This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
More Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Can I use another type of cheese? If yes, which ones?
Sure, Rosemina, gouda, cheddar, or swiss. Hope you enjoy!
This sounds heavenly, but not a big fan of spinach in quiches. Could a substitute like broccoli work?
Thank you!
Sure, Beth, that should work. Just be sure to cook it first and squeeze out all of the water. Hope you enjoy!
This sounds delicious! But I’m looking to duplicate a quiche I had at a luncheon a few mos ago that was plain, no spinach or bacon, etc. just the Gruyère cheese. Would you do anything different without anything added?? Omit the nutmeg or add another spice? Looking to make this for an Easter Brunch~
Hi Cindy, I do think you could eliminate the spinach with no other changes necessary, but the quiche will definitely be less substantial without the spinach.
Phenomenal quiche that is a total crowdpleaser! Everyone will ask you for the recipe! I believe the shallots and gruyere cheese are what make it so delicious. Pair this with the arugula/manchego salad and bloody Mary’s… The perfect easy brunch!
I have made this quiche 3 different times. All have turned out perfectly until this last time. I put it in an actual quiche dish ( ceramic) versus pie plates previously. This time the quiche turned out completely flat.. not more than 1/2 – 1 inch in depth. I followed the directions to a T – do you have any ideas of what it could have been? Don’t want to have this happen again –
Hi Marjo, using ceramic versus glass shouldn’t make a difference here. Was the quiche pan larger than the pie plate? That would account for it not being as tall.
The base of the dish may have been just a little wider, but I didn’t think that much of a difference. But, I guess so. The quiche just seemed a lot more dense. I will try it again… Perhaps back into the pie plate :0)
Made this a couple of times… Of course I made my own pastry. Was a big hit with my friends.
Another super recipe… your recipes never fail.
How long do you bake a freshly made pastry crust?
I’ve make this recipe a few different times. Very good recipe. One time I substituted swiss cheese for the other cheese. This past time I made ahead and froze. It turned out great for my brunch over the weekend.
I want to thank you, Jenn, for publishing this wonderful recipe. I’ve made it many times and can honestly say I’ve never tasted a better quiche anywhere ever. I use a premade refrigerated crust and fresh spinach but otherwise follow the recipe as written…well, sometimes the cheese is whatever is in the fridge. Using the shallot was a revelation to me. It adds such a lovely, delicate fragrance and savor. Shallots are now a staple in my kitchen. Nice to learn something new! Genius recipe.
I love this recipe! I make it often. It’s my boyfriend’s favorite dish. This quiche recipe is special because it was the first thing I made that was ‘edible’ after living alone.
I have three suggestions for people that are making this. 1) make sure that the spinach is squeezed dry. To thaw a little quicker, put the spinach in a cheese cloth and let the spinach thaw in warm water. Then squeeze the water out of the spinach. Repeat process until you’ve squeezed what you can out of the spinach. 2) although this recipe calls for a quarter cup of shallots, I like adding more shallots, usually an entire shallot actually. 3) really get the deep dish pie crust as the regular is going to be hard to manage.
Made this with a GF store bought crust the first time – scrumptious!! BUT the second time, I made this with THINLY sliced sweet potatoes layered on the bottom (baked first at 400 to take form in the pan) in lieu of a traditional crust so I could have a healthful, grain free breakfast option for my daughter. All I have to say is that I have never seen her eat so fast. It was so very good and filling and nutritions AND tasted just like the quiche my French maman used to make. Bon Appetit!
AMAZING!!! I had this quiche at my baby shower and I had to have the recipe. It was the best quiche I have ever tried. When I got the recipe, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to assemble and make. The flavors were spot on. I recommend using really good Gruyère cheese (buy one that isn’t already grated) and use actual cream… not milk or any low fat products. Using good ingredients is key to make the flavors just right and it makes breakfast perfect.
I served this with the Strawberry Orange Mint Salad found on this site. It was the best combo.