When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (2024)

  • Breakfast Eggs

Quiche is a must for any brunch. Master the basics, from making pie crust for the quiche to learning how to tell when the quiche is done.

By

Sheena Chihak, RD

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (1)

Sheena Chihak, RD

Sheena Chihak is a registered dietitian, former food editor and current edit lead for BHG with over 17 years of writing and editing experience for both print and digital.

Updated on November 9, 2023

If you're looking for a reliable brunch recipe that always impresses, learn how to make quiche. Thanks to the flaky crust and pie plate presentation, the savory pie with an egg-based custard-like filling is more elevated than a casserole.

Along with the crust, the key to a genuinely great quiche is a creamy filling that holds a cut edge. The secret to that perfect filling is finding the correct ratio of milk to eggs—too much milk, and the custard won't set properly; too little, and it turns tough during baking. Use our Test Kitchen-approved tips to learn how to make quiche expertly.

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (2)

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (3)

How to Make Quiche Crust

With pie crust for quiche, as with any pie, you have options. You can prepare a crust from scratch (we suggest our Pastry for Single-Crust Pie), use a refrigerated unbaked pie crust ($5, Target), or a frozen pre-made pie crust ($3, Target).

This is how to prep your quiche crust using the homemade or refrigerated option. And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry.

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Roll out your homemade or purchased refrigerated dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully fold pastry circle into fourths. Place folded pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Unfold pastry and ease it into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim to ½ inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Fold under extra pastry and crimp edge as desired.
  • Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. The foil weighs down the crust, which prevents it from bubbling up or blistering. This technique, known as blind-baking, creates a stronger crust that can better hold a moist filling, such as the egg mixture in quiche.
  • Bake 8 minutes on a baking sheet. This helps keep the crust crispier when you add the filling. Remove the foil. Bake 5 to 6 minutes more or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. The pastry shell should still be hot when the filling is added. Do not partially bake the pastry shell ahead of time.

Give Your Piecrust Edges a Professional Look

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (4)

How to Make Quiche Filling

This is the part of how to make a quiche where the most customizing happens. Depending on your chosen quiche filling, you can make it while you prebake the quiche crust or make it first so it's ready to add to the hot pastry shell.

For a classic Quiche Lorraine, which requires skillet-cooking bacon, sautéing onion for several minutes, whisking together your milk-and-egg mixture, and, if using block cheese, shredding cheese to toss with flour, you may want to have at least some of the filling started before your pastry enters the oven. If your filling is quicker to assemble, like in this Spinach and Mushroom Quiche, you can likely do it all while prebaking the quiche crust.

13 Breakfast Quiche Recipes to Seriously Upgrade Your Morning Eggs

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (5)

Bake the Quiche

You should have already decreased the oven temperature to 325°F when you removed the pastry from the oven so it's ready to finish your quiche.

  • Carefully pour egg mixture into the hot prebaked quiche crust. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until the edges are puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If the pastry edge is getting brown before the filling is done, cut out a circle of foil just large enough to cover the pastry edge and place atop the pastry edge to prevent over-browning.
  • Transfer the quiche to a wire rack. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. This helps the custard filling to firm up and hold a cut edge.
  • To serve, cut into wedges and garnish as desired.

With your masterful quiche as the centerpiece, you just need to figure out the rest of your brunch menu. Pick your favorite brunch co*cktail or coffee drinks and brunch breads to complete the feast.

Our 19 Best Brunch Recipes of All Time

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (6)

Egg Casserole Recipes

Eggs make an excellent base for many casseroles that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Eggs are packed with protein, so they're filling and satisfying. Add a veggie side to any of these recipes for a complete meal.

  • Sausage, Egg, and Biscuit Casserole
  • Squash, Bacon, and Feta Breakfast Bake
  • Chile Verde Breakfast Lasagna
  • Alfredo-Bacon Tot Casserole
  • Fig, Pancetta, and Goat Cheese Casserole

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

When You Need an Epic Breakfast, Make a Quiche (2024)

FAQs

Does pie crust need to be prebaked for quiche? ›

You need a par-baked or fully baked crust if you're making quiche, no-bake pie, custard pie, cream pie, pudding pie, or simply want an extra-crisp pie crust. If you're making a pie that doesn't require a baked filling, you still need a baked crust.

What is a breakfast quiche called? ›

Frittatas are Italian in origin and can be described as a cross between an omelet and a crustless quiche. Frittatas take less time to make than quiche or strata. The dish is traditionally made by beating eggs with dairy—often heavy cream or half and half—together with ingredients like vegetables, meats and cheeses.

Should I bake the bottom pie crust first? ›

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

How long to prebake pie crust at 350? ›

If your recipe doesn't have instructions and you're wondering how long to pre bake the pie, here's what I do: I pre bake the prepped pie crust at 350°F. If the crust is homemade from scratch, I pre bake for 35 minutes. If the crust is store-bought, I pre bake for 30 minutes.

Do you poke holes in quiche crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

Do you blind bake pie crust for quiche? ›

Quiche, on the other hand, can bake in a raw pie crust but it will likely taste soggy. So let's partially pre-bake it, also known as a blind bake pie crust. Make pie dough ahead of time, then refrigerate or freeze until you're ready to make the pie. Pie crust must chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out.

Is quiche good for elderly? ›

Quiche has been a popular brunch food for decades and was seen as a luxury for many seniors growing up. This is a fairly inexpensive, easy meal idea for elderly adults that includes leafy greens rich in magnesium, iron, manganese, and vitamins A, C, and K.

What time of day do you eat quiche? ›

The German connection makes a lot more sense when you consider the famous quiche's namesake, Alsace-Lorraine, has changed hands between France and Germany countless times. The thing with quiche, though, is Americans treat it like a morning food – breakfast, brunch, and on rare occasions, lunch menus.

What is the difference between quiche and quiche lorraine? ›

To be considered Quiche Lorraine, the quiche must be made with eggs, heavy cream, bacon, and Swiss cheese. Any quiche that strays from this formula with the omission of bacon or the addition of other ingredients such as ham, sausage, vegetables, etc. is considered quiche, not Quiche Lorraine.

What's the difference between egg pie and quiche? ›

The crust is usually topped with a pastry lid, but is sometimes left open. A bacon and egg pie differs from a quiche, most notably due to the absence of cheese and milk and the presence of an upper crust. Also the eggs are not beaten and are whole, or at the most yolks pierced.

Does quiche always have cheese? ›

Quiche is a savory French tart with an egg custard (eggs, milk or cream and seasoning) and fillings baked in a pie crust. Quiche filling typically includes at least one kind of cheese, along with blanched vegetables, cooked, diced meat and sometimes seafood.

How do you crisp the bottom of a quiche? ›

If you pour the egg custard into an unbaked crust, the liquid is unfortunately going to seep into the crust, preventing it from crisping up. The simple solution is to blind-bake the crust before adding the custard. Follow This Tip: Blind-bake the pie crust before pouring in the custard to ensure a crisp, flaky crust.

How can you prevent a crust from becoming soggy on the bottom? ›

Coating the inside surface of the bottom crust will create a barrier to prevent sogginess. Adding a layer of corn syrup or a slightly beaten egg white before pouring in the filling will form a seal between the pie dough and the filling and will help make the crust crisp and flaky.

Should I egg wash the bottom pie crust? ›

The protein from the egg white creates a seal between the crust and the filling and prevents the filling from making the crust too soggy. I've recently started doing this extra step and while it's not 100% necessary, it does add a little extra reassurance to keep your pie crust firmer.

What causes soggy bottom pastry? ›

If the fat melts before a strong gluten structure has formed, the pastry will end up soggy. Overly moist fillings can also contribute to a soggy bottom as the liquid will drop to the bottom of the pie and ooze into the pastry. To ensure crisp pastry, the base can be blind baked before adding the filling.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Greg Kuvalis

Last Updated:

Views: 6644

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Greg Kuvalis

Birthday: 1996-12-20

Address: 53157 Trantow Inlet, Townemouth, FL 92564-0267

Phone: +68218650356656

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Knitting, Amateur radio, Skiing, Running, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.