The basic quiche recipe is not complicated. Eggs and cream form a luscious custard that you pour into a pie crust and customize with your favorite fillings. Learn the basics to your classic quiche recipe.
Quiche is one of our favorite Homemade Pies to make for supper. It can easily be customized to whatever you have on hand. Love eggs? Got extras? Be sure to check out our recipes for what to make with eggs.
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As you may know, I was a fan of France long before I ever set foot in Charles de Gaulle airport. Ever since I was a little girl, I was fascinated by la belle France. I really don’t have a good explanation for it, but there it is. Color me a francophile.
So, it was no surprise that when my mom’s friend Rita introduced us to quiche, that I was all over it. Didn’t matter if it looked like weird spelling, I was smitten.
I was probably ten at the time. Rita was doing some freezer cooking back in the days before it was a pinterest sensation. It was 1982, after all. She gave our family several dishes for the freezer; I’m not really sure about the occasion, but I was more than happy to have lasagna and quiche at our disposal. Rita was an excellent cook!
I can still picture the recipe card, written in Rita’s handwriting on a 3×5 index card. That’s how we shared recipes back in the dark ages, by the way.
I’ve tweaked Rita’s Basic Quiche Recipe over the years with all kinds of mix-ins, but the basics remain the same: foolproof and delicious.
One of the beauties of the quiche is that it seems all fancy and elegant, but it’s a very basic method that you can dress up with whatever you have on hand. It’s really the perfect recipe for a pantry challenge or whenever you need to use up little bits of random leftovers.
Last week during my freezer cooking, I threw together three quiche for the freezer, using up little bits of what I had left from other recipes: shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, diced ham, chopped spinach. Voila. Awesomeness in one small storage space without a ton of work.
If you’re looking to up your game in the quiche department — and I highly recommend that you do — consider these quiche recipe basics so that you can make quiche any night without much hassle or fuss:
Quiche Recipe Basics
Quiche Recipe Ingredients
There are a few basic ingredients that you’ll need for your quiche recipe:
a great pie crust – I typically rely on Gramma John’s Pie Crust recipe. It’s quick to make and easy to remember.
the custard filling – My basic quiche recipe includes 3 eggs, and 1 ½ cups cream or half and half. You can use milk but it tends to make the custard a little watery. Go for the gusto with cream or half and half. Or at the very least whole milk. Nonfat just won’t cut it.
(For those of you outside the US, half and half is equal parts cream and whole milk.)
After you’ve got your basic custard filling, you’ll want some fillings of meat, cheeses and vegetables. Obviously, go with what sounds good, but consider these options for a starting point:
meats – ham, bacon, shrimp, crab meat
cheeses – cheddar, swiss, crumbled feta or goat cheese
vegetables – sauteed or roasted artichoke hearts, asparagus, broccoli, chiles, corn, greens, leeks, mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes, shallots, spinach, zucchini
fresh or dried herbs and spices – basil, cilantro, cumin, nutmeg, parsley are just a few choices
Again, this is all very forgiving. Try different combinations, but especially use up what you’ve got. Aside from the pastry, eggs, and cream, you only need little bits of different items. Mix and match as you like!
Quiche Recipe Tools
Some folks think you can only make quiche if you have a quiche pan. That’s not really true. I have one quiche pan, but we’re a two-quiche family, so I use pie plates as well. It really doesn’t matter what kind of pan you use, unless you want the fancy presentation of serving the quiche out of the pan.
Tools I use to make this EASY
- a food processor for making quick crusts
- large glass measuring cup
- wire whisk
- cutting board
- chef’s knife
- quiche pan with removable bottom
- stacking racks for freezing the unbaked quiche – choose a set that will fit on your freezer shelf
Quiche Recipe Freezing Tips
Yes, you can freeze quiche! Once you have prepared your basic quiche recipe, you can bake it, of course, or freeze it unbaked to bake at a later date. One great part about freezing quiche is that it is one of those freezer recipes you don’t have to thaw before baking. Boom.
Assemble the quiche and then lay it flat in the freezer to “open freeze”. Once the filling is solid, wrap it securely with aluminum foil and slip it into a ziptop freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, just remove the wrappings and slide it into the preheated oven.
Basic Quiche Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 batch single pie crust
- 4 oz diced ham cooked bacon can also be used
- 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1 cup) can also use Swiss, jack, etc.
- ⅛ head broccoli cut into ¼ cup very small florets, cooked, can also use spinach or other cooked vegetables
- 3 egg beaten
- 1 ½ cup whipping cream or half and half
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a pie or quiche pan on a small baking sheet to make it easier to handle and to catch the drips. Lay the prepared pie crust into the quiche pan and trim the edges.
- Layer the meat, cheese, and/or vegetable fillings in the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the fillings in the pie shell. (This is the point at which you could freeze it, if making it in advance. Lay the pie plate on a rack in the freezer until firm. Wrap tightly with foil and place inside a labeled, ziptop freezer bag.)
- Bake the quiche for 30 to 40 minutes or until set and golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving. (If baking from frozen, there’s no need to thaw. Just add 5 to 10 minutes to your baking time.)
Notes
Nutrition
That’s really all there is to a Quiche Recipe!
Still want more exact proportions for making quiche? Check out these recipes:
Shannon
Thank you for this recipe. I used it last night with sautéed onions, kale spinach and extra sharp cheddar cheese, it turned out great and my family loved it! I love quiche and I have never been able to get my family on board before now, so thank you!
Jessica Fisher
Yay for a Quiche Win!
Aussie Bob
Also add mixture to muffin trays to have easy snack after gym or during busy day. They’re the perfect size! Just add some butter and cook for 30 mins and is sturdy..
Aussie Bob
Why on earth are your eggs pure white?? That’s not natural. They should be different tan colours.
Without Pastry is just fine! Place grease proof paper on base and pour in mixed ingredients, add extra cheese on top, 50min 350°F/180°c. If not fan-forced, don’t worry, add extra 10 min.
English Spinach (fresh), Half Purple Onion (diced, fried), Sliced Capsicum, Bacon diced (shortcut or middle cut) – thus no extra salt!, Cherry Tomatoes (fried, browned), 50% Parmesan, 25% Mozzarella, 25% Cheddar, 350ml Pure Cream, 3x Eggs XL (800G).
OPTIONAL: ~100ml Sour Cream.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for sharing, Bob.
Actually White Leghorns (the main commercial egg-laying chicken breed in the US) lay white eggs. 🙂
LYNN R LAUGHLIN
Hi Aussie Bob, As I believe someone pointed out, above, the color of the egg depends upon the species that lays the egg. I have seen eggs here in the US pure white, light and dark tan, palest green or a pale blue-green. What is “natural” is whatever is natural to the species.
Margaret
I’m just getting started in the adventure of freeze cooking and this looks delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Fisher
Let me know if you have questions!
Sam
This will be my new go to quiche recipe! I made one last night with your grandmother’s crust recipe and it turned out fabulous! Thank you so much!
Dorothy K.
Recently tried Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust – it is awesome! I buy 2 packs (2 crusts/pack) at a time so that we can have quiche as often as we want.
Jessica Fisher
Good to know!
Ashley
How long could you store a quiche in the freezer? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
Up to 2 months if well wrapped and stored where it will stay frozen (not in the door, etc).
Karen Walters
Ohh, I love quiche. Cold, warm, somewhere in between. I never make the crust though. A combination of calories, carbs, and lazy I guess. Grease the pie plate with a little butter and it never sticks. I also freeze individual portions for lunch–24 hours in the fridge to thaw, then warm in oven.
Jessica Fisher
Great strategy for freezing!
Leesa
This is similar to my basic quiche recipe, though I do it super simply. Base is 3 eggs, 1 can evaporated milk, 1/4 cup flour. I add in 1-2 cups of fillings plus whatever spices I want. I also almost invariably use a burrito-size flour tortilla as the crust – it keeps the dish lower carb but prevents that crustless quiche taste that I hate. Oh, and I always us a pie plate for my quiche base.
Haven’t tried freezing them, though, which I might have to after I finish my current pantry challenge. How much longer does it typically take you to bake from frozen?
Jessica Fisher
5 to 10 minutes, usually.
Karen
Why did I never think of freezing quiche?
And I agree with Trish and Jan J. I switched back to full fat and began thyroid meds (hypothyroid). stopped counting calories and lost 58 pounds with zero effort. I struggled for two years previous with low fat and counting calories – had zero results.
Jessica Fisher
Congratulations on your weight loss! That is an accomplishment! And yay for freezing quiche. 😉
Jan J.
Thanks for this recipe – it looks great! I always have a half gallon of half and half in my fridge. We have been duped about fat being bad for us – I am with Trish above – it’s the processed carbs that get you!
Robin
I rarely have cream in the house, but I like to make quiche as a easy ‘whatever is in the refrigerator’ meal. So, I use the three eggs, like you do, but I use a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk) instead of cream. I got the idea from my pumpkin pie recipe….I figured if it made pumpkin custard, it would make quiche custard. And, it works fine. Of course, I add the meats, veggies and cheese and seasonings just like your recipe. Sometimes I’ll even make it crustless if we are dieting. The custard filling is really the good part anyway…
Jessica Fisher
Great strategy! Trader Joe’s also has shelf-stable whipping cream which is nice to have on hand as well.
Trish
I use this recipe too. I used to use powdered milk and make with double the milk it calls for on the package, but I finally switched to half/half. I have found adding fats back to my diet to be just fine. It’s the carbs that I really look to cut anymore. For the crust I make one that calls for 1 and 1/4 cup flour, 6 T butter and 2T of shortening. I found that when it is rolled out there’s lots of extra, so I have taken to dividing it into two and rolling out 2 thinner crusts, which helps cut carbs as well. I make and freeze them for my husband to eat for breakfast.
Glad you finally got the tenting done – that must have been a nuisance to have to work around that, but you seemed to handle it like a pro!!!
Jessica Fisher
I kind of look at quiche as a guilty pleasure. I’m not sure I could cheat on the crust. LOL!
Kathy
Alas, not everyone can use cream or even whole milk. Quiche works very well with a combo of 2% milk and Land of Lakes LOW fat (not no fat) half and half. It’s a new product that bridges the gap between nasty no fat and “I can’t eat that” full fat half and half.
Jessica Fisher
So glad to hear that you’ve found a way that you can enjoy quiche!