Spinach Quiche
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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 wonderful 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
- Greek Spinach & Rice Pie
- Cheese Soufflé
- Spinach & Cheese Strata
- Spinach Frittata
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spinach Egg Bites
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 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 (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 (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 (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. Be patient...you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The quiche can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
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.
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This recipe is the best quiche recipe I’ve ever made and I’m French! It’s light and fluffy and delicious and easy to make. I tend to buy fresh spinach then I freeze small portions that are perfect for this type of recipe. I buy the gluten free pie crust and it works well. This recipe has become one of our staples. I want to try out more of Jenn’s recipes now.
Hi Jenn,
So I made this today for a group and although I cooked for 55 minutes and it was golden brown at top when I removed; however, when cutting portions, the pointed end of each slice was a bit watery and not set. Is there a way to know when it is done other than golden brown on top?ñ or what could I have done wrong? It still tasted amazing so giving 5 stars but want it more set next time.
Hi Nancy, In addition to noting the color of the quiche, you can check it by giving the dish a gentle shake. If it jiggles, it should bake for a few more minutes. If it doesn’t shake, that means it is set and ready to go. (If the top is getting more browned than you’d like before the quiche is set, you can cover it with foil for the last few minutes of baking.)
This quiche is sooooo good. I did add 4 crumbled strips of thick bacon so I eliminated the salt. I also made it crustless; the ingredients fit just fine in a regular pie plate, not deep dish. This is a recipe everyone should have in their repertoire. Thank you Jenn. Another winner.
Hi there! I love every one of your recipes I have tried…..thank you so much! I am looking for a Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe and nothing I find online seems to be what I’m looking for. What are your thoughts on adding vidalia onions to this scrumptious looking recipe? Thanks for your time!
So glad you like the recipes! Sure – I’d use the Vidalia onions in place of the shallots. Hope you enjoy!
Can you make this without a crust and if so what changes need to be made. Thanks for your great recipes.
Hi Rose Marie, It will work just fine without the crust — just make sure to butter the dish before adding the egg mixture. No other changes are necessary. Enjoy!
This was my first attempt at making quiche and it was easy and delicious! I used fresh spinach and a bit of kale and look forward to changing it up as the items in our farm share changes over the summer. Thank you!
Can i use canned evaporated milk instead of heavy cream?
Hi Elaine, I wouldn’t recommend evaporated milk here – sorry! If you’d like, you could use half-and-half in place of the heavy cream.
Thank you so much for your tip. 🙂
My tweaks:
+ I used pink salt & put 1 tsp in the custard. We love salt around here. ☺
+ 1/64 tsp of cayenne went into ours. As we’re not into spicy, I was afraid the 1/8 tsp might be too much. Plan on doing 1/32 tsp next time.
+ Store was fresh out of shallots, so I used dried minced onions instead. Heated up 2 TBS grassfed butter in an iron skillet, still warm from drying. (We dry cast iron on the stove. I had it on 3 for very fast drying time, then turned it off before putting butter in.) Once the butter melted, I covered the bottom of the pan in minced onion. They sat just like that until I put the buttery goodness into the crust.
+ 2 TBS of butter. Yep, worth it, esp if you use the Kerry Gold or Finlandia brands. Plus, it’s healthy. 😎
+ Cooked in a deep cast iron skillet. The crust looked less like a pie crust and more akin to torte (I think?) crust, but that was a non-sequitur here.
+ In cooking this way, I lowered the temps by 25° and figured out that if you happen to be in a big rush (because it was planned for bfast but didn’t get done till lunch 😰), and you don’t mind the egg custard being softly set, you *can* have this on the table after only 45 mins of cooking the quiche.
+ Cheese was Colby Jack, as it’s all we’ve got atm.
Excellent recipe! Kids didn’t like it much, but this is a keeper for Husby and I.
Thank you for sharing this!
First time I made a quiche and it was damn good! Made with gouda instead of gruyere.
Mmmm gruyere . . . worth every penny. This was divine. Love love love. Thank you!