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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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This spinach quiche was delicious! I didn’t have gruyere, so I substituted with a white sharp cheddar. The shallots were a great addition, and the spinach made it feel a little healthier. Very quick and easy to make, and it is now my go-to quiche recipe!
Gruyere is absolutely divine! This quiche is delectable because of it. I didn’t have shallots so used onions instead but it still turned out nicely. I also wanted individual muffin sized ones so baked this in my muffin tin, therefore crustless but still yummy. Thank you Jenn for your delicious recipes and hard work!
This quiche is outstanding. It is the first quiche I have ever made and it was a big hit with my bridge group. Everyone wanted the recipe! Thanks for making me look good.
This is an excellent Quiche recipe! The filling has such a wonderful texture. The Gruyere cheese is a must for the nutty flavor it provides. My husband loves to have the leftovers for breakfast. It is easy to put together and of course, your directions are the best!
This is a really delicious spinach quiche. Wonderful for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. I made it for dinner for a friend who needs a gluten free diet by substituting mashed potatoes for the pie crust. I made it in an iron skillet and the mashed potatoes crisped up nicely in the oven, a perfect compliment to the spinach quiche topping.
This has been my go-to quiche recipe for well over a year now. It is always well received. I’ve tried it with both fresh and frozen and it’s definitely better with frozen in my opinion. I also make my own pie crust instead of buying a premade one. I just made the quiche lorraine on this website for the first time recently which is also amazing.
This is by far the best spinach quiche I have ever made! (And I have made at least a dozen different recipes). The texture of the filling was so creamy & light. I think using gruyere cheese makes a big difference in taste, so make sure you get that! Jen’s recipes can be counted on to turn out excellently. I have shared this blog with many, especially newer chefs looking for reliable & wonderful tasting recipes every time.
Hi Jenn, I was looking for a Spinach Quiche with Feta. I know that isnt Classic French, but I have an abundance of Dodoni Feta from Costco and want to use it up. So instead of using Gruyere or Cheddar.
I searched your reviews here and couldn’t find this question asked before. So sorry to the purists, but can I just substitute Feta for either Cheddar or Gruyere? Any adjustment needed because of the water content in the Feta?
Hi Lawrence, Feta doesn’t melt nearly as well as Gruyere, so if you want something a little more evenly distributed through the quiche, I’d stick with something like Gruyere. You mentioned Cheddar; that will also work nicely.
Hi Jenn, I wanted to circle back and share the outcome. I made the Spinach version with Feta, which I was intent on making. Based on your comments in advance regarding the feta not distributing well, I grated the block of Feta on a very sharp grater. That resulted in a mix of shredded Feta and Crumbs, totaling 4 ounces. Atop of the shallots, I placed half of the feta, then layered in the spinach breaking up the clumps as suggested. Atop of the spinach, I placed the remaining Feta. The outcome…. OUTSTANDING AND WELL INTEGRATED…..one last change would be to cut back the salt by at least a half-teaspoon.
Whenever I make this recipe I always feel like I am eating at a restaurant!
Great with a salad and is enough for dinner! I did a few adjustments, made my own crust and used fresh spinach. Delicious!
This is my go to for quiche and have a frozen pie shell in our freezer staring at me right now ready to be filled. Easy to prepare and delicious!