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’ve made many quiches in my many years of cooking and this was the best. Since I make very good pie crust, I made my own. I also used a 10oz bag of fresh spinach which I steamed, squeezed dry and chopped. Otherwise, there were no changes to the recipe. Fabulous.
I love this quiche recipe! I have some Kale on hand and wondered if I could substitute it for the spinach. Thanks.
Glad you like it! I think you could use kale, but you’ll need to cook it long enough so it’s really tender (and definitely remove the leaves from the stems). I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hello – I’m making this with fresh spinach – how much cooked and drained spinach should I have for the quiche? I’m starting with about 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach. I appreciate some guidance! Thank you!
Hi Diane, I’d estimate you’ll need 1 – 1.5 lbs. to yield 1.5 cups fresh spinach. Make sure to cook and squeeze out any liquid before incorporating it into the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn!
Happy New Year!
I am making this beautiful quiche tonight and have a silly question!
I usually make recipes “as is” the first time around…especially yours since they always come out amazing!!!
I was thinking about adding bacon to this quiche but don’t know if I should do that the first time making this recipe. If I do add…and here is my silly question, should I use a thin cut of bacon or a thick cut of bacon chopped into bite size pieces? Did not know if it was better to use a thin or thick cut of bacon? And now I know why my family and friends tell me I over think things! 🙂
Hopefully, you’ll get this before my dinner! If not, I’ll let you know how it goes!
Thanks so much Jenn!
Stacey
Hi Stacey, So glad you like the recipes! It’s fine to add some bacon to the quiche and it really doesn’t matter whether you use thin or thick-cut bacon; it’s more of a personal preference. Please LMK how it turns out!
Can I add ham to this recipe? I’m asking because I’m not sure how it pair with the other spices.
Sure, Sharon – I think it would be delicious.
This was delicious. It’s a definite keeper!
OMG! Best quiche I have ever had! I was worried, though. Even though the pie crust I bought said deep dish, it clearly wasn’t deep enough. I could not fit the entire egg mixture (about 2/3rds to 3/4s). I watched it at 45 mins, thinking it might need to cook less, but wound up keeping it in for 50. My husband agrees it’s the best we have ever had. I will make for guests in the future. Thank you!!!
I had the same experience.
I just made my very first quiche, and used this recipe. It is the best quiche I’ve ever tasted! I was so nervous, but it came out perfectly! I highly recommend this recipe, and will be trying more of Jenn Segal’s recipes very soon.
I absolutely LOVE this quiche! Sometimes I add left over taco meat from dinner the evening before or some diced ham and it is super good like that too. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Great kitchen hack on the cracked crust!!! I never knew that trick!!
And the quiche is delicious!! Thank you!
Hi Jenn,
The quiche was so wonderful. However, I had Wholly Wholesome crust from Whole Foods that you recommend and couldn’t fit the entire egg-cream mixture in it. Not sure what I did wrong… Thank you!
Hi Iryna, You didn’t do anything wrong. It may be my imagination, but I swear Wholly Wholesome used to sell a deep-dish pie crust, which I can no longer find. You do need a deep-dish crust to fit all the filling.