Vegan Spinach Quiche (Gluten-Free)

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!

A classic quiche is filled with eggs, cheese and milk/cream, but here we are using tofu and flavorful ingredients to make this plant-based quiche just as delicious as a traditional French quiche recipe.

The silken tofu creates a 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!

Make it for your next holiday brunch table, Easter and Mother's day celebration alongside a generous serving of pancakes, buckwheat crepes, vegan apple bread and vegan hash browns for an amazing festive meal!

➡️ Looking for more vegan pie recipes to try? Check out this easy vegan cherry pie, this lemon coconut pie and this savory lentil pot pie!

Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️

✅ 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 or these vegan egg bites, 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).

🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)

• 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. I recommend using the one kept in the fridge section close to the produce.
• Nutritional yeast: add 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 the best result.

⭐️ Full list of ingredients (+ quantities) down below in the recipe card!

📝 Variations to the recipe

• You can swap/add more vegetables if desired. If you want to add more veggies, then I would recommend using only half of the spinach to keep about the same ratio of 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.

✅ What pie crust to use and should I bake it first?

You can use your favorite store-bought crust, or if you have an extra 20 minutes, then I recommend you make this shortcrust pastry. Once shaped, then blind-bake it for about 10 minutes at 350ºF 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.

🍽 How to make this vegan spinach quiche

Step 1: Warm up a large pan with a little oil, then add the yellow onion and green onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute stirring often.

Step 2: Add the chopped spinach and cook until wilted (for a few minutes) and the pan becomes less watery (wait for most of the water from the pan to evaporate). Then, remove from the heat.

Step 3: To a blender, add the drained tofu, nutritional yeast, cornstarch and salt. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.

Step 4: Transfer the spinach mix to the blender and use a spoon to stir them in the tofu mix (do not blend!).

Step 5: Pour into your pie crust (pre-bake first) and bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes. Then, let the pie cool down for at least 20 minutes so it can set.

⭐️ Detailed recipe (+ video) down below in the recipe card!

🍴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 plastic wrap and keep it 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 it in the microwave for a few seconds or in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes.