Spinach Quiche
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Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.
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!”
Ingredients For Spinach Quiche
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
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.
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.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
Whisk to combine.
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.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top.
Scatter spinach evenly over cheese (breaking up clumps as best you can).
Then pour the egg mixture carefully over top.
Bake at 325°F for 50 to 55 minutes until custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
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.
You May Also Like
- Quiche Lorraine
- Cheese Soufflé
- Spinach & Cheese Strata
- Spinach Frittata
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spinach Egg Bites
Video Tutorial
Spinach Quiche
Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
- 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.
- Bake at 325°F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until the custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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.
This was amazing. My husband said it’s the best quiche he’s ever had. I did however substitute broccoli for the spinach.
I have tried this recipe twice after trying the Quiche lorraine once. I did not like the gruyere cheese in the lorraine so I used emmental when I made the Spinach quiche. My first attempt at the spinach was very tasty but it was a nightmare to make. I followed the instructions exactly except for the cheese substitution. I used a deep dish pie shells, prebaked. The spinach layer, a 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, was layered on then the egg and cream mixture was poured over. The spinach acted as a barrier and the egg mixture would not go down into the shredded cheese mixture. I moved the spinach to the side and waited for the egg to absorb. I still had to discard over 1/4 cup of the egg and cream mixture. The second time I made the spinach quiche, I used half the spinach, and put it underneath the cheese layer. That time I got almost all the egg/and cream mixture in. It was not as flavorful. Still tweaking my version of this. Next time I will stick with the emmental, go back to 10 ounce package of frozen spinach and reduce the cream and keep the spinach layer near the bottom.
5*. This was perfect! I made a homemade crust and used a mix of Gruyere and Cheddar (from Trader Joe’s) and served to company for brunch yesterday. Everyone raved about this quiche!
I made my quiche shell as well, but when I tried to fix the cracks with one tablespoon of water mixed with one tablespoon flour this just made a watery paste, not suitable at all. Are these proportions correct. Otherwise quiche turned out perfectly and I thank you for the recipe.
Hi Dellys, So glad you enjoyed the quiche but sorry you had trouble with the paste! It is thin but it should still be thick enough to patch — it may depend on how tightly you pack the flour when measuring. I’ll check the measurements again to be sure.
Delays Fry used flour and water instead of flour and butter, as per the recipe, to make the paste. That, I’m sure, was the issue.
Made this quiche for breakfast this morning and we loved it! Since I was unable to obtain a deep dish pie crust I modified the ingredient amounts in the custard so I wouldn’t have to throw away the excess or have it overflow the crust. I reduced the cream to 1 cup and used 3 eggs instead of 4. I also reduced the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. I wilted the fresh baby spinach that I had on hand in a skillet and it was perfect with no further drying or squeezing. The quiche was exactly what I was hoping for and my husband is looking forward to having it again soon. Thanks, Jenn for your many wonderful recipes.
I have made this quiche several times and it is always perfect. So Good
Although I really love the the great recipes here this site has crashed my iPad numerous times due to the prolific amount of advertising interference!!! I’ve stopped using it because it’s impossible to quickly pull up a recipe when I’m looking for something to cook for the evening! Takes 20 minutes or more and then BOOM crashes!
I can’t eat shallots or onions, can I use onion powder?
The quiche will come out slightly differently, but onion powder will work. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t understand the measurement for the cheese. You have 1 cup then in parentheses 4 oz. Isn’t a cup 8oz? Please explain 🙄
hi Debra, 1 cup is the volume you’ll need and it’s the equivalent of 4 ounces. (The one cup is volume whereas the 4 ounces is what it would weigh if you put it on a scale.) Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy the quiche!
I figured it out and YES!! I’ve since made two of your quiche recipes and we love them!! I threw out my other recipes!! Thank you for your quick reply!
So glad you’ve enjoyed them! 😊
This recipe is fantastic! The only additions I made were adding Herbs de Province and fresh thyme. I used half smoked guryere and half Swiss so my boyfriend wouldn’t miss the bacon. Turned out excellent
The best quiche I’ve ever done. Just wish I could avoid the heavy cream. If anybody has a substitute for it woukd be really appreciated. Also used old cheddar and the taste was as good as gruyère and a whole lot less cheaper. Served it as a hors-d’oeuvre during the holidays and it was unanimously acclaimed. Cut it in squares and served it on a plateau. I will be making it again for sure. Was never crazy about that dish but many French guests were present thought I would give them a taste of home.
I always use Half & Half in lieu of heavy cream.