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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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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.