Last Updated on September 26, 2022
Ramekins, also known as soufflé dishes, are little porcelain pots used for preparing and serving small portions of all sorts of dishes. This petite dish originated in France, where French chefs have been using it for over a century to serve amazing desserts, soups, and cheese or egg dishes among other things.
Although it took some time before American chefs became familiar with ramekins, they immediately won their hearts! Today, you can find ramekins in every shape, size, and material – porcelain, ceramic, tempered glass, or melamine. They are usually dishwasher, oven, microwave, and freezer safe.
Once you read our list of different uses for a ramekin, we’re certain you’ll love them as much as we do!
1. Dessert Portions
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of ramekin is crème brûlée and other portion desserts. Ceramic ramekins are heat-resistant, so you can safely use them to bake desserts. This way, you can avoid your cake falling apart as you try to cut it. What a nuisance, right?
When baked in ramekins, the dough rises above its wall, giving you that fluffy texture. Plus, ramekins are so cute, and we know that the appetite of the eye adds to the taste. These pots are great for making single-serve desserts like crème brûlée, hot chocolate fudge cake, and souffle. You can also get creative and make a cup of s’mores dip with some marshmallows and chocolate chips in the microwave, or treat yourself to a single-serve brownie.
2. Omelets
by Andrea Goh
You can treat yourself and your loved ones to a five-star breakfast with ramekins. Simply mix your favorite omelet ingredients – vegetables, cheese, bacon, prosciutto, or ham – add some spices, some whipped eggs, and put the ramekins in the oven.
If you want a nutritious breakfast idea for yourself and your loved ones, a delicious Spanish omelet will cook nice, soft, and fluffy in a ramekin.
3. Quiches
by Angela
Quiches are great for any meal. You can have them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner, with some soup. And mini quiches in ramekins are delicious, cute, and filling. Just make some easy pastry dough for the crust, and get creative with the stuffing mixture by mixing some eggs and milk with your preferred ingredients, such as sauteed mushrooms or some deli meat. The mini quiches will bring a smile to everyone’s faces.
4. Soups
While ramekins are most commonly used for baking desserts, you can also use them to serve authentic soups. Don’t miss the chance to grate some cheese for that crusty top that will make your soups even more mouth-watering.
After you’re done preparing some tomato, onion, or mushroom soup, pour them into individual ramekin servings and place them in the oven for 10 minutes, and voila! You’ve made a full-bodied soup that can be the main course on its own, or one that you can serve as an entree to some delicious steak or baked chicken.
5. Entrée and Sides
While entrées are dishes served before the main course, sides can accompany entrees or the main course. Both should be small portions so that they don’t fill up your guests.
Ramekins are great for serving both entrees and sides, and they give you the perfect opportunity to impress your guests with a cute, appetizing look. You can cook the entrees and sides in the ramekins directly or use them as serving bowls for some greek salad, roasted sweet potatoes, or authentic Thai green paste.
6. Serving Fruit Salads
Who doesn’t love fresh fruit salads? They are easy to make and super delicious to eat as a snack or as a healthy alternative to desserts. Plus they’re a great way to stay hydrated and, above all, a fun way to make the kids (and some adults) eat all the fruits.
You can mix whatever you have in the fridge, melons, strawberries, grapes, pears, apples, or bananas. You can top the salad with some mint syrup for an extra touch of freshness or just go with a lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey mixture. They’ll look lovely and yummy in the ramekins.
7. Serving Condiments
by ErikaKerekes
Condiments are great sidekicks to complement meals. One problem with condiments such as soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, or simply ketchup and mayo is that they tend to leak or smudge all over when you put them on your plate. For a cleaner eating experience, you can serve the condiments in ramekins. Your guests will thank you!
8. Sauces and Dips
A good sauce or dip can turn a boring meal into a real feast. For example, you can elevate the steak or chicken for your dinner party with some blue cheese sauce or have some whipped feta dip or guacamole with freshly toasted bread. Whatever your preferred sauce or dip is, you can serve them in little ramekins.
9. Snacks
by Danielle
Just because ramekins are oven-friendly, it doesn’t mean you have to cook the food arranged in them. They can be great containers for snack mixes like almonds, cashews, and other nuts, or even ice cream scoops. You might need to go for a bigger container for your late-night movie popcorn feast, but ramekins are perfect for serving smaller portions of snacks.
10. Storing Leftovers
by Wayvie
Finally, a small heatproof bowl is always useful in the kitchen. You can save your leftover soups and meals in ramekins and heat them later in the microwave. You can even put ramekins in the freezer if they have airtight lids. Why not freeze that leftover rice and add it to a soup the following day? This will definitely reduce the amount of waste in the kitchen.
Over and Out!
Here we listed 10 things you can do with a set of ramekins. These heatproof little bowls are way more useful in the kitchen than you probably thought. Even though they didn’t make their way into our 12 must-have kitchen tools list, a set of ramekins is a very useful multipurpose dish that can accompany you on your breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.
