Make the best vegan quiche with my customizable base recipe. The flaky and delicious vegan pie crust is filled with a super creamy, rich and cheesy filling and you can use any of your favourite quiche add-ins like spinach, broccoli, vegan meats, tomatoes and mushrooms etc. Lots of flavour suggestions are included!
The main issue with most vegan quiche? The texture. They don't have that soft, creamy, light, slightly wobbly and delicate texture that eggy quiches have. That is until now because my vegan quiche is properly soft, fluffy, creamy, rich and super delicious with silky, melting custard in every bite.
Serve this delicous vegan quiche for brunch, lunch, dinner or for occasions like picnics, potlucks, parties and general get-togethers. It’s a great recipe to have on hand when you need a quick and versatile recipe that’s super tasty and a real crowd-pleaser.
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What can you use instead of eggs in a quiche?
Traditional quiche is not vegan. The filling is a soft, savoury custard made from eggs, cream, cheese and milk along with various mix-ins like chopped meat or vegetables. It's easy to make an egg-free quiche though, using a blend of silken tofu, chickpea flour, cornstarch and non-dairy milk, along with a few flavourings. With this method, you get a very similar soft, fluffy, creamy filling.
Ingredients & equipment
To make my vegan quiche you will need a 9-inch quiche pan or pie plate if making the crust from scratch. You can use an 8-inch one instead but you will have a little pastry and filling leftover. Feel free to use a store-bought pie crust to save time.
Here is a quick rundown on the main ingredients:
- Vegan Pie Crust - My go-to standard vegan pie crust recipe or you can use my healthy pie crust to make this recipe completely oil-free. Feel free to buy a store-bought pie crust to make this recipe even quicker and easier.
- Silken or soft tofu and non-dairy milk of choice - Essential for the smooth, creamy, eggy texture. Firmer tofu will not create the right texture.
- Chickpea flour - But not too much because we don't want an obvious chickpea flour flavour or a stodgy or dry texture. The chickpea flour thickens, makes the filling light and fluffy and adds a little colour.
- Cornstarch - Also thickens and is flavourless. Helps to keep the chickpea flour to a minimum so you can't taste it in the finished quiche.
- Milk of choice - For moisture. Any type but MUST be unflavored and unsweetened. Many vegan milks have vanilla and sugar added so be sure to check the ingredients carefully and buy one without.
- Mustard, salt, pepper, dried thyme & nutritional yeast - Essential for giving the custard good flavour and works to mask any chickpea flour flavour.
- Vegan cheese - Cheese is pretty essential in a quiche especially a vegan one where you are using other ingredients to replace the eggs and need to really boost the flavour. Use your favourite variety. Obviously the tastier the cheese is, the tastier your quiche will be. My personal favourite for this recipe is Nafsika's Garden Smoked Gouda block. It's so good and gives the quiche a great flavour.
Quiche add-ins
In the vegan quiche pictured I used vegan salami, green onions, broccoli and tomato.
You can use the same, or switch it up with your personal favourites. That's what makes this recipe so versatile. You can use up whatever is in your fridge!
Use no more than 2 cups of add-ins and place them in the blind-baked pie crust before pouring over the tofu quiche filling.
Here are some vegan quiche add-in ideas:
- chopped vegan meats like ham, salami or sausage
- crispy vegan bacon
- sauteed leek
- caramelized onions
- sauteed mushrooms
- asparagus (can be sauteed or go in raw)
- sauteed zucchini
- vegan salmon. I love Save Da Sea salmon
- broccoli (can go in raw in very small pieces or can be cooked first)
- chopped green onions
- spinach (wilt it down and squeeze out all liquid before adding to the quiche)
- chopped fresh soft herbs like parsley, dill and basil
- cherry tomatoes
- olives
- cooked squash
- cooked potato
- sundried tomatoes
- sweetcorn
- kale
- slices of tomato on the top (like in my pics). it gets so sweet and delicious and looks really pretty!
It's important that anything slightly damp, like sauteed mushroom, leek or onion is patted off with kitchen paper or a clean cloth first before adding so you don't make the tofu quiche filling too wet.
How to make vegan quiche
- Make your own pie crust or buy a ready-made one, then blind-bake it. You can do this up to a few days ahead. Whilst quiche can be baked in a raw pie crust, it's best to blind-bake or par-bake it for the very best texture and to avoid a soggy bottom.
- Prepare the add-ins that you will be using in the filling. Chop them and cook them if necessary and add them to the crust.
- Blend the creamy filling up and pour it in.
- Decorate the top if desired then bake. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove from the pan and serve.
Flavour combination ideas
Here are some flavour combos that work well in a quiche.
- vegan salmon and fresh dill
- classic Quiche Lorraine using vegan bacon, sauteed shallots and vegan swiss cheese
- mushroom and asparagus
- spinach and mushroom
- spinach and cherry tomato
- Greek-style with olives, oregano, artichokes and small dollops of vegan feta cheese
- vegan sausage and onion
- broccoli and vegan ham
- cheese and tomato
- butternut squash and sage
- spinach and ricotta
- new potato and spring onion
Success Tips
For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:
- Blind-baking is essential for a great quiche. If you don't blind-bake it won't be perfectly crispy and flaky and you could even end up with a soggy bottom. No one wants a soggy bottom!
- If you aren't opposed to using a bit of oil, a quick brush of any neutral liquid oil all over the blind-baked crust before adding the filling, will create a seal and keep the bottom even crisper with even less chance of becoming soggy.
- When making an eggless quiche, it's important to measure the ingredients correctly or you will affect the texture of the filling once it's baked.
- I recommend blending the vegan cheese into the custard as per the instructions and not just adding the grated cheese into the pie crust as you would with a non-vegan quiche. This avoids the chances of it not melting well. In tests, I tried many different vegan cheese varieties and when they weren't blended, some melted well, but others didn't, leaving a visible layer of cheese all the way through because it didn't melt into the filling. It ruined the look of the slices, so to avoid the chance of that happening, blending is an easy solution.
- Don't be alarmed by the chickpea flour smell/taste when you blend the filling up. It is quite strong but once it's baked it mellows right out.
- Be sure that all added ingredients are chopped up into bite-size pieces. This is important because they need to be evenly distributed throughout the quiche and it also makes slicing much easier.
- Bake the quiche on a metal baking tray in the oven. This helps keep the base of the pie crust crisp.
- Don't overbake. It should feel just set but soft with a little wobble. It should jiggle a little when you cut into it and not be solid.
Making in advance & freezing
Vegan quiche is great for making ahead. It can be served warm or cold and it reheats well.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Bake the quiche and allow to cool completely. Cover tightly and store for 3 - 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 180C/350F.
- TO FREEZE: Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20 to 25 minutes.
What to serve with quiche
Vegan quiche is a great allrounder that can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
Serve it as part of a brunch spread with fresh fruit, vegan scrambled eggs, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, vegan Shakshuka, homemade English muffins, vegan sausage and bacon, vegan French toast casserole, cinnamon rolls or vegan banana pancakes.
Or enjoy it for lunch or dinner with fresh salads like my strawberry spinach salad, vegan broccoli salad, kidney bean salad, tomato chickpea salad or sugar snap pea salad. I absolutely love quiche with fries and a leafy salad as a meal and you can't go wrong with a dollop of green sauce or creamy avocado dressing either!
Serve at a party with salads, vegan spanakopita, vegan cheeses, crackers, vegetable pate, crudites, spinach artichoke dip, hummus and other appetizers.
Recipe FAQs
Simply grease a pie dish (or similar), put in the add-ins then pour the custard filling over them and bake. The timings will remain the same.
You can make this quiche almost oil-free. Use my healthy pie crust recipe which is oil-free instead of a regular crust. The filling is oil-free except for any oil that is present in the cheese you use. I don't recommend omitting the cheese because the flavour of the filling won't be as good and it will affect the texture a little too.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Quiche
Author:Ingredients
Crust
- 1 x 9 inch vegan pie crust , blind-baked (homemade or store-bought)
- OR 1 healthy pie crust , blind-baked (this one has a GF option)
Custard filling
- 12 oz (340 grams) silken tofu , or soft tofu
- 1 cup (110 grams) vegan cheese shreds
- ⅓ cup (35 grams) chickpea flour
- ⅓ cup (23 grams) nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch , (cornflour in the UK)
- ½ cup (120 mls) non-dairy milk , it MUST be unsweetened & unflavoured
- ½ teaspoon prepared mustard , yellow or dijon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Add-ins
- up to 2 cups of prepared add-ins , about enough to half fill the pie crust ( i.e broccoli, spinach, vegan ham or bacon, caramelized onions, tomato - more ideas in post above).
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
For the pie crust
- If your pie crust isn't already blind-baked (partially baked) do that now. Here's how:Preheat oven to 400°F (200 °C) with a large metal baking tray in there as it preheats. Prick the bottom of the pie crust all over with a fork then line with parchment paper. Fill with baking beans, dried beans or dried rice and put on the preheated tray in the oven. Bake for about 17 minutes or until the edges of the crust are just beginning to turn a very gentle golden brown. Remove from the oven and gently lift out the parchment paper along with the baking beans/rice. Then return to the oven and bake for around 7 to 8 minutes more, or until the bottom of the crust is just beginning to turn a gentle golden brown. Remove from the oven. It's ok if the crust is warm when you add the filling. If using a store bought pie crust follow the directions on the box.
For the quiche
- Once the pie crust is ready, preheat oven to 350°F (175 °C) with a metal baking tray on the bottom shelf of the oven.
- OPTIONAL STEP - If you aren't opposed to using a bit of oil, a quick brush of any neutral liquid oil all over the blind-baked crust before adding the filling, will create a seal and keep the bottom even crisper.
- To a blender add all of the custard filling ingredients. Blend until smooth. Don't be alarmed by the strong chickpea flour smell/taste. Once cooked you won't notice it.
- Place your chosen add-ins into the pie crust, reserving a few bits and pieces to decorate the top, spreading them out evenly and filling it no more than half way up.
- Pour the custard filling over the add-ins in the pie crust until the top of the custard is almost at the top of the crust but not quite.
- Decorate with the reserved add-ins then carefully lift and place on the lowest shelf of the oven, on the baking tray that you preheated in there. Being near the bottom of the oven and on a hot metal tray will keep the bottom crisper.
- Bake the quiche for 40 minutes, or until the center is just set. Don't overbake it. If you poke it in the centre gently with your finger it should be just set, soft and yielding with a very slight wobble.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before attempting to cut. It's delicious warm or cold.
- You might have some excess custard filling depending on how many add-ins went in and how dense they are. Pour leftovers (along with a few random add-ins), into greased ramekins or a muffin pan and bake them with the quiche, or after, for 10 to 15 minutes or until set with a slight wobble.
NOTES
Success Tips For the best results when making this recipe, take note of these tips:
- Blind-baking is essential for a great quiche. If you don't blind-bake it won't be perfectly crispy and flaky and you could even end up with a soggy bottom. No one wants a soggy bottom!
- A quick brush of any neutral liquid oil all over the blind-baked crust before adding the filling, will create a seal and keep the bottom even crisper with even less chance of becoming soggy. An optional step but something I always do.
- I recommend blending the vegan cheese into the custard as per the instructions and not just adding the grated cheese into the pie crust as you would with a non-vegan quiche. This avoids the chances of it not melting well. In tests, I tried many different vegan cheese varieties and when they weren't blended, some melted well, but others didn't, leaving a visible layer of cheese all the way through because it didn't melt into the filling. It ruined the look of the slices, so to avoid the chance of that happening, blending is an easy solution.
- Don't be alarmed by the chickpea flour smell/taste when you blend the filling up. It is quite strong but once it's baked it mellows right out.
- Be sure that all added ingredients are chopped up into bite-size pieces. This is important because they need to be evenly distributed throughout the quiche and it also makes slicing much easier.
- Bake the quiche on a metal baking tray in the oven. This helps keep the base of the pie crust crisp.
- Don't overbake. It should feel just set but soft with a little wobble. It should jiggle a little when you cut into it and not be solid.
Making in advance and freezing Vegan quiche is great for making ahead. It can be served warm or cold and it reheats well.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Bake the quiche and allow to cool completely. Cover tightly and store for 3 - 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 180C/350F.
- TO FREEZE: Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20 to 25 minutes.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Patricia G says
Not sure if I have sent this suggestion in or not, but al alternative to piecrust is to lightly oil your quiche dish and sprinkle with corn meal, then pour in your quiche mixture. Bakes up great, and firms up enough to cut and serve.
Tracey says
Looks amazing. Just to clarify. If making ahead and freezing, do I blind bake the crust, add filling and bake then freeze? Or add filling and freeze, then thaw & bake at time of serving? Thank you 🙏
Melanie McDonald says
Make it as instructed, allow it to cool, then freeze. The baking after is just to reheat it and crisp up the pastry again.
KM says
This was fab. My add-ins were sautéed onions & chopped vegan bacon. My pie plate is 9.5”, and where I live silken tofu are only sold in 300g tubs so I had to alter my ratios slightly, but I found this recipe still worked really well. I’m sure it’d be even better as written so next time I’ll follow to the letter, and there will definitely be a next time.
I appreciate the detailed instructions of blind baking the crust. I loved my mom’s non-vegan quiche growing up, but she never did this step and yes it was always a tad soggy! This one was absolutely perfect texture & crust.
Danielle says
Can I ask if another flour will work if I don't have chickpea on hand? TIA!
Melanie McDonald says
No sorry, you need to use chickpea flour in this recipe.
Denise says
Hi,
I wanted to ask whether you think it would be possible to swap the vegan cheese in the custard with cashews and also how many grams of add-ins would 2 cups be. Thank you!!
Melanie McDonald says
I wouldn't sub the cheese for cashews. It will change the texture of the custard completely. The quiche needs the cheese for a good flavour and the cheese melting also helps with the creamy texture of the custard once cooked and the setting too.
As for how many grams 2 cups of add-ins is, that depends completely on what that add-ins are. 1 cup of broccoli weighs a completely different amount to 1 cup of mushrooms or 1 cup of vegan bacon. That's why there is no gram amount given. Just fill the quiche crust no more than halfway up with them.
Hope you enjoy it!
Sue says
Hi,
Is their another brand of soy free silken tofu as I try not to eat soy, I am aware of PUMFU which I really like however I have not seen it silken. Thanks I really want to try making this!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm not aware of any silken tofu that's not made from soy. Unfortunately, this recipe needs silken tofu for it to have a great texture.
Denise says
Absolutely amazing! I have tried tofu/chickpea quiches before and they always turn out too hard/dry just not a proper quiche texture. First try at this and voila the perfect quiche and I actually made it crustless as I was doing it for lunch for my grandson and didn’t have time to prepare the base. Worked perfect 🤩 filling I used was vegan bacon and fried peppers with tomato slices on top.
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you, Denise! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it. And yours is the first feedback I've received on this one. Much appreciated as always!