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. You can also try my mini quiche recipe in a mini muffin pan, too!
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!
Video Tutorial: How to Make Homemade Quiche
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.
Overview: How to Make Quiche
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!
- Blind Bake Your Pie Crust – I teach you in my how to blind bake pie crust tutorial, but scroll further down for a quick review.
- Prepare Add-Ins – This includes cooking meats and vegetables, shredding cheese, etc.
- Combine Eggs & Milk/Cream – Beat together, then whisk in the add-ins.
- 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:
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, 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 a blind bake pie crust.
- 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.
- Roll it out, then fit into your 9-inch pie dish. Crimp or flute the edges.
- Chill the shaped pie crust for at least 30 minutes. This prevents shrinking. Remember that pie dough must be cold.
- 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!)
- Bake until the edges are lightly brown, about 15 minutes.
- Remove pie weights, then prick the crust with a fork.
- Bake crust for about 8 more minutes.
- 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), 1 cup crumbled feta cheese.
I have these favorite quiche recipes too:
- Spinach Cheese Quiche – simple & classic!
- Goat Cheese Spinach Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
- Mini 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
- New York-Style Crumb Cake
For even more inspiration, see 18+ of my favorite Easter brunch recipes—which includes this quiche, of course!
Print
Quiche Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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.
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*
- 1 cup shredded or crumbled cheese such as feta, cheddar, goat cheese, or gruyere
- up to 2 cups add-ins (see recipe note)
- optional toppings for serving: extra cheese, chopped herbs, hollandaise sauce, & freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare 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).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the disks of chilled dough (use the 2nd pie crust for another recipe). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. Chill the pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes.
- While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Partially blind bake: Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15-16 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the pie crust to the oven. Bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (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.)
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
- 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 and then pour into crust.
- 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!
- This quiche makes great leftovers! Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- Mini Quiche: Here is my mini quiche recipe and instructions.
- Whole Milk & Heavy Cream: Use this combination for best taste. If desired, use 1 cup of half-and-half instead.
- Cheese: Some favorites include feta cheese, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and gruyere.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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 1 cup crumbled feta cheese.
Keywords: quiche, brunch
Lovely recipe! I’ve got one dairy-free person in the house…any tips for a dairy-free friendly version? I thought of maybe using coconut milk and just omitting the cheese as the egg should still set up around the other add-ins, but I would love any tips on quantities or other DF ideas!
Such a great base for any quiche. I admit I used a store bought crust, and it was fine. I sautéed bacon and mushrooms as add-ins with green onions and Parmesan cheese. We will enjoy this on Christmas morning!
★★★★★
Good recipe. Added a boatload of veg and tomatoes. Awesome recipe.
I used this as a base for an outdoor holiday brunch. I bought pie crust because everything got changed last minute because of COVID. Rolled out the bought crust a bit, used a mix of sautéed leeks, wilted spinach, feta, smoked salmon and a dill/parsley/chive herb mixture and it was perfection. Next time I’ll make my own crust using your fool proof recipe, I just didn’t have enough time.
★★★★★
I live in a 5th wheel and use a propane oven. Your recipe is great! Because the heat of the flame is so much closer to the bottom of the pan I have adjusted bake times to 10 mins blind baking the crust and I start with 30 mins baking the quiche and carefully monitor it after that. Best quiche recipe I have tried!
can this quiche be made with a soft garlic herb cheese such as Alouette?
Hi Teresa, my team and I haven’t tested it to be certain. It could probably work. The quiche may need an extra few minutes in the oven.
I will be trying one of your recipes for Xmas morning! So don’t have a rating yet. However all comments seem very encouraging. Can’t wait!
What’s a Quiche is missing the origin of the dish which is French. I always to cook/ bake the authentic version when preparinv a new fish and I found it helpful to know where the dish comes from.
★★★★
I gotta say this was SO DELICIOUS!!! I left the pie crust overnight and it still was a little too soft to work with, anyone know why? Maybe flour the work area a little more? It was really delicious
★★★★★
Hi Daniela! Yes, flouring your work surface will help if the dough is sticking. So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Sally! I was wondering in regards to using beans for a weight- how much beans would you recommend? Also, once the beans have been cooked so should I be tossing them away or are they still usable? Thank you so much!
Hi Revi, You’ll want to fill the pie dish with beans mostly full. The beans are likely going to be too dry to cook and eat afterwards, but you can save them for use as pie weights again in the future!
Hi Sally! I have used many of your recipes over the last few yrs ! Havent had a bad one yet! when I freeze it for lets say a wk from now am I feezing the baked quiche already of raw?? and how do I cook it for that morning is it thawed first? thank you Liz
Hi Liz! Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes. To freeze quiche, 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. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, look s great, I was wondering if I can make this recipe with mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes and spinach? Should I precook the tomatoes?
Can I make these in a silicone tartlett mould?
Thanks!!!
Hi Silvia, sounds delicious! Tomatoes can be fresh, but you can definitely sauté them first if desired. We haven’t tested this recipe in a silicone tartlett mold, but let us know if you do!
Hello. This looks amazing! I am looking forward to trying it. I have never made a quiche in my life. Can it be made in a springform pan? If so, do I need to adjust the amount of dough for the crust?
Hi Rosemary, You can make this in a spring form pan, but the dough won’t come all the way to the top. Enjoy!
Fantastic! This was my first quiche effort but it could not be better: I layered a very generous cup of shredded gruyere on the bottom , then a layer of oven roasted sweet Vidalia onions. The other add-ins were lightly roasted asparagus and chives with basil garnish and a generous topping of shredded parmesan. Something possessed me to add an extra egg ( so five in total). The crust was perfection. Trying again tomorrow with fresh lobster , scallion and gruyere. Thank you !!
★★★★★
Can this quiche be made crustless?
Hi Jeannine, you can skip the crust. Bake time will be a little shorter. We also have a crustless veggie quiche recipe too if you’re interested.
Short on time today but can I use a frozen pie crust. I know it won’t be as delicious as yours if so does it need to be prebaked some?
Hi Jeanie, You can use a frozen pie crust. We’d recommend thawing before using. Enjoy!
If using a store bought pie cruse, other than thawing before using, should I do any of the extra blind back (never heard of it because I’m not a baker) steps before adding my liquid ingredients?
Hi Lori, if using a store bough pie crust, we recommend still following the recipe as written, including the partial blind bake.
Delightful! We have made your quiche
recipe several tines with various 2
cups extras. We enjoy it soooo much!
Thanks!
★★★★★
Am new to the party! Just found your site yesterday. I’ve been reading it for hours since. Can your pie crust be baked in disposable aluminum pie pans? I would like to make quiche to give as gifts.
Welcome, Julie! We’re so glad you came across our site. You can absolutely make our pie crust in disposable pans. Hope the quiche is a hit!
Good Afternoon. Do you recommend mixing the ingredients with the egg mixture? I have been placing the items into the pie crust first. Then, pour the egg mixture over the top. I have noticed the egg mixture running over.
I would appreciate any advice. Thank You
Chef Neil
Hi Neil, correct, we do recommend whisking the add-ins with the egg mixture before adding to the pie crust. Hope this helps!
My mom would make me this exact dish every Sunday morning while growing up in rural France, and after having it again, it brought back nostalgic memories of when life was carefree and simple.
★★★★★
I used old dried beans as pie weights, they work great, I also crumble the parchment paper into a ball, it fits into the pie plate very easily
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. Have you ever tried making this quiche as a ‘deep dish’ quiche? Taller and maybe in a springform pan? Maybe double the crust and the filling and then adjust the baking time?
Hi Megan! We haven’t tested that, but let us know if you do!
I make it in a spring foam pan, but I skip the weights when I blind bake the crust. It shrinks perfectly every time to fit these amounts. So good!
This recipe is amazing! I was having trouble with the last few pie recipes I used, but the crust in this works wonderfully, and the measurement for the filling works out JUST right every time. All the details, advice, and hints are perfect and very helpful. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Really a terrific recipe. I’ve made it 4 times. Latest: Shallotts, baby Bella mushrooms, black forest ham, bacon, all sautéed together; gruyere and parmesan cheeses
★★★★★
I made this with sauteed frozen spinach, green onions, ham, and mozzarella, in a blind-baked Safeway pie crust. It’s delicious. My son and I ate the whole thing in one sitting. I’m glad to have the proportions to keep in mind of four eggs and a cup of milk, with about a cup of cheese.
★★★★★
If using fresh Spinach should it be precooked with onions and garlic
Hi Lillie, yes, we’d recommend precooking the spinach as well.
Lovely! Great standard instructions.
I’ve tried many quiche recipes over the years and this one is the BEST one yet! Rich, light, and creamy, I ate half of it already. I used half & half and even missed the oven timer, still great.
★★★★★
A beautiful quiche with just the right texture. I cleaned out the fridge for add ins— a couple artichokes, some broccoli chopped, some Asiago cheese, a little Gruyere, a little sharp cheddar, and a couple slices of leftover bacon. Stopped adding when I got to two cups. I will never skip the cream again. Ps. The pie crust is a winner too
★★★★★
Thank you for such a wonderful and versatile recipe! I’ve been making using your all butter crust recipe with delicious results! For the crust I do an extra step of laminating the dough (as in some of your pastry recipes) to get those flakey layers. Our favorite quiche so far has been a combo of goat cheese, mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato and bacon or sausage (though it tastes great without the meat too)!
★★★★★