How to Make the Perfect Quiche

This is a perfect base quiche recipe and it’s all baked in a super flaky homemade pie crust. Use a combination of milk and heavy cream for the richest, creamiest filling and add your favorites such as bacon, feta cheese, ham, white cheddar cheese, crab meat, or spinach.

Often over-looked and underrated, quiche is a cornerstone brunch recipe. But don’t limit this dish to brunch! Quiche is fantastic for lunch, dinner, Easter supper, baby showers, bridal showers, potlucks, tea parties, and so much more. It’s my go-to food when I need a quick recipe that’s delicious, crowd-pleasing, and adaptable to what I have in the refrigerator.

This easy quiche recipe is simple, versatile, and consistently good.

What is Quiche?

Quiche is a savory egg custard baked in a flaky pie crust shell. Though you can certainly make a crustless quiche, too! The base of quiche filling are milk, cream, and eggs. The add-ins vary and can include meats, seafood, cheese, spices, and vegetables. One of the more popular quiche recipes is Quiche Lorraine, which combines bacon and cheese. Today I’m showing you how to make the perfect quiche with any add-ins you choose!

The Texture of a Perfect Quiche

Quiche is egg pie. But “egg pie” doesn’t sound particularly appealing, does it? Let’s talk about the texture of a perfect quiche, the kind I’m teaching you how to make. Perfect quiche is creamy and soft with textural contrast from ham, crispy bacon, or sautéed vegetables. Each forkful is undeniably rich, but has a light and delicate mouthfeel. Think of the main ingredient being milk/cream, not eggs.

Quiche is not a frittata with crust. Frittatas are sturdy and solid, while quiche is moist and melts in your mouth.

How to Make Quiche in 4 Steps

So now that we properly defined quiche and its texture, let’s dive into a perfect quiche recipe. I love quiche, so I’m REALLY excited about this!

1. Blind Bake Your Pie Crust – I teach you how in my blind baking pie crust tutorial, but scroll further down for a quick review.


2. Prepare Add-Ins – This includes cooking meats and vegetables, shredding cheese, etc.


3. Combine Eggs & Milk/Cream – Beat together, then whisk in the add-ins.


4. Bake – Pour filling into crust and bake until just about set, at least 45 minutes.

Let it cool a bit, then slice and serve. To freeze, cool baked quiche completely, then cover tightly with a couple sheets of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Quiche Recipe Ingredients

This quiche recipe requires:

1. Pie Crust – Don’t skimp on flavor and texture– make homemade pie crust. My favorite pie crust recipe is straightforward and you can make it ahead of time and freeze. One of my best baking tips is to always have pie dough in the freezer!


2. Heavy Cream and Milk – For the best tasting quiche, use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. (Or simply use half-and-half.) Using just heavy cream produces an overly thick filling. Whole milk is great, but a combo of heavy cream and milk is better.


3. Eggs – Use 4 eggs per 1 cup of milk. Some quiche recipes throw in an extra egg yolk or two, but I don’t find it necessary with the ratio of ingredients in my recipe.


4. Salt and Pepper – I don’t add salt to the filling if I’m using a salty add-in, such as cheese or ham. However, if you are making a plain quiche I recommend both.

Add-Ins

Most quiche add-ins should be pre-cooked and can still be warm when mixing into the egg filling. I recommend patting them dry before using because excess moisture will create a soupy quiche. Spinach, kale, bell pepper, and tomatoes can be fresh, but you can definitely sauté them first if desired. Some of my favorite quiche add-ins:

• goat cheese


• cooked cubed ham


• bacon


• caramelized onions


• sautéed mushrooms


• sautéed chopped asparagus


• chopped fresh parsley

Stick to 1/2 – 1 cup cheese and up to 2 cups vegetables and/or meat add-ins. (Fresh spinach packs down, so you can go heavy on it.)

Partially Blind Bake the Pie Crust

Pie recipes call for a raw pie crust, a fully baked pie crust, or a partially baked pie crust. For example, deep dish apple pie bakes the filling and crust at the same time. Coconut cream pie has a no-bake filling, so it requires a fully baked pie crust shell. Quiche, on the other hand, can bake in a raw pie crust but it will likely taste soggy. So let’s partially pre-bake it, also known as blind baking pie crust.

1. Make pie dough ahead of time, then refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to make the pie. Pie crust must chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out.


2. Roll it out, then fit into your 9-inch pie dish. Crimp or flute the edges.


3. Chill the shaped pie crust for at least 30 minutes. This prevents shrinking. Remember that pie dough must be cold.


4. Fill with pie weights. As the pie dough bakes, its fat will melt. The melting fat causes the pie crust to shrink down the sides of the pie dish. To prevent the pie dough from completely losing its shape, weigh it down with pie weights. Carefully line the pie dough with parchment paper first, then pour in pie weights or even dry beans. (Note: 2 packs of these pie weights is needed!)


5. Bake until the edges are lightly brown, about 15 minutes.


6. Remove pie weights, then prick the crust with a fork.


7. Bake crust for about 8 more minutes.


8. Fill with quiche filling, then bake the quiche.

Pie crust edges usually begin over-browning, so a pie crust shield is helpful. I always recommend a pie shield with any/every pie recipe.

Quiche Recipes:

Now that you’re fully prepped with all this quiche info, let’s bake! Here are 3 new quiche recipes for you and each are pictured above. Follow the quiche baking instructions in the recipe below. Leave out the added 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk these add-ins into the egg/cream mixture in step 4. After baking the quiche, top with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese or any cheese used in the filling. Feel free to add a small handful of fresh herbs such as chopped parsley, dill, or basil. I served each of these with homemade hollandaise sauce and definitely didn’t regret it. 🙂

• Crab, Old Bay, & Gruyere: 1 and 1/2 cups fresh jumbo lump crabmeat (it’s sold as “fresh” but it is always pre-cooked), 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, dash of hot sauce.


• Bacon, White Cheddar, & Scallion: 6-8 cooked and crumbled bacon slices, 1 cup white cheddar cheese, 3 Tablespoons chopped scallion.


• Ham, Spinach, & Feta: 1 cup cooked and cubed ham, 3 cups chopped fresh spinach (sauté for a few minutes with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat), 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.

I have these favorite quiche recipes too:

• Spinach Cheese Quiche – simple & classic!


• Goat Cheese Spinach Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

Which flavor combinations will you try? I’d love to hear some new ideas because I bake quiche on the regular. Love having one in the freezer. Have fun customizing your own!!

What to Serve with Quiche

Here’s what I serve with quiche. It’s usually 1 or more of the following:

• Fruit Salad, Bacon, or Sausage


• Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts


• Nutella-Stuffed Muffins


• Cinnamon Rolls


• Blueberry Muffins or Banana Muffins


• Strawberry Bacon Salad


• Sour Cream Crumb Cake

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Quiche Recipe

★★★★★
4.8 from 4 reviews

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  Author: Sally


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  Prep Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes


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  Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes


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  Total Time: 4 hours


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  Yield: serves 8


• 
  Category: Breakfast


• 
  Method: Baking


• 
  Cuisine: American

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Description

This is a perfect base quiche recipe and it’s all baked in a super flaky homemade pie crust. Use a combination of milk and heavy cream for the richest, creamiest filling and add your favorites such as bacon, feta cheese, ham, white cheddar cheese, crab meat or spinach.

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Ingredients

• 1 unbaked Flaky Pie Crust (what I used) or All Butter Pie Crust*


• 4 large eggs


• 1/2 cup whole milk*


• 1/2 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream*


• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper*


• up to 1 cup shredded or crumbled cheese (see recipe note)


• up to 2 cups add-ins (see recipe note)


• optional toppings for serving: extra cheese, chopped herbs, hollandaise sauce, & freshly ground pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin the quiche. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).


2. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Partially blind bake your pie crust. Follow blind baking instructions through step 9. Step 4 is optional, though that step guarantees thick pie crust edges. Crust can still be warm when you pour in the filling. (You can partially pre-bake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover cooled crust tightly and refrigerate until ready to fill.)


3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).


4. In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper together on high speed until completely combined, about 1 minute. Whisk in add-ins.


5. Bake the quiche until the center is just about set, about 45-55 minutes. Don’t over-bake. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the pie crust edges from over-browning. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Top with optional toppings before slicing and serving, if desired. Or you can cool the quiche completely before serving– it’s fantastic at room temperature!


6. This quiche makes great leftovers! Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The pie dough can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can pre-bake the crust ahead of time too. See end of step 2. To freeze, cool baked quiche completely, then cover tightly with a couple sheets of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20-25 minutes.


2. Pie Crust: Both linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You only need 1 crust for this pie, so freeze the 2nd half for another use.


3. Whole Milk & Heavy Cream: Use this combination for best taste. If desired, use 1 cup of half-and-half instead.


4. Cheese: Some favorites include feta cheese, goat cheese, white cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and gruyere.


5. Add-Ins: Add up to 2 cups add-ins including vegetables and meat/seafood. Most quiche add-ins should be pre-cooked and can still be warm when mixing into the egg filling. Pat dry prior to mixing in. See blog post for more information.


6. Added Salt: Reduce or leave out salt if your add-ins and cheese are particularly salty. For example, in the 3 recipes listed in the next note, I don’t even add salt!


7. Quiche Recipes: Leave out added salt, then whisk in these ingredients in step 4. Crab, Old Bay, & Gruyere: 1 and 1/2 cups fresh jumbo lump crabmeat (it’s sold as “fresh” but it is always pre-cooked), 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, and dash of hot sauce. Bacon, White Cheddar, & Scallion: 6-8 cooked and crumbled bacon slices, 1 cup white cheddar cheese, and 3 Tablespoons chopped scallion. Ham, Spinach, & Feta: 1 cup cooked and cubed ham, 3 cups chopped fresh spinach (sauté for a few minutes with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat), and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.

Keywords: quiche, brunch

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