Gluten-Free Chocolate Soufflés with Melting Vanilla Ice Cream

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A flourless chocolate soufflé built for a weeknight: four ramekins, one bowl of melted chocolate, and whipped whites folded in with a light hand. It rises tall in about 13 minutes, and you crack the top open at the table so a scoop of vanilla ice cream can melt down into the warm center. Naturally gluten-free — the structure comes entirely from egg whites and a spoonful of cornstarch, not flour.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp softened unsalted butter, for the ramekins
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar, for the ramekins

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), chopped
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 4 large egg yolks

• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 2 tsp powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Prep the ramekins first — this is the step that decides whether they rise straight. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, coat the inside of four 6-ounce (170 ml) straight-sided ramekins with softened butter, brushing in upward strokes from the bottom to the rim so the soufflé has a ladder to climb. Butter the top edge too.
2. Add about 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar to a buttered ramekin, tilt and rotate to coat the sides completely, then tip the excess into the next ramekin and repeat. Wipe any sugar off the outside rim, set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator until you need them (15 minutes minimum, up to 1 day).
3. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). A fully heated oven matters more here than almost anything else — give it a full 20 minutes.
4. Combine the chopped chocolate and 4 tablespoons butter in a large heatproof bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until melted and glossy, about 90 seconds total. Whisk smooth, then whisk in the cornstarch, vanilla, and salt.
5. Let the chocolate cool 3–4 minutes until it feels just warm, not hot, to a fingertip (about 110°F/43°C), then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. The base will thicken to the texture of soft frosting. Leave it in the large bowl — you'll fold in the whites here.
6. In a spotlessly clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy and opaque, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, rain in the 1/3 cup sugar over 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high and beat until the meringue holds a peak that curls gently at the tip — soft-to-medium, glossy, roughly 2–3 more minutes. Stop before it looks dry or clumpy; over-whipped whites tear on folding.
7. Scoop about one-third of the meringue into the chocolate base and whisk it in briskly. This sacrificial third loosens the base so the rest folds in without deflating.
8. Add the remaining meringue in two additions. Fold with a large flexible spatula: cut down through the center, sweep along the bottom of the bowl, lift up the side and over the top, then rotate the bowl a quarter turn. Stop the moment you no longer see white streaks, about 20–25 strokes. A few faint marbled ribbons are better than a smooth, slack batter.
9. Divide the batter among the chilled ramekins, filling each level with the rim, and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a knife. Run your thumb around the inside edge of each rim to clear a clean 1/8-inch collar. Get them into the oven immediately.
10. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 12–14 minutes, without opening the door for the first 10 minutes. They are done when they have risen 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the rim, the tops look dry and cracked, and the whole soufflé wobbles as one soft unit when you nudge the baking sheet — the very center should still jiggle slightly.
11. Pull them out and move fast: dust with powdered sugar through a small sieve, carry them to the table on small plates (the ramekins are screaming hot), and crack the top of each with a spoon. Drop a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the opening and eat right away — the rise starts settling within 2 minutes, and that's normal, not failure.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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