The Best Quiche Recipe

Quiche is a must make for any holiday breakfast or brunch. From the flaky pie crust to the creamy egg filling, this recipe is not only easy to make but downright delicious! 

Quiche is a classic French recipe made with eggs and cream baked into a flaky pie crust. It is a basic recipe that everyone should have in their arsenal and is really quite easy to master. When paired with a Strawberry Spinach Salad, Homemade Cream Cheese Danish, and fresh fruit, quiche rounds out the most delightful brunch.

The Best Quiche Recipe

If there was ever a quintessential brunch recipe, it has to be quiche. I think every brunch I have ever attended has at least one variety of quiche available.

It has to be because people LOVE quiche. What is not to love?

Fluffy eggs baked into a perfect pie crust and seasoned with just about anything your heart desires, quiches always hit the spot. They are full of healthy protein, and have a creamy filling finished with a crisp crust--the perfect contrast in textures.

Plus quiche really is the PERFECT option for brunch when entertaining, as it is typically inexpensive and easy to make, and it can be served warm or at room temperature.

Key Ingredients

Quiche can be made in a variety of flavors, but it starts with three essential things.

• Pie Crust: For the pie crust, you can use a homemade pie crust or a pre-made frozen or refrigerated pie crust.
• Egg Mixture: The best quiche fillings are made with a combination of eggs, cream, and seasonings. This is NOT the time to use low-fat milk, but you can use half and half or whole milk in place of the heavy cream with delicious results.
• The Filling: The ideas for flavors for quiches are endless. To select the best filling for quiches you should keep a few things in mind. Limit filling choices to a total of 2 cups total volume, as this ensures there is enough room in pastry crust for egg mixture and fillings without bubbling over. It is also best to saute or blanch vegetables prior to adding to a quiche filling. Pre-cooking the vegetables helps to rid the veggies of extra moisture which can make your quiche crust soggy and your filling bland.

How to Make Quiche

Step One: Prepare Crust

• Roll out pastry dough into ¼ inch thick circle.
• Place crust into a 9-inch pie pan.
• Using your fingers (or sides of a fluted pie plate), trim and crimp the edges.
• Brush pie crust with an egg wash using a pastry brush, to help seal the pie crust--this keeps the pie crust from getting soggy!
• Place pie dough into the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Step Two: Prepare Egg Mixture

• Whisk together eggs with cream, onion powder, salt and pepper until creamy and well combined. You can alternatively blend your quiche base in a blender or food processor for an ultra smooth filling.
• Gently tap bowl (or blender) on counter to remove some air bubbles that may have formed in eggs while whisking.

Step Three: Assemble Filling

• Remove the prepared pie crust from the refrigerator and sprinkle your desired combination of fillings evenly over the crust. Remember, do not use more than 2 cups total.
• Pour the egg mixture over the fillings.
• Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

Step Four: Bake Quiche

• Bake the quiche until the eggs are just about set, but a still have some wiggle in the center. This translates to a filling that is creamy and silky, not rubbery and tough.
• Be sure to check your crust after 25 minutes of baking to determine if the crust is browning too much. At this point, you can use a pie crust shield or a foil to shield your crust from further browning if needed. Here's a handy step-by-step directions on how to make a foil shield for you pie crusts.
• Let your quiche cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

How to Store Quiche

Once your quiche is baked and cooled wrap in plastic wrap and then foil to seal out moisture and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 250-degree oven for 20 minutes or serve cold if desired. Microwaving leftover quiche may result in tough eggs and a soggy crust so is not the preferred reheating method.

How to Freeze Quiche

To freeze a baked quiche, place the cooled quiche into the freezer and freeze until solid. Once frozen, wrap quiche in foil and place in a plastic freezer bag, removing air before sealing. To reheat, remove from freezer bag remove foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until just warmed through.

If you want to freeze quiche unbaked, place full quiche on a flat surface in the freezer and freeze until solid. Once frozen, wrap quiche in foil and place in a plastic freezer bag, removing air before sealing. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer bag and keep top of quiche covered with foil. Baked for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Uncover the foil from quiche and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Quiche Flavor Options

• Ham and Cheddar Use 1 cup chopped cooked ham and 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese in the filling. This is a great time to use leftover Instant Pot Ham or Baked Ham.
• Mushroom and Asparagus  Add ⅔ cups sauteed mushrooms, ⅓ cup blanched asparagus tips, and ⅓-1/2 cup shredded cheese to the pie crust before adding the egg mixture.
• Sausage and Cheese: For the add-ins, use 1 cup browned breakfast sausage and 1 cup cheddar or Swiss cheese.
• Spinach: Add ½ cup defrosted and drained chopped frozen spinach (or 4 cups fresh spinach sauteed and drained of excess moisture), along with ½ cup to 1 cup Swiss cheese to the pie crust before adding the egg mixture.
• Olive and Feta: For the filling, use ¼ cup chopped Kalamative olives, ¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers, and ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese. 

Favorite Brunch Recipes

• Easy Overnight French Toast Casserole
• Easy Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
• Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
• Maple Candied Bacon
• Asparagus Frittata
• Spinach Frittata

Once you master the basics, let your imagination guide you as create your own combination for quiche fillings. This recipe is perfect for entertaining but also great for a light dinner or lunch at home. And let me know in the comments what flavor combination you used--I love hearing from you!