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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I tried this recipe, sautéed onions in bacon grease, this was absolutely a very easy and delicious recipe! Going to make it again but maybe try different cheeses, add different veggies, thanks for the recipe!!
I just made this tonight, super super easy, added sautéed onions in bacon grease, used 2 bags 10oz frozen broccoli, 8 extra-large eggs and 2 cups heavy cream, mixed all very well, poured into deep-dish pie plate, pressed the broccoli down and to the sides of pie pan, added crumbled cooked bacon. Sautéed onions in bacon grease them added to egg mixture with gruyere and Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste, baked it 325 degrees for one hour. 10 minutes to cool down. Absolutely delicious and will make this again but add bacon, etc. Easy to make and so yummy. thank you form sharing this.
I made this and it is easy and delicious! I made some homemade salsa and it was a Mexican quiche for us. Viva Once Upon a Chef!
Hi Jenn, Was looking for a meatless dinner idea for tonight and your email with broccoli quiche recipe is just what I needed. I am a low carber so it is even better that it is crustless!
Can you give me some tips on how to convert the typical quiche recipe to be crustless? Also, would your spinach quiche recipe work as is without a crust or would I need to make adjustments to recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Ann, glad the email with this recipe was well-timed! I don’t think there are one-size-fits-all rules when it comes to converting traditional quiche to crustless versions — it really depends how sturdy the quiche is. (And I think my spinach quiche is sturdy enough to be made crustless as well). Hope that helps!
Thanks for your earlier response, Jenn. I made your broccoli quiche without changing anything and it was delicious and very filling. My husband liked it too and he is not a quiche fan! I plan to make it again this Friday for a great meatless Lenten dinner. Thanks again! Anne
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
For lactose intolerant family, what can I substitute for the heavy cream?
would almond milk or lactose free milk work? or?
Many thanks
Lynne Mitchell
Hi Lynne, For a non-dairy alternative to heavy cream, some readers have mentioned that they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen) and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with either of these.)
Turned out really well. Will definitely make again. I didn’t have a deep dish so I reduced the eggs to four and only put 1 Cup of heavy cream. One question: why can’t we brown/caramelize the shallots a bit? Wouldn’t that add a nice flavor?
Hi Jeanette, Glad you enjoyed it! If you prefer to shallots to be a bit browned, that’s perfectly fine!
I’ve been using lactose free whipping cream.
Can I assemble this and cook it later in the day?
Sure, Mary, that will work. Enjoy!
This was absolutely fantastic. We make flourless egg casserole type dishes but never cooked one at 325. I craved breakfast every morning until it was gone
Thank you for a delicious breakfast!
🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Love, love, love this quiche. I agree with Holly, we don’t miss the crust at all. So tasty and easy to make, it’s my go to meal on a busy week night.
This broccoli quiche is delicious! Even a crust-lover like me didn’t miss the crust! I will be making this again and again, with different veggies such as spinach and mushrooms. Every single recipe of yours (about 20) that I have tried has turned out as promised – easy to prepare with readily available ingredients and most important…..delicious! Thank you Jenn!
I forgot to add the 5 stars!
After my disappointing store bought crust for the Quiche Lorraine I decided to try this crustless quiche. I added a few slices of bacon crumbled with the hopes of enticing my two school aged kids. No dice. While both like broccoli they would not eat this quiche. That’s ok because it meant more for my husband and I. I found that I didn’t miss the crust at all. This reheated well and was breakfast for a few days.