The BEST Dairy-Free Quiche {with Mushrooms + Leeks} (2024)

FAQs

What can I use in quiche instead of heavy cream? ›

Cook the Veggies First

"Vegetables will take longer to cook than your egg custard, so always sauté onions, steam broccoli, etc. before you add them to your egg mixture to ensure every bite of quiche will be perfectly cooked," says Kristin Beringson, executive chef at Henley in Nashville.

Heavy Cream and Milk – For the best tasting quiche, use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. (Or simply use half-and-half.) Using just heavy cream produces an overly thick filling. Whole milk is great, but a combo of heavy cream and milk is better.

The answer is, yes you can, which is a relief. You do need some fat in there to help it set, but you can get that from the cheese. Using just milk and eggs as the basis for the filling works perfectly well and I figure you are more likely to have these ingredients in, which is way more helpful.

Fortunately, nearly any plant-based milk can be made into a heavy cream substitute. Nut milks, including hemp milk, oat milk, coconut milk and soy milk can all be used as the base for a heavy cream substitute with the addition of the right fats.

That, my friends, is your quiche. I love using yogurt because it gives it an extra bit of tang and some richness. I use Greek yogurt because regular yogurt has too much liquid. If you don't have yogurt, you can substitute it with a cup of cream or half-and-half.

And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry.

BEAT eggs, milk, thyme and salt in medium bowl until blended. Carefully POUR over filling in pie shell. BAKE in center of 375°F oven until center is almost set but jiggles slightly when dish is gently shaken and knife inserted near center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

Why does my quiche have a soggy bottom? Cooking any vegetables before adding to the filling can help avoid excess moisture which can cause a soggy crust. Blind baking your crust, or baking without the filling, can also help ensure a flaky crust.

Quiche Ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy

A standard large egg weighs two ounces and 1/2 cup of dairy (whole milk) is four ounces, therefore a handy 1:2 ratio! You'll need to increase the amount of eggs and milk based on the size of your quiche, so knowing the basic ratio makes it really easy to scale up or down.

What is a quiche without pastry called? ›

Frittatas are Italian in origin and can be described as a cross between an omelet and a crustless quiche. Frittatas take less time to make than quiche or strata. The dish is traditionally made by beating eggs with dairy—often heavy cream or half and half—together with ingredients like vegetables, meats and cheeses.

For a lower-fat option, try swapping it for the likes of milk combined with Greek yogurt, olive oil, or cornstarch. For a healthier vegan and dairy-free option, consider coconut cream, cashew cream, or silken tofu and plant-based milk.

They recommend half-and-half as the ideal dairy product for producing puffy, stable curds. A combination of milk and heavy cream is a good substitute, as well, while using only milk tends to produce watery scrambled eggs that are prone to "weeping" excess liquid.

Simply put, eggs do the thickening and cream creates richness. I use a ratio of 1 egg to 1/3 cup of cream to get a firm quiche with a lot of flavor. Make sure that whatever you're adding to the filling (veggies in particular) is free of any excess liquids.

How to sub: Combine 3/4 cup whole milk with 1/4 cup heavy cream to use as a 1 cup substitute for half and half in any application. If you don't have whole milk in the fridge, you can also use low-fat or skim milk.

I used Carnation Evaporated Milk once because I didn't have heavy cream while making a variety of Quiche. It's excellent and I use it all the time.