Basic Quiche Recipe
This basic quiche recipe works every time! Use this recipe as a foundation to make any kind of quiche you like! The secret is the ratio of ingredients to the volume of the baking dish.
Ratio of egg, dairy and cheese for the perfect quiche
- 9″ inch plate
- 1 large egg per 1/2 cup of dairy
- 1/3 cup shredded cheese per egg
- 1/3 cup veggies or diced meat per egg
For example: 3 eggs = 1 ½ cup dairy plus 1 cup shredded cheese and/or up to 1 cup veggies or meat (optional)
Ingredients
You’ll need a 9″ inch glass pie plate or tart pan, a little all-purpose flour, a handful of dry beans (for blind-baking the pie shell) or pie weights
- One refrigerated pie crust- if you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can make your own homemade pie crust
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream- you might find this at the grocery store labeled “heavy whipping cream” or “heavy whipped cream”
- 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese- for best results, buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Why? Pre-shredded cheeses have an anti-coagulating coating on them that doesn’t melt as well as block cheese. You can substitute with Swiss, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or Colby cheese.
- Protein or vegetables: (optional) use ½ cup – 1 cup of cooked, chopped bacon, ground sausage, diced ham, chopped mushrooms, diced onions or green onions, broccoli or seafood.
How to make a quiche
- Heat oven to 350°F and thaw the pie dough at room temperature.
- Blind bake the pie shell – sprinkle a little flour and roll out the pie dough to make the dough fit a 9″inch pie pan. Weight the pie shell with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 20 minutes; allow to cool and make the quiche filling
- In a large mixing bowl, combine whole eggs, heavy cream, shredded cheese and any chopped or diced cooked meats and/or raw vegetables.
- Pour the egg mixture into the cool pie shell; place pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet (in case it spills over) and place on the middle rack. Generally, the bake time is around 50 minutes, until the center is a little jiggly; use a wooden toothpick to test the center for doneness. For best results, let the baked egg custard rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Recipe tips
- Double check the size of your baking dish! If you’re using a deep dish pie plate, you’ll want to increase the amount of ingredients while keeping the egg: dairy: cheese ratio the same
- Invest the few minutes extra time to blind bake the crust
- Add up to 1 cup of additional ingredients (veggies, meat)
- For a pretty slice, use a super sharp knife and wipe the blade clean in between each slice
Size of eggs
Generally speaking, when a recipe calls for “an egg,” it is referring to a large egg. Unless otherwise noted, use large brown or white eggs. Brown and white eggs taste the same.
Size of baking dish
- The size and volume of the baking pan are important because you don’t want to have the egg custard boil over, but you also don’t want it to look puny…Before you begin, measure your baking pan and its volume.
- Most recipes call for a 9″ or 10″ pie pan. A 9″-inch pie plate has a total volume of 4 cups. A 10″-inch pie pan has a volume of 6½cups.
- A 9½” X 2″ inch Deep Dish Pyrex Pie pan has a volume of 7 cups. You can see how the ingredients for a 9″-inch pan would not be enough to fill up a deep dish pie pan.
- It is not necessary to oil and/or flour a pie pan when making basic quiche.
Egg-to-Dairy ratio
- In culinary circles, the Golden Rule of Thumb is: 1 egg per every half-cup of dairy.
- Keep in mind “dairy” includes cream, heavy cream, milk, half-n-half, sour cream and creme fraiche. “Dairy” does not include the cheese.
Amount of protein/vegetables
I recommend about a half-cup to one cup of diced meat or vegetables to this easy quiche recipe.
Amount of cheese
The amount of cheese is a personal preference, however, most standard 9″-inch quiche recipes use at least 4-ounces of cheese which is about 1 cup shredded. Popular cheese for quiche? Shredded Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, sharp cheddar or tangy goat cheese.
Pie crust
This basic quiche recipe uses a refrigerated pie crust – the kind you roll out. You can use a premade pie crust as well. Whether you use a homemade or premade pie crust, you’ll want to blind bake it first before adding the egg mixture. Blind-baking the pie crust results in the best, flaky crust and prevents a soggy crust.
Slicing and serving
- The trickiest part of serving quiche is cutting it so the crust doesn’t fall apart. This is done by using an extremely sharp knife and by allowing the quiche to cool slightly.
- For best slicing results, after the quiche is done, let it sit at room temperature for about 15-minutes.
- Place the tip of the knife into the center and, using only the tip, drag it toward you. Clean the knife, and repeat (making a triangle slice.)
- Slide the tip of the knife under the side of the crust and shimmy the knife under the slice and serve
Storage and reheating
An egg dish will last safely up to three days in the refrigerator when properly covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. If you have just a few pieces leftover, place them in an airtight container. To reheat, either place on low in the microwave or, cover with foil and bake in the oven at 300ºF degrees for about 15-minutes.
Variations
In the US, probably the most famous restaurant chain known for its quiche is the French inspired La Madeleine restaurant. They offer two popular classic quiche recipes: Quiche Lorraine and Quiche Florentine. Use this classic and basic quiche recipe and add the following ingredients:
- Quiche Lorraine – Ham quiche or bacon quiche: add a cup of cooked, cubed bacon and use Swiss cheese
- Quiche Florentine – Spinach quiche recipe: add 1 cup of fresh, chopped spinach and Gruyere cheese
- Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Quiche – Add 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, Swiss cheese
- Broccoli Quiche – add 1 cup finely chopped broccoli, cheddar cheese
- Denver Quiche – add 1 cup of chopped ham, 1/2 cup diced bell peppers and Parmesan cheese
Feel free to add fresh herbs or dry ingredients like garlic powder, garlic salt or onion powder. Serve with a crisp green salad and you’ve got a delicious, classic breakfast quiche, a light lunch or dinner.
If you stick to the basic quiche recipe ratios, you’ll have a delicious egg pie every time-no matter what ingredients you add!
Related recipes
Basic Quiche Recipe
Equipment
- 9" inch glass pie plate (see recipe notes below for pie plate volumes)
- Parchment paper
- foil (optional), to keep pie crust from getting too brown
Ingredients
- 1 roll-out, refrigerated pie crust
- a few tablespoons all-purpose flour , for rolling out crust (optional)
- 1 cup dried beans (any kind) or pie weights , to weight pie for blind baking
- 3 whole large eggs
- 1½ cups heavy cream ,See Recipe Notes
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ,See Recipe Notes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chopped meat or vegetables (optional) ,See Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF; set oven rack to middle setting. Thaw pie dough at room temperature; chop any proteins or vegetables and shred cheese; set all this aside1 roll-out, refrigerated pie crust
- Sprinkle flour on countertop and roll out pie dough to 1/4" thick; place dough in pie plate; cut a piece of parchment paper to go in the center; add dried beans or pie weights; bake on middle shelf 20 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden; remove and allow to coola few tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 cup dried beans (any kind) or pie weights
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs; add the following ingredients season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into cooled pie shell; place on rimmed baking rack and bake, uncovered on the middle rack at 350ºF for 50-minutes, or until center is done (test for doneness with a toothpick)3 whole large eggs, 1½ cups heavy cream, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup chopped meat or vegetables (optional)
- Allow to cool for 15-minutes; then, using a serrated knife, slice and serve
My husband likes this recipe so much, I have had to make it ice in a week
I’m so glad he enjoys the foolproof quiche recipe!
I was really impressed with the detail of this recipe. I love quiche and having all the proportions of the different ingredients was really helpful. You really took all the guesswork out! I will be making more Quiche for sure. Thanks
Thank you! I’m glad it was an easy and foolproof recipe! Enjoy!