Identification of the protein constituents of cell organelles forms the basis for studies to define the roles of specific proteins in organelle structure and functions. Over the past decade, the use of mass spectrometry-based proteomics has dissected various organelles and allowed the association of many novel proteins with particular organelles. This review chronicles the evolution of organelle proteomics technology, and discusses how many limitations, such as organelle heterogeneity and purity, can be avoided with recently developed quantitative profiling approaches. Although many challenges remain, quantitative profiling of organelles holds the promise to begin to address the complex and dynamic shuttling of proteins among organelles that will be critical for application of this advanced technology to disease-based changes in organelle function.