The short answer: This quiche recipe uses one easy custard ratio: 4 eggs and 1½ cups of half-and-half in a 9-inch crust, baked at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes. Add about 1½ cups of cooked fillings and 1 cup of cheese, and you can make a classic quiche Lorraine, a spinach quiche or a crustless version from the same base. It works for breakfast, brunch, holiday mornings or an easy dinner.
Our picks for quiche recipe
Printables
Family Recipe Binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
Starter pickPrintables
Meal Planner & Grocery List
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
Printables
Budget Planner Printable
Twelve undated pages you can print every month: budget, bills, spending, savings and debt.
Save the base recipe in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99), and plan brunch with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).
I love cooking for the people I care about, and quiche is one of those dishes that looks special but is mostly a simple mix of eggs, cream and whatever is in the fridge.
Basic quiche recipe
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| 9-inch pie crust, store-bought or homemade | 1 |
| Large eggs | 4 |
| Half-and-half (or ¾ cup milk plus ¾ cup cream) | 1½ cups |
| Shredded cheese | 1 cup |
| Cooked fillings | 1 to 1½ cups |
| Salt | ½ teaspoon |
| Black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg | to taste |
How to make quiche
- Heat the oven to 375°F and set a rack in the lower third.
- Blind bake the crust. Line it with parchment and pie weights and bake 12 minutes. Remove the weights and bake 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Prep the fillings. Cook meats and vegetables first and drain them well.
- Whisk the custard. Beat the eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper and nutmeg until smooth.
- Layer. Scatter cheese and fillings in the crust, then pour the custard over them.
- Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until the edges are set and the center jiggles only slightly.
- Rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Egg dishes should reach 160°F, the target in the FoodSafety.gov temperature chart. A thermometer in the center is the surest test.
New to pastry? Our guide to how to make pie crust walks through a homemade crust.
12 quiche filling ideas
| Quiche | Fillings | Cheese |
|---|---|---|
| Quiche Lorraine | Crisp bacon, sautéed onion | Gruyère |
| Spinach and feta | Squeezed spinach, scallions | Feta |
| Ham and cheese | Diced ham, chives | Swiss or cheddar |
| Broccoli cheddar | Steamed broccoli florets | Sharp cheddar |
| Mushroom and thyme | Browned mushrooms, shallot | Gruyère |
| Sausage and pepper | Breakfast sausage, bell pepper | Monterey Jack |
| Caramelized onion | Slow-cooked onions | Goat cheese |
| Tomato and basil | Roasted cherry tomatoes | Mozzarella |
| Asparagus and leek | Blanched asparagus, leeks | Parmesan |
| Southwest | Black beans, corn, green chiles | Pepper Jack |
| Smoked salmon | Salmon, dill, capers | Cream cheese dots |
| Leftover holiday ham | Ham, roasted vegetables | Swiss |
Leftover ham after a holiday? See our leftover ham recipes for more ideas.
Quiche pan sizes and custard amounts
| Pan | Eggs | Dairy | Bake time at 375°F |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-inch standard pie crust | 4 | 1½ cups | 35 to 45 minutes |
| 9-inch deep-dish crust | 5 to 6 | 2 to 2¼ cups | 45 to 55 minutes |
| 10-inch tart pan | 4 | 1¾ cups | 30 to 40 minutes |
| Muffin tin, 12 mini quiches | 4 | 1 cup | 18 to 22 minutes |
Common quiche mistakes and easy fixes
- Skipping the blind bake. An unbaked crust soaks up the custard. Bake it first.
- Raw, wet vegetables. Spinach, mushrooms and zucchini release water. Cook and drain them.
- Too much filling. Overfilling keeps the center from setting. Stay near 1½ cups.
- Oven too hot. High heat makes the custard puff, crack and turn rubbery. Keep it at 375°F.
- Cutting it right away. A hot quiche slices messy. Let it rest so the custard firms up.
- Forgetting the salt. Bacon and ham are salty, but eggs and cream need seasoning too.
Crustless quiche
Grease a 9-inch pie dish well and skip the crust. Use the same custard and fillings, and bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Crustless quiche is a good low-carb breakfast and comes together faster on busy mornings.
Make-ahead and storage tips
- Make ahead: bake up to 2 days early, cool, cover and refrigerate.
- Reheat: warm slices at 325°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Freeze: wrap a baked quiche tightly and freeze up to 3 months.
- Leftovers: refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, as the USDA leftovers guide advises.
Quiche for holiday brunch
Quiche is a natural fit for a Christmas morning or Thanksgiving weekend brunch. Bake one quiche Lorraine and one vegetable quiche the day before so the oven is free in the morning. Pair them with fruit, a French toast casserole and coffee, and you have a full menu. Find more ideas in our Christmas breakfast ideas.
Keep your favorite version on a recipe card in the Family Recipe Binder, and track your grocery spending with the Budget Planner Printable ($5.99). Browse all printables for more kitchen and planning pages.
For a crustless bread-and-egg brunch bake, see strata. For individual breakfast cups without a pastry crust, bake egg muffins.
Keep every family recipe in one binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
$6.99 · Instant download. Print at home or fill it in on screen. Or browse the full Home & Organizing collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is the basic ratio for a quiche recipe? The basic quiche ratio is about 1 large egg to ½ cup of dairy. For a standard 9-inch pie crust, use 4 eggs and 1½ cups of half-and-half or a mix of milk and cream.
What temperature do you bake quiche at? Bake quiche at 375°F for about 35 to 45 minutes. It is done when the edges are set, the center has a slight jiggle and the center reads 160°F.
How do I keep my quiche crust from getting soggy? To keep a quiche crust from getting soggy, blind bake it for 10 to 15 minutes before adding the filling. Cooking watery vegetables first and squeezing spinach dry also keeps the bottom crisp.
Can I make quiche without a crust? Yes, crustless quiche bakes in a greased pie dish at 350°F to 375°F for about 30 to 40 minutes. It is lower in carbs and quicker to make.
Should quiche be jiggly in the middle? A quiche should have a slight jiggle in the very center when it comes out of the oven. It keeps cooking as it rests for 10 to 15 minutes, so the center finishes setting.
Can I make quiche ahead of time? Yes, bake quiche up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it covered. Reheat slices at 325°F until warm, or serve it at room temperature for brunch.
Can you freeze quiche? Baked quiche freezes well for about 2 to 3 months. Wrap it tightly, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it at 325°F.
What cheese is best for quiche? Gruyère and Swiss are the classic cheeses for quiche because they melt smoothly. Cheddar, feta, goat cheese and Parmesan also work well.
What is the difference between quiche and frittata? Quiche has a pastry crust and a creamy custard with more dairy. A frittata has no crust, uses more eggs and less dairy, and starts on the stovetop.
Why is my quiche watery? A watery quiche usually comes from wet vegetables or too much milk. Cook vegetables first, drain them well and keep to the egg-to-dairy ratio.
How many servings does a quiche make? A 9-inch quiche makes about 6 to 8 slices. Plan 2 quiches for a brunch of 12 people if you're also serving sides.
How can I plan a holiday brunch with quiche? Quiche is one of the easiest make-ahead brunch dishes because you can bake it the day before. The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) from HomeBase Paper Co. helps you plan the brunch menu and shop for it on one list.
Free printable
Save the family favorites: get the free recipe book pages
Printable recipe pages and a recipe request card to send to relatives, so the dishes everyone loves end up in one book. You'll also get our weekly HomeBase email with easy meal planning ideas and family recipe tips.
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov: Safe minimum internal temperatures foodsafety.gov
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety fsis.usda.gov