Easy Quiche
by Chungah
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The easiest homemade quiche (using store-bought pie dough) with a creamy silky custard and a flaky golden brown crust. Make with any filling!
reasons to make this easy quiche recipe
- Classy and elegant. Homemade quiche is classy and elegant, perfect to serve to family, friends and company.
- Easier to make than you think. Making a quiche at home is much easier to make than you think, especially when using convenient shortcuts such as store-bought pie crust and these easy to follow tips and tricks below.
- Great make-ahead dish. Quiche is an excellent candidate to be made ahead of time as it can be served cold (and is just as delicious if not preferred by most!).
- So customizable. The choice of fillings and toppings are endless, making this recipe so customizable to suit personal preferences and dietary restrictions.
What is a quiche?
A quiche is a French dish featuring a pastry crust, a savory baked egg custard (made with eggs, cream or milk, or both), and various additions such as cheese, vegetables and meat. Quiche can be served hot, warm or cold.
Quiche vs. frittata
Both quiche and frittata are made with an egg base, but a frittata does not have a crust like a quiche. Frittatas are also a bit more dense and firmer, similar to a thick, fluffy omelette.
key ingredients to make the perfect quiche
Pie dough
Store-bought pie dough sizes seem to keep shrinking these days so this recipe calls for 1 package of premade pie crust, utilizing both pie crusts. This allows for more leeway and running room for a prettier crimped edge to fit into a slightly larger quiche dish.
Eggs
The eggs provide the base and foundation for the most perfect quiche, serving as a binder to hold everything together for a creamy, savory custard.
Milk
Milk, half and half, or heavy cream can be used for quiche. Half and half will give you the best of both worlds – a rich, creamy consistency without it being too heavy. Whole milk can be used for a lighter quiche, whereas heavy cream can be used for maximum creaminess and richness.
Flour
Adding a little bit of all-purpose flour (1 TBS) helps absorb some of the moisture, keeping the quiche from curdling, and ensuring a creamy consistency throughout the quiche.
Filling
Bacon and spinach is a classic quiche filling combination, but various meat and vegetable options can also be added or swapped out as needed.
Cheese
Gruyere cheese is ideal for its nutty, savory, creamy textures, but cheddar, Swiss, fontina, goat or feta cheese also work very well here.
how to make quiche
- Blind bake. Roll, fit and crimp the pie dough (using both pie doughs) into the quiche dish, freezing for 10 minutes first (the pie crust needs to be chilled to prevent shrinking or losing its shape in the oven). Add pie weights and blind bake the crust for 5 minutes.
- Make the custard. Mix together the eggs and dairy choice (milk, half and half or heavy cream), precooking any fillings, if needed.
- Fill the pie crust and bake. Transfer the fillings, cheese and custard into the assembled pie crust, and bake until the edges are set and the center has a slight wobble, checking for doneness early around the 35 minute mark. Baking time can vary by crust type and depth of pie plate used.
- Let cool. Let the quiche rest for at least 10 minutes to fully set.
quiche combinations
Quiche Lorraine
Bacon and gruyere or Swiss cheese
Spinach and feta
Sautéed spinach and crumbled feta cheese
Ham and Swiss
Cooked diced ham, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese
Brocoli and cheddar
Cooked (steamed or roasted) broccoli florets and sharp cheddar cheese
Vegetables
Caramelized onions, sautéed bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms or root vegetables
Leafy greens
Sautéed spinach, Swiss chard, kale, arugula, or watercress
Add-ins
Dijon mustard, fresh herbs (ex. dill, thyme, rosemary, basil or parsley) and various spices (ex. nutmeg, paprika or crushed red pepper flakes)
tips and tricks for success
- Use a different cheese. Gruyere is a quintessential choice for quiche but Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack and fontina are all great alternatives. Avoid wet cheeses such as mozzarella as it can lead to a soggy quiche.
- Bake on the bottom rack. This will ensure that the pie crust will get crisp and golden-brown throughout, preventing that dreaded soggy bottom.
- Foil the crust. If the crust browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
- Let the quiche cool. This allows the quiche to fully set and firm up, letting the residual heat finish cooking the quiche and allowing for clean slices.
- Bake until the center still jiggles a little. You want a slight wobble in the center of the quiche, similar to Jello.
- Make ahead of time. The crust can be blind baked up to 2 days ahead of time (covered tightly and stored at room temperature) or the quiche can be assembled and baked up to 2 days in advance (stored in the fridge), and can be served at room temperature or warmed at 300°F.
pro tip
Blind bake the crust.
Blind baking is known as pre-baking the crust to hold its shape, essentially giving the pie crust a head start to avoid a soggy bottom particularly with wet (liquid-heavy) custard fillings. This process generally involves pie weights such as ceramic balls or even dried beans to hold down the pie crust, preventing the dough from puffing up or bubbling.
Easy Quiche: Frequently Asked Questions
Blind baking, also known as pre-baking, is the process of baking a pie crust prior to adding the custard, preventing that dreaded soggy bottom.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Yes! The quiche crust can be blind baked up to 2 days in advance, covered tightly and stored at room temperature, or the quiche can be assembled and baked up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge, serving at room temperature or reheating at 300°F until warmed through.
When serving warm, allow the quiche to cool for at least 10 minutes to let the custard set. This will allow the quiche to cut and serve easily with clean slices throughout.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating at 300°F until warmed through.
Easy Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 (14.1-ounce) package rolled pie dough
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 slices bacon, diced
- 12 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces freshly grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Unroll both pie doughs on a lightly floured surface. Brush 1 pie dough lightly with 1 1/2 teaspoons water. Place remaining pie dough on top, rolling to a 15-inch circle.
- Using a sharp knife, trim dough to a 12-inch circle, discarding the trimmings or rolling for another use.
- Transfer dough to a 10-inch quiche dish, pressing in the bottom and up the sides, folding the excess dough into the sides of the dish. Lightly press and crimp the edges around the dish.
- Using a fork, pierce the bottom of the dough. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Arrange an oven rack on the lowest part of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper, filling with pie weights.
- Place into oven and bake for 5 minutes; let stand 5-10 minutes before removing pie weights and parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, flour, Dijon, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat, reserving 1 tablespoon in the skillet; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Working in batches, add spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and excess liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in green onions; remove from heat.
- Stir in bacon; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let cool 5-10 minutes.
- Add spinach mixture evenly into the pie crust; sprinkle with cheese.
- Pour egg mixture into the pie crust.
- Place into oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, and the center is almost set and jiggling slightly, about 40-45 minutes.
- Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
Equipment
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