This gluten free quiche is made with a creamy, savory egg custard and vegetable filling, baked to perfection in a light and flaky gf pastry crust. Or make yours crustless for a naturally gluten free brunch!
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The secret to making the perfect gluten free quiche is a light and flaky crust (or go crustless!), and a creamy egg custard filling. With the right ratio of eggs to milk, you'll make the perfect quiche every time!
What makes this recipe for gluten free quiche so perfect
Whether you call it a gluten free breakfast for dinner, brunch or just a lovely Frenchie breakfast, mastering the art of the perfect gluten free quiche will come in very handy indeed. There's not a lot you need to know, but whatever I know, I've detailed right here.
The most lovely quiches start with a light and flaky pie crust. I have two favorite pie crust recipes here on the blog: my standard gluten free pie crust (with a how-to video!), and my extra flaky sour cream gluten free pie crust. You'll need a half-recipe of either one, since we are only making a single crust.
Can you make this gluten free quiche without a crust?
Yes! You can make a quiche entirely crustless. Simply skip the ingredients and instructions that relate to the crust, and bake the filling right there in a greased pie plate. The baking time for the filling will not differ. But won't you try with the crust at least once?
What's in the filling of this delicate, savory gluten free quiche?
I've made this quiche with a mushroom and cheese filling, since it's a classic, lovely combination. The key to any proper quiche filling, though, is in the ratio of eggs to milk or cream (see below)—and in the absence of too much moisture in the remaining filling.
If you're using mushrooms as I have, you must cook down the mushrooms so they release their moisture, and then leave the moisture behind. If using a blanched vegetable (frozen broccoli and/or cauliflower work beautifully), be sure to blot it dry before adding it to the filling. Failure to heed these moisture warnings will result in a sad, soggy quiche that never quite sets up!
The 4 main quiche filling ingredients you'll need
The proper filling is a simple ratio or formula, with only 4 main ingredients in proper proportion:
- For every 1 egg;
- 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) milk or 1/3 cup (2 2/3 fluid ounces) half-and-half;
- 1/2 cup not-too-wet cooked (or at least blanched) vegetable; and
- 2 ounces semi-hard cheese, grated.
Everyone in my family cheers for a quiche, and it's even the stuff of birthday dinner requests around here. Serve it with a nice green salad, and you've got a meal to remember, elegant in its delicious simplicity.
The perfect gluten free quiche recipe
Perfect Gluten Free Quiche
This gluten free quiche is made with a creamy, savory egg custard and vegetable filling, baked to perfection in a light and flaky gf pastry crust. Or make yours crustless for a naturally gluten free brunch!
Yield: 8 slices
Ingredients
For the crust
- ½ recipe gluten free pie crust chilled (1 crust; See Recipe Notes for alternative recipe.)
For the filling
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 pound (16 ounces) white or baby portabello mushrooms sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups (10.66 fluid ounces) half and half at room temperature (See Recipe Notes for alternative.)
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese grated (alternatives are another semi-hard cheese, like Asiago, Jarlsberg or sharp white cheddar)
Instructions
- Prepare the gf pie crust according to the recipe instructions. (See Recipe Notes for alternative pie crust recipe.)
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and set aside.
Shape the pie crust.
- Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. Place it on a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and roll into a 12-inch round, about 3/8-inch thick.
- Roll the pie crust loosely on the rolling pin and then unroll it over the prepared pie plate.
- Press the pie crust gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate and, with kitchen shears, trim the crust so that only 1/4-inch of excess is overhanging the plate.
- Tuck the 1/4-inch of excess under itself, and crimp the edge gently all the way around the crust. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork.
- Place the pie plate in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
Par-bake the empty pie shell.
- Remove the pie plate from the freezer and place a large piece of unbleached parchment paper in the center of the crust. Place pie weights or dried beans in a single layer in the center of the pie crust, on top of the paper.
- Place the pie plate in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown.
- Remove from the oven and remove the paper and pie weights.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Prepare the filling.
- In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, place the butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and cook for a minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned and the pan has very little if any liquid in it (about 10 minutes). Drain any remaining liquid from the pan and set it aside.
- In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the half and half or milk until well-combined.
- Line the bottom of the parbaked pie crust with half of the grated cheese, then the cooked mushrooms and onions, followed by the remaining cheese. Pour the milk and egg mixture on top.
Bake the quiche.
- Place the quiche dish in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the quiche is mostly set and lightly golden brown on top, with just a tiny bit of jiggle in the center when moved from side to side.
- The quiche will finish cooking when it’s removed from the oven.
- Remove it from the oven and place the pan on top of a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes or until set.
- Slice into wedges and serve warm.
Notes
For the pie crust.
You can also use 1/2 recipe of our extra flaky gluten free pie crust here. 1/2 recipe of either is 1 crust.
About the vegetables for the filling.
Mushrooms can be replaced with 10 ounces broccoli or cauliflower florets, blanched and blotted dry, or 1 pound frozen cut spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
About the half and half.
You can make your own half and half by combining half heavy whipping cream and half milk by volume. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) whole milk in place of the 1 1/3 cups half and half.
About leftovers.
Any leftovers can be covered and placed in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Warm in a 200°F oven before serving.
Perfect Gluten Free Quiche
This gluten free quiche is made with a creamy, savory egg custard and vegetable filling, baked to perfection in a light and flaky gf pastry crust. Or make yours crustless for a naturally gluten free brunch!
Yield: 8 slices
Ingredients
For the crust
- ½ recipe gluten free pie crust chilled (1 crust; See Recipe Notes for alternative recipe.)
For the filling
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 pound (16 ounces) white or baby portabello mushrooms sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups (10.66 fluid ounces) half and half at room temperature (See Recipe Notes for alternative.)
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese grated (alternatives are another semi-hard cheese, like Asiago, Jarlsberg or sharp white cheddar)
Instructions
- Prepare the gf pie crust according to the recipe instructions. (See Recipe Notes for alternative pie crust recipe.)
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and set aside.
Shape the pie crust.
- Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. Place it on a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and roll into a 12-inch round, about 3/8-inch thick.
- Roll the pie crust loosely on the rolling pin and then unroll it over the prepared pie plate.
- Press the pie crust gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate and, with kitchen shears, trim the crust so that only 1/4-inch of excess is overhanging the plate.
- Tuck the 1/4-inch of excess under itself, and crimp the edge gently all the way around the crust. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork.
- Place the pie plate in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
Par-bake the empty pie shell.
- Remove the pie plate from the freezer and place a large piece of unbleached parchment paper in the center of the crust. Place pie weights or dried beans in a single layer in the center of the pie crust, on top of the paper.
- Place the pie plate in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown.
- Remove from the oven and remove the paper and pie weights.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Prepare the filling.
- In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, place the butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and cook for a minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned and the pan has very little if any liquid in it (about 10 minutes). Drain any remaining liquid from the pan and set it aside.
- In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the half and half or milk until well-combined.
- Line the bottom of the parbaked pie crust with half of the grated cheese, then the cooked mushrooms and onions, followed by the remaining cheese. Pour the milk and egg mixture on top.
Bake the quiche.
- Place the quiche dish in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the quiche is mostly set and lightly golden brown on top, with just a tiny bit of jiggle in the center when moved from side to side.
- The quiche will finish cooking when it’s removed from the oven.
- Remove it from the oven and place the pan on top of a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes or until set.
- Slice into wedges and serve warm.
Notes
For the pie crust.
You can also use 1/2 recipe of our extra flaky gluten free pie crust here. 1/2 recipe of either is 1 crust.
About the vegetables for the filling.
Mushrooms can be replaced with 10 ounces broccoli or cauliflower florets, blanched and blotted dry, or 1 pound frozen cut spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
About the half and half.
You can make your own half and half by combining half heavy whipping cream and half milk by volume. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) whole milk in place of the 1 1/3 cups half and half.
About leftovers.
Any leftovers can be covered and placed in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Warm in a 200°F oven before serving.
Kali Rae Perrone says
Can you substitute broth for milk and still be tasty? I know not as creamy, but my husband gets a bad bellyache from milk, but not cheese!
salam says
Hi Mare, she uses ounces? That’s why I asked about using gram measurements.
Mare Masterson says
She uses grams and fluid ounces in this recipe, and she uses ounces for the mushrooms because that is how they’re sold.
salam says
oh well, I guess that’s a ‘no’ to my question.
Nicole Hunn says
Fluid ounces are standard for liquid measurement, Salam. Weight measurements are not instructive for liquid.
salam says
Hello Nicole, in your GF quiche recipe, the cheese measurements are in ounces, ‘8 ounces Gruyère cheese’. This is where I thought to suggest you include grams because with the liquids, you do give the ‘cup’ option as well.
Mare Masterson says
Yeah, baby! Making this over the weekend (crustless – to behave) and adding sautéed spinach!
salam says
Hello, my grandchildren and myself love love your yum recipes……was wondering though, is it possible to include grams in measurements, I struggle to convert.
Mare Masterson says
salam, Nicole uses grams because she has found that you get the best result when using a kitchen scale in baking and preparing her gluten free recipes.
salam says
Hi Mare, did you mean she uses ounces rather than grams?
youngbaker2002 says
Here at our house we love your potato quiche crust from Quick and Easy. But I’ll try this way next time and see how everybody likes it! Thanks Nicole!
Nicole Hunn says
Love that one, too, Mena. So glad everyone enjoys it. ??