Spinach Quiche
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Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.
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. Made with plenty of spinach, heavy cream, and nutty Gruyère, it’s rich and flavorful but not overly heavy—the spinach balances all that richness and even makes it feel a little virtuous.
“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; it’s delicious warm or at room temperature.
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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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Can you lighten the calories by using half and half?
Hi Karen, Yes that should be fine. Enjoy!
Can fresh spinach be used instead of frozen?
Yes, you’ll need 1 to 1.5 pounds fresh. Be sure to cook it first and squeeze out any excess liquid. Enjoy!
I have replaced my old muffin tins with silicon, which I love. Do you think using paper liners would work for your egg bites?
Hi Patricia, I don’t recommend standard paper liners, but parchment liners should work for the egg bites.
can you make this quiche crustless?
Hi Ann, yes, you can make this crustless and leave it as is, or if you’d like to have more filling, you can use the proportions from my broccoli quiche.
This is a family favorite. I’m about to make a few for Easter and wondered if you ever made it with coconut milk for non-dairy folks.
Hi Josie, glad you like this! No, I haven’t made it with coconut milk, and I’m concerned it would give the quiche a subtle coconut flavor. For a non-dairy option, some readers have commented that they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen), Silk’s heavy whipping cream alternative, and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried any of these.) Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I just took out my frozen, cooked quiche from the freezer to get it ready to serve to company this time tomorrow. You stated to take out of freezer 24 hours early. Does this sit on the counter for 24 hours to return to room temp, then I reheat it tomorrow at 300 until warmed? Thanks for clarifying!
Hi Colleen, no, when you remove it from the freezer, you should transfer it to the fridge. Enjoy!
Thank you!
I love to make this quiche for my best friend, but if I can find it, the cheese is way too expensive (27.00 a little triangle). what cheese will be a good substitute?
Cheddar would also work nicely here.
This is Ina Garten’s recipe, it’s IDENTICAL. It’s very good, but not yours or your friend Trish’s.
Just browsing and wanted to comment on your comment. No where do I read this blogger said it was her recipe or her friends recipe. All I see printed is it ‘came” from her friend.
I don’t know how you came up with your interpretation of what’s written.
Rude comment. grow up
This has been my go-to quiche recipe for a few years now. It never disappoints me or my guests.
I made six of these for the Christmas holidays. (I’d made them before for my wife & I) Both our adult sons said they were the best quiche they had ever had! I played around with a couple of them, adding bacon, ham and/or asparagus etc..