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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As always, I follow the recipe as described. In order to cater to my family’s dietary restrictions, i.e., for it to be gluten free and dairy free, I swap the Gruyere Cheese for Violife Feta cheese and I swap the heavy cream for Chobani Oat Drink as well as swap the unsalted butter for the Earth Balance Soy Free butter, and it is just delicious. I have made this in cupcake pans and in a gluten free, dairy free pie crust. It is always a hit and a great way for my children to eat their vegetables. The quiche is moist and cooked perfectly when following the directions. I can’t wait for her to come out with more quiche/breakfast recipes.
Your crustless broccoli quiche recipe is delicious, beautiful, and by far the best quiche that I have ever eaten! Thank you for another fantastic recipe, especially with broccoli. It’s the only green vegetable that I can get my husband to eat without bribery of way too much blue cheese dressing!
A regular favorite, easy and great taste. Make all my quiche crustless now..
Delicious, luxurious, elegant and comfort food all in one! My family LOVED this quiche. Also, very easy to make. Best ever!!! Thank you Jenn 👍
I’ve made this multiple times and have thoroughly enjoyed it! I like that these recipes are detailed enough to make them easy with no guess work. I had lots of broccoli from my garden so it was a perfect time to find this. I have a restricted diet but was able to make it using yogurt in place of the cream. It worked out great and was extremely tasty!
This is an AMAZING recipe. It has all the flavor, all the texture you’d ever want. And its so flexible! I’ve tried it with many other veggies – diced carrots, green bean, whatever is at hand – and they all work. I also add additional garlic because, well, extra garlic is always yummy. And since I grew a variety of spices this year, I added thyme, oregano and sometimes a little bit of rosemary.
This is my favorite broccoli quiche! Such a great way to get my spouse to eat broccoli! I made it many times this summer when the local broccoli was in season. Now I’m making it in the winter with imported broccoli but we’re still enjoying it. I haven’t found a premade crust that I like & I’m too lazy to make my own so it’s perfect being crustless. I substitute 1/2 c of half & half for the cream & it’s still great. I don’t substitute any other cheese for the gruyere as it imparts the perfect flavor to this recipe.
This crustless broccoli quiche really is wonderful. I’ve been making these often since my husband started a low carb diet. I think it’s the Gruyere that makes it special.
I have made this recipe twice now and love the creamy egg custard. I substituted the shallot for regular onion as I didn’t have shallots, but otherwise followed directions as written. I’ve eaten it for breakfast and dinner serving it with homemade home frys and toast. Next time I plan to try another veggie, but the broccoli is fantastic!
I love not having to make a crust. Thank you!