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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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By adding Gruyere (finely shredded, packed), shredded pepper jack cheese, Cayenne Pepper and heavy cream, definitely elevated my spicy Spinach Quiche game. Delicioso!
I am wondering what I can use instead of heavy cream. I need to use something lactose free; such as milk/ sour cream/ cream cheese . Please advise. I would love to make this soon!
Hi Jan, some readers have commented that they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen) and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried either of these.) While it sounds like you don’t need to completely avoid dairy, I believe this still has a similar consistency to heavy cream (without the lactose). Hope that helps!
This was beyond delicious!
I made this quiche today and took it to brunch with my husband and a couple of friends. I can’t eat dairy so I can’t give you my own opinion, but it received rave reviews from the three people who did eat it. They said it was delicious many times over. Definitely a keeper that I will make again and again.
I have made this several times and it doesn’t disappoint. Couple of questions:
Can you substitute onion for shallots?
Can I use chopped fresh spinach and if so how much and should I saute with the shallots?
What brand pie crust do you recommend or find is a better quality?
Thanks!
Hi Vee, Glad you like this! In answer to your questions:
-Yes, you can substitute onions if you don’t have shallots on hand
-You can use fresh spinach; I’d estimate you’ll need 1 – 1.5 lbs. to yield 1.5 cups of fresh spinach. Make sure to cook and squeeze out any liquid before incorporating it into the recipe. Technically you could cook the spinach with the shallots, but because you’ll be squeezing out the liquid after cooking the spinach, you may want to steam it separately or pop it into the microwave.
-My favorite pie crust is Whole Foods’ Wholly Wholesome pie crust, but I’ve noticed that they don’t make the deep-dish version anymore. You can still use it, but you’ll have a little custard leftover. I have also used Marie Callender’s and Mrs. Smith’s, and they work well with this quiche.
Hope that helps!
Absolutely delicious. I used boxed baby spinach and did not cook it. It worked perfectly,
I followed it to the letter and it came out soggy. I’ll will try again but will use only 1 cup of the heavy cream. Any tips? Thanks for posting the recipe.
Hi Juanita, I’m sorry this came out soggy for you! It sounds like it was a little underbaked; instead of cutting back on the cream next time, I’d suggest leaving it in the oven for a little longer.
I have made this for years. I make it exactly to the the recipe and it comes out perfect every time! It’s a real crowd pleaser too!
Can I add red peppers to this and if so do I need to cook first. Thank you.
Yes and yes — enjoy!
I made this for a luncheon with a friend today. I paired it with the Best Blueberry Muffins and they were both fabulous. I’ve never used frozen pie crust before and appreciated the convenience. Both recipes were made exactly as described and I will be making them again. Thank you for your recipes, which my guests always love!
I made this spinach quiche and your crustless broccoli quiche so my guests could have a choice. Well, they are so delicious, they wanted to eat both!! Luckily, there was enough.. I make these often and you just have to try them! So very good and easy to prepare.
I have added sautéed mushrooms and that was a good addition to the spinach quiche.
Ooops, forgot to add my 5 stars! definitely deserves 10 stars.
Can I ask please ask size eggs you use? This recipe looks delicious. 🤗
Hi Mary, I use large eggs in all of my cooking. Hope you enjoy the quiche!