perfect breakfast quiche (customizable fillings!)

Name: Perfect Breakfast Quiche
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled (195 grams); 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 cup + 1 TBSP cold salted butter, cubed (9 tbsp, or 127 grams); 4-5 tbsp ice cold water; 5 large eggs; 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%); 1/2 cup heavy cream (You can also use milk here or half and half!); 1/4 tsp minced garlic; 1/2 tsp salt; pinch of black pepper; 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, torn (tear it up so it's in smaller pieces); 1 1/3 cups shredded cheese (I used a mix of sharp cheddar and Monterrey Jack, but have fun with it!); 6-8 slices cooked bacon, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces

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Breakfast Quiche is a flavorful breakfast made with a creamy filling baked in a buttery, flaky pie crust. Bacon, spinach, garlic, sharp cheddar along with milk, cream, and eggs make for an incredibly flavorful filling! Serve this quiche up for a holiday brunch and prepare to watch it fly off plates.

Published: August 2018. Updated: September 2023.

I WISH I could transfer the smell of this quiche baking through your screen! The flavors are incredible, the smell is incredible, and the presentation is incredible! Let’s agree to make this for all future brunches and breakfasts-for-dinner. Okay? Deal.

Why you’ll love this Easy Quiche Recipe:

Incredibly Flavorful Filling – Smoky bacon, fresh spinach, garlic, and cheese lend TONS of flavor to our quiche filling! Eggs and milk provide the perfect creamy base.
All-Butter Pie Crust – An all-butter pie crust is the perfect flaky vehicle for our filling.
Perfect Holiday Brunch – Breakfast quiche is easy enough to make for a holiday brunch, but still impressive enough to serve for breakfast around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

A hand lifting a slice of quiche out of the pan.

Ingredient Overview:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found at the bottom of this post.

Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer.
All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
Eggs – Use large eggs for the egg mixture.
Heavy Cream – Using half heavy cream and half milk keeps this quiche a little on the lighter side, while still being rich and creamy. You can also use all whole milk or half and half in place of the heavy cream.
Milk – Use any type of milk you like. See note above about swapping heavy cream for milk.
Bacon – Use your favorite bacon. It does need to be cooked before it goes into the filling.
Spinach – Fresh spinach adds a little veggie power!
Cheese – Use your favorite cheese. I’ve used a mix of sharp cheddar cheese and monterrey jack, but you could use a mix of any of the following: gouda, swiss, gruyere, mozzarella, cheddar, etc.
Garlic – A little minced garlic adds lots of flavor!

Ingredient Substitutions:

Gluten-free – I have not dabbled in gluten-free pie crust, but here’s a gluten-free pie crust recipe with 1K 5-star reviews!
Dairy-free – Use your favorite dairy-free milk to make this recipe dairy-free.
Vegetarian – Omit the bacon and add something like sautéed mushrooms to make this recipe vegetarian but still keep it filling! You could also use a vegan meat alternative that you like.
Fillings – See more filling suggestions in the recipe variations section at the bottom of this post. This is a great way to use up leftover veggies in your fridge!
Crust – You can use a frozen pie crust to make this more of an easy breakfast quiche recipe, but most bakers agree that nothing compares to homemade pie crust!

How to Make this Breakfast Quiche Recipe Step-by-Step:

Step 1: Make the Crust. Pie crust doesn’t need to be intimidating! Start by whisking together all-purpose flour, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Then, cut in cold cubed butter with a pastry cutter. Stir in cold water until the dough starts to form, then gently form it into a ball. Form into a disc and wrap well in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge or freezer.

Pie dough being made and draped in the pan.

Step 2: Roll the Crust. Once the dough is chilled, we’ll gently roll it out, turning as we go, to avoid it cracking and sticking to the counter. Gently roll the pie crust around your rolling pin and transfer it into a 9-inch pie plate like this one.

Next, trim the edges, but leave about a half inch of overhang – you’ll need that if you want to crimp the edges. See the next photo for crimping technique.

Two hands crimping the edges of the pie dough.

Step 3: Par-Bake the Crust. Don’t panic. This is not as scary as it sounds! Crumple a piece of parchment paper and then fit it into your pie dish, on top of the dough, leaving enough overhang to cover the edges. (Do NOT use aluminum foil for this – ever! It prevents the crust from baking properly.) Pour in some sugar (this acts as your pie weights). Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove the parchment and bake for 2-4 more minutes until the bottom and sides appear set and matte. This important step gives our crust a head start so it bakes up nice and crisp with all that wet filling on top. No soggy bottoms here!

Step 4: Mix the Filling. Whisk together the eggs and milk, then add the seasonings, cooked bacon, shredded cheese, and spinach.

Step 5: Pour filling into Crust. Pour the filling into your par-baked crust.

Step 6: Bake the Breakfast Quiche. Bake as directed in the recipe card below for best results! The filling should appear just set, and the crust will be golden brown. I did use foil as a pie shield in the photo below, but I honestly probably didn’t need it – the crust could’ve gotten deeper brown without burning. And, that’s why the center browned more than the edges, haha!

Serving + Storing this Breakfast Quiche:

If this is the main dish, you’ll want to serve bigger slices, and it will serve 6-8 people. If you’re making this for a potluck-type brunch where there will be lots of other food, you can get away with smaller slices for more servings!

Expert Success Tips:

Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
Pie Dish – A metal pie plate is the absolute best option for pie. Glass pie dishes often fail me and cause the dough to slide down while baking. Most bakers agree that metal or even ceramic is superior to glass for baking! Promise me you’ll never use a glass pie dish again! (Unless it’s for a no-bake pie hah.)

FAQs:

Can I make this Breakfast Quiche ahead?

Yes! You can serve it after it’s cooled for about 15 minutes, but is still warm, or you can serve it once cooled to room temperature. You can also let it cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight before serving the next day, if you prefer a cold quiche.

Can I double or halve this recipe?

If you want to halve it, I recommend making my mini quiches instead (muffin tin recipe!) as I’m guessing most people don’t own a 6-inch or mini pie pan. If you wanted to double this, I *think* you could do it in a 9×13 pan with double the pie dough but I have not tested it.

Do I have to par-bake my pie crust?

Yes! This gives the crust a head start so that it bakes up properly once all that wet quiche filling is on top of it in the oven. Don’t skip this!

What is the difference between par baking and blind baking?

Par baking is partially baking your pie dough to give the base a head start before adding your filling and baking the rest of the way. Blind baking is completely baking an empty pie shell so you can later add a cold-set filling, like for a coconut cream or french silk pie.

Can I make this in a tart pan?

Yes, but you may have more filling than will fit. If you have extra once you’ve filed the crust in your tart pan, bake it in a well greased muffin tin for some mini quiches on the side.

Recipe Variations:

Fillings – Have fun with the fillings! You can use whatever combination you like. I do recommend sticking to the quantities I used so that you don’t overload the quiche with too many fillings to too few eggs. Use up to 2 cups of add-ins total, not counting the cheese.
Cheese – Use your favorite cheese or a mix of two! Try goat cheese, feta, swiss, gouda, cheddar, gruyere, monterey jack, or any mix of these.
Meat – Swap (cooked!) breakfast sausage or cubed cooked ham for bacon, or use sauteed mushrooms for a vegetarian option.
Veggies – Use diced sauteed bell peppers, roasted red peppers, chopped sauteed asparagus, or sauteed shallots or green onions with or in place of the spinach. Remember to stick to about 2 cups total!
Quiche Lorraine – Make a classic quiche lorraine by using just bacon and ham as your fillings. Or put a twist on it and include spinach or another veggie!
Crustless Quiche Recipe – Pour the filling into a well greased pie dish and bake at 350 for 30-36 minutes, until set.

The sliced quiche next to slices on plates.

Special Tools:

Rolling Pin – Obviously essential! I recommend a simple wooden one with handles.
Pastry Cutter – This makes cutting the butter into the flour a complete breeze! I never make pie without this tool. If you only use one tool in your pie making, let this be it.
Pastry Brush – This is how you’ll brush on your egg wash, which is how you achieve that nice, deep, golden brown crust!

More Breakfast Recipes to Love:

Fluffy Zucchini Bread Pancakes
Restaurant Level Stuffed French Toast
Mini Quiche Cups
Raspberry Lemon Coffee Cake
Strawberries & Cream Scones
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Gluten-Free Maple Granola

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