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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I substituted 2% milk for the heavy cream (because that’s what I drink), I substituted crumbled bacon for the spinach, and I also used a Marie Calendar frozen pie crust. Perfect and easy! Yes, I took the easy way out. Jenn, all the recipes of yours that I’ve tried have been perfect and have become favorites or mine. Thank you!
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Second time making and I’m reminded how good this is. This time I sauteed about 4 oz sliced crimini mushrooms in the butter first until lightly browned then added the shallots and followed recipe as written. I used Marie Calendar frozen crust which I recommend. Delicious and husband approved!
I have made this delicious quiche numerous times and have submitted an earlier review. The following comments might be helpful to readers who are interested in preparing a larger version of this recipe. I “scale up” this recipe to create a version that is both larger and deeper than the original recipe. I use a tart pan, with a removable bottom, that measures 9 1/2″ in diameter, 2″ deep. I prepare my own crust. After par-baking, I include an egg wash to brush interior of tart shell and pop it back into the oven for 1 -2 minutes as extra protection from “leaking custard”. All the ingredients are increased proportionally. When filling the crust for this larger version, I create two sets of layers: shallots-spinach-cheese-custard and then repeat this layering. I like to fill the tart shell very close to the top! Baking time is adjusted (1 hour, 20 minutes) until internal temperature reaches mid 170’s. After the quiche has cooled, removing the outer rim is easy. The tart pan bottom requires a little more effort, but it makes for such an impressive presentation. (I usually transfer the quiche to parchment paper and then position it on a wooden board for serving).
This quiche slices beautifully and tastes amazing–don’t expect many leftovers!
I just discovered your site and I love it; great recipes, tips and new ideas .I made this quiche it is fabulous; but mine is crustless; I found a wonderful way to make a thin crust without the pastry.
Girl…OMG!!!! This was absolutely fantastic. I added diced bacon using the technique from your quiche lorraine recipe. My taste buds are exploding from the amazing flavor. Thank you so very much Chef for sharing your knowledge. It’s greatly appreciated!
This quiche is superb. The ready-made crust I chose tasted like homemade, but I’ll admit I’m not very good at rolling out pie dough… For all of you trying to lower the fat content by using milk (even 2%?), come on. Yes, this is decadent, but it isn’t something you eat every day. Allow yourself the quality of this luscious French Spinach Quiche as written, even if you have only a small slice, savor it and enjoy. You can take a spinning class tomorrow and burn off 500 calories! You owe yourself a treat once in awhile. This one happens to be savory. 🙂
I haven’t tried this, but it looks so delicious. I just wanted to make a comment on a good way to remove the water from the spinach. When I had a garden at a community garden, one of the wiser gardeners suggested this and I have used it ever since.
Put the spinach in a potato ricer, squeeze and you will get the driest spinach. It still isn’t particularly neat, but it takes so much less time and no dirty dishtowel to clean if you use one.
I made this dish following the recipe exactly the first time and it was great. The second time, I made it without the crust (my husband has to watch his carbs) and used parmesan cheese I had on hand. I cut back on the salt a bit. It only took about 50 minutes to cook. It was still great! My husband said it was the best quiche he ever had! Very easy to make, too. Thanks for this and all the lovely recipes you share with us.
I had family guests during 4th of July week and made this quiche for breakfast.
I impressed everyone at the table and talked about how good my quiche was for a week.
It’s easy to make and so delicious.
I’ve made this quiche no less than a dozen times. It is a favorite of everyone in my family and it is always quick and easy. I usually make it fresh baby spinach instead of thawing and squeezing frozen. (Actually takes less time and the spinach is more tender. Just throw it in the pan with the shallots/onions.) Sometimes I make a crust from scratch or use a few scrapes of fresh nutmeg.
Today, I was in a big hurry to make something with ingredients already in the house… So I prepped everything and preheated the oven. When I took the crust from the freezer, it was cracked — badly! I heated it 10 minutes and followed the recipe note about “pasting” the crust… It worked perfectly!!!! WOW! This is 5 stars on ease and flavor. Bonus for sharing how to save the crust. Thank you!