Spinach Quiche
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.
Of all the spinach quiches I’ve tried over the years, this classic French version is my favorite. The recipe comes from my childhood friend Trish, who is not only one of the funniest people I know, but also a stunning hostess. When Trish entertains, she goes all out – beautiful table settings, seasonal cocktails, fabulous food, and (best of all) hilarious party games. She once created an entire game of Jeopardy! for our old high school gang, complete with categories like Prom Dates, ’80s Pop Stars, and Senior Superlatives.
This spinach quiche is Trish’s “go-to” brunch dish. The combination of heavy cream and Gruyère makes it rich and flavorful. There’s also a good bit of spinach, which balances out all that richness and makes it just a little bit healthier. If you’d like to try another traditional French quiche, my quiche Lorraine made with smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère cheese, and shallots is one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.
“This is the best spinach quiche I’ve had! It was a hit at our Easter brunch and I got several requests for the recipe. It came out perfect making ahead, freezing, and defrosting. This is a keeper!”
Ingredients For Spinach Quiche
To simplify things, I recommend using a store-bought crust. When buying frozen pie crust, be sure to check it carefully at the store for cracks. (If you unpack it and find that it’s cracked, no worries — there’s a fix below.) Also, make sure to buy a deep-dish crust; a regular pie shell is not deep enough to hold all the fillings.
Frozen chopped spinach also makes the recipe easy. It’s important to wring out all the moisture from the spinach before using. I usually gather it into a ball in my hands and squeeze it until dry. It takes a few minutes of squeezing to get all the water out. Be patient; you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.
Gruyère is my first choice for this quiche – its nutty flavor works nicely in egg dishes, like strata, egg bites, omelettes, and more – but if you can’t find it, Cheddar may be substituted.
How To Make Spinach Quiche
Prick the bottom and sides of the crust all over with a fork. Bake on center rack until fully cooked and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. If your crust cracks in the oven (or if it was cracked when you opened the package), make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of softened butter. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
Set the crust aside and turn the oven down to 325°F. Sauté the shallots in a bit of butter over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
Whisk to combine.
Place cooked pie shell on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of oven) and spread the shallots over the bottom of the cooked crust.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top.
Scatter spinach evenly over cheese (breaking up clumps as best you can).
Then pour the egg mixture carefully over top.
Bake at 325°F for 50 to 55 minutes until custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
How To Freeze Spinach Quiche
This spinach quiche freezes beautifully for up to three months. After cooling the quiche, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating. Remove the plastic wrap and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.
You May Also Like
- Quiche Lorraine
- Cheese Soufflé
- Spinach & Cheese Strata
- Spinach Frittata
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spinach Egg Bites
Video Tutorial
Spinach Quiche
Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallots
- 4 large eggs
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup (4 oz) finely shredded Gruyère, packed
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork, about 10 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork (pricking about an inch apart). Bake until fully cooked and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it...if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate.) Don't worry if the crust cracks while baking; see my note below on how to fix it before proceeding. Set aside and turn oven down to 325°F.
- Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Place the cooked pie crust on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of oven). Spread the shallots over the bottom of the cooked crust, then sprinkle the shredded Gruyere over top. Scatter the spinach evenly over cheese, breaking up the clumps as best you can. Pour the egg and cream mixture over top.
- Bake at 325°F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until the custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
- Note: I usually defrost the frozen spinach quickly by placing it in a fine mesh strainer and running hot water over it. I then gather the spinach into a ball and squeeze it dry. It takes a few minutes of squeezing and re-squeezing to get all the water out. Be patient...you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.
- Note: Don't panic if your crust cracks—you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1½ tablespoons of flour with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This quiche can be made up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked quiche can be 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.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 504
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated fat: 21 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Sodium: 472 mg
- Cholesterol: 218 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I’m looking to make this quiche on the weekend. Reviews look amazing. I’ve made a lot of your recipes before so know this will be a hit. One quick question… I don’t usually modify but this time I will have to. Can I use sour cream instead of heavy cooking cream?
I wouldn’t recommend sour cream here, Clare — sorry!
Thank for getting back to me so quick! I took your advise and stayed clear of the sour cream.
I’m actually about to make again today! I didn’t have spinach last time so used mushrooms and havarti cheese. Don’t have spinach again today lol so will use sweet potato and asparagus. This hands down is the most delicious recipe. My recipe took 1hr and 10 mins… I kept checking after 50 and the middle was still super running (pays to check) I added garlic powder and smoked paprika… this one I will def save in the recipe box. A huge crowd pleaser.
Glad to hear it’s all worked out and that it’s a keeper! 🙂
I made the spinach and bacon quiche for brunch for a couple of friends. I made the recipes exactly as noted and my oh my they were both delicious. Thank you for two simple recipes that yield big flavor deliciousness.
I just made this. It’s excellent. I love your easy-to-follow directions.
Perhaps the best tasting quiche I ever made. Using Gruyere instead of store brand swiss like some recipes call for made all the difference!
Delicious, easy, and good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! I expect the one I froze to be just as good. The ftreezing instructions were a great addition.
Chef Jen, thanks for this recipe and the detailed notes. This is a perfect recipe. Yesterday morning I was looking in the refrigerator, trying to decide what to make with what was on hand. I was out of most fresh vegetables and the salad greens were long gone.
Quiche, of course! I had lots of eggs, frozen pie crusts, Gruyere, cream, and could choose from ham, bacon, even a bit of guanciale. But no salad greens… then I found a pack of frozen spinach! Starch, protein and a veg, all in one dish. Perfect.
But… I hadn’t made a quiche Florentine in a couple of decades, so I went online and did a search and found your site and excellent recipe!
I made a couple of modifications, though. (As you well know, Chef, culinary school will teach you that…) I was out of shallots, so substituted some sweet yellow onion instead. I added about an ounce of shredded ham. And a pinch of nutmeg, you say? My idea of a “pinch of nutmeg” involving anything with gruyere is at least 1/8 teaspoon.
I thought there was a bit too much filling, though. Maybe less cream? Not that I’m complaining, since I put the extra six ounces of filling to a couple of ramekins. They were great for breakfast with some sourdough toast points!
I used a “deep-dish” frozen pie crust and it was perfect. Ubrigens, I took the frozen pie crust out of the aluminum form that it was packaged in and put it in a glass pie plate for cooking.
Made this for dinner last night. Delicious!!
This recipe worked so well. I did add some chopped ham (my French husband swears that’s how they do it in France)and baked it at 350 to go a bit faster. Delicious and easy to keep for lunch or leftovers.
This quiche is baking in the oven as I write this. It smells heavenly. I have made it dozens of times, and have submitted earlier reviews. We are visiting friends tomorrow who live 3 hours from us. They always request this quiche, and it has become a household standard when we visit them.
Helpful hint to people who enjoy this recipe. I pretty much double most ingredients and prepare 1 large, very deep quiche that serves up beautifully. I prepare it 1 day in advance, cool it to room temp, refrigerate it, and serve it the next day, gently warmed up. I always make it in a 2-piece tart tin for a lovely presentation.
Thank you Jenn.
Hello Jenn
I think your recipes are great. I am trying to make the Spinach Quiche and checking the list of ingredients. The cheese – it says 1 cup (4 ounces) . Isn’t a cup 8 ounces? I am confused. How much cheese should I use?
Thank you!
Norma
Hi Norma, Sorry for any confusion! 1 cup is the volume you’ll need and it’s the equivalent of 4 ounces if you were to weigh it. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
I was thinking of making these in a 5″ pastry shell so that I can make a bunch and freeze them for individual meals. Any best guess on time and temperature to bake at?
Thanks!
Hi Karen, I’d keep the temperature the same and start checking them for doneness at about 35 minutes. (That’s just a guesstimate though, so keep a close eye on them.) Please LMK how they turn out!
Wow, just made this for the first time and its fantastic! Thanks for sharing. I will say my custurd was overflowing so i moved it to a foil rimmed baking sheet and altho a little spilled it still looks fantastic
We absolutely love this recipe. We’ve been making it for years. I just noticed, though, that the nutritional breakdown that’s currently listed online is fairly different from the printed copy we printed from this site in 2017, with the current version being a good bit more healthful, especially with regards to calories (371 vs 517), total fat (33g vs 40g), carbs (6g vs 25g), and sodium (407g vs 626g). The URL when we printed our copy was http://www.onceuponachef.com/2010/09/spinach-quiche.html, which now redirects to this page. I’ve done a side by side comparison of ingredients, amounts and serving sizes and everything is identical other than the current version calling for finely shredded Gruyere rather than grated. I’d love to use the current numbers in place of the old with regards to tracking some of our dietary restrictions (lol, who wouldn’t, they sure do make a great dish even better!), but am interested to know what, then, accounts for the nutritional differences before I can feel confident doing so. Any info you can provide would be much appreciated.
Hi Heather, Sorry for any confusion. I use an online tool to calculate the nutritional information and I think they may update their parameters periodically as from time to time I get some variation when I plug recipes in there. That said, what you’ve pointed out is a big discrepancy! I just calculated it again and have updated the information (which is much closer to the 2017 version you had). Hope that clears things up!
Will this be just as good if I make it the day before?
Sure, Meryl – it reheats nicely. See the bottom of the recipe for Make Ahead instructions. Enjoy!
This was delicious! Making it again for this weekend. I used fresh spinach because I had it in the house and I added one extra egg. Oh and also about an 1/8th of a teaspoon of dried mustard since that is the ingredient that is in another egg dish that we love. This recipe is a keeper!
Best quiche ever, REALLY! My husband casually whipped it up on a lazy Saturday morning while we had guests and the rest is history. It was amazing! Our friends would not stop raving about it and we could not stop eating. We have made countless quiche in our lifetime but none like THIS ONE! I’m about to step into the kitchen and make one but had to stop by and thank you. Your recipes have turned our home into our favorite restaurant. Thank you!!!
Kids asked for a bacon and spinach quiche and only have parmigiano on hand. Would I shred the cheese the same and would I use the same amount of salt?
Yes and yes 🙂 Hope everyone enjoys!
this is probably …. wonderful.. but i could not find the actual list of ingredients or the measurements of them. so i made my own version.. the first thing one should to, master chef or rank amateur is list the ingredients .. right after the title . most of the rest , is filler .pretty much.. if you’ll pardon.. the pun… ingredients are the most important part of your instruction. pictures and plaudits are not as important .
Hi Michaela, Sorry you had a problem finding the ingredient list! It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Made this several times and so delicious I now make 2 at a time because it goes so fast. The first time I made with frozen spinach but now chop fresh baby spinach and is even better
When using fresh spinach do you sauté it first and how much do you use? Thanks.
Hi Janet, You can saute or microwave it. I’d estimate you’ll need 1 – 1.5 lbs to yield 1.5 cups cooked spinach. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve made this twice now, and both times it’s turned out great. I’m the designated vegetarian cook for my church’s Martha’s Kitchen, which cooks for shut-ins in our parish, and I can guarantee this recipe will be used whenever quiche comes around in the rotation.
This is the best quiche EVER! I’ve made it 3 times this month for my husband and I. We are doing keto and I make my own crust from almond flour..the amount of fat in here is ideal for a low carb diet. I’m obsessed with this recipe!
This was amazing! I’m a VERY novice cook so I followed the cooking instructions precisely and the consistency was perfect. I substituted a lot of the ingredients for things that I had (onions for shallots, swiss for gruyere, cajun for cayenne and nutmeg, but the flavor was still great. I look forward to trying it the right way! Thank you!
I’m not going to lie, this was very tasty, however, I could not get past the amount of calories that was in this dish. There’s got to be a healthier way to make this without all the fat.
The best thing about this recipe I didn’t feel the need to tweak it. It’s perfect just the way it is written. That being said I did add some sliced baby bellas because I needed to use them before going bad.
This is my favorite quiche recipe. I often vary the ingredients ( adding ham and peppers, bacon and mushrooms for example) but use the standard measurements for cheese and custard. Always a hit!
I made this quiche and so enjoyed it. Will make again and again.
I’ve made this quiche several times- I get a lot of compliments on it! I use Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere – a little less expensive, and still great taste. Definitely slice the onions to cook – don’t chop them! They make a nice layer at the bottom. I also buy a whole box of fresh spinach from the salad section, remove stems, sauté in butter, squeeze dry. One box equals one frozen box of spinach. And milk or 1/2 and 1/2 works great too!!
My all time favorite recipe! I often vary the fillings to include bacon or mushrooms. No matter what it’s always been balanced and tasty!
Easy to make and everyone liked the taste! Good directions as well.
I just made this quiche and it is the best ever! The Gruyère cheese makes all the difference! So delicious I would give it 6 stars!
Love this recipe! I pre-cooked about a quarter pound of thick-sliced pepper bacon and then chopped it up and added it as another layer before pouring the eggs. I used fresh spinach which I sweated in a good mushroom & sage infused olive oil and a little butter. I garnished the quiche with nasturiums (edible flowers) from my garden for a gorgeous presentation and extra little flavor boost. I’ve also used black truffle infused olive oil to sweat the spinach. Truffles love eggs and vice versa. Will continue to make this recipe using other veggies. It’s so good! And, my hubby enjoys the leftovers to pack for an easy and yummy lunch.
Best quiche ever. Enjoy it so much. I use extra sharp cheddar instead of Gruyere.
Just made this! Turned out great. The best recipe I’ve tried!! I used extra old cheese, a medium sized cooking onion sliced thin, fresh spinach and the crust I used was the Pillsbury crust that you just unroll. I’ll def be sharing this recipe.
How much fresh spinach did you use? I don’t have frozen on hand.
Hi Danielle, I’d estimate you’ll need 1 – 1.5 lbs to yield 1.5 cups cooked spinach. Hope you enjoy!
Best quiche I have ever made or had, period. The silky texture is spot on and the amount of spinach makes it very satisfying and healthy-feeling. I couldn’t find the recommended pie crust – I ended up with a non-deep dish whole wheat one from Whole Foods. Accordingly, I reduced the amount of custard slightly so it would all fit. Otherwise I made it as written. Next time I might take it out of the oven at 45 minutes. I like to see a little wobble and let it set up the rest of the way for about 15 minutes before cutting into it. I agree that 325 is the perfect temperature.
I make a very good crust but it is more suited to a fruit pie. I am glad I bought the frozen one; its sturdiness and flavor was better for quiche.
Excellent recipe. Made the Spinach Quiche. super great. Followed the recipe, easy to make. Love the Gruyere cheese. It came out so creamy.
Love this recipe! Turned out to be the best tasting quiche I’ve had. I skipped the pepper only because I’m not a pepper fan. Only things I recommend is to check the crust after the first 5 minutes in case it bubbles, just poke it. Then back off a little on the salt since the cheese is already salty.
I made this recipe using shallots and loved it. Now I am unable to get shallots but I do have leeks. Can I use leeks instead? Do leeks go well with the spinach or is there something else you’d recommend? Thanks!
Hi MP, Leeks would be wonderful here. I’m guessing you’d need about 1 cup of finely chopped leeks. Please LMK how it turns out!
Made my own shortbread crust the pie was delicious
Delicious recipe, but I didn’t sweat or cook the spinach first as it’s too hard to get it really dry. I cut the raw spinach (actually I used silver beet) very fine and it cooks in the pie crust!
This recipe is absolutely wonderful. The gruyere cheese is worth every penny. I found that in my oven I needed to bake the quiche about 5 or so minutes longer to firm up, and I was also left with a little egg mixture because of the brand of my pie crust. This is a recipe I’ll make often.
I’ve been making this for a year or so. I always make two at once. Allow a bit more baking time. I serve a family of seven. Everyone gets a piece and I serve it with roasted root veggies. A couple of times I’ve switched the spinach for a comparable amount of asparagus and mushrooms (sautéed). Also very good. Great recipe that I have shared with friends who have also had success.
Better than an quiche I’ve had even at a restaurant!
Made this for my mom/family on Mother’s Day morning. I’ve never made a quiche before and frankly, wasn’t even sure that I was a fan of quiche. This was DELICIOUS!! Made it exactly per the instructions and it was very moist. Reheated in the oven the next day (covered in foil) and was just as moist the next time we ate it. Can’t sing this recipe’s praises enough.
Jenn, I LOVE this recipe. You are so right, the gruyere really adds flavor. I found freshly grated nutmeg also takes it up a notch. It is so quick and easy and tastes like you spent much more time on it. Thanks so much for this and all of your other delicious recipes.
using fresh spinach? adjustments?
Sure, Jane, using fresh spinach is fine; you’d just need to cook the spinach first and then squeeze out any excess water. Enjoy!
Novel technique! In my decades of making quiche, I’ve never prebaked a crust, nor baked it at such a low temp. I will *never* make any other way! I’ve always used cream and whole milk but crust may or may not crisp and occasionally tasted a touch ‘rubbery’ from overcooked eggs.
I’m only reviewing the concept since usually my quiches, soft tacos and stir fries are the way to use up bits of leftovers. This time I had a few cooked cauliflower florets, a bit of leftover broccoli, couple of grilled asparagus and 4 leftover giant Cajun flavored shrimp. I always have Asiago and Gruyere so used a mix. Perfectly baked creamy filling and crispy crust! Thank you!!
I make this every year for mother’s day brunch! Keeping the tradition alive during these odd times & baking a couple to deliver to my mom tomorrow morning!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I never changed a thing & it is ALWAYS a hit.
Really delicious!! I gave it a twist and added some Canadian bacon to make it a French Canadian quiche! Made my own crust and used Half and Half vs the heavy cream. Will look for more tasty recipes!
Please share your crust recipe, since I live in Costa Rica and we can’t find the frozen pie crust
I was in the mood for quiche and had a 1 lb bag of spinach in the fridge. (You probably know that the reason spinach comes in 10 oz packages frozen is that one pound of spinach cooks down to about 10 ounces.) I didn’t have Gruyère, but I had Jarlsberg, which also provides a kind of nuttiness. It turned out great! Looks like the caption for the photo of the step where you add the cayenne, nutmeg and salt also included some black pepper, judging from the different colored piles on the custard surface.
This is a great recipe. I made it with Swiss cheese, and fresh baby spinach. I sweated the spinach before adding to the mixture. I will definitely make it again, we loved it!
This is very delicious! Only deviation I made from this recipe is making my own crust with whole wheat flour since it’s all I have and it turned out beautiful! Thanks for sharing this recipe, will be trying out your ratatouille recipe next 🙂
Jenn, is it necessary precook the crust? I have made quiche before but never precooked the crust. I want to make this tomorrow as I have been cooking and baking so much as there isn’t much else to do. So sick of reading, doing puzzles, and cleaning basements!
Hi Michelle, I hear you on the cleaning! I always precook by quiche crusts because it ensures they stay crisp, but it’s not necessary if you’re short on time. 🙂