Crustless Broccoli Quiche
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Who needs crust? Going crustless with this broccoli quiche cuts down prep and cook time, plus carbs, letting the rich, cheesy custard and veggies take center stage.
There really is no other way to put it: this crustless broccoli quiche is insanely delicious. Whether you serve it for brunch, dinner, or any time in between, it’s worth every single calorie. Doing away with the crust cuts down on prep time, cook time, and carbs—and the cheesy custard is the best part anyway. To hold the quiche together, I spread the broccoli out on the bottom of the quiche to create a crust-like layer, making the quiche sturdy and easy to serve.
If you’d like to substitute other vegetables, like asparagus or mushrooms, feel free but keep the ratio of veggies to custard the same and, of course, always cook and season the vegetables before adding them. As with my classic quiche Lorraine and spinach quiche, the oven temperature is key. Quiche should be cooked at 325°F (not 350°F as most recipes direct) for the creamiest, silkiest custard. Eggs like to be cooked gently, and those 25 degrees really do make a difference.
What You’ll Need To Make Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Do not brown.
Add the broccoli, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/3 cup water.
Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is al dente and the water has evaporated, 3-4 minutes more. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, nutmeg, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper.
Spread the broccoli and shallots evenly over the bottom of the prepared pie plate.
Sprinkle the cheese over top. I think Gruyère is perfect here — it melts nicely and has a nutty, earthy flavor — but Comté, Beaufort or Cheddar would also work well.
Then pour the egg mixture over the cheese.
Bake for about an hour, or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.
Let cool for about 10 minutes, then slice into wedges and serve. This quiche reheats beautifully so don’t hesitate to make it ahead of time and warm up as needed.
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Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- ½ cup chopped shallots, from about 2 shallots
- 10 oz broccoli florets, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) pieces or smaller
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 6 large eggs
- 1¾ cups heavy cream
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1½ cups (about 5 oz) shredded Gruyère
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-in (23-cm) deep dish pie plate with butter.
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Do not brown. Add the broccoli, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and ⅓ cup (80 ml) water. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is al dente and the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes more. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, nutmeg, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper.
- Spread the broccoli and shallots evenly over the bottom of the prepared pie plate. Sprinkle the Gruyère over top. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese.
- Bake for about an hour, or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then slice into wedges and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Creamy, cheesy and delicious.
Hi Jen. I just made this and it was delicious. You mentioned that we could make the spinach gruyere quiche crustless too. I would like to serve them both at a shower and I have 4 of the same size pans, Would you add 2 more eggs and more cream to the spinach one in order to have the same level as the broccoli crustless in the deep dish pie plate? Or should I keep the proportions the same?Would you still put the gruyere on the bottom – or the spinach on the bottom.
Thanks in advance
Hi Kodie, Glad you liked this! For the spinach and gruyere quiche, what size are the pans you want to use?
This is just insanely delicious! Everything I’ve made from your site is delicious and this is no exception. I just started a keto diet and was hoping to find another great recipe that happened to be low-carbohydrate. This was perfect. Thank you!
The pans are 9 inch – deep dish
Should I put the spinach on the bottom?
Yes, Kodie, I’d start with the spinach. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
This recipe is delicious. I have a comment and a question. My oven is a convection oven and at the 325 cooking temp, within a few minutes, it looked like the quiche was starting to curdle so I reduced it to 300 then 280. It turned out fine. My question is whether it is necessary to pre cook the broccolli? I cooked it exactly as you suggested, and while the quiche tasted great I thought the broccolli was a little overcooked in the end, losing it’s very bright green color and a bit on the mushy side.
Hi Carolyn, Glad you enjoyed it! That makes sense re. the temperature, as the general rule for cooking in a convection oven is to reduce the heat by 25°F. I always pre cook vegetables for quiche but you might be able to get away with using the broccoli raw if you cut the pieces small. I think the broccoli will lose its bright green color either way, but it will definitely be more crisp.
Hi Jenn,
If I use a frozen pie crust, does it change the recipe? Would I need to pre-bake the crust first? I love your version, but I’m cooking for a traditional crowd. Thank you so much!
Hi Ivy, Yes I would pre-bake the crust in a 400°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F. Also, you’ll need to reduce some of the other ingredients or it will overflow – I’d use 4 eggs, 1-1/4 cups cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt (in the custard, keep the 1/4 teaspoon for the broccoli), and 3 oz gruyere. Hope that helps!
Amazing-as per almost every recipe of yours I’ve tried. Made exactly according to instructions. Loved it. A wonderful site. I tell everyone I know who loves to bake or cook to head here AND to purchase your cookbook. One suggestion? Maybe allow reviews to be left online for the recipes only in the cookbook. It might convince others of the value of owning your cookbook.
Without a doubt the best quiche recipe ever! I make it often. Tonight I stirred in a spoonful of your sundried tomato pesto into the egg mixture, it was insanely yummy! Thanks Jenn.
I have made this recipe as is and it is wonderful! I also made it last night with I/2 yellow diced in place of the shallots. ( I didn’t have any shallots) and used 10 large mushroom tops (baby Bella) in place of the broccoli. It was so good too! Great recipe. And pretty simple too!
This has become my go to quiche to make. I’ve made it with cheddar and swiss but I have to say the gruyere is my favorite. It is so creamy. Everybody loves it. My one cheat is I use frozen broccoli florets because I’m lazy. I put the bag in the fridge the night before to thaw and I don’t add any water when adding to the shallots. It turns out wonderfully. I just bought your cookbook and I’m looking forward to trying more recipes.
The first time I made this recipe, my daughter said its was the best quiche she has ever had. When she asks “what’s for dinner” and I say quiche, she gets a huge smile on her face. I was looking for a way to cut down the fat and calories so I used plain greek yogurt (non-fat) instead of the cream and it out comes out perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Carol — I want to try this quiche using your idea of Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt. Did you replace the entire 1 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream with the exact same amount of Greek Yogurt OR did you do a combo of the two? Just curious what you did there since you were happy with the results. That adjustment would make it a very friendly Weight Watcher Recipe for those dieting. Thanks!