Make this vegan spinach quiche at your next brunch celebration, it is so delicious it will be a hit! Made with a homemade pie crust and a creamy and cheesy spinach filling, this recipe makes for a high-in-protein plant-based meal that's easy and great for meal-prep.
This week is all about vegan pies! I just shared my easy gluten-free shortcrust pastry, but now let's use that pie crust in both savory and sweet dishes.
And what better than starting off with a creamy, cheesy and wholesome vegan spinach quiche!
Surprised to see vegan & quiche paired together? A classic quiche is filled with eggs, cheese and milk/cream, so it might seem a little adventurous to make a vegan version. But trust me, this tofu-based quiche is just as delicious as his classic French quiche cousins.
The silken tofu creates that soft and delicate mouthfeel texture particular to a quiche and since it is also quite tasteless, the tofu simply takes on the flavor from the veggies and spices. You can either buy a crust that's already made for an extra quick recipe or make it yourself for the ultimate homemade vegan quiche!
So, tag this recipe to keep for later and make it for your next holiday brunch table, Easter and Mother's day celebration alongside a generous serving of pancakes, buckwheat crepes and apple bread for an amazing festive meal!
What you will love about this vegan spinach quiche
- Easy, quick and can be meal-prepped ahead of time.
- Healthy and high in quality plant-based protein.
- Dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and filled with vegetables.
- Makes for a great savory breakfast brunch or lunch.
- Eat it warm or cold, it makes for amazing leftovers.
Making an egg-free quiche
Eggs are normally a key ingredient used to make a quiche. Not only do they bring a subtle egg-ish flavor, but also are responsible for creating a moist and tender, yet not wet nor gooey, consistency that sets while cooking.
But making an egg-free quiche is not that hard at all! There are many egg replacements you can use, but in this case silken tofu (+ cornstarch) is blended to a creamy texture alongside nutritional yeast and salt. It creates a cheesy, salty and high-in-protein base to hold on to all the delicious spinach filling.
Also, if you love the egg flavor, then consider adding a generous pinch of black salt (kala namak). Just like in this tofu scramble, this type of salt naturally has a egg-ish flavor that benefits vegan egg dishes. You can easily buy it online (I love this black salt from Spicy World).
Ingredients you'll need
- Pie crust: I like to make this recipe using my homemade pie crust, but store bought crusts work too.
- Silken tofu: this is the base for the creamy filling.
- Nutritional yeast: for a subtle cheesy flavor.
- Cornstarch: as a binder, essential to create a final texture that holds well together.
- Green and white onion: both kinds of onion add lots of flavor, so try to use both as directed.
- Spinach: there is a whole lot of spinach in there, but you will see, it will cook down a lot! Roughly chop the leaves first for best result.
- Garlic and salt: for flavor.
Choosing the right tofu to make this vegan spinach quiche
You will need a silken tofu to make this recipe. I used the silken tofu from Nasoya.
Do not mistaken with a softer kind of firm tofu. What you are looking for is a pudding-like tofu that's super soft and higher in water than the usual firm tofu (it has a jelly/bouncy/pudding-ish texture). Make sure to remove the extra water sometimes surrounding the tofu in the package before transferring to the blender for best texture.
For more ways to use silken tofu, be sure to check out these recipes!
How to make this vegan spinach pie
Step 1- Blind-bake (pre-bake) the crust
This will prepare the crust to handle the wet filling and prevent to have a quiche that becomes soggy or falls apart.
Either you use a store bought crust, or if you have extra 20 minutes, then I recommend you make this shortcrust pastry. Once shaped, then blind-bake it for about 10 minutes at 350º and let it slightly cool down while preparing the filling.
If you are not following a gluten-free diet, then you can also use a regular vegan pie crust.
Step 2- Cook the vegetables
Start by cooking the white and green onions (with a pinch of salt and pepper) in a large pan on medium high-heat for about 5-7 minutes or until browned. Stir often and use a small amount of oil (or water) so it does not stick to your pan. Then, add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds more while stirring often (don't let the garlic burn!).
Then, add the spinach. There is a lot of spinach in this recipe (hey, we are making a spinach tart!), but it will cook down a lot. Make sure the leaves are roughly chopped first as it makes for a better textured quiche filling. Stir often, still on medium-high heat, until all the leaves are wilted and the pan becomes less watery (wait for most of the water from the pan to evaporate).
Remove the pan from the heat and let the vegetable mixture cool down while making the creamy filling.
Step 3- Make the creamy filling
In a blender, combine the silken tofu, cornstarch, nutritional yeast and salt. Blend until uniform and take some breaks to scrape the walls of your blender as the nutritional yeast tends to stick to them.
Remove the blender container from its base and add the spinach mixture to it. Do not blend, but instead use a long spoon/spatula to stir in the spinach mixture within the creamy tofu.
Step 4- Combine and bake
Pour the tofu-spinach filling over the blind-baked crust. Then, make sure the spinach is well distributed within the quiche by gently stirring around with a spatula (don't touch the crust at the bottom!).
Then, bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Once baked, let the quiche cool down and rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing and eating. This is key to get a quiche that holds well with best flavors, so don't skip!
Watch how to make it
Vegan spinach quiche cooking tips
- You will have to cook the veggies before adding them to the quiche. Not only will this create better flavor, but also cooking down the veggies means removing lots of their water. This will help not have extra moisture into the quiche and have the filling hold better after slicing. If you feel like your veggies are still too wet after cooked in the pan, then don't hesitate to pat dry them before transferring to the silken tofu mixture.
- Be sure to pre-chop the spinach first, even if you use baby spinach. It helps distribute the veggies better throughout the quiche.
- I know how hard it is to wait before slicing your quiche, but make sure to give it a good 20 minutes or even more of resting time before touching it. The quiche needs to set before slicing, so be patient!
Variations to the recipe
- You can swap/add more vegetables if desired. If you want to add more veggies, then I would recommend to use only half of the spinach to keep about the same ratio veggies/tofu. Other veggies that would work well for this quiche are mushrooms, kale, leeks and red peppers. Be sure to also cook the vegetables first to remove some of their water (so it does not water down the filling).
- Add some dried or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, oregano, Italian mix, etc.
- You can add some raw potatoes to the creamy mixture, as long as you peel them first and cube the potatoes small enough so it has time to cook. They add lots of texture and make this pie more filling too.
Serving suggestion
I love this quiche served as part of a savory plant-based breakfast or brunch meal. It is filled with protein and will keep hunger away for a while.
Great pairing recipes for a brunch would be eggless salad, pancakes, buckwheat bread, apple bread, blueberry jam or easy scones.
Storage tips
This quiche stores very well in the fridge, which makes it a great vegan dish to meal-prep ahead. Once baked and cooled down, cover the quiche with a plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I love to eat the leftovers cold straight from the fridge, but if you want to warm it up, then heat in the microwave for a few seconds.
Other pie recipes you might like
Other spinach recipes you might like
- Spinach curry stew
- Spinach falafel
- Potato and spinach soup
- Tomato and spinach one-pot pasta
- Vegan lasagna roll-ups
- Vegan creamy pesto sauce
I hope you enjoy this vegan spinach quiche as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Vegan Spinach Quiche (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 454 g silken (soft) tofu
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 white onion - diced
- 3 green onions - sliced
- 1 garlic clove - crushed
- 10-11 oz baby spinach - roughly chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350º. Pre-cook the pie crust for 10 minutes (use store bought for a quicker recipe).
- In a large pan (warm some oil first if desired), start by cooking the onion and green onion on medium-high heat with a pinch of salt for about 5-7 minutes. Stir often. When the veggies are browned, then add the garlic and cook for one more minute, but not longer so it does not burn.
- Add the spinach, stir and cook until wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to let it cool down.
- In a blender, combine the tofu, cornstarch, nutritional yeast and salt.
- Remove the blender from its base and add the spinach-onion mixture to it. Stir to combine using a long spoon (do not blend!). Then, transfer the creamy spinach mixture over the pre-baked crust. Make sure the spinach is well distributed.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, let the quiche set at least for 20 minutes at room temperature before slicing and eating.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to let the pie rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing and eating, it needs to set first, so be patient!
- You can add some cook/wilted mushrooms, kale, leeks or red pepper to this recipe. If you do add more veggies, then use less spinach to keep the same texture, and pat dry them if it creates too much water.
- You can add some raw potatoes to the creamy mixture, as long as you peel it first and cube it small (so it has time to cook fully).
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Can you make this recipe without using a pie crust?
Interesting, this is a good question. I haven't tried it, but I'm thinking it would work. The crust does help hold everything together, but I was happy with how the filling what holding on its own, so it might be working really well. It would look like a frittata that's a little softer! Yum! 🙂 Let me know if you try it!