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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Delicious! Used a combination of cheddar and emmental, instead of gruyere. It started to get quite brown by the 45 minute mark so I covered it with foil and let it keep baking until close to the one hour mark. No issue with excess moisture but I cooked the broccoli for an extra few minutes even after the water evaporated.
I will definitely try this! What kind of pan are you using for the broccoli? I am in the market for a 12 inch nonstick pan with the extra handle and yours looks like exactly what I want.
Hi Jennifer, It’s an All-Clad nonstick pan. Hope that helps!
Wow! An absolute winner that ticks all three boxes – easy to make, gluten free and delicious.
Can I use salted butter that I have on hand or do I need to add unsalted to my grocery list? Thank you!
Sure – While it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps!
If I wanted to use this with a crust, how would the baking instructions differ?
Hi Melissa, If you want to use a crust, I’d use the ratios from one of my other quiche recipes. Here’s one to refer to. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Easy to make , lined a tin with baking paper. very satisfying using broccoli and shallots from my garden. the nutmeg gave an interesting taste.
Have made this recipe many times and have always loved it! Could I modify the cooking time to make little individual servings for a party? If so, would I make them in muffin tins, mini tart pans or something else? For 24 servings, how much would I multiply the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Barbara, You can make these in a muffin tin, but they will be very delicate. (Several readers have commented that they have made mini versions successfully.) If you’d like to serve 24 using regular-sized muffin tins, I’d guesstimate that you’d need to double the recipe (but I’ve never tried it so I’m not 100 percent certain how many serving that will give you). Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Delicious. I have to make it at least once a month for my family. They requested it when I first made it months ago. Friends loved it too.
Absolute perfection. I thought I had the world’s best quiche recipe, but this is divine. I did add some leftover bacon and wasn’t paying attention and put the custard in before the cheese. It was wonderful. I’ll be making this again and again!
Wow this was as delicious as the reviews claim. I used to make a crustless quiche each week and they were okay. This recipe gets the proportions just right. I added the bacon bits as suggested and liked the porky flavor. I didn’t have heavy cream so used half and half with a spoonful of yogurt to thicken. Baked for 45 minutes at 325. Perfect.
I made this the night before Mother’s Day and reheated it in the morning. Absolutely delicious. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.