Easy Vegetarian Quiche Recipe

This Easy Vegetarian Quiche Recipe is a simple and customizable addition to your brunch table. Veggies and cheese are folded into a silky egg custard and baked in a flaky pastry shell. Make ahead and reheat!

When my husband asks me for brunch menu ideas to celebrate Mother’s Day, I have lot of opinions, of course.

At the top of my list is lemon pancakes with just some good, classic bacon in the oven (cooked to the softer side of crispy, the way I like it). And a big mug of caramel coffee or a huge bloody with epic bloody mary skewers.

But where’s the eggs? Well, I eat enough scrambled eggs any ol’ day of the week, so I want something fancier for Mother’s Day! And this veggie quiche recipe fits the bill of fancy eggs, but it’s still very easy, which is such a sweet spot.

Not only is this Easy Vegetarian Quiche Recipe perfect for Mother’s Day, Easter (don’t forget the lamb lollipops!), or any other time you want a special yet simple brunch, it also makes a great light lunch or dinner, especially when served alongside something fresh like Spring salad.

I’m sharing culinary school tips make this the best vegetarian quiche recipe!

I was taught to make a proper quiche in my “Breakfast and Pantry” class in culinary school (along with breakfast fried rice and turkey bacon in the oven, believe it or not). The chef instructors were VERY particular about what constituted a good veg quiche, so we had lots of practice.

Below, I will share a few tips that translate to home cooks to make this easy vegetarian quiche recipe the best it can possibly be.

I know this is a long post, but I’ve really worked on perfecting this recipe over the years, and now I consider it to be one of the most versatile recipes in my archives.

In fact, this easy vegetable quiche recipe is right up there with Greek yogurt pasta, savory steel cut oats and vegan lentil curry as one of my favorite vegetarian meals ever.

I even like small slices of this veggie quiche recipe as part of a party platter like my New Year’s Eve snack spread, so once you’ve learned this basic recipe, you may end up turning to it time and time again!

Beat the egg custard for this vegetable quiche recipe with a stand mixer or hand mixer.

Instead of using just a mixing bowl and hand whisk to whisk the egg custard mixture for this vegetable quiche recipe, use a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, if you have one.

You’re already dirtying a bowl and a whisk for this easy vegetarian quiche recipe anyway, so it won’t add any more dishes to your sink at the end of the project.

But, using an electric mixture will ENSURE a silky smooth custard by FULLY incorporating all of the eggs into the half and half in a way that is much harder to achieve through whisking by hand.

What kind of pie crust should I use?

So, you have three options when it comes to pie crust for this veggie quiche, and you should pick whichever one you’re the most comfortable with.

1. Store-bought pie shell (the frozen kind that’s already shaped into a disposable pan). Definitely the easiest option for this vegetarian quiche recipe, and let’s face it – sometimes easiest is simply the best. This is the option I’ve chosen for the quiche pictures in the photos in this post.
2. Store-bought pie crust (the refrigerated kind sold in rolls). You might have to use a rolling pin to roll it out a bit, then just shape it into a pie pan and blind bake it before adding your quiche fillings and baking that. Easy peasy and pretty tasty, too. Since these crusts usually come in boxes of 2, you can use the extra crust to make short rib pot pie, mini shepherd’s pie or frozen yogurt pie.
3. If you have the time, making homemade pie crust is always a tasty option for this easy vegetable quiche recipe. You can use the pie crust recipe from my brownie pie and press it into a 9-inch pie pan. If using a homemade crust, you may need to make some extra custard to fill the pie completely as most pie plates are slightly larger than store-bought pie shells. Simply add another egg and an extra 1/2 cup of half and half to the custard mixture. You can also add another 1/2 cup to cup of vegetables and another 2 ounces of cheese. Bake for an extra 5 to 10 minutes.

Blind bake the pastry for a crispy crust.

No matter which crust option you’ve chosen, I think it’s very important to “blind bake” the pie crust for this easy vegetarian quiche recipe before adding the vegetables, cheese and custard. It doesn’t take very long, and you can enjoy a mimosa while you’re waiting for the oven timer to go off.

Blind baking simply means to bake the pie crust for a little bit, before you add the filling. This allows the crust to get a head start on crisping up. I use the blind baking method for pizzas like cheeseburger pizza, too.

Nobody likes a sad soggy bottom crust on their quiche, but that’s what you’ll be left with if you don’t blind bake, unfortunately.

To blind bake, I recommend covering the bottom of the pie crust with a piece of parchment paper, and then on top of the parchment, placing some pie weights or even a handful of dried beans (I had some dried navy beans left over from making ham and bean soup, so I used those). This will weigh the crust down so it doesn’t puff up during the blind baking.

After the blind bake, remove the weights and parchment and fill your quiche.

Make it easier to transfer the vegetarian quiche in and out of the oven.

A little tip that might change your life: place your filled quiche pan on a rimmed baking pan before putting it in the oven.

We always did this in culinary school, because this just makes it WAY easier and safer to transfer to and from the oven, rather than trying to grab a thin, circular dish with oven mitts on (or, in culinary school, the flimsy kitchen towels we’d always use). 

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite clumsy with oven mitts on, and I’ve been known to drop a dish if I can’t get an good grasp on it.

The sheet pan is SO much easier to safely grab and transfer in and out of the oven. Not only do I use this technique for this vegetarian quiche recipe, I use it for my cranberry curd tart, too!

Also, baking your quiche in the bottom third of the oven will help to brown and cook the bottom of the crust more completely. If cooking two quiches at a time, place them on the same sheet pan and rotate the pan halfway through cooking. You may need to add an extra 10 minutes of bake time if cooking two at a time.

How to choose vegetables for quiche:

Just like with sweet potato breakfast casserole and vegetable lasagna, any combination of vegetables you love is perfect for this recipe for vegetable quiche. You will need about 1-1/2 to 2 cups total chopped cooked vegetables for quiche.

It is important to cook the veggies first before adding them to the pie shell, as they may add too much moisture to the quiche if added raw, and they may not cook all the way through by the time the eggs are set if you don’t cook them first.

Depending on what vegetables for quiche you choose, you should be able to roast, sauté or steam them first. Cook them until they are just tender-crisp before using them as quiche fillings. My roasted broccoli with lemon makes a great start point for a broccoli quiche.

For this particular vegetarian quiche, I simply sauteed all of the vegetables I used.

Here, I used shitake mushrooms (button mushrooms also work great if you have extra after making my chicken stroganoff or beef stroganoff recipe), zucchini, spinach (which I also pack into my salmon pasta), sundried tomatoes, and a bit of shallot. I pre-cooked all of these things by sautéing them before they went into the quiche.

About the sun dried tomatoes in this veggie quiche recipe:

My personal preference for sun dried tomatoes is almost always the kind packed in oil, because I think they have the best flavor and texture (and you can even use the oil from the jar to saute the rest of your veggies). I also use oil-packed sundried tomatoes to make the most delicious dressing for my ground turkey salad.

When I use tomatoes packed in oil for this vegetarian quiche recipe, I use a fork to fish them out of the oil, and sometimes pat them dry with a bit of paper towel to get the excess oil off.

Dry packed sun dried tomatoes are another option you may find at your store, and they work great in this veggie quiche recipe, too!

My only issue with the dry packed ones is that they can be pretty hard to chop. You’ll either need a very sharp knife and some arm strength, or you can plump them up a little bit in warm water before you chop them for use in this vegetable quiche recipe, which will make things easier.

What type of cheese should I use for this easy vegetarian quiche recipe?

My favorite cheese for this vegetarian quiche recipe is Gouda! It’s earthy flavor and supreme melt-ability works just as well for meatless quiche as it does for my phyllo cup appetizers.

Don’t like Gouda? No problem. Classic Swiss cheese or sharp Cheddar is also perfect for this veggie quiche recipe or a breakfast charcuterie board or Easter charcuterie board. Save the taco cheese for a cornbread breakfast casserole!

Mozzarella is also great for this easy vegetable quiche recipe. Not the really soft, fresh kind (save that for chicken pizza), but the low-moisture kind sold in bars that you can shred. I also love mozz in make ahead egg muffins.

Can you freeze a vegetarian quiche?

Quiche can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 6 days.

And, just like my cottage cheese lasagna and bacon gravy, this vegetable quiche recipe freezes beautifully. Simply bake the veggie quiche per the instructions below, and then allow it to cool completely. Wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months.

To reheat a whole quiche, first thaw overnight in the fridge if it is frozen. Then, cover loosely with foil and place in a 350 degree F oven until a thermometer inserted in the center of the quiche registers 165 degrees F.

If reheating individual slices, it’s easiest to just microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until hot.