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Basic Quiche Recipe – A Couple Cooks

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This quiche recipe features a hearty, savory filling encased in a flaky pastry crust! Brunch just got better.

Quiche Recipe

It’s savory, hearty and works for breakfast, brunch, or a light dinner: it’s quiche! A good quiche recipe can move mountains (we think). We’ve become obsessed with honing the perfect recipe and discovering all the best tips and fillings. This quiche has a simple filling of onion, garlic, spinach and sundried tomato, and it’s encased in a golden flaky pastry crust. Try this filling idea or use it as a base for your own variation (see below). Here’s what to do!

How to make quiche (overview)

A quiche is a French tart filled with custard and savory fillings. It’s become a classic brunch recipe in the Western world, stuffed with fillings from cheese to spinach to bacon (quiche Lorraine).

This classic quiche recipe comes together in less than 2 hours, made completely from scratch with a homemade quiche crust. Or, you can use store-bought refrigerated pie crust as a shortcut. Here’s what to expect:

Make the quiche crust (or use purchased) 20 minutes, active
Freeze the dough 15 minutes, inactive
Blind bake the dough + make the filling 30 minutes, active
Bake the quiche 40 to 50 minutes, inactive

Quiche recipe filling

This quiche recipe has a basic formula that you can use for creating filling variations of your choice! It’s got a custard base, then various vegetable fillings. If you want to add more volume of veggies, you can remove one egg from the mixture (see below). Keep in mind that most vegetables should be sauteed, but some you can use raw (green onion, sundried tomato, and bell pepper). Here’s what’s in this basic quiche recipe filling:

  • Custard: 5 large eggs, ¾ cup milk, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon each dried mustard and oregano, salt and pepper
  • Sauteed vegetables: Butter, ¼ cup minced white onion, 2 garlic cloves, 3 cups baby spinach
  • Raw vegetables: 2 green onions, ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes
  • Cheese: ¾ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Quiche recipe

For the quiche crust

The best way to make a quiche recipe is with homemade quiche crust! However, you can use purchased refrigerated pie dough if you prefer. There are pros and cons to each method.

  • Homemade crust holds its shape better and tastes better.  This quiche crust tastes so much better than store-bought: it’s more buttery and flaky. It can also hold a crimped crust better (at least with the purchased brands we’ve tested!).
  • Purchased crust is faster, but can lose its shape. Purchased crust works too! It’s not quite as delicious, but it comes close. We’ve had some issues with refrigerated pie dough holding its shape, so we recommend using the shape where you press the fork tines into the crust (see photo below).
Breakfast Quiche
With purchased quiche crust, it’s easiest to fold the crust back and press in fork tines to decorate. This pattern holds its shape better than crimping.

Blind baking the crust is key

The biggest key to making a quiche? Blind bake the crust! This means you bake the pastry crust without the filling first to avoid a soggy bottom. This is essential with quiche because the filling is so liquid (but not required with say, apple pie which has a chunkier filling). Here’s how to blind bake a crust:

  • Prick holes with a fork all over the crust. This is called docking: it helps keep the crust from puffing up while in the oven without filling. (Make sure to dock gently so you don’t create holes in the dough!)
  • Add parchment paper then pie weights, dried beans, or rice! Pour them right into the crust. We use two sets of these pie weights. Bake for 12 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F.
  • Remove the pie weights. Remove the weights and bake 20 to 25 more minutes until the crust is golden. Then the quiche is ready to fill.
How to make quiche

How to make a pie crust shield

For this quiche recipe, you’ll also need to use a pie crust shield. This tool prevents pie crust from burning in the oven by covering just the crust, allowing the filling to bake normally. There are two options for a pie crust shield:

  • Make a pie crust shield with aluminum foil. Cut a hole in the center of a large sheet of foil that’s the diameter of your pie plate. The foil will rest on the crust, but allow the filling to bake uncovered. Here’s a video with instructions for more details.
  • Or, buy a metal pie crust shield. Here’s a link to buy a pie crust shield online.
Quiche recipe

Quiche recipe ideas (variations)

There are so many different ways to fill a quiche! Here are a few classic flavors:

Spinach: Use 4 eggs instead of 5 and increase to 1 teaspoon kosher salt in the custard. For the filling, keep the onion and garlic. Add 8 ounces defrosted frozen spinach with all liquid squeezed out (no need to saute). See this Spinach Quiche recipe.

Broccoli: Use 4 eggs instead of 5. For the filling, saute 2 cups very small broccoli florets with the onion and garlic and an extra ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.

Asparagus: Use 4 eggs instead of 5. For the filling, saute 4 ounces asparagus (about 8 thin stalks) with the onion and garlic, and an extra ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Use smoked gouda cheese instead of cheddar and top with feta crumbles instead of Parmesan. See this Asparagus Quiche recipe.

Breakfast quiche: Use 4 eggs instead of 5 and increase to 1 teaspoon kosher salt in the custard. Remove the onion and garlic. Add 1 cup (4 ounces) frozen or refrigerated hashbrowns to the bottom of the crust. Top with 2 sliced green onions, ¼ cup finely diced red pepper and feta cheese crumbles instead of Parmesan.

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This quiche recipe is…

Vegetarian.

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Description

This quiche recipe features a hearty, savory filling encased in a flaky pastry crust! Brunch just got better.


  • 1 Homemade Quiche Crust (made through Step 4) or 1 refrigerated pie dough
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup white onion, finely minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • ¾ teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt, divided
  • 5 large eggs
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon dried mustard
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • ⅓ cup chopped sundried tomatoes


  1. Prepare the crust: If using Homemade Quiche Crust, prepare it in the pie pan using the steps in the linked recipe. If using refrigerated pie dough, transfer the dough to the pie pan (make sure it is standard and not deep dish). Fold the overhanging dough backwards and seal it to form a rim. With refrigerated crust, it’s easiest to press in the tines of the fork to decorate the edges (like in this asparagus quiche; it’s harder to get the crimped edges to keep their shape while baking). Use a fork to gently prick holes in the bottom and sides of the crust (which helps it to not puff up while blind baking).
  2. Freeze the crust: Freeze the crust in the pan for 15 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  4. Blind bake the crust at 400°F: Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the crust. Fill the dough with pie weights (we used two sets of these), dry beans, or dry rice. Bake for 12 minutes.
  5. Reduce the oven temperature and blind bake at 350°F: Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and carefully remove the parchment and weights. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned (or more if necessary for refrigerated pie crust). Remove from the oven and add the filling once it is ready.
  6. Prepare the filling: Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
  7. Make the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, dried mustard, dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds black pepper. Place the cheddar and Parmesan cheese in bottom of the crust, followed by the sliced green onions and sundried tomatoes (saving out a few to sprinkle on top). Add an even mix of the spinach, onion and garlic. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle the top with another handful of shredded cheese and the reserved green onions and sundried tomatoes.
  8. Bake: Add a pie crust shield (purchased or homemade with foil*). Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes minutes, until the center is set and the top is lightly browned. Cool at least 30 minutes, then serve or refrigerate. Re-warm in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. (You can also serve it cold.) Leftovers stay for 5 days refrigerated.

Notes

*To make your own crust shield, cut a hole in the center of a large sheet of foil that’s the diameter of your pie plate. The foil will rest on the crust but let the pie filling be uncovered. Here’s a video with instructions for more details.

  • Category: Brunch
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: French inspired
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Quiche recipe, how to make quiche, how to make a quiche

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