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With its flaky, buttery crust and rich, creamy filling, this spinach quiche is delicious served warm or at room temperature. It’s just as good the next day, too!
Of all the spinach quiche recipes I’ve tried over the years, this classic French version is my favorite. The recipe comes from my childhood friend Trish, who is a great host and knows how to throw a good party. This spinach quiche is her go-to for brunch, and it’s easy to see why. With plenty of spinach, heavy cream, and nutty Gruyère, it strikes just the right balance between rich and light.
“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 because its nutty flavor works nicely with the eggs and spinach. If you can’t find it, Cheddar may be substituted.
How To Make Spinach Quiche
Bake the crust and cook the shallots: Prick the crust all over with a fork and bake until lightly golden. While it’s in the oven, cook the shallots in butter until soft and translucent, without letting them brown. Set aside to cool.
Pro tip: Don’t worry if the crust puffs up a bit—just gently prick it again to release the air. And if the crust cracks while baking, don’t worry—it’s easy to patch; see the recipe card below for instructions.
Make the custard: Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
Assemble the quiche: Set the baked crust on a sheet pan—this makes it easy to move in and out of the oven—then layer in the shallots, Gruyère, and spinach. Make sure the spinach is very dry and break up any clumps as you scatter it over the cheese. Slowly pour the custard over the top, letting it settle evenly.
Bake: Bake until the custard is set and the top is lightly golden. Let the quiche cool for a bit before slicing.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing
Spinach quiche is perfect for making ahead. You can bake it up to a day in advance, let it cool, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover the quiche with aluminum foil and warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
The baked quiche can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Once completely cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then remove the plastic wrap and reheat as directed above.
Video Tutorial
Spinach Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 (9-in) deep dish frozen pie crust
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallots, from 2 medium 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-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Remove the pie crust from the freezer and let it thaw for about 10 minutes, or until soft enough to prick with a fork. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust all over with a fork, making fork marks about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is fully cooked and lightly golden. Keep an eye on it; if it puffs up, gently prick it with a fork to deflate it. Don't worry if the crust cracks during baking—see the note below for how to fix it. Set the crust aside and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C).
- 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 to make it easy to move in and out of the 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 (165°) for 50 to 55 minutes until the custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- 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.
- 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. You need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.
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.
What to Serve With Spinach Quiche
Spinach quiche is lovely for brunch, lunch, or a light dinner. For a simple meal, pair it with a French carrot salad or a green salad tossed with my French vinaigrette. For brunch, add a platter of fresh seasonal fruit and some blueberry muffins to round out the spread.
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In baking the quiche ahead of time and freezing, you say remove from freezer 24 hours ahead of time. Once thawed, can it be heated in the microwave or does it have to go in the oven? Haven’t tried the recipe yet but plan on making it for family reunion and oven space is always an issue. Thanks.
Hi Cheri, I think it would be better re-heated in the oven. I’m concerned the crust would get soggy in the microwave (and it’s likely to be in a metal pie plate) which shouldn’t go into the microwave. Hope you enjoy!
Fantastic!!! The only thing that was different was I added ham that was left over from Easter.
Is it o.k. to make/bake this quiche the night before….keep in the refrigerator and then heat up prior to serving? If so, what should the oven temperature be and for how long to reheat…if not from a frozen state….THANKS!
Yes, that’s perfectly fine. Just reheat it covered with foil in a 300 degree oven until hot in the center.
Can this quiche be made with a refrigerated dough i.e. Pillsbury, instead of the frozen dough? If so, how should the cooking time be adjusted? Thank you!
Sure, Deb. Just follow the directions on the package for blind baking. Enjoy!
Do you have any suggestions on how I could modify this as gluten free in muffin tins for a shower?
Hi Sue, I think it could be done, but they would be pretty delicate. I’d bake them in a 325 degree oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes or until the eggs are set.
What are the instructions for reheating the quiche in the oven?
Hi Nmo, I would take it out of the freezer about 24 hours ahead of time and reheat it covered with foil in a 300 degree oven until hot in the center.
This was my first time making quiche and let me tell you I thought it was amazing. My husband also said it was the most flavourful quiche he has ever had. Thanks for posting consistently amazing recipes. I’m planning to make it again tomorrow!
My husband and I loved this quiche. After reading the comments about too much filling I made my own crust and used a 10 inch pan and that worked out beautifully. This recipe is a keeper in my opinion.
This made an awesome dinner for the family and lunch leftovers for me! I did have couple issues though: As one person said, I ended up with too much egg mixture, but I dumped the extra into a ramekin with extra spinach and cheese and cooked it up as a crustless quiche which cooked in half the time so my son and I ate it while waiting for the quiches to finish cooking. It seemed like there was too much spinach so I didn’t use it all. I wish I had cut the spinach smaller, and perhaps blanched it or something (it was a little undercooked in the end product). All in all though, it looked and tasted amazing. The only thing I would have added would be bacon 😉 And honestly… I just don’t get the cayenne pepper… is there really enough to even notice it is there or do I just have no palette? LOL
Made this quiche for a ladies brunch I hosted on Sunday, it was a HIT! So delicious… I was a little heavy handed with the gruyere, but more gruyere never hurts anyone. Next time, I might add some bacon!