5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Quiche (2024)

Sheela Prakash

Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor

Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.

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updated May 1, 2019

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Quiche fits the bill any time of day, be it breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. You can make it rich and decadent, with the butteriest crust and heaps of cheese, or you can lighten it up and pack it with flavorful veggies. Whichever way you choose, it’s a guaranteed hit. That is, as long as you avoid a few common quiche-making mistakes.

Baking a quiche is really quite simple. In its most basic form, it’s a custard of eggs and milk baked in a pie crust. But for some reason, making one can sometimes trip people up and the results aren’t the smooth, creamy quiche in the buttery, flaky crust that was hoped for. Here are five reasons why this could happen and how to avoid them.

1. Not blind-baking the crust.

If you pour the egg custard into an unbaked crust, the liquid is unfortunately going to seep into the crust, preventing it from crisping up. The simple solution is to blind-bake the crust before adding the custard.

Follow This Tip: Blind-bake the pie crust before pouring in the custard to ensure a crisp, flaky crust. Just fit the crust into your pie pan, line it with parchment, and fill it with pie weights or beans. Then bake it in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until it just starts to brown. Cool before using.

Learn How: How To Blind-Bake a Pie Crust

2. Using too many eggs in the custard.

The best quiche consists of a custard that’s the perfect ratio between eggs and milk. Using too many eggs in the custard results in a quiche that rubbery and too firm when baked, while not using enough will prevent the custard from setting.

Follow This Tip: Remember this ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy. For a standard 9-inch quiche, that means whisking together 3 large eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk to fill the crust.

3. Using fillings that are too wet.

If you followed the ratio above, you already have the perfect amount of liquid to set the custard — add any more to it and it might not set properly. So if you’re adding fillings like vegetables, make sure they are as dry as possible.

Follow This Tip: Make sure your fillings are as dry as possible. Sauté your mushrooms so that all of their moisture is gone, and squeeze cooked spinach to get as much remaining water out as possible.

Get a Recipe: Crustless Quiche with Summer Vegetables

4. Baking it on the top rack.

If you want your pie crust to brown, it’s not going to happen on the top rack. Placing your quiche on the bottom rack will ensure that every square-inch of the crust, including the bottom, will get golden-brown and crisp.

Follow This Tip: Place your quiche on the bottom rack of the oven so that the pie crust bakes up golden-brown and delicious.

Perfect Your Pie Crust: How to Make Flaky Pie Crust

5. Leaving it in the oven too long.

The best quiche jiggles a little when you cut into it — that’s a sign that it’s extra creamy and silky. If you overbake it, you’ll cook the jiggle right out of it. Instead, bake your quiche until the edges are set, but it still wobbles a little in the center.

Follow This Tip: For a perfectly cooked quiche, just slightly underbake it. It’s done when the edges are set, but the center still jiggles a bit. This will take about 30 to 40 minutes in a 350°F oven.

Learn How: How To Make a Foolproof Quiche

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5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Quiche (2024)

FAQs

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Quiche? ›

Avoid Fillings That Are Too Wet

"Some vegetables, such as sliced large tomatoes or raw zucchini, have a high water content and will make your quiche soggy (even if you follow all steps to avoid this!)," Davila notes.

What not to put in quiche? ›

Avoid Fillings That Are Too Wet

"Some vegetables, such as sliced large tomatoes or raw zucchini, have a high water content and will make your quiche soggy (even if you follow all steps to avoid this!)," Davila notes.

What can go wrong when making quiche? ›

A quiche is a type of custard and can crack if the ratio of egg yolk to cream is not right (try about 2 whites, four yolks and a little less than 400 ml cream). If you are using light cream then that is also a mistake. A quiche can also crack if you cook it too quickly or in too hot an oven.

Can you put too many eggs in a quiche? ›

The Kitchn cautions that using too many eggs can make the consistency of the quiche rubbery and tough, while using too few eggs can prevent the custard filling from setting properly, giving you a runny, soggy quiche. The recommended proportion is one egg to one-half cup of cream or milk.

Why won t the middle of my quiche cook? ›

If you overbake it, you'll cook the jiggle right out of it. Instead, bake your quiche until the edges are set, but it still wobbles a little in the center. Follow This Tip: For a perfectly cooked quiche, just slightly underbake it. It's done when the edges are set, but the center still jiggles a bit.

Should I prebake crust for quiche? ›

And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out your homemade or purchased refrigerated dough into a 12-inch circle.

How do I know quiche is done? ›

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the custard turns a golden brown. To check doneness, insert a knife into the centre of the quiche. If it comes out clean it's done! Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

What is the formula for quiche? ›

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

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. For a standard 9-inch quiche: Use 3 large eggs (6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups of whole milk or cream (12 ounces)

Why is the egg filling of my quiche runny? ›

If your quiche appears too watery to serve it could be because it was overbaked or underbaked, the egg to dairy ratio was not correct, the ingredients have too much liquid or it was baked on the wrong rack in the oven.

Why does my quiche sink when I take it out of the oven? ›

Excess moisture is one reason why quiches collapse in a watery pool on your plate. Vegetables and meats like ham give off tremendous amounts of water when they're cooked. Therefore, if you're using vegetables in your quiche, it's imperative that you cook them first.

How do you crisp the bottom of a quiche? ›

Blind Bake the Crust

One of the fool-proof ways to ensure a crisp bottom pie crust is to do what is called blind baking. This simply means that you bake the crust—either fully if you are adding a custard or cream that won't be cooked, or partially if the whole pie needs to bake—before adding the filling.

Do you poke holes in quiche crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

Why did my quiche come out watery? ›

If your quiche appears watery it may just need to set for a little longer. The recipe may also contain too much dairy, so make sure that the recipe you are following has the ratio of 4 eggs to 1 cup dairy. The added ingredients could also contain too much moisture, so it is important to cook or drain additions.

Why isn't my quiche creamy? ›

Figuring out your proportions couldn't be simpler – for each egg you use, you need half a cup of milk. Too little dairy, and your quiche will be dry instead of creamy. Too much, and it won't set properly.

What makes quiche unhealthy? ›

Is quiche healthy? Quiche is bad news when it comes to a healthy diet. It's usually made with cheese and cream in the filling as well as butter in the pastry case, so it's often high in saturated fat and calories. Ingredients like bacon will add salt and more saturated fat.

What are the qualities of a good quiche? ›

The challenge: There is no dispute about the characteristics of an ideal quiche. It must have a tender, butter pastry case embracing a velvety smooth custard that is silken on the tongue and neither too rich nor too lean.

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