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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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I made this exactly as described and it was PERFECT.
Looks like way more than 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper in the photo. Is that just an optical illusion? I have made the recipe following written instructions and it’s great.
Yes, that must be an optical illusion! 🙂
I love this recipe. I have made it many times as written. I have also made it with a combination of half and half and 1% milk and it still comes out very good. Next time I will make it crustless to cut down on calories and fat.
absolutely delicious!
I must say i made some cheaper substituations (like a different cheese) but overall i really enjoyed this recipe. a little time consuming but makes for a very fancy main dish.
thank you!
As always, I read many of these reviews before making this quiche for company. I know it received five stars, but I just did not think it was that good. Although it baked for an hour, the gruyere did not melt completely and was still partly in shreds when cut. I didn’t think the flavor was anything special. I would not make this again.
So sorry you had trouble, Marianne. Was the cheese finely shredded? If it’s coarsely shredded, the cheese won’t melt as well.
Hi- This is consistently so good! It’s gone as soon as it’s served. I’d like to make a larger one. I have a deep, 11” pie plate. Was thinking about doubling the filling…What would you recommend for increasing the filling? And baking time? Thanks Jenn
So glad you like this! I don’t think you’d be able to fit double the recipe into an 11-inch pie plate. Instead, I suggest making 1.5 times the filling. Bake time will be a bit longer but I’m not quite sure how much. (I would guess about 15 – 20 minutes but keep an eye on it. Hope that helps!
I made this recipe for a food snob friend of mine. Not only was my very first quiche, my friend said it was very good and they had seconds. Paired it with the strawberry and orange fruit salad (also amazing). Huge hit. Thanks again for making me look like I can cook!
Made this quiche this morning and it was excellent! Perfect ratio of eggs to cream. Definitely my new go to recipe.
Hi Jenn, I was wondering if you think I could make this recipe as crustless mini quiches in a standard muffin pan. If so do you have any tips for temp/cooking time? Thanks 🙂
(I would also like to use fresh spinach and shredded gruyere if that would work)
Hi Kim, I think you could prepare these in a muffin tin, but they would be fairly delicate. I’d bake them in a 325-degree oven for about 25 – 30 minutes or until the eggs are set. Using fresh spinach is fine; you’d just need to cook the spinach first and then squeeze out any excess water. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
They turned out wonderful!! Thank you for the awesome recipe 😃
So glad, Kim — thanks for the follow-up!!
Hey Jen I was wondering If I made these as mini quiches (in a mini muffin pan) whats the best way to reheat? Place on a cookie sheet, covered with foil for 15-20 min at 350?
Hi Sharmila, I think that would work nicely. You could also get away with microwaving them. Hope you enjoy!
Can fresh spinach be substituted for frozen? If so, how much. Can I put the fresh spinach in the pan raw? Thanks.
Ellen Young
Hi Ellen, Using fresh spinach is fine; you’d just need to cook the spinach first and then squeeze out any excess water. I’m guessing you’ll need 1 – 1.5 lbs to yield 1.5 cups cooked spinach. Hope you enjoy!
Kim I was planning on doing that for a baby shower and wondering how the mini quiches turned out?
Made this last night and it was delicious! I only had 3/4 cup cream, so I subbed 1/2 cup whole milk, and it still turned out great. Just needed a few extra minutes in the oven to set. Great recipe!
Absolutely fabulous. Will be my go-to quiche recipe. Made as is except crustless for my friend with celiac disease. Next time, I will add extra ingredients because I like a thicker quiche. Thank you.