Explainer
What Is a Ramekin?
A ramekin is a small, oven-safe dish for single portions. Learn its origin, usual sizes, materials and what it is used for.
The word ramekin first named a food, not a dish: a small baked portion of cheese, egg or meat, and only later the little mould it was baked in. Today the name covers any small, straight-sided, oven-safe dish made to hold one serving, and the useful questions are how big it is, what it is made of and what it can do that an ordinary bowl cannot.
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A small dish built for one portion
A ramekin is a small, circular dish used to bake and serve individual portions. The classic version is white, glazed ceramic, with straight sides that are often fluted on the outside. It is strongly tied to French cooking, especially crème brûlée, soufflé and French onion soup.
The name traces back to a Dutch word for a toasted or roasted minced-meat dish, and from there to the French ramequin, a cheese- or meat-based dish baked in a small mould. Over time the word came to describe both the single-serve recipe and the dish it was cooked in, and the dish is the meaning that survived.
Materials, sizes and shapes you will find
Ceramic and porcelain are the traditional choices, and both are normally oven-proof. Most ramekins hold somewhere between about 2 and 12 ounces, with 4 to 6 ounces the common range for a standard set and a diameter of roughly 3 to 4 inches. Novelty shapes such as hearts, flowers and stars exist, and these are worth checking for temperature limits before they go in the oven.
For sets compared on capacity, lids and glaze, see the best ramekins. The table below sets out how the main materials differ.
| Material | Main trait | Suits |
|---|
| Ceramic | Oven-proof, holds heat well | Baking, then serving hot |
| Porcelain | Ceramic family, often chip-resistant | Everyday baking and serving |
| Glass | Similar to ceramic, see-through | Showing off layered desserts |
| Silicone | Flexible and non-stick | Individual frittatas, quiches |
What ramekins are used for
Dessert is the traditional job, but a ramekin works anywhere a single portion needs to be baked, served or simply held. The uses fall into a few groups.
- Custards and soufflés: crème brûlée, chocolate pudding and molten chocolate cake
- Egg dishes: shirred eggs, individual quiches and small omelets
- Baked savory portions: French onion soup, macaroni cheese and small pot pies
- Sauces and dips: aioli, salsa, ketchup and other condiments at the table
- Prep and snacks: pre-measured spices, nuts, olives or a single serving of ice cream
Why a ramekin is not just a small bowl
Technically a ramekin is a bowl, since both are high-sided dishes for food. The difference is function: a bowl serves a wide range of foods, while a ramekin is made to cook an individual portion and then go straight to the table in the same dish.
The straight sides matter for batters that need to climb, because they help a soufflé mixture rise in height. Nearly all ramekins are also built to take oven heat, which an everyday serving bowl may not be, so check the maker's temperature limit for any specialty or novelty piece before baking.