Sweet Potato Soufflé

Recipe from Joan Didion

Adapted by Patrick Farrell and Cathy Lo

Updated November 18, 2025

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Ready In
2 hr 15 min
Rating
5(14)
Comments
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In her memoir “The Year of Magical Thinking,” Joan Didion wrote about learning to make soufflés, one of her signature dishes, while living in Southern California in the early 1970s. “The trick,” she concluded, “was a less strict approach than generally advised.” This autumnal take, from a handwritten and well-stained index card in her files, doesn’t puff up as impressively as a classic French soufflé, but the beaten egg whites lend a gentle lift to the dense sweet potatoes. Their sweetness is nicely tempered by the butter and lemon zest. — Patrick Farrell

Featured in: Joan Didion’s Thanksgiving: Dinner for 75, Reams of Notes

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

  • 3 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 medium)

  • 6 tablespoons/85 grams butter, melted, plus more for greasing the baking dish

  • 5 large eggs, egg whites and yolks separated

  • ½ cup/100 grams sugar

  • ⅓ cup/80 milliliters heavy cream

  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • ½ teaspoon fine salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)

43 grams carbs; 120 milligrams cholesterol; 300 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 243 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 17 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. 

  2. Step 2

    Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While the potatoes are cooking, heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 ½- to 3-quart baking dish.

  4. Step 4

    Drain the cooked potatoes well. Let cool slightly then transfer to a large bowl and mash. Measure out 5 ¾ cups/3 ½ pounds mashed sweet potatoes (reserving any extra for another use) and place back in the large bowl. 

  5. Step 5

    Using an electric mixer, beat the potatoes on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low speed, beat in the melted butter. Add egg yolks and beat until well blended. Add sugar, cream, lemon zest, ginger and salt, and beat to combine. 

  6. Step 6

    In another large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites on medium-low until stiff peaks form. Working in three batches, add the whipped egg whites to the sweet potato mixture and fold by scraping around the sides of the bowl and then through the middle, rotating the bowl until evenly incorporated.

  7. Step 7

    Carefully transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and gently smooth the top. 

  8. Step 8

    Bake until browned in spots, slightly puffed all over and set in the middle when lightly touched, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tip

  • Although the original recipe called for canned sweet potatoes, fresh sweet potatoes produce the most reliable texture throughout. If you wish to use canned sweet potato purée, expect that the resulting soufflé will have much more liquid.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
14 user ratings
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Comments

Home Cook

sounds delicious. i am only put off by the "serve immediately". I only have one oven... so have to semi cook vegetables ahead of time and then put them in the oven to finish cooking while the turkey rests. As this recipe requires an hour to cook ... seems incompatible with a thanksgiving dinner unless one has two ovens. Or I might try to cook ahead and then warm it when the turkey rests. Any thoughts from others?

julie

I will skip the white sugar and maybe use a scant cup of maple syrup or skip all sugar and maybe roast instead of boil the sweets!

julie

I'm trying to beat t2 diabetes without meds. I've been looking for something sweet for sugar cravings that doesn't actually contain added sugar. I'm going to make these in muffin cups and if it works, I'll freeze them! Hope it works!

Janis

This was a hit! After the first bite I heard comments like Wow! Amazing! I don't think the 'serve immediately' needs to be taken so seriously. In fact I had a bit of left over souffle which microwaved just fine. Another thing that was unexpected in a good way, was that the cook time did not take 1 hour and 10 mins. I took it out after 45 minutes and it was perfectly done.

Jason

People, this is a soufflé. You cannot make a soufflé ahead. It’s served right from the oven, hot a puffy. And given the volume of the sweet potatoes, a half cup of sugar isn’t very much sugar at all. If you want something sugar free that you can make ahead, search for “sad, dietetic casserole.”

Christine

@Jason - well said. 🙂

Cynthia

I've made a similar dish at Thanksgiving for 50 years except I roast the sweet potatoes (Thanksgiving morning while my pies are baking) and slip the peels off after they cool. My recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger as the spices with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar on top. It will "fall" if it sits, but this does not affect it's deliciousness. My recipe also calls for just an hour bake time.

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Credits

Adapted from Joan Didion

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