The 7 Best Ramekins and Soufflé Dishes, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Emile Henry Ramekin Set

$34 at Amazon $22 at Sur La Table

This set of two ramekins will make a special addition to your cookware collection. Made in France from high-fired Burgundian clay, the manufacturing process yields a ramekin that’s remarkably resilient, even against sharp changes in temperature. The high-gloss glaze is ultra-tough, resisting chips, scratches, and stains, so even though these ramekins are on the pricey side, they’re great for everyday use.

Right off the bat, we noticed that these ramekins are heavy. While testing, they retained heat rather well, allowing for even cooking and keeping food warm on the table. We were able to bake or coddle eggs slightly under and leave them on the table to finish cooking while we served coffee. We found that it was easy to make individual portions of soufflés due the depth and the large capacity. The heat transferred well and the soufflés cooked through to desired doneness. Our crème brûlée cooked to a creamy perfection, although if you are particular about the caramelized sugar to custard ratio, you may not want to fill it quite so much. As lovers of custard, we rejoiced in digging deep into the dish and scooping out every creamy bit.

These are dishwasher safe and come with a 10-year warranty. As we tested, we didn’t notice any changes in the gloss, and the set stayed chip-free and scratch-free.

Material: Ceramic | Dimensions: 4.1 x 2.4 inches | Capacity: 8.5 ounces

Best Budget

Prepworks by Progressive Porcelain Stacking Ramekins

$19 at Amazon

These ramekins are not only the best budget pick, but they’re also among the most classic options out there. The straight, ridged sides and fluted rim are a staple in professional restaurants and catering kitchens for a reason: They get the job done. They come six to a set, and you're sure to find yourself reaching for them in all kinds of situations that show off how versatile this cookware can be.

These ramekins doubled as a serving dish for olives, nuts, mustard, and other condiments. They are also just the right size for mise en place when we prepped to cook. While testing these ramekins, we took them directly from the freezer to the oven to bake soufflés. They withstood the temperature change rather well, and the soufflés baked evenly with a nice rise.

While these ramekins are on the smaller side, we noticed that they are a good size for individual portions of crème brûlée and chocolate mousse, and the ridges on the outside helped with gripping. Cleaning was easy; we simply loaded them in the dishwasher and set it to wash. We did not notice any changes in the finish and the ramekins felt sturdy afterward. The finish on the ramekins did vary a lot and some had minor dents at the base and felt rough, but it didn't affect their performance at all.

Material: Ceramic | Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.63 inches | Capacity: 5 ounces

Best Design

Delling Geometric 8-Ounce Porcelain Ramekins

$22 at Amazon

The eye-catching pattern on these dishes makes them perfect for going from the oven to the table. Made from thick, ultra-sturdy bone china, these ramekins do well in recipes where even heat is a must. The thickness also helps protect them and make them more durable than the average ramekin. These are thermostable, which means they go beyond just oven safe—the manufacturer says they’re safe up to 1,400 degrees. (Note: Most home ovens top out at 500 or 550 degrees, max.)

The first thing we noticed about these ramekins was the width and the size. Since they are large enough to work for many types of dishes, we used them to serve soups, small chopped salads, and for dips and snacks.  The ramekins are microwave-safe, but they did get very hot within a minute. We tested them for a couple of extra minutes, and they got super-hot.

The heat transfer in the oven fared much better. We tested the ramekins by baking soufflés, crème brûlée and apple crumble. The soufflés were evenly cooked, the crème brûlée was set just right, the apples were cooked well, and the topping was crisp. We noticed that, because of the shorter height of the ramekins, we had trouble gripping them with mittens on, especially when baking soufflés. To get around that, we used a flat metal spatula to lift them off after baking. Afterward, cleaning them was easy and they stayed sturdy throughout testing.

Material: Ceramic | Dimensions: 4.4 x 4.4 x 2 inches | Capacity: 8 ounces

Best Decorative

The Pioneer Woman Flea Market 4-Inch Ramekin Set

$36 at Amazon $22 at Walmart

If you like to use ramekins for serving nuts, fruit, or other small snacks, this set of eight is a great option. The decorative design is a treat to look at, but these ramekins are more than beautiful—they’re made of durable stoneware that makes them extremely practical, too. In addition to serving snacks, condiments, dips, and arranging our mise en place, we were able to whip up cheese soufflés and mini chicken pot pies. We also tested these to make microwave mug cakes, crème brûlée, and baked eggs.

Of those, we noticed that the microwave mug cakes did not dry out much in these ramekins. They were able to retain moisture and made the mug cakes a real treat. The fluted edges helped with placing puff pastry atop the ramekins for chicken pot pies, and they cooked through in the stipulated time. During the oven tests for baked eggs, everything baked evenly. When it came to the soufflés, however, we found that the outer edges cooked fast and left the center a tad undercooked, but waiting for things to cook through in the center slightly dried out the outer edges.

The ramekins are smooth, and while we thought we might have trouble lifting them out of steaming water, the fluted edge helped us get them out safely. They were easy to load in the dishwasher and did not chip or lose their shine throughout testing.

Material: Stoneware | Dimensions: 4 x 6 inches | Capacity: 7 ounces

Best Stacking

Sweese Porcelain Ramekin Set

Orig. $20 $16 at Amazon View on Bed Bath & Beyond

If you need to be able to stack your ramekins when storing, we recommend this Sweese set. In our tests, we were able to securely stack four of these dishes together, though all six took a little some attention and care.  They did not wobble even when we moved the stacks around.  These ramekins hold 8 ounces filled up right to the brim, but they were difficult to move without spilling. For this reason, we think it's best to cap it at about 7.5 ounces.

We tested these by making single-serving chicken pot pies, baked eggs, cheese soufflé, and crème brûlée. The size was generous enough for a chicken pot pie and the cheese soufflé, but it was rather large for the crème brûlée. The dishes cooked through and did not scorch at the edges or leave the middle undercooked. The crème brûlée also cooked well and made a rather generous portion regardless. Through all of the tests, the side ridges made these easy to lift off when hot—an added bonus.

Material: Porcelain | Dimensions: 4 x 2.1 inches | Capacity: 7.5 ounces

Best Mini

DOWAN 4-Ounce Ramekins

$13 at Amazon $17 at Wayfair

Sometimes only a tiny ramekin will do, especially when it comes to the decadent desserts these little dishes are so ideal for. A portion of rich chocolate mousse can seem a bit scant in a bigger vessel, such as a 6-ounce ramekin, but in these diminutive dishes, they feel more abundant without bringing on bellyaches from too much dessert.

These Dowan 4-ounce ramekins are true to their capacity with room to spare. We used these to serve nuts, olives, and dips, and they worked fabulously for single portions of oeufs en cocotte and crème brûlée.  Everything baked evenly and they retained heat, while the classic style made an elegant presentation on the charcuterie board. We noticed that these were a bit smaller for savory soufflé dishes—we wanted something with a bit more capacity—but they worked well for decadent chocolate soufflé. In both sweet and savory soufflé applications, the batter rose evenly and did not dry out.

These ramekins stacked well and since they are small, we used them a lot for of mise en place, especially with herbs and spices. They were easy to clean with no chips or any signs of wear throughout the testing.

Material: Porcelain | Dimensions: 3.7 x 1.7 inches | Capacity: 4 ounces

Best for Crème Brûlée

DOWAN 6-Ounce Square Ramekins

$19 at Amazon $19 at Walmart

The modern straight lines, square shape, and relatively smaller size of the Dowan square ramekins made these very handy for food prep and serving individual portions of dips, desserts, and nibbles. But we particularly liked using these for making crème brûlée, as the wider dimension and shorter height allowed for an amazing caramelized sugar to custard ratio.

We also liked how versatile these ramekins are. We took them straight from the freezer to the oven and they held out well. The heat distribution is even, and everything we baked in these turned out the way it was supposed to. We tested their higher temperature range of 500 degrees and successfully broiled portions of vegetable and cheese casseroles. One downside here, however, was that the flatness and straight edges made them hard to grab from a bain-marie, so we used a strong metal flat spatula to lift them up.

The ramekins stack well for keeping in the kitchen cupboard to retrieve whenever needed. One thing to note: We did notice that the ramekins could only hold 5 ounces of liquid and not the 6 as the brand mentions.

Material: Porcelain | Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.3 inches | Capacity: 5 ounces