Easy Carrot Soufflé

This easy carrot soufflé has the texture of a sweet potato pie but the delicious flavors of a warm and comforting carrot cake. This unique side dish is packed with two whole pounds of carrots and while it is subtly sweet, it’s not quite sweet enough to classify as a dessert. I’d say that it’s part side dish, part dessert and 100% delicious!

This easy carrot soufflé recipe is one my family’s favorite holiday side dishes for Easter and Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect slightly sweet side dish to end the main course and to hold you over until dessert is served.

Customize this easy carrot soufflé

Over the years, I’ve tried tons of variations of this dish. Here are a few of my favorites.

• Orange and carrot soufflé: Add a little fresh orange zest and orange juice for a fresh citrus flavor. Simplify the recipe to save yourself a few steps by substituting the fresh orange ingredients for orange extract.
• Prefer a sweeter carrot soufflé? This recipe is pretty light on the sugar. You can increase the sugar to 3/4 cup for a sweeter soufflé.
• If you prefer to use real maple syrup, substitute the sugar for 3/4 cup maple syrup.
• Gluten-free: To make this easy carrot soufflé gluten free, simply swap the regular flour for a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour like my favorite Bob’s Redmill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking flour.
• Sweet potato: Adding a sweet potato to this recipe adds extra nutrients and a sweet, nutty flavor to this dish. Plus, extra veggies means extra nutrients so the more the merrier! Here’s a link to the carrot and sweet potato variation of this soufflé.
• Powdered sugar: If you prefer a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of the nut topping, add about a tablespoon of powdered sugar to a strainer and gently shake it over the soufflé to create an even dusting of sugar. Make sure you allow the soufflé to cool for 10 minutes or so before adding the sugar. If it’s sprinkled onto the top of a hot soufflé, it will melt and disappear.

Looking for more delicious sides?

• Portabella and Green Bean Casserole
• Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes
• Mom’s Macaroni Salad
• Warm Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Ingredients

Carrot Souffle

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces. Save time by using baby carrots.
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. I use a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour to make this recipe gluten free.
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Cooking spray

Nut Topping

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts. I recommend walnuts and/or pecans.
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Place the carrots in a large pot or dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender.
• Drain the cooked carrots and allow them to cool while you prepare the other ingredients. Add the carrots, butter, vanilla extract, spices and eggs to the blender. Process until smooth.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar to the food processor. Blend until smooth.
• Pour the carrot mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the soufflé has set.
• To prepare the topping, add the nut topping ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the topping mixture over the top of the soufflé and continue to bake for 5 minutes (for a total bake time of 45 minutes).