This spinach quiche recipe has a flaky pastry crust and a savory, cheesy interior! It’s perfect for brunch or a light dinner.
Want a knockout brunch idea? Try this Spinach Quiche recipe, the perfect savory pie for any occasion! This one features a savory filling with spinach and cheddar cheese, scented with garlic and just the right seasoning to make it irresistible not to take another bite. Pour it all into a flaky pastry crust and bake until puffed and golden. It’s the best idea for wow-ing a crowd at brunch, and it works as a light dinner too with a salad. This one got rave reviews over here (especially with our crust-loving 6 year old!).
How to make spinach quiche: an overview
A quiche is a French tart filled with custard and savory fillings. Leave it to the French to invent the idea of pie as a main dish! It’s become a classic brunch recipe, with spinach as one of the top vegetarian fillings.
Want to make a spinach quiche recipe? You can make this classic recipe in less than 2 hours, made completely from scratch with a homemade quiche crust. Or, you can use store-bought refrigerated pie crust for a shortcut. However, we highly recommend the homemade crust for its crispy, buttery texture: and it holds its shape better! Here’s what to expect:
| Make the homemade 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 |
Ingredients in the spinach quiche filling
This spinach quiche filling is savory and cheesy, with just the right nuance in flavor from onion and garlic. The key? Frozen spinach, which makes this quiche easy to assemble. Cooking that amount of spinach from fresh just isn’t practical here, and the texture from frozen spinach is actually better for this application. Here’s what you’ll need for the filling:
- Frozen spinach
- Butter
- White onion
- Garlic
- Eggs
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Dried mustard and dried dill
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese
Tip: blind bake the crust
The biggest key to making a quiche? Blind bake the crust! Blind baking is baking a pastry crust without the filling. This makes sure the bottom won’t get soggy because the crust is perfectly firm before you add the filling. If you don’t blind bake, you’ll get soggy bottom crust (we did). Here’s what to know about how to get the perfect flaky crust:
- Freeze the crust 15 minutes. This helps the crust to hold its shape while blind baking.
- 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.
- 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.
Homemade vs purchased quiche crust
You can use purchased refrigerated pie dough for this recipe: but we’ve found we like homemade quiche crust much better! Why?
- Homemade crust holds its shape better. We’ve had some issues with refrigerated pie dough holding its shape, even when blind baking! It can lose the crimping on the edges and come out looking uneven.
- Homemade crust tastes better. It only takes a few minutes to make homemade quiche crust: and it tastes so much better! The flavor is much more developed and it’s even flakier and crisper than a purchased crust (at least the brands we’ve used!). Feel free to weigh in if you have a refrigerated quiche crust brand you love.
How to make a pie crust shield
For this spinach quiche, you’ll 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.
- It’s easy to 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 let the filling 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.
Make ahead instructions for quiche
Quiche saves very well: in fact, it’s even better after it’s cooled to room temperature or even cold. Here’s what to know about making quiche in advance:
- Make the quiche 1 to 3 days in advance. Then refrigerate it until serving! You can eat it cold, room temperature or warm.
- To reheat, warm in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
- The quiche saves 5 days refrigerated. Wrap it in plastic or aluminum foil to keep it fresh.
More quiche recipes
Want more quiche? Here are a few more ideas for savory pies:
- Try a Classic Quiche
- Opt for Spinach Quiche or Classic Asparagus Quiche
- Grab a Breakfast Quiche
- Go crustless with a Crustless Quiche with Spinach (so simple!)
This spinach quiche recipe is…
Vegetarian.
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Spinach Quiche
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This spinach quiche recipe has a flaky pastry crust and a savory, cheesy interior! It’s perfect for brunch or a light dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 Homemade Quiche Crust (made through Step 4) or 1 refrigerated pie dough
- 8-ounces frozen spinach
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup white onion, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more to garnish
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 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).
- Freeze the crust: Freeze the crust in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- 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.
- 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.
- Prepare the filling: Meanwhile, thaw the frozen spinach. Squeeze out all the moisture with your fingers (or use a strainer) until the spinach is dry and crumbly. In a medium skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, dried mustard, dried dill, kosher salt, and several grinds black pepper. Place the cheddar and Parmesan cheese in bottom of the crust, along with even crumbles of the thawed and dried spinach and the cooked onions and garlic. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle the top with another handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
- 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: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Brunch
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Spinach quiche, spinach quiche recipe
i love quiche and can’t wait to make this one! though i’m sure homemade crust is amazing (i’m usually either too lazy or i don’t plan ahead), i always do pre-made crust and swear by the marie callendar’s deep dish crust. it’s thicker than typical frozen pie crust and stays crisp.
This is a good recipe, but has 1 too many garlic cloves. Next time, I’ll use just one, but a little garlic goes a long way for me. I used vegan cheese and coconut cream and it definitely was tasty. However, next time, I’m going to add some mushrooms and a little less cheese. Was a bit too gooey for me, and often times, vegan cheese doesn’t melt that well. But putting this at the bottom of the crust made a big difference, and it melted quite nicely. I have this couple’s cookbook and the recipes I have made so far have all been delicious. The kale lemon salad is to die for! SO EASY and SO SIMPLE!
★★★★
Such a wonderful, flavorful recipe, but also so easy! Great meal for our busy evenings.