Rich and creamy sweet potato souffle is the perfect holiday side or dessert. It reminds me of a combination of a casserole and a custard. The first time I heard of a souffle, I thought, “Wow, that sounds fancy!“ So deliciously light, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth, I thought this would be incredibly good with mashed sweet potatoes. What surprised me the most is that you can make this a few hours ahead without worrying it will deflate. If you’re looking for the perfect sweet potato recipe to impress, this sweet potato souffle is it. A souffle enjoys a light, fluffy texture from beaten egg whites, flour, and baking soda. On the other hand, a casserole is denser with cream and sweet toppings.
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make Sweet Potato Soufflé
Prep Ingredients
Prep – Rinse, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks, then add to a medium saucepan. Water should cover the potatoes at least an inch. Add salt to taste. (Photos 1-2) Cook – Bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender. A fork will easily pierce the potatoes—10-12 minutes or more. (Photo 3) Drain water and simmer for about 1 minute or until water has evaporated. (Photo 4) Preheat oven to 350℉ (177℃). Separate the egg yolks and whites, and set the whites aside. Puree – Place hot sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk. Puree with a handheld or stand mixer. (Photos 5-8) Flavor – Mix in the melted butter. Follow with the flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Continue mixing until smooth and thoroughly blended. (Photos 9-12)
Assembly
Beat the egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks in a medium bowl. That helps soufflé from being too dense. Please avoid overbeating. Combine – Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the sweet potato mixture using a large spatula. That initially lightens the mixture and prepares the batter for the remaining egg whites. (Photos 13-14) Final Stretch – Add the remaining egg whites all at once and gently fold them until barely any white streaks remain. Stop folding. (Photo 15) Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan (or 3½- to 5-quart casserole or divide it in ramekins). In this recipe, I split the sweet potato soufflé in half. One half I baked in a casserole (about a 2-quart casserole dish) and the rest in ramekins. (Photo 16) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until well puffed and slightly brown on top. Do not open the oven door for at least 20 minutes to prevent cold air from collapsing the soufflé. The soufflé will deflate slightly when removed from the oven. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Flavor Twists
Recipe Notes
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
While common sense tells us that a recipe with beaten egg whites is unsuitable for a make-ahead, this one defies all logic. You can make the recipe all the way up to right before you bake it. Then wrap it up and keep it in the fridge. It lasts a few hours, at least giving you time to have it ready to bake later that day or in the morning for breakfast. You can even freeze the unbaked souffle for up to three months. Cover it well with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer. When ready to bake, thaw it for about eight hours or overnight in the fridge and bake. Leftovers last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container and freezer for about a month.
What to Enjoy With Sweet Potato Souffle
You can see what I love to serve with this scrumptious dish in the pictures—homemade biscuits and bacon-wrapped green beans.
More Decadent Sweet Potato Recipes
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”VVl6Unhm” upload-date=”2023-02-23T23:30:49.000Z” name=”Sweet Potato Soufflee WITHOUT SPONSOR LABEL.mp4″ description=”Sweet Potato Souffle is a light and fluffy egg souffle sweetened up with sugar and spice. It’s so versatile as a side dish or dessert.” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”] This blog post was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated with gorgeous photos, more tips, and a video
