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’m looking to make this quiche on the weekend. Reviews look amazing. I’ve made a lot of your recipes before so know this will be a hit. One quick question… I don’t usually modify but this time I will have to. Can I use sour cream instead of heavy cooking cream?
I wouldn’t recommend sour cream here, Clare — sorry!
Thank for getting back to me so quick! I took your advise and stayed clear of the sour cream.
I’m actually about to make again today! I didn’t have spinach last time so used mushrooms and havarti cheese. Don’t have spinach again today lol so will use sweet potato and asparagus. This hands down is the most delicious recipe. My recipe took 1hr and 10 mins… I kept checking after 50 and the middle was still super running (pays to check) I added garlic powder and smoked paprika… this one I will def save in the recipe box. A huge crowd pleaser.
Glad to hear it’s all worked out and that it’s a keeper! 🙂
I made the spinach and bacon quiche for brunch for a couple of friends. I made the recipes exactly as noted and my oh my they were both delicious. Thank you for two simple recipes that yield big flavor deliciousness.
I just made this. It’s excellent. I love your easy-to-follow directions.
Perhaps the best tasting quiche I ever made. Using Gruyere instead of store brand swiss like some recipes call for made all the difference!
Delicious, easy, and good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! I expect the one I froze to be just as good. The ftreezing instructions were a great addition.
Chef Jen, thanks for this recipe and the detailed notes. This is a perfect recipe. Yesterday morning I was looking in the refrigerator, trying to decide what to make with what was on hand. I was out of most fresh vegetables and the salad greens were long gone.
Quiche, of course! I had lots of eggs, frozen pie crusts, Gruyere, cream, and could choose from ham, bacon, even a bit of guanciale. But no salad greens… then I found a pack of frozen spinach! Starch, protein and a veg, all in one dish. Perfect.
But… I hadn’t made a quiche Florentine in a couple of decades, so I went online and did a search and found your site and excellent recipe!
I made a couple of modifications, though. (As you well know, Chef, culinary school will teach you that…) I was out of shallots, so substituted some sweet yellow onion instead. I added about an ounce of shredded ham. And a pinch of nutmeg, you say? My idea of a “pinch of nutmeg” involving anything with gruyere is at least 1/8 teaspoon.
I thought there was a bit too much filling, though. Maybe less cream? Not that I’m complaining, since I put the extra six ounces of filling to a couple of ramekins. They were great for breakfast with some sourdough toast points!
I used a “deep-dish” frozen pie crust and it was perfect. Ubrigens, I took the frozen pie crust out of the aluminum form that it was packaged in and put it in a glass pie plate for cooking.
Made this for dinner last night. Delicious!!
This recipe worked so well. I did add some chopped ham (my French husband swears that’s how they do it in France)and baked it at 350 to go a bit faster. Delicious and easy to keep for lunch or leftovers.
This quiche is baking in the oven as I write this. It smells heavenly. I have made it dozens of times, and have submitted earlier reviews. We are visiting friends tomorrow who live 3 hours from us. They always request this quiche, and it has become a household standard when we visit them.
Helpful hint to people who enjoy this recipe. I pretty much double most ingredients and prepare 1 large, very deep quiche that serves up beautifully. I prepare it 1 day in advance, cool it to room temp, refrigerate it, and serve it the next day, gently warmed up. I always make it in a 2-piece tart tin for a lovely presentation.
Thank you Jenn.
Hello Jenn
I think your recipes are great. I am trying to make the Spinach Quiche and checking the list of ingredients. The cheese – it says 1 cup (4 ounces) . Isn’t a cup 8 ounces? I am confused. How much cheese should I use?
Thank you!
Norma
Hi Norma, Sorry for any confusion! 1 cup is the volume you’ll need and it’s the equivalent of 4 ounces if you were to weigh it. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!