Spinach Quiche

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Spinach Quiche

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Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.

Spinach & Gruyere Quiche

Of all the spinach quiches I’ve tried over the years, this classic French version is my favorite. The recipe comes from my childhood friend Trish, who is not only one of the funniest people I know, but also a stunning hostess. When Trish entertains, she goes all out – beautiful table settings, seasonal cocktails, fabulous food, and (best of all) hilarious party games. She once created an entire game of Jeopardy! for our old high school gang, complete with categories like Prom Dates, ’80s Pop Stars, and Senior Superlatives.

This spinach quiche is Trish’s “go-to” brunch dish. The combination of heavy cream and Gruyère makes it rich and flavorful. There’s also a good bit of spinach, which balances out all that richness and makes it just a little bit healthier. If you’d like to try another traditional French quiche, my quiche Lorraine made with smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère cheese, and shallots is one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.

“This is the best spinach quiche I’ve had! It was a hit at our Easter brunch and I got several requests for the recipe. It came out perfect making ahead, freezing, and defrosting. This is a keeper!”

Jen from Newburyport, MA

Ingredients For Spinach Quiche

spinach quiche ingredients

To simplify things, I recommend using a store-bought crust. When buying frozen pie crust, be sure to check it carefully at the store for cracks. (If you unpack it and find that it’s cracked, no worries — there’s a fix below.) Also, make sure to buy a deep-dish crust; a regular pie shell is not deep enough to hold all the fillings.

Frozen chopped spinach also makes the recipe easy. It’s important to wring out all the moisture from the spinach before using. I usually gather it into a ball in my hands and squeeze it until dry. It takes a few minutes of squeezing to get all the water out. Be patient; you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.

Gruyère is my first choice for this quiche –  its nutty flavor works nicely in egg dishes, like strata, egg bites, omelettes, and more  – but if you can’t find it, Cheddar may be substituted.

How To Make Spinach Quiche

crust pricked with fork

Prick the bottom and sides of the crust all over with a fork. Bake on center rack until fully cooked and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. If your crust cracks in the oven (or if it was cracked when you opened the package), make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of softened butter. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.

golden baked crust

Set the crust aside and turn the oven down to 325°F. Sauté the shallots in a bit of butter over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.

Skillet of cooked shallots.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.

eggs, cream, and seasoning in bowl

Whisk to combine.

whisked egg and cream mixture

Place cooked pie shell on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of oven) and spread the shallots over the bottom of the cooked crust.

layering shallots in crust

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top.

layering shredded cheese in crust

Scatter spinach evenly over cheese (breaking up clumps as best you can).

layering spinach in crust

Then pour the egg mixture carefully over top.

egg and cream mixture poured into crust

Bake at 325°F for 50 to 55 minutes until custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.

baked spinach quiche

How To Freeze Spinach Quiche

This spinach quiche freezes beautifully for up to three months. After cooling the quiche, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating. Remove the plastic wrap and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.

Slices of Spinach Quiche on plates with forks.

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Video Tutorial

Spinach Quiche

Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.

Servings: 4 to 6
Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup thinly sliced shallots
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1¼ cups heavy cream
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup (4 oz) finely shredded Gruyère, packed
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork, about 10 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork (pricking about an inch apart). Bake until fully cooked and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it...if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate.) Don't worry if the crust cracks while baking; see my note below on how to fix it before proceeding. Set aside and turn oven down to 325°F.
  2. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
  4. Place the cooked pie crust on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of oven). Spread the shallots over the bottom of the cooked crust, then sprinkle the shredded Gruyere over top. Scatter the spinach evenly over cheese, breaking up the clumps as best you can. Pour the egg and cream mixture over top.
  5. Bake at 325°F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until the custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
  6. Note: I usually defrost the frozen spinach quickly by placing it in a fine mesh strainer and running hot water over it. I then gather the spinach into a ball and squeeze it dry. It takes a few minutes of squeezing and re-squeezing to get all the water out. Be patient...you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.
  7. Note: Don't panic if your crust cracks—you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1½ tablespoons of flour with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
  8. Make-Ahead Instructions: This quiche can be made up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
  9. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 504
  • Fat: 39 g
  • Saturated fat: 21 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25 g
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 14 g
  • Sodium: 472 mg
  • Cholesterol: 218 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Can I use another type of cheese? If yes, which ones?

    • Sure, Rosemina, gouda, cheddar, or swiss. Hope you enjoy!

  • This sounds heavenly, but not a big fan of spinach in quiches. Could a substitute like broccoli work?
    Thank you!

    • Sure, Beth, that should work. Just be sure to cook it first and squeeze out all of the water. Hope you enjoy!

    • This sounds delicious! But I’m looking to duplicate a quiche I had at a luncheon a few mos ago that was plain, no spinach or bacon, etc. just the Gruyère cheese. Would you do anything different without anything added?? Omit the nutmeg or add another spice? Looking to make this for an Easter Brunch~

      • Hi Cindy, I do think you could eliminate the spinach with no other changes necessary, but the quiche will definitely be less substantial without the spinach.

  • Phenomenal quiche that is a total crowdpleaser! Everyone will ask you for the recipe! I believe the shallots and gruyere cheese are what make it so delicious. Pair this with the arugula/manchego salad and bloody Mary’s… The perfect easy brunch!

  • I have made this quiche 3 different times. All have turned out perfectly until this last time. I put it in an actual quiche dish ( ceramic) versus pie plates previously. This time the quiche turned out completely flat.. not more than 1/2 – 1 inch in depth. I followed the directions to a T – do you have any ideas of what it could have been? Don’t want to have this happen again –

    • Hi Marjo, using ceramic versus glass shouldn’t make a difference here. Was the quiche pan larger than the pie plate? That would account for it not being as tall.

      • The base of the dish may have been just a little wider, but I didn’t think that much of a difference. But, I guess so. The quiche just seemed a lot more dense. I will try it again… Perhaps back into the pie plate :0)

  • Made this a couple of times… Of course I made my own pastry. Was a big hit with my friends.

    Another super recipe… your recipes never fail.

    • How long do you bake a freshly made pastry crust?

  • I’ve make this recipe a few different times. Very good recipe. One time I substituted swiss cheese for the other cheese. This past time I made ahead and froze. It turned out great for my brunch over the weekend.

  • I want to thank you, Jenn, for publishing this wonderful recipe. I’ve made it many times and can honestly say I’ve never tasted a better quiche anywhere ever. I use a premade refrigerated crust and fresh spinach but otherwise follow the recipe as written…well, sometimes the cheese is whatever is in the fridge. Using the shallot was a revelation to me. It adds such a lovely, delicate fragrance and savor. Shallots are now a staple in my kitchen. Nice to learn something new! Genius recipe.

  • I love this recipe! I make it often. It’s my boyfriend’s favorite dish. This quiche recipe is special because it was the first thing I made that was ‘edible’ after living alone.
    I have three suggestions for people that are making this. 1) make sure that the spinach is squeezed dry. To thaw a little quicker, put the spinach in a cheese cloth and let the spinach thaw in warm water. Then squeeze the water out of the spinach. Repeat process until you’ve squeezed what you can out of the spinach. 2) although this recipe calls for a quarter cup of shallots, I like adding more shallots, usually an entire shallot actually. 3) really get the deep dish pie crust as the regular is going to be hard to manage.

  • Made this with a GF store bought crust the first time – scrumptious!! BUT the second time, I made this with THINLY sliced sweet potatoes layered on the bottom (baked first at 400 to take form in the pan) in lieu of a traditional crust so I could have a healthful, grain free breakfast option for my daughter. All I have to say is that I have never seen her eat so fast. It was so very good and filling and nutritions AND tasted just like the quiche my French maman used to make. Bon Appetit!

  • AMAZING!!! I had this quiche at my baby shower and I had to have the recipe. It was the best quiche I have ever tried. When I got the recipe, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to assemble and make. The flavors were spot on. I recommend using really good Gruyère cheese (buy one that isn’t already grated) and use actual cream… not milk or any low fat products. Using good ingredients is key to make the flavors just right and it makes breakfast perfect.
    I served this with the Strawberry Orange Mint Salad found on this site. It was the best combo.

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