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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Excellent recipe. I usually use homemade pie crust that I keep in the freezer, fresh spinach, and sometimes add a few mushrooms. Otherwise exactly as written. Cooking time is accurate (unless you use a deep-dish pie plate.) It’s rich, but it is perfectly balanced and delicious!
Hi, I’m going to make this with some leftover cooked fresh spinach. Do I need to squeeze the cooked spinach before use? Also, can I substitute half and half for the heavy cream? And finally can I add crumbled cooked bacon to the quiche?
Yes, if you use fresh spinach, squeeze out any excess moisture. Half-and-half will work as a substitute for the heavy cream, and you can add crumbled cooked bacon to the mix. Hope you enjoy!
Hi jen
Made this spinach quiche a few timeouts become a favorite one for me. It makes a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner with a side salad. I love your cookbook. I try one new recipe week.
Thank you for this awesome recipes.
Hi, I’m going to make this with some leftover cooked fresh spinach. Do I need to squeeze the cooked spinach before use? Also, can I substitute half and half for the heavy cream? And finally can I add crumbled cooked bacon to the quiche?
Thanks, Kathleen
Yes, if you use fresh spinach, squeeze out any excess moisture. Half-and-half will work as a substitute for the heavy cream, and you can add crumbled cooked bacon to the mix. Hope you enjoy!
I made this twice, so far, and it was delicious! I plan to make it many more times. My husband said once a week would be fine with him!
I have made this dozens of times. I add one more egg, a little less cream, fresh spinach and chopped prosciutto or ham added in at the end of the shallot cooking. I dont layer it, I mix everything together. Add a sprinkle of gruyere on top. I use the Marie Calendars crust and Boars Head gruyere. Excellent.
This recipe is amazing!
I did have to tweak it a little since I didn’t have gruyère on hand, used fresh spinach, and had refrigerated store bought crust instead of frozen.
I subbed cheddar and parmesan for the gruyère.
First round, I tried to prebake the refrigerated dough, but that made it sink into the pie dish, so I used the second one in the package raw instead. I was very glad I read previous comments and questions so I knew to sauté the fresh spinach. I was a little worried after reading other comments about the filling overflowing, so I used a smidge less spinach and cream, but it ended up just fine.
Absolutely delicious, had to give half away to the neighbors so I didn’t eat the whole thing!
I make this for brunch every Christmas, amongst various other occasions. The flavor combination is perfection! Always delicious, always a crowd pleaser.
Really easy, and creates delicious quiche… not much else to say! Gruyère is sometimes a little tough to get
Oh my! This was a delicious recipe! The combination of the Gruyere cheese and cayenne pepper was fabulous. I was initially a little hesitant to use too much cayenne but next time I make the recipe, I will use the full amount. The flavor enhancing quality of the cayenne with the cheese was fabulous! I errored a bit light on the cayenne but over did it a small amount on the nutmeg. I think this recipe as provided nails the amounts perfectly.
This quiche was a big hit. I used broccoli instead of spinach but it was great. Thanks Jenn.