, tilting the dish to coat evenly.
Step
3
Peel the potatoes and puree in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, ginger, yogurt, and lime juice and mix together well.
Step
4
Begin beating the egg whites at medium speed in a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with an electric beater. When they begin to foam, add the cream of tartar. When soft peaks begin to form, slowly add the remaining tablespoon of sugar while beating and continue to beat until the egg whites form stiff but not dry peaks. Stir one fourth into the sweet potatoes, and gently fold in the remainder. Scrape into the soufflé dish (or dishes). Place on a baking sheet and bake a large soufflé for 20 to 25 minutes, small soufflés for 15 minutes, or until puffed and just beginning to brown. Serve at once. The soufflé should be runny on the inside.
Ratings
4
out of 5
168
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Cooking Notes
Marianne
Can this be prepared at least a day before and cooked when ready to serve?
Stephanie
@marianne generally, yes, a soufflé can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Just refrigerate covered in plastic wrap and bring to room temperature before baking!
Nancy
We loved this-its tasty and light. I made it as directed except that I substituted maple syrup for the honey. I'm a little queasy about "runny" souffles, and fortunately mine came out moist but not runny.
I'm surprised the NYT doesn't put its "healthy" label on this as it seems healthy for a dessert recipe.
I found Martha's suggestion to serve it as a Thanksgiving starter to be odd. My husband and I both thought it was too sweet to be an appetizer.
David Look
Martha says you can prepare it through Step 3. Proceed with Step 4 shortly before baking.
Robin
had never made a soufflé before - could not believe how easy this was. Total visual success and delicious too. As someone else mentioned, very tasty and light. I gasped when I opened the oven and found that it looked just like the picture (except I made the large one, not individual ones). Love it. This recipe combined with Alison Roman's Cauliflower Gratin made vegetarian at dinner very happy! If you had qualms about a soufflé - start with this one. You will think you are a genius!
Pamela
This is one of the easiest and tastiest soufflés I have ever made. I love this recipe!
Dave Studnicki
This was very good. It was light and tasted somewhat like pumpkin pie. Guests loved it. I kept it in the turned off oven at the end of cooking to keep it warm and it was not runny when served.
Sarah
I cooked my small soufflé for about 22 minutes and kept it in a warm oven because they weren't ready to be served. Awesome recipe.
KAB
Would it work to use pasteurized egg whites? I am squeamish about possibly undercooked egg dishes.
Cathy S
Amazingly light. Per suggestions did not add any sugar other than a dusting, and cut honey to 3 T. Added 1/2 t cumin to keep it from getting too sweet. Next time alleppo pepper. 131 kcal per serving. soft and a bit runny in the center. Egg whites from trader joe whipped up amazing!
Willa
Guests really enjoyed flavor of this as a simple dessert served with light whipped cream. Except: recipe needs to specify the volume for the so-called large soufflé dish! I used the one I always used and after whipping the egg whites, realized the dish would not contain them, let alone the sweet potato mixture! I was able to save the day by using about half of both egg whites and sweet potatoes, and six of us ate the whole thing along with a small apple pie. Not up to NYT editorial standards.
Kirsten G.
Can I boil the sweet potatoes instead?
DAN
Made half a batch and it was perfect for us...one serving for tomorrow!
Dan
Added a cup of puréed veggies. Great taste and runny as warned!
Catherine
I cut out the extra tablespoons of sugar and just relied on the sweetness from the honey and sweet potatoes. It turned out great!
Robin
had never made a soufflé before - could not believe how easy this was. Total visual success and delicious too. As someone else mentioned, very tasty and light. I gasped when I opened the oven and found that it looked just like the picture (except I made the large one, not individual ones). Love it. This recipe combined with Alison Roman's Cauliflower Gratin made vegetarian at dinner very happy! If you had qualms about a soufflé - start with this one. You will think you are a genius!
Celeste
This recipe looks fantastic but I’d like to make a carrot soufflé — What substitutions would you suggest if using carrot?
Dave Studnicki
This was very good. It was light and tasted somewhat like pumpkin pie. Guests loved it. I kept it in the turned off oven at the end of cooking to keep it warm and it was not runny when served.
JEH
Tried to make this for Thanksgiving - it did not work out. Tasted like a dense muffin and did not expand like a souffle.
Marion
how many cups of pureed sweet potatoes do two pounds make? I didn't weigh mine before cooking them..
Beth
If you have a scale just weight out 2 lbs of puree.
KAB
Would it work to use pasteurized egg whites? I am squeamish about possibly undercooked egg dishes.
Pamela
This is one of the easiest and tastiest soufflés I have ever made. I love this recipe!
Sarah
I cooked my small soufflé for about 22 minutes and kept it in a warm oven because they weren't ready to be served. Awesome recipe.
Stephanie
@marianne generally, yes, a soufflé can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Just refrigerate covered in plastic wrap and bring to room temperature before baking!
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