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.
Table of Contents
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
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.
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-inch 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 degrees and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch 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 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 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.
- Make Ahead: This quiche can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To warm up individual slices, simply reheat in the microwave for about a minute. To reheat the entire quiche, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F oven until hot in the center, about 30 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooled quiche may also be wrapped tightly in foil and frozen for up to 3 months. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 483
- Fat: 43 g
- Saturated fat: 25 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Sodium: 492 mg
- Cholesterol: 321 mg
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 the best quiche I have had and I love quiche. I have made the recipe several times but this was the first time I froze half. It was as delicious as ever. Thanks for another fantastic recipe.
Fix this today it is excellent very light and moist that’s how I like my quiches, I will fix this again and again.
Since I need to serve 8-9 people, can I double the recipe and make it in a 12 inch round ceramic dish or should I make 2 pies? If I can make it in a larger dish, how long would I cook it?
Hi Sheila, I’d play it safe and make two pies; I worry it wouldn’t cook evenly in a large dish.
I made this today with asparagus and mushrooms. While it was delicious, it was also a bit watery –from the mushrooms, I assume. I had tried to cook all the liquid out but guess I didn’t. Will try again.
I made this recently for the breakfast buffet for an adult community engagement/leadership class I am the director for. It was big hit! (I substituted minced red onion and garlic for the shallots.) I can’t eat broccoli, so I didn’t get to taste it myself, but the texture looked lovely. I doubled the recipe and it was enough for 3 regular pans. My husband enjoyed the leftovers reheated for lunch.
Jenn – Do you have any suggestions for other vegetables that could be substituted for the broccoli?
Glad it seemed to be a success at your breakfast. I can’t think of many veggies that wouldn’t work here, but I think asparagus or mushrooms would be great options. (Just make sure to keep the ratio of veggies to custard the same.)
My deep dish pie pans are 10 in. Could I just increase eggs and cream to increase total volume to fill the pans? Or do I need to increase all the ingredients. Thanks!
Hi Dawn, You’re correct that you will need more filling to fill a 10-inch pan, but I’d up all of the ingredients – not just the eggs and cream. I’d suggest increasing everything by one third. Hope you enjoy!
Fantastic, rich & delicious! I added diced ham….will try bacon next. Great, easy recipe! Thank you!!!! Another winner. Can’t wait for the cookbook?
LOVED this!!! I added button mushrooms with the shallots and used a jack/colby cheese mix and the family LOVED it! You have some amazing recipes! Thank you!
Hi Jenn, This was seriously phenomenal !! Rich (but not too rich), luscious and ever so satisfying. I have been trying to cut down on carbs but Im not the one to compromise flavour for that. Also, whenever I avoided making a quiche in the past, it was to avoid the pain of making a crust if I didn’t have any on hand. You can be sure that you will not feel the absence of the crust here because you will be all too distracted with the deliciousness of the custard. Note: I didn’t have shallots of gruyere on hand (and felt too lazy to walk 5 minutes to the grocery store) so I substituted shallots for 2 Tbsp fresh finely chopped garlic and the gruyere for a mix of cheddar (sharp and mild). Still came out amazing but if I had to bet, i would say that it would have been even better with the shallots! Thank you, Chef for another amazing recipe. I will be looking forward to low carb recipes from you in the future! Malak
How would one go about changing this to a classic quiche Lorraine?
Hi Marjory, I don’t have a proven quiche Lorraine recipe on the blog, but you could do a loose interpretation using this quiche recipe and adding bacon to it.
Made this last night for dinner. Husband raved and raved. Even better he said than the one he ALWAYS orders at our favourite lunch spot. Just having some for lunch today
Marjory