Carrot Souffle for Kids & Adults

My daughter is a great eater, but feeding her still comes with a few challenges. Although she enjoys most of the food we do, it is only just recently that she's gotten most of her teeth and can handle chewing heavier foods. Before she had molars I often had to mince her food into small pieces so that it wouldn't be a choking hazzard.

One day last winter, watching me break up my daughter's steamed vegetables into itty-bitty pieces, my friend Nicole offered up a recipe for Carrot Souffle. Since carrots definitely fall into the category of hard-to-chew food for small children, this souffle was the perfect solution. It is soft and malleable, well-suited for a toddler's palate, but adult enough that the whole family can enjoy it. Given that my food philosophy is exactly that - we all eat "adult" food and I refuse to be a short order cook - I knew it was right up my alley.


The popularity of this dish in my house is evident when I say that I started making this a year ago and am still doing so to this day. When I made it last week I was able to find a big fat bunch of organic carrots at farmers market since it's peak root vegetable season. After that, making the souffle while my daughter napped was a snap. It helped that I recently got a new Cuisinart Mini-Chopper, a gift from the BlogHer Food conference. As you can see below I didn't actually need one - the antiquated chopper on the right still worked like a champ - but I wasted no time introducing it to my kitchen. It has a bigger work bowl (4 cups!) and is easier to clean - both things any busy home cook can stand by. (Also, don't worry, I merely put the old chopper in storage, I couldn't bear to throw it out in such perfect working condition).


Making this is so easy that the hardest part of the assembly is pressing the chop button on the food processor for a minute or so. Then, I mix the remaining ingredients with the carrots in a big bowl, pour it in the baking pan and pop it in the oven. Over the course of the baking time the souffle puffs up slightly and turns a beautiful burnished orange. When I take it out the edges are slightly pulled away from the sides and the corners lightly browned. My husband and I agree that the souffle tastes like candied carrots, along the same lines as candied sweet potatoes. It is not overly sweet, but the touch of sugar in it makes the carrot flavor pop, along with the delicious addition of cinnamon and nutmeg.


This dish is such a regular staple in our house I can't believe it has taken me this long to write about it. In addition to the adults and toddlers loving it, it is fantastic food for babies or teething toddlers with sore gums. One mother I know even made it for her daughter after she'd had a particularly painful braces tightening! Although we are mostly finished with teething these days, I know this dish will remain in my family menu repertoire for quite a while. It is food that transcends age and rank, appealing to everyone in my household. And that is something every Naptime Chef can stand behind.

Carrot Souffle for Kids & Adults
1 lb. carrots, finely chopped
8 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c. whole milk
1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. vanilla
1 dash of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
2. Peel carrots and trim the ends. Finely chop them in a food processor.
3. In a separate bowl add the butter, eggs and milk, stir well. Add in the flour, sugar and spices and mix to combine. Then add the carrots and mix well until everything is incorporated.
4. Pour carrot mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake for 1hr 10 min, or until the edges are browned and pulled away from the side.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: This is a great way to serve your family carrots, a wonderful vegetable loaded with important vitamins, in a form that is easy for even the tiniest mouth to consume. I like to play with the spices from times to time and you should too, there are endless variations to the basic souffle.
Naptime Stopwatch: Other than chopping the carrots, this souffle takes about 5 minutes to make, plus baking time. It is well worth the time for such a large dish that will feed the family for a few days.
Naptime Notes: As noted above, this is a family favorite.