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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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Love all your recipes. Making the Thai Butternut squash soup tonight for tomorrow. Not looking forward to peeling abd chopping the squash! Pre-peeled was way to expensive. But I know how great this soup is. Made it 4 years ago.
Plan on making this quiche tomorrow. However, forgot to buy the frozen spinach. Any hints on defrosting it fast? Buying the spinach today.
Thanks.
Sunny Drohan
So glad you like the recipes, Sunny! I usually thaw my recipe in the microwave but here is a piece that gives you a few options to choose from. Hope you enjoy the quiche!
Thanks Jenn. Much appreciated.
Sunny D.
I made this yesterday for New Year’s Eve lunch. My French sister-in-law proclaimed it the best quiche she has ever eaten! I am a pie crust maker so had reservations about the Marie Callender crust but it was delicious. I made the Quiche Lorraine as well at it too got raves.
If I could give this 10 stars I would.
I made this for Christmas brunch. I used sweet onion and sharp white cheddar otherwise cooked as directed. My family loved it. It’s so rich and flavorful. We had great leftovers the next day too.
I had an extra pie crust to use after making a pie for a friend and decided a Christmas morning quiche was the way to go. I buy the big package of spinach from Costco and freeze in vacuum bags what I don’t use right away. This recipe was perfect for that spinach. No shallots-minced some yellow onion instead. Listening to some of the critics regarding richness, I substitued 1/4 cup whole milk for part of the heavy cream. After wringing out the spinach, I placed on a paper towel-lined plate and placed in the preheated oven to dry out further while I prepared the egg base. This was so very good. I haven’t made a quiche in a long time, but after eating this version, I will definitely be making again soon.
As always, perfect! I made the quiche last week, using only 8 ounces of sliced baby Bella mushrooms for “ meatless Monday” …was so delicious I now have the spinach quiche in the oven ! Do not cut back on the cream, as it is what makes this recipe a step up from quiches made with half and half…it’s decadent, and memorable! Thanks Jen!
I made this to add to Christmas Eve dinner. Turned out to be the biggest hit of all. Have to say, without hesitation, that it was the best spinach quiche I’ve had. I made it per recipe with no changes and after tasting it, I don’t think I’ll be making any modifications. Thanks Jenn, great recipe!
Hi Jenn-I mistakenly thawed the frozen pie crust overnight before baking it. Will this change the outcome of the final quality?
Hi Leslie, It will be absolutely fine. Enjoy!
It wouldn’t be a recipe comment without some adjustments. Made this with leftover sauteed spinach, lightly squeezed to remove excess moisture then heated in a skillet until dry. The quiche really benefited from the seasonings in the sauteed spinach–garlic, salt, pepper, a little ground red pepper. The resulting quiche was delicious. I was surprised at the low cooking temperature (325), but it really worked and produced a silky custard.
Can you not use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Hi Pam, fresh spinach is fine to use; just make sure to cook and squeeze out any liquid before incorporating it into the recipe. Enjoy!
I’ve been making this quiche recipe for some years now. It is seriously, the most delicious quiche ever – so why would I ever need to bake another recipe when I’ve found the winner?
Every-time I make it for guests, they rave about the flavours. My step-daughter cried the first time she tried it – as she was so overwhelmed by the incredible taste.
The only thing I changed was the cheese. Not being a Gruyère cheese fan, I swapped it out for a strong English vintage cheese I get at Aldi (in Australia).
I also make my own shortcrust pastry (Cookido/thermomixer recipe).
Hands down this is the most delicious and most complimented quiche out there (IMHO). 😋
I made two yesterday, helping out with cooking at home. My son who is also a chef loved it! The whole family loved it even the picky toddler lol Will definitely make this recipe again but I’m planning to buy ceramic quiche pans and using pastry sheets next time. The frozen pie shells were a bit small, not very deep, and had to do a lot of repair. No reflection on the recipe of course 🙂
Can’t wait to make other recipes now!!
Best Quiche Recipe Ever. My go to recipe especially when I don’t know what to make for dinner.
It’s very versatile. You can make it for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, as an Appetizer or just to keep in the fridge as a snack.
My Family likes it for dinner with a nice big salad.