A crustless quiche is our favorite brunch hack. It’s just as impressive as any quiche recipe, but without all the fuss of making, rolling and parbaking a crust along with it. Who’s got the time, anyway?
Going crustless doesn’t sacrifice any of the flavor. A crustless quiche still has that gorgeous, baked custard texture that’s studded with all your favorite mix-ins. And, since this is a base recipe, you can customize it with your favorite meats, vegetables and cheeses so it’s uniquely yours every time you bake it.
What’s the difference between a crustless quiche and a frittata?
The difference between a crustless quiche and a frittata lies in their cooking methods and milk ratios. Frittatas typically start cooking on the stovetop and are finished in the oven. Quiches (with or without a crust) only bake in the oven.
Quiches are a bit more custardy in texture, too, thanks to the addition of milk. Frittatas are a bit eggier in texture as they either have a relatively little amount of milk or even no milk at all. In fact, most of our frittata recipes do not contain milk, but they may use a little cheese!
Crustless Quiche Ingredients
- Eggs: You’ll need six eggs for this crustless quiche recipe. It’s a good idea to check if your eggs are fresh if they’ve been sitting in your fridge for a while.
- Milk: Whole milk’s fat percentage helps create that lovely, custardy texture quiches are known for. You can use heavy cream in its place if that’s all you have on hand. Just don’t use anything lower in fat, such as 2% milk, skim milk or most dairy-free milks.
- Mix-ins: Take some time before starting this recipe to precook your favorite quiche mix-ins, like sausage, bacon, spinach, red bell peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms or onions, to name a few. You’ll want 2 cups cooked mix-ins total.
- Shredded cheese: Use your favorite low-moisture shredded cheese. We recommend a bag of high-quality shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack.
Directions
Step 1: Mix the base
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in your mix-ins and cheese until combined.
Editor’s Tip: One of the biggest mistakes you can make with eggs is not whisking them enough. They should be uniformly yellow with zero white or clear strands left behind. You may want to use your immersion blender to really blend the eggs and milk to ensure a uniform base.
Step 2: Pour into the pan
Grease a 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish. Pour the quiche base into the pan, and spread it evenly to the edges.
Step 3: Bake
Bake the crustless quiche until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the quiche stand for 10 minutes, then cut into it and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Try a cheese-lovers crustless quiche: Our crustless four-cheese quiche bakes together cottage cheese, cream cheese, Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese for the ultimate dairy-filled brunch.
- Follow our crustless chicken quiche: If you’re someone who loves buying a good rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, this crustless chicken quiche was meant to cross your path. Along with the usual quiche ingredients, you’ll need 2 cups cubed rotisserie chicken, shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
- Make our spinach and mushroom crustless quiche: Use up that bag of frozen spinach in your freezer with our ultra-savory crustless spinach quiche. We love the addition of mushrooms, ham and shredded Muenster cheese.
How to Store Crustless Quiche
To store your crustless quiche for later, let it cool completely to room temperature, but don’t let it sit at room temp longer than two hours. Wrap the top of the quiche with storage wrap, or cut the quiche into slices and transfer them to an airtight container. The quiche can last in the fridge for up to three days.
Can I freeze crustless quiche?
Yes, you can freeze a baked crustless quiche. Once it’s baked, allow it to cool to room temperature. Cut the quiche into slices and transfer it to an airtight container, or wrap the quiche tightly in two layers of storage wrap followed by a final layer of aluminum foil. It can last in the freezer for up to three months.
Thaw the quiche in the fridge overnight, then gently reheat it in a 325° oven until warmed through.
Crustless Quiche Tips
What do I serve with crustless quiche?
Serve this quiche alongside quintessential breakfast sides, like bacon, golden-brown toast, a vibrant fruit salad or a batch of homemade muffins. Of course, make sure tea and coffee are on the table, too.
A light arugula salad or cup of soup makes the perfect side if this crustless quiche is your brunch or lunch main. If you’re hosting a boozy brunch, pair the quiche with a dry white wine like chardonnay, pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. Even a semisweet white wine like Riesling or Prosecco works well here. You can’t go wrong with a mimosa, either.
Why is my quiche watery?
Your quiche will turn out watery if your mix-ins are not cooked down enough to evaporate their excess liquid. Make sure your mix-ins are fully cooked, and pat them with a clean paper towel to remove any leftover water. Your quiche also may be watery if you use fresh or soft cheese, which contains more moisture than semi-firm or firm cheeses.
