How To Make a Foolproof Quiche

Photos by Lauren Volo

If you haven’t had quiche lately, it is time to remedy that situation. I could eat quiche for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without ever growing tired of it, but quiche is an especially good dish for a big brunch or other casual gathering. You make it the day ahead, slice it just before serving, and then pass out the plates. This foolproof recipe has yet to disappoint.

Quiche Is a Custard

Quiche is essentially a custard made with milk and eggs poured into a pie crust and baked. You want just enough eggs to set the milk, but not so many that the quiche becomes rubbery. You want a bit of wobble in your quiche as it comes out of the oven. Wobble means silky, melt-away custard in every bite.

The foolproof part comes courtesy of the French. They are masters of the quiche and long-ago settled on the perfect formula of one part egg to two parts liquid dairy. A standard large egg weighs two ounces and a cup of milk is eight ounces, so a good rule of thumb is two eggs per cup of milk. I like to bump this up a bit to make a more substantial quiche and usually go with three eggs and a cup-and-a-half of milk and cream in a nine-inch pie crust.

Memorize this ratio for perfect quiche custard: One part egg to two parts liquid dairy.

Blind Baking a Quiche Crust

The seemingly tedious task of blind baking, that is partially baking the crust before filling, prevents the quiche crust from getting soggy while baking, but also ensures that the crust and the custard are perfectly done at the same time.

Classic Quiche Filling

Cheese makes a luscious custard even more luscious. There’s no hard-and-fast rule here. Two cups of cheese makes an especially rich quiche, good for a family brunch or dinner party. Cut it back to a cup or so for a weeknight dinner.

The other fillings just need to be cooked through and fairly dry. Aim for one to two cups cooked ingredients — fewer lets you enjoy the silkiness of the quiche, while more make a more substantial meal. Wilted spinach, crisp bacon bits, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and asparagus are all favorites in various combinations.

Classic Quiche Filling Formulas

• Quiche Lorraine: 6 to 8 slices chopped bacon, 1 diced yellow onion, 1 cup Gruyère cheese
• Mushroom Quiche: 16 ounces mushrooms, 1/2 diced yellow onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, 2 cups Gruyère cheese
• Ham and Asparagus Quiche: 1/2 diced yellow onion, 1/2 pound chopped asparagus, 1 diced ham steak, 2 cups Swiss cheese

I’m always surprised by how easily a quiche comes together. I’m still working on my pie-crust skills, but luckily, this is maybe the one dish where the crust is secondary to the filling. That first bite of soft, eggy custard makes all other thoughts fade away.

What is your favorite quiche?

How to Make a Foolproof Quiche

Yield: Serves 8, Makes 1 (9-inch) quiche

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
  
• 1 (9-inch) pie crust (single crust)
• 1 to 2 cups filling ingredients, such as cooked bacon, mushrooms, onions, and spinach
  
• 1 to 2 cups shredded cheese (3 to 6 ounces), such as Gruyère, Swiss, or cheddar, divided
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  

Equipment

• 9-inch pie plate
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rolling pin
• Sauté pan
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Prepare the quiche crust. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Roll out the pie crust and fit it into the pie plate. Trim away any overhang and reserve for patching up any cracks that appear during baking. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.

2. Blind bake the crust. Cover the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Make sure the weights are snug against the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment. Bake until just starting to brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool while you prepare the filling.

3. Cook the filling ingredients if needed. While the crust is baking, prepare your quiche filling. Make sure all the ingredients are cooked through and fairly dry (i.e., make sure spinach has wilted and that cooked mushrooms have released all their moisture).

4. Fill the crust. Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese over the bottom of the pie crust. Top with the fillings. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

5. Prepare the custard filling. Place the eggs, milk, cream, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until until frothy and combined. Pour the custard into the pie crust.

6. Bake the quiche. Bake the quiche until the edges are set but it still jiggles a little in the center, 30 to 40 minutes.

7. Cool the quiche. Cool for at least 20 minutes, but ideally overnight in the refrigerator.

8. Slice and serve. Quiche can be served cold, room temperature, or warmed. If serving warm, heat in a 300°F oven until just warm to the touch.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The crust can be blind baked up to 2 days in advance and stored wrapped at room temperature. The quiche can be baked and cooled up to 3 days in advance; let come to room temperature or reheat in a low oven before serving.

Storage: Leftover baked and cooled quiche can be stored wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Emma Christensen is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories.