Cheesy Grits Soufflé

link to inspiration recipe

Dinner June 29, 2025

Note: See link above for some interesting history about Awendaw Soufflé, what this dish is actually called. Good use of egg whites when you've used the yolks for baking.

A good recipe choice for your first ever soufflé. You mostly do the same steps as you would do for a normal soufflé made with béchamel sauce instead of grits, but I found this soufflé to be more stable.

Ingredients:

2½ cups Water

1½ teaspoons Kosher Salt

½ cup Grits

2 tablespoons Butter 2 tablespoons Fine Cornmeal, plus more for dusting ramekins 5 whites and 3 yolks from 5 large eggs, separated ¾ cup grated Gruyère Cheese 1 tablespoon finely sliced Garlic Scapes

Directions:

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. While whisking, sprinkle in grits, then return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, whisking and scraping bottom well every 2 to 3 minutes, for about 45 minutes, or till thick and creamy but flowing. Whisk in extra water, a tablespoon or two at a time, at any point if your grits become thicker than you'd like.

Whisk in butter until fully melted and incorporated, then remove from heat. Season with additional salt, if needed.

Transfer grits to a large mixing bowl.

Set oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C).

Grease a 9-inch springform pan generously with butter or cooking spray, making sure to cover bottoms and sides all the way up to the rims. Dust with an even coating of cornmeal, making sure to cover bottoms and sides all the way up to the rims; tap out excess cornmeal.

Fold the 2 tablespoons cornmeal into the grits along with the cheese, garlic scapes, and 1 teaspoon salt until well combined. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, stirring until each is fully incorporated before adding next.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a medium bowl and using a hand mixer), beat egg whites at low speed until foamy, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.

Working in 3 additions, carefully fold beaten egg whites into the grits mixture just until well combined. The resulting mixture should be light and airy, not heavy or thin.

Fill the springform pan with the grits mixture. Set on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake on middle rack until soufflé has risen and just starting to brown on top, about 30 minutes. Remove carefully and serve immediately. The soufflé should remain risen for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven, and are just as good after they fall.

Final Notes:

The grits with cheese were really good before they were turned into the soufflé, so pretty good cooking directions for those.

Compared to a normal cheese soufflé with the same cheese and garlic scapes, this soufflé was more stable and didn't collapse right after removing from the oven. While the texture from the grits is good, we both found it to be not as good as just cheese soufflé.

Could have used more cheese for taste, not sure if that would affect the structure.

Today's soufflé

Texture on the inside

Fun fact, I made this recipe for the first time exactly four years ago, June 29, 2021! Looks like it had a better rise then. I also think I didn't smooth out the top like I did this time.