Learn how to make quiche! This easy spinach quiche recipe has a delicate egg filling and a flaky, buttery crust. It's a delicious breakfast or brunch!
I’m making this spinach quiche recipe for Easter brunch this year, and I’m already looking forward to it. It’s a change from my usual breakfast casserole or frittata, and though it’s (much) more time-intensive, every second is worth it. This spinach quiche is melt-in-your mouth delicious. It has a buttery, flaky crust and a custardy egg filling that’s flecked with tender spinach, green onions, and salty feta cheese.
If you’re tempted to try it, you can find my step-by-step guide to how to make quiche below, complete with all my best tips for quiche success. I know that pastry can be intimidating, but I hope you won’t let this quiche recipe scare you. It’s easy to master, and it’s a wonderful addition to any breakfast or brunch. I think you’re going to love it!
What is quiche?
Quiche is a savory egg custard tart or pie. It differs from a frittata in that it a) has a crust and b) has a higher proportion of milk or cream to egg in the filling. (For reference, I use 6 eggs and 1/4 cup milk in my frittata recipe and the same number of eggs and 1/2 cup milk in my quiche filling. Many quiche recipes use even more milk or heavy cream!)
Quiche’s most famous iteration, the bacon, cheese, and onion quiche Lorraine, originated in the Lorraine region of Northeast France, where it likely descended from the kuchen of nearby Germany. Quiche had a bit of a heyday in the US in the 1970s and 80s, and it still remains popular today. Like a frittata, it works beautifully with a variety of vegetables and cheeses in the egg filling. I’ve enjoyed quiche flecked with potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, cheddar, Swiss cheese, and more. But this simple spinach quiche is my favorite I’ve tried so far.
Spinach Quiche Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this spinach quiche recipe:
- Spinach, of course! I use fresh baby spinach here because I like the texture of the whole leaves. Thawed frozen chopped spinach works too.
- Eggs and unsweetened almond milk – They create the custard filling. Sub whole milk for the almond milk if you prefer.
- Feta cheese or goat cheese – It adds tangy, salty flavor to the filling.
- Scallions – For a fresh, oniony kick.
- Salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
- And my Easy Pie Crust – It’s flaky, buttery, and super simple to make. This recipe yields enough dough for two quiches. Make both side-by-side, or freeze the extra dough for up to 3 months. To simplify this recipe, you could use store-bought pie dough, but you’ll still need to blind bake it. More on that below!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Quiche
The first step in this spinach quiche recipe is making the pie crust. You can find step-by-step photos and instructions for making it in my pie crust recipe blog post. Before you get cooking, here are a few key tips:
- Keep all the ingredients cold. For the flakiest crust, you want the butter to melt while it’s in the oven, not before. Make the pie dough with ice water and butter that’s cold from the fridge.
- It has to chill for at least 2 hours. Make sure you account for this time when you’re planning to make this quiche recipe! If you want to get ahead, you can make the dough in advance. It keeps for up to 2 days in the fridge and for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- You’ll need to blind bake it. No one likes a quiche with a soggy bottom! Blind baking the crust helps it set up before you add the filling. Find detailed blind baking instructions in the recipe card below.
After you blind bake the crust, start on the filling. Steam the spinach until it’s just wilted. Then, transfer it to a kitchen towel and wring out the excess water.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, beating until no streaks of egg white remain.
Add the steamed spinach, green onions, cheese, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Mix to combine.
Then, assemble the quiche. Pour the egg mixture into the par-baked pie crust (it’s ok if it’s still warm). If necessary, smooth the filling into an even layer.
Finally, bake in a 350°F oven until the eggs are just set, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Par-bake the crust. It’s worth repeating: when you’re making quiche, always blind bake the crust before you add the filling. Without blind baking, the crust will be gummy and underdone on the bottom. With it, the crust comes out gloriously flaky and crisp. Note that you’ll blind bake the crust at a higher oven temperature than you’ll use for the actual quiche. The high heat is crucial for getting delicious layers in the pastry.
- Squeeze the spinach. A classic quiche pitfall is using vegetables that release too much moisture into the filling, thereby preventing it from setting up. Avoid this by squeezing the excess water out of the spinach after you steam it. If you’re using thawed frozen spinach, skip the steaming step, but still press out as much moisture as you can.
- Cook until it’s just set. When you’re checking for doneness, remember that the quiche will continue cooking for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven. You want it to be soft and custardy, not overdone and dry, so aim to bake the eggs until they’re just set. In my oven, this takes 45 minutes.
- Make it a meal. Serve slices of spinach quiche for brunch alongside a green salad or fruit salad. Round out the menu with carrot muffins, strawberry muffins, or slices of lemon yogurt cake.
- The leftovers are great. Leftover quiche keeps well for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s fantastic warm or at room temperature. Enjoy it for a quick breakfast, lunch, or even dinner!
More Favorite Brunch Recipes
If you love this spinach quiche recipe, try one of these delicious brunch recipes next:
- How to Make a Frittata
- Best Shakshuka
- Baked Eggs
- Healthy Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Egg Muffins
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Scrambled Eggs
- Or any of these 60 Best Brunch Recipes!
Spinach Quiche
Equipment
- Pie Dish (I like this glass dish because I can see if the crust is done on the bottom)
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Easy Pie Crust, chilled at least 2 hours, save remaining dough for another use*
- 5 ounces baby spinach**
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or whole milk
- 1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Roll out one disk of pie dough according to the instructions in this recipe, until you have a large circle about ⅛-inch thick. Gently roll it over your rolling pin and unroll it over a 9- or 9.5-inch pie dish. Use your hands to press it firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any excess dough so that you have a ½-inch overhang on all sides of the pie plate, then roll the edge of the dough under itself to line up with the rim of the plate. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp. Loosely tent with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
- When the oven is hot, uncover the crust and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights to reach the top of the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are set.
- Remove from the oven and lift the pie weights and parchment paper out of the crust. Bake the crust for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom is beginning to set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Place the spinach in a steamer basket and set over a pot filled with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a kitchen towel and allow to cool slightly, then wring the excess water out of the spinach.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the steamed spinach, feta, scallions, salt, and several grinds of pepper and stir to combine. Pour into the par-baked crust. If necessary, use a spatula to smooth the egg mixture into an even layer.
- Bake the quiche for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the eggs are just set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Sources: Melissa Clark’s Brief History of Quiche and Candy Sagon’s article about Americanized versions of quiche
What would you think about subbing in mozzarella as the cheese? Trying to think of lower-sodium options to make this baby-friendly 🙂
Feta is so yummy, and goat dairy can be easier on baby tummies. Maybe try reducing the amount of feta or use cheve instead?
Yes, this is delicious. The one complaint is the pre proofing the crust. I am familiar with this from making fruit pies. Proofing adds another half hour to 45 minutes to the prep time (including the homeade crust). So, ,for this one quiche, you’re suggesting at least two hours! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I would cut out the proofing step. As a quick alternative, first prick the crtust with a fork and then brush some whipped egg white along the bottom.
This was my first time making quiche and it turned out amazing! I’ll definitely be making this again with the leftover pie crust.
Hi Tate, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious! We are a vegetarian family, and I love quiche. This sounds like the perfect combination of flavors.
Unfortunately, I do not like goat or feta cheese.
what other cheese substitutes could I use?
-silly girl
Hi Willow, you could leave the cheese out.
this sounds good. i’ve never tried quiche before & would like to try this, i’m no fan of cheese though, do you think it will it be as good without cheese? thank you, m
Hi Maureen, it should be fine without the cheese.
My favourite quiche. All you are missing are the toasted pine nuts!