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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Omg so good, I added in bacon and cooked it for about 30-40mins (I wonder if it depends on the oven?) and it turned out so good. Best quiche I’ve ever made.
Is 325 degrees in a convection oven, or should I reduce it further? I didn’t have heavy cream, so mixed sour cream and 1% milk to the consistency of cream. Also used the trick posted about “impossible crustless quiche”- added ½ cup of self rising flour- made my own- to the milk. I’ve done this before, and it works great. Don’t need heavy cream for that, so we will see how it comes out with cream and flour! Thanks for the help on oven temp!
Hi Jane, the temperature is for a standard oven, so you should keep it as is. Hope the quiche comes out well!
just made the crustless broccoli quiche and the quiche lorraine . Both were absolutely delicious!!!
followed your directions to a t and my guests loved it
thanks
I’ve been making crustless quiche for 40 years. I followed this recipe just varying the veggies, cheese and cream (used half and half) based on what I had on hand. I was surprised the directions said to bake for an hour and true to my experience, mine was done in 30 minutes–15 minutes at 325, 15 minutes at 300.
This is totally as described – insanely delicious!! I have been making quiches for years and could never get them restaurant quality. This one is the right depth of filling and you don’t miss the crust at all. I am thrilled with this recipe, thank you so much!! Finally a quiche I am proud of and so easy to make without the fuss of pastry.
Super delicious and I love the texture that the broccoli adds to this quiche. Do you have any other crustless quiche recipes? If you made this with asparagus or asparagus and crab, would you use a different type of cheese or make any other modifications to the recipe? Or is there another combination that you think would work really well? Thanks!
So glad you liked it! I don’t have any other crustless quiche recipes but you could get away with making any of my other quiche recipes without a crust — they will just be more delicate. And you can substitute other veggies for the broccoli; just keep the ratio of veggies to custard the same and cook and season the vegetables before adding them. And I think Gruyere would be lovely with pretty much any veggie, but feel free to use any cheese (that melts well) that you like.
Thanks so much! That is such a delicious and satisfying quiche. You don’t miss the crust at all but I’m sure that saves tons of calories without anyone feeling like they’re eating “diet food.”
Perfect for brunch Did broccoli and shallots the night before, put them in my quiche dish, sprinkled cheese over it. Mixed up wet ingredients with spices and refrigerated all. Next morning, threw it together and baked. We all enjoyed it. Just put a leftover piece in the microwave for lunch. Thought that it was even better the second day. Could I make it with regular cream to cut fat and calorie’s> Thanks Jenn
Hi Carol, so glad you enjoyed it! Typically heavy cream and half and half or light cream would be interchangeable for quiche but I worry about it here because there’s no crust. The cream keeps the custard a little sturdier.
Followed the directions exactly and it was perfect light and fluffy. No need for crust.
I’ve made so many of your recipes before, but never this one…now I know why restaurant quiche is always so much better than mine…heavy cream! Serious game-changer. I don’t mind the cream because there are almost no carbs in this delicious quiche! Generally I prefer my veggies crunchy-ish, but I love what happens to the broccoli here because you can eat your slice with a fork and it’s never awkward. And all the nutrients remain because the broccoli wasn’t steamed or boiled with water discarded…Finally, it makes a beautiful presentation coming out of the oven when still puffed…ten minutes later, right on schedule, it has flattened and is ready to be cut. This is so delicious and so easy. Thanks again, Jen!
Hi Jenn,
Can I substitute light cream for heavy cream in your recipe – perhaps adding an extra egg to compensate?
VJ
Hi, Typically heavy and light cream would be interchangeable for quiche but I worry about it here because there’s no crust. The cream keeps the custard a little sturdier.