Spiced Pumpkin Souffle

This orange spiced pumpkin souffle is exactly what I think of as the perfect fall dessert. The fall flavored pumpkin souffle is seasoned with fresh orange peel, a splash of Grand Marnier and a mixture of warm pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Souffle

There are a handful of pumpkin recipes I will make once the season changes. You won't see me ordering a pumpkin spice latte, but instead you'll see me whipping egg whites for a pumpkin souffle or making pumpkin rugelach or savory creamy pumpkin soup with fried sage, which is much more my style.

This pumpkin souffle has gorgeous flavors of pumpkin pie spice with additional twists. A (healthy) splash of grand marnier is added with freshly zested orange peel and a touch of cardamom.

Picture the lightest, airiest pumpkin pie you have ever had. And then go make another.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The warm flavors of cardamom and cinnamon works well with the pumpkin and fresh orange zest.
• Souffle is incredibly light and airy with lots of flavor!
• Souffle is a masterful accomplishment and quite impressive!

Ingredients

• Egg Whites: You'll need a lot of egg whites for this recipe. Save the leftover egg yolks and make stuffed challah french toast, or sweet potato frittata.
• Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg are all of the spices. If you don't have all of those, substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice with ¼ teaspoon of cardamom.
• Sugars: Regular white sugar and brown sugar are used in the base of the souffle and some of the white sugar is used to sprinkle around the buttered souffle mold. Once the souffle is done cooking, you can also dust with powdered sugar.
• Cornstarch: This helps thicken the milk mixture.
• Pumpkin Puree: canned pumpkin or freshly roasted pumpkin that is pureed and smooth is perfect for the recipe. Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix.
• Orange Liqueur: A splash of Grand Marnier, which is an orange liqueur is added to the pumpkin base. If you don't have Grand Marnier, you can use another orange liqueur or omit all together.
• Fresh Orange Zest: This is where the bright orange flavor comes in and I highly recommend adding the citrus zest, it makes such a difference! I like using a microplane to scrape the orange zest.
• Vanilla Extract: Use a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla paste.

How to Make Pumpkin Souffle

There are a few steps in making a tall and airy souffle, but if you follow the directions and get those egg whites to stiff peaks, you'll be good to go!

Make the Pumpkin Souffle Base

1. Place a medium sized pot over medium heat and add the milk, cornstarch, spices and brown sugar and bring to a simmer.
2. Once boiling, whisk for 2-3 minutes until just thickened.
3. Turn off the heat and whisk in the pumpkin puree, Grand Marnier, vanilla extract and the orange zest. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Beat the Egg Whites

1. Add the egg whites to the clean bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat the egg whites on low speed and will become foamy.
2. Continue beating for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks form, then slowly add in ¾ cup of white sugar.
3. Increase the speed to medium-high speed and continue to beat until stiff peaks form and you can hold your egg whites with a whisk and it stays stiff, for another 2-3 minutes.

Mix the Pumpkin Souffle Mixture

1. Using a flexible spatula, fold a few dollops of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture to help lighten.
2. Then fold in the rest of the pumpkin mixture into the egg whites, in batches, until everything is just mixed together.

Prep the Souffle Molds

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set oven rack to lower half of oven.
2. Grease the insides of the souffle molds with softened butter, all over the sides and bottom and dust the inside with white sugar, so there is an even light coating on the inside of the dish.
3. Pour the pumpkin souffle mixture into the buttered ramekins, all the way to the top and smooth the top with a spatula. Gently tap the filled ramekins so even out the mixture.
4. Optional: Wrap each ramekin with a sheet of aluminum foil to help the souffle rise.

Bake the Souffles

1. Place the pumpkin souffles on a large baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the souffle puffs up and are golden brown.
2. When done, remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately as they will begin to deflate.

Frequently asked questions (how to store, freeze, etc) (yoast block)

A Few Tips on Making a Tall Souffle

• Use the freshest eggs you can find.
• When separating the egg whites from the yolks, be careful not to get any yolk or shell in the egg whites, which can deflate the whipped egg whites.
• When adding the pumpkin mixture to the stiffened egg whites, fold the mixture together in batches so keep the integrity of the stiffened egg whites.

More sweet inspiration

Spiced Pumpkin Souffle

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

This light and airy pumpkin souffle is the perfect fall dessert!Flavored with fresh orange zest and warm pumpkin pie spice.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Pumpkin Mixture Chill Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Servings 6 servings

Calories 239 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Souffle Mold
• ▢
  Microplane

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Pumpkin Mixture

• ▢ ½ cup whole milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ▢ Pinch of ground cloves
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢ 2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 15oz. can
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons grated orange zest

Meringue

• ▢ 8 egg whites
• ▢ ¾ cups sugar

Souffle Molds

• ▢ 2 tablespoons softened butter for greasing souffle molds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar for dusting souffle molds

Garnish

• ▢ Powdered sugar for dusting

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Instructions

 

Make the Pumpkin Souffle Base

• Place a medium sized pot over medium heat and add the milk, cornstarch, spices and brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Once boiling, whisk for 2-3 minutes until just thickened.
• Turn off the heat and whisk in the pumpkin puree, Grand Marnier, vanilla extract and the orange zest. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Beat the Egg Whites

• Add the egg whites to the clean bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat the egg whites on low speed and will become foamy. Continue beating for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks form, then slowly add in ¾ cup of white sugar.
• Increase the speed to medium-high speed and continue to beat until stiff peaks form and you can hold your egg whites with a whisk and it stays stiff, for another 2-3 minutes.

Mix the Pumpkin Souffle Mixture

• Using a flexible spatula, fold a few dollops of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture to help lighten.
• Then fold in the rest of the pumpkin mixture into the egg whites, in batches, until everything is just mixed together.

Prep the Souffle Molds

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set oven rack to lower half of oven.
• Grease the insides of the souffle molds with softened butter, all over the sides and bottom and dust the inside with white sugar, so there is an even light coating on the inside of the dish.
• Pour the pumpkin souffle mixture into the buttered ramekins, all the way to the top and smooth the top with a spatula. Gently tap the filled ramekins so even out the mixture.
• Optional: Wrap each ramekin with a sheet of aluminum foil to help the souffle rise.

Bake the Souffles

• Place the pumpkin souffles on a large baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the souffle puffs up and are golden brown.
• When done, remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately as they will begin to deflate.

Notes

• Recipe makes 1 6-cup souffle + 3 individual souffles.
• Pumpkin mixture can be made ahead of time and stored.
• Please refer to my cheese souffle for step by step instructions.
• Recipe adapted from  Epicurious with a few changes and additions
• You can also add ½ teaspoon of cream of tart-tar to the egg whites to help stiffen, but it's not necessary.
• If you don't have all of those, substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice with ¼ teaspoon of cardamom.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 6gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 110mgPotassium: 281mgFiber: 3gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 12866IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg

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