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 made this for our Bible Study group and I got lots of compliments! They thought it tasted great! I made 2 and cut the pieces in 8 instead of 6 because I had 13 people.
I’m making two tomorrow for my bible study and wondering if you can have them both in the oven at the same time, and if so, do you need to adjust the cooking time and/or temperature?
Yes that’s fine, Glenna; you’ll probably need to add 5 to 10 min to the cooking time.
I make this every year for brunch the day after Thanksgiving as well as a broccoli quiche (not one of Jen’s) and every year the favorite is this spinach quiche!…of course:). So this year I will be making the crustless broccoli quiche from this site as well. Not sure why it took me so long to figure that out. Love every recipe that I have made so far!
I loved the dough!!! So easy to work with!!! The quiche was delicious! Thanks!😊👍
This is my go-to recipe for quiche. I’ve made this at least a dozen times and it is always SO DELICIOUS! The only thing I do differently is use fresh spinach instead of frozen out of preference. I usually add a package of baby spinach directly in the pan with the shallots (after the shallots have cooked for a few minutes), let it wilt and cook down for a bit. I don’t mind if the spinach is all at the bottom with the shallots, but sometimes I’ll cook the two separately to mimic the recipe. Oh, and I always have whole nutmeg on hand so I grate it fresh and it’s lovely. Eventually I’ll try this with my own pie crust, but frozen store-bought works great! (Love the tip about fixing the cracks in the crust!)
Excellent! Best quiche ever.
I have 2 in my freezer now.
Question: after defrosting, do you reheat for about 30 minutes? Thank you
So glad you like it! I’m not sure exactly how long it will take but I would guesstimate it would take about 45 minutes give or take to get heated all the way through.
Delicious! I followed the recipe, made it a day ahead and heated it up per instructions. Note, it did take about 40 minutes to heat through with my oven but was perfect. Big hit! I actually used the same recipe to make a broccoli cheddar quiche too. (I followed the crustless broccoli cheddar quiche but used measurements from this recipe per Jen’s suggestion) and it too was a big hit!! Love a good make-ahead! Thanks Jen!
Can you use fresh spinach?
Hi Marybeth, using fresh spinach is fine; you’d just need to cook the spinach first and then squeeze out any excess water. Enjoy!
I guess I am writing wayyy to much. Anyway, OMG I made this for my sister and she absolutely loved it. I tasted it and it was DELICIOUS!!!
I will be making this for her again, another winner!
Thank you Jen
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
If you buy ready made pie crust, just bake in oven at 375, until it is brown and crusty. This keeps the bottom from getting soggy. Then add ingredients.
This recipe solidified my fandom for Jen’s platform and presentations. I dislike eggs but I love to cook with them. I made this recipe for a brunch and was blown away. I ate my entire slice and enjoyed every minute of it. I paired it with he chipotle sweet potato mash, mimosas and some homemade biscuits. Oh – and I added a little bacon crumbles I had from another dish. I now keep these ingredients on hand. The gruyere is the best to use for cheese – subtle and balances the dish. Definitely squeeze your spinach – I was not doing that properly as I reflect on other failed recipes. I used a frozen pie crust – no worries! This dish will get eaten entirely for a party of 4-6 people.
Can someone recommend Christmas Gifts for Her? Cheers xxx