This broccoli cheddar quiche has a rich custardy filling with sautéed broccoli and sharp white cheddar in a flaky pie crust! It's perfect to make ahead for breakfast or brunch or any occasion!
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What is Quiche?
Quiche is savory French tart with an egg custard and flaky pie crust. The filling is made with eggs, milk, and cream, and whatever additions you like! Most quiches also include cheese, sautéed veggies, and sometimes meat like bacon or ham.
The texture of quiche is creamy and soft and it's somehow both rich and still delicate. While you can serve quiche either warm or cold, I think it's best right out of the oven!
Quiche is a crowdpleaser for any breakfast or brunch event! It's great to serve at potlucks, baby showers, Mother's Day, Easter, etc!
You might also like this spinach mushroom quiche or this heirloom tomato galette!
Ingredient Notes
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this broccoli cheddar quiche!
Pie Crust - I use my homemade flaky pie crust recipe for this broccoli cheddar quiche! But you can use store-bought crust or your own homemade crust if desired.
Eggs - As a general rule, you want to use ¼ cup of milk per egg for quiche. The egg to milk ratio is what makes quiche different than a frittata which uses less milk.
Half & Half - For the best taste and texture, I like using half & half! You can also simply use half heavy cream and half whole milk. If you don't want to use cream, just whole milk is also fine.
Broccoli - You want to use fresh broccoli for this quiche! I don't recommend frozen as it contains too much water and will ruin the texture. Be sure to cut into very small florets so that they distribute more evenly in the quiche.
Cheddar Cheese - I prefer the tang of a sharp white cheddar but you can use medium cheddar for a more neutral flavor. You can also substitute gruyere, gouda, Swiss, or mozzarella!
Shallot - The mild flavor of shallots is perfect for a light quiche. But you could also use half a yellow onion instead.
Flaky Sea Salt - This is optional, but I love a sprinkle of Maldon Flaky Sea Salt on top of the quiche once it comes out of the oven.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Optional Additions
- Add in ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes for some heat
- Add in ½ cup of crumbled cooked bacon or cubed ham
- Add in ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the pie dough (when you add the butter)
How to Make Flaky Pie Dough
I use my homemade flaky pie crust for this recipe. You can check out this blog post for all my pie crust tips and tricks! But if desired, you can use your favorite store-bought pie crust!
Cut butter into small cubes and place in the fridge to firm up while you get the rest of your ingredients together.
Combine flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
Add the cold chunks of butter and combine with your hands until you get pea sized crumbs.
Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and combine until dough forms a nice ball but is still slightly sticky.
Take the formed ball of dough and shape into a slightly flattened disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This is important to keep the butter from melting so that the crust will be nice and flaky.
How to Make Homemade Quiche
Remove the pie dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Cut away any undesired excess crust and crimp, curl, or decorate the edges however you like!
Chill the pie crust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking (if you skip this step, the pie crust will shrink). While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights (uncooked rice or dry beans also work great).
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom just starts to brown.
Set aside and let cool slightly while you prep the filling.
Reduce the oven to 375°F.
Cut the broccoli into very small florets.
In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly sauté the diced shallots in butter until fragrant and slightly softened.
Add in the fresh broccoli florets and continue to cook until slightly tender (5-10 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Layer the shredded white cheddar and sautéed veggies in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with a little extra cheese if desired.
Bake at 375˚F for 30-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the eggs are cooked through and set.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
If desired, sprinkle the broccoli cheddar quiche with flaky sea salt before serving!
Tips for the Best Quiche
For all my quiche recipes, I like to use my classic flaky pie crust! I have a whole blog post with tons of tips and tricks for perfect pie crust, but the most important are listed below. Be sure to check out the rest of our pie recipes too!
Keep it cold! The secret to a super flaky pie crust is keeping the dough cold at every step. Use cold butter and cold water while making the dough, and try to keep the dough as cold as possible while working with it. You want very cold dough going into a very hot oven for the best results!
Use a metal pie pan! Not all pie pans are created equal! Most pie pans on the market are either metal, glass, or ceramic. Overall, metal pie pans are the best of the best because they keep the crust very crispy and they're also the most durable and affordable. A fun alternative to classic aluminum pie pans that yields the same results is a cast iron skillet! I know ceramic pie plates certainly are pretty, but unfortunately the bottom crust just never gets crispy so I just don't recommend them.
Par bake for extra crispy crust! Since eggs are a wet, soupy filling, baking the crust before filling helps ensure a super crispy bottom on the quiche! It also helps prevent overcooking the filling. Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is just beginning to brown.
Let it rest! Letting the quiche rest for a bit after removing from the oven helps the settle. It's best to let quiche rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Recipe FAQ's
This broccoli cheddar quiche is best eaten the same day, but can be stored covered in the fridge for 4 days. You can serve it cold, or warm it up by in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes for a slice, or 20-30 minutes for a whole quiche.
Yes! To freeze; let the baked quiche cool completely. Then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes to reheat.
This broccoli cheddar quiche is delicious on its own but it goes great on a breakfast or brunch spread! I usually serve quiche along with one of the following: bacon or breakfast sausage, fruit salad, pancakes or waffles, coffee cake, donuts, muffins or banana bread.
To make a crustless quiche you'll want to use a glass or ceramic pan instead of metal. Grease the pan very well with butter and then bake as directed.
It's important to pre-cook the filling, otherwise your quiche will end up watery.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup pastry flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 2 tablespoons water, cold
Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
Eggs
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half & half, (substitute ½ cup whole milk + ½ cup heavy cream)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Pie Crust
- I use my homemade flaky pie crust for this recipe. You can check out this blog post for all my pie crust tips and tricks! But if desired, you can use your favorite store-bought pie crust!
- Cut butter into small cubes and place in the fridge to firm up while you get the rest of your ingredients together.
- Combine flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the cold chunks of butter and combine with your hands until you get pea sized crumbs.
- Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and combine until dough forms a nice ball but is still slightly sticky.
- Take the formed ball of dough and shape into a slightly flattened disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This is important to keep the butter from melting so that the crust will be nice and flaky.
- Remove the pie dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Cut away any undesired excess crust and crimp, curl, or decorate the edges however you like!
- Chill the pie crust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking (if you skip this step, the pie crust will shrink). While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights (uncooked rice or dry beans also work great).
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom just starts to brown.
- Set aside and let cool slightly while you prep the filling.
Quiche Filling
- Reduce the oven to 375°F.
- Cut the broccoli into very small florets.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly sauté the diced shallots in butter until fragrant and slightly softened.
- Add in the fresh broccoli florets and continue to cook until slightly tender (5-10 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Layer the shredded white cheddar and sautéed veggies in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with a little extra cheese if desired.
- Bake at 375˚F for 30-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the eggs are cooked through and set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
- If desired, sprinkle the broccoli cheddar quiche with flaky sea salt before serving!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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