Easy Quiche Recipe (with Any Filling You Like)

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This easy quiche has a flaky homemade butter crust, a creamy egg custard, and a classic filling of bacon, spinach, Gruyère, and sharp Cheddar. Use it as a base for any quiche filling you like. It's perfect for brunch, holidays, and make-ahead breakfasts.

Why This Easy Quiche Is a Must-Try Classic

Quiche is one of those recipes I think every home cook should have in their back pocket. Once you know the custard and the crust, you can change the filling every single time. Here's why I love this one (and why I keep a few mini quiches in my freezer too):

• One Recipe, Endless Fillings: I made this version with bacon, spinach, onion, Gruyère, and Cheddar. You can swap in ham, sausage, broccoli, mushrooms, or whatever veggies need using up. I'll show you how below.
• Flaky Homemade, Real Butter Crust. The dough comes together in a food processor in a few minutes. Blind baking the crust first keeps the bottom crisp, so you never get a soggy slice. For a shortcut, use a refrigerated store-bought crust.
• Makes 12 servings: I used a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate, so one quiche is enough for a brunch table or a few days of breakfasts.
• Breakfast, Brunch, or Dinner: It's just as good warm, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge. You can make it ahead, and it freezes beautifully. Perfect for meal prep, too.
• For more egg dishes, try my one-pan broccoli, ham, and cheddar frittata, gluten-free potato crust quiche with bacon and spinach, easy puff pastry egg tarts, and shakshuka baked right in the skillet.
• If you love the idea of a crustless version, my sausage frittata with spinach and mushrooms and breakfast egg muffins with bacon and spinach use similar flavors and require less work.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe consists of 2 components: a flaky homemade pie crust and a creamy bacon, spinach, and cheese filling. I encourage you to read my helpful ingredient notes and tips below, or skip ahead to the complete recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

1) Pie Crust Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off so the dough doesn't turn out dry.
• Unsalted butter: Keep it very cold and cut into cubes. Cold butter is what gives you flaky layers.
• Fine sea salt: Regular table salt works too.
• Ice water: Add it one tablespoon at a time. Depending on your flour and kitchen, you may not need all 6 tablespoons.
• Short on time? A store-bought deep-dish pie crust works. I still recommend blind baking it first.

2) Quiche Filling Ingredients

• Thick-cut bacon: Adds smoky, salty flavor. Diced and cooked until lightly crisp. You can use ham, cooked sausage, or pancetta instead.
• Yellow onion: I cook it in a little bacon fat until soft and golden. Shallots or leeks work too.
• Fresh baby spinach: I wilt it with boiling water and squeeze it dry. You can use about ¾ cup of thawed, chopped frozen spinach instead. Either way, squeeze out as much water as you can.
• Gruyère cheese: The classic quiche cheese. It melts smoothly and tastes nutty. Good substitutes include Swiss, Emmental, or Fontina.
• Sharp Cheddar: You can also use white Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or more Gruyère.
• Large eggs: The base of the custard. Room-temperature eggs whisk up smoother.
• Whole milk and heavy cream: Using both gives you a custard that's creamy but still sets firm enough to slice. You can replace both with 1 cup of half-and-half. I don't recommend skim milk, which makes the quiche watery.
• Nutmeg: Just a pinch. You won't taste it on its own, but it gives the custard a classic French quiche flavor.
• Fresh parsley: A pop of green on top. Chives are lovely too.

Quiche Filling Ideas (Make It Your Own)

This is the part I love most about quiche. Keep the crust and custard the same, then change the add-ins. My rule of thumb: about 3 cups of cooked fillings plus 2 cups of shredded cheese for this 10-inch deep-dish quiche. Always cook raw meat and watery vegetables first and pat them dry. Here are a few combos I love:

• Quiche Lorraine style: Bacon, sautéed onion, and Gruyère. Simply skip the spinach.
• Ham and Swiss: Diced ham, Swiss cheese, and chives. Great for leftover holiday ham.
• Broccoli Cheddar: Steamed, well-drained broccoli florets and sharp Cheddar.
• Mushroom and spinach (vegetarian): Browned mushrooms with garlic, spinach, and Gruyère. It's a similar mix to the veggie version of my mini quiches.
• Sausage and pepper: Browned breakfast sausage, roasted red peppers, and pepper jack. If you love this combo, try my sweet potato sausage frittata too.
• Leek and goat cheese: Butter-softened leeks with crumbled goat cheese and thyme.
• Spinach and Feta: Wilted spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and a little mozzarella.
• Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese: Slow-cooked onions with crumbled goat cheese and thyme.
• Asparagus and Gruyère: Blanched asparagus pieces with Gruyère and lemon zest.
• Smoked salmon and dill: Add the salmon on top of each slice after baking so it stays tender.
• Fall harvest: Leftover maple-cinnamon roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, fresh sage, and goat cheese.

A Few Rules for Any Filling:

• Always precook watery vegetables. Mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and spinach release liquid. Cook them first, and squeeze the greens dry.
• Cook raw meats in advance, such as bacon or sausage.
• Let fillings cool slightly. Hot fillings can start cooking the eggs before you put the quiche in the oven.
• Watch the salt. Bacon, ham, feta, and smoked salmon are salty, so you may want a little less salt in the custard.
• Don't overfill. Stop pouring when the custard is just below the top of the crust.

What I Learned While Testing This Recipe

I tested this recipe multiple times to make sure the pie crust and filling are the absolute best and, as always, easy to recreate at home. Here's what I found:

• Don't press the pastry too firmly into the pie plate. On my first attempt, I pressed the pastry quite firmly to the outside edge of the pie plate. The indentations looked beautiful while the pastry was raw, but after baking, the rim of the crust was prone to breaking off. I think this is because pastry tends to shrink when it's baked, especially with a high butter ratio (which makes this pastry short and delicious!). The result looked rustic rather than neat, and it was difficult to cut clean slices.
• Handle the pastry as little as possible and crimp the edge by hand. On my next attempt, I tried not to handle the pastry much at all and didn't push it hard into the pie plate. Instead, I hand crimped the edge. It did shrink back a little, but it was much sturdier and gave an overall neater appearance.
• Grate your own cheese. Freshly grate the cheeses if possible. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that don't melt quite as smoothly.
• Whisk well, but gently. Whisk the custard thoroughly until completely smooth, but avoid whisking in lots of air. Too much air can cause the filling to puff up dramatically and then sink as it cools.
• Squeeze the spinach dry. Be sure to squeeze as much moisture as possible from the cooked spinach. Excess water can thin the custard and prevent it from setting properly.
• Cook the bacon until lightly crisp. Don't cook it until it's overly crunchy. It will continue cooking in the oven.
• Stir the bacon directly into the custard. The custard worked beautifully every time. I had better success keeping the bacon from sinking when I added it directly into the custard, as opposed to adding the bacon and other fillings to the pie shell and then pouring the custard over them.
• Save some bacon for the top. I also tried reserving some of the bacon and scattering it on top of the filled quiche, which helped combat any sinking issues.

Tips for a Flaky Pastry Crust

• Keep everything cold. Keep every ingredient for the pastry as cold as possible. Cold butter creates steam as it bakes, producing a lighter, flakier crust.
• Add the water a little at a time. Do not add all of the water at once. Different brands of flour absorb moisture differently, so add just enough for the dough to hold together.
• Don't overwork the dough. Mix only until it comes together. Overworked dough develops gluten, which can make the crust tough instead of tender.
• Freeze the crust before baking. Freezing the shaped crust before blind baking helps it keep its shape and reduces shrinking.
• Always blind bake. Blind baking is important for deep quiches. It prevents the bottom crust from becoming soggy once the custard is added.

How to Make Quiche (Step-by-Step)

This is just a quick overview. Find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card above.

• Make the crust. Pulse flour, salt, and cold butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, then press the crumbs into a disc and chill for 1 hour.

• Roll and shape. Roll the dough a little bigger than your pie plate. Ease it in without stretching, then crimp the edge. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes.

• Blind bake. Line with parchment and pie weights. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes. Remove the weights, prick the bottom, and bake 8 more minutes until the base looks dry.

• Prep the filling. Cook the bacon, soften the onion in a little bacon fat, then wilt and squeeze the spinach.

• Whisk the custard. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth. Stir in the bacon, onion, spinach, and cheeses.

• Fill and bake. Pour the filling into the crust and top with reserved bacon. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 55 to 65 minutes, until the center has a slight wobble.

• Cool and slice. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes so the custard sets. Then sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Why is my quiche watery? Watery quiche usually comes from wet fillings. Squeeze spinach very dry, cook mushrooms and onions until their liquid evaporates, and drain meats well before adding them to the custard. Overbaking can also make the custard weep. Pull it out when the center still has a slight wobble.
2. Can I make quiche without a crust? Yes. Grease the pie plate well, pour in the filling, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 35 to 45 minutes. For a grab-and-go version, try my breakfast egg muffins with bacon and spinach. My ham and broccoli frittata is another great crustless option.
3. Can I use store-bought pie crust? Yes. Use a deep-dish frozen or refrigerated crust and blind bake it the same way. A standard 9-inch crust is shallower, so you will have extra filling. Bake the extra in buttered ramekins until set.
4. How do I know when the quiche is done? The edges should be set and the center should wobble just slightly, like gelatin. It firms up as it cools. A thermometer in the center should read 175 to 180°F (79 to 82°C).
5. Do I really need to blind bake the crust? I highly recommend it. The custard is wet, and an unbaked crust doesn't have time to crisp before the filling sets. Par-baking keeps the bottom from turning soggy.
6. Can I make quiche ahead of time? Yes. You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead, or blind bake the crust a day ahead. You can also bake the whole quiche the day before and reheat it.

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