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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Absolutely delicious and a cinch to make. Thank you for yet another wonderful family meal option😁
I love this quiche but are there any other vegetables suitable to use in this recipe
Sure, Rosemarie, other veggies will work here (I like asparagus or mushrooms). Just make sure to keep the ratio of veggies to custard the same – and cook and season the vegetables before adding them. Hope you enjoy!
The crustless quiche is excellent, easy to make and flavorful! Thank you!
First quiche, turned out perfect.
Easy to make and nice custard texture. Will make often and add other ingredients. Your recipes never disappoint!
I love this quiche! It’s my go-to recipe for breakfast when I’m having overnight guests. Because everyone gets up at different times, I like to make it the day before, so they can just zap a slice in the microwave when ready to eat. It’s both delicious and convenient.
Hi would spinach be a good substitute for broccoli? If so, how much would you recommend? Thanks! Love your recipes!!
Sure, Vee, spinach should work here. I’d use a 10 oz. box of frozen chopped spinach. Make sure to remove all the excess liquid from the broccoli so that the quiche isn’t watery. Please LMK how it turns out~
My spinach quiche turned out great! I used a 10 oz bag of baby spinach that I chopped up because that’s what I had. I added that to the sautéed shallots in the pan. I also added the 1/3 cup water like in the broccoli recipe. Maybe I should have omitted adding that water because it never seemed to evaporate, so I had to squeeze the spinach/shallot mixture before I added it to the pie plate. Your thoughts on that? Also, what do you think about sautéeing minced garlic with the shallots? Maybe that’s not considered traditional. And what’s a “pinch” of nutmeg? Maybe I should add more. Thanks Jenn! I just love your recipes!
Hi Vee, glad to hear the spinach quiche turned out well. And yes, if you make it again, I’d avoid adding the water. The water is used for this quiche to help cook the broccoli but it’s not necessary for the spinach quiche (and sauteed minced garlic would be a nice addition). And a pinch of any seasoning is just that — it’s the amount you can pick up between your thumb and index finger. (If you measured it, it would be somewhere between 1/16 and ⅛ tsp.)
Can this be frozen after baking?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
My second recipe of yours in 3 days! This came out amazingly delicious–the eggs were so custard-y and light. Some minor modifications: broccoli was already steamed so I just sauteed the shallots in butter; half & half instead of full cream, and doubled the recipe. Awesome that this freezes well too! Thank you!
Has anyone added tomatoes to this recipe
I keep it vegetarian and kick it up a notch by adding dried shallots to the egg/cream mixture and it gives it a little extra saltiness akin to bacon and comes out with crunchy bits so the texture has some bite. Love it.
Oh my gosh this was so nice! A perfect example of keeping it simple.
Made this Christmas morning and everyone loved it! It came out beautiful and tasted great. One note I would make is that the bottom of the quiche was a bit wet. It didn’t ruin it but if I were to make this again, which I will, I might omit the water when cooking the broccoli on the stovetop.