Vegan Quiche

What I Love About This Vegan Quiche Recipe

It has a traditional taste. With a flaky pâte brisée shortcrust, homemade vegan Gruyère, and an egg-like filling, this recipe is reminiscent of an authentic French quiche.

The vegan quiche filling is the perfect texture and flavor, plus it's packed with protein. I tested many different ingredients for the filling, and this combination of tofu and mung beans (the beans that are used to make Just Egg) produced the best result.

It's flexible. Make it with a homemade crust, gluten-free crust, or a store-bought vegan pie crust. Or swap out the veggies and use up whatever you have left over in the fridge.

It stores & reheats well, so you can make it for a weekend brunch and enjoy the leftovers during the week.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

If you have questions about any of the ingredients, like where to find them or whether it's okay to make a substitution, check this section first. If you can't find an answer here, feel free to leave a comment, and I'll respond as soon as I can. (For the ingredients with measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Shortcrust

all-purpose flour: The base of the crust. You can also use a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour like Bob's Red Mill, although you'll need to make some changes to the process (see the section called "Customizing Your Vegan Quiche" for instructions).

vegan granulated sugar: When you're choosing granulated sugar, you'll want to make sure it's vegan. Cane sugar is often processed with animal ingredients, so look for sugar that's marked "vegan." In the US, organic sugar cannot be processed with animal ingredients, so that's safe as well. If you live in Europe or somewhere that uses beet sugar, you don't need to worry about this. You can also replace the sugar with coconut sugar if you want to make the quiche refined sugar-free.

salt: Enhances the flavors in the crust. I used sea salt, but pink salt or table salt are also fine.

vegan butter: It's important to use cold vegan butter sticks (not spread) for this recipe. To create a flaky crust, you want a clumpy dough (you should be able to see small pieces of vegan butter in the finished dough). You can use any type of vegan stick butter, including store-bought options like Earth Balance or my homemade vegan butter. I don't recommend substituting coconut oil.

cold water: I recommend purified, filtered, or spring water. Put a few ice cubes in the water to keep it cold.

Eggless Filling

extra-firm tofu: You can use firm or extra-firm tofu in this recipe. No need to press it; just gently squeeze out the extra water before you blend it up.

almond milk: Other types of non-dairy milk, like oat milk or soy milk, will work too, just make sure they're unsweetened and unflavored.

yellow split mung beans: Also known as moong dal, you'll want to make sure you're buying yellow mung beans (green ones won't work). If you can't find these in your local Indian or Asian grocery store, you can order them online. To make this recipe without mung beans (just tofu), see the section called "Customizing Your Vegan Quiche" for instructions.

nutritional yeast: Adds a savory flavor to the filling, plus extra nutrients. You should be able to find this in the seasoning section of most natural grocery stores, including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

onion powder, nutmeg, turmeric, salt, and pepper: Seasonings that add flavor to the filling.

black salt (kala namak): Adds an egg-like, sulfurous taste to the filling (feel free to leave it out if you prefer!)

Add-ins

extra-virgin olive oil: For sautéing the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Feel free to use another type of oil if you prefer.

onion: I used a yellow onion, but you can use any onions you like, including red, white, or sweet onions.

king oyster mushrooms: Also known as trumpet mushrooms. I like the texture of these mushrooms in this quiche, but you can also use white, baby bella, or shiitake mushrooms.

vegan Gruyère cheese: Use my homemade Gruyère recipe to make your own for the most authentic flavor. Or, you can use store-bought vegan mozzarella or crumbled feta if you prefer.

grape tomatoes: You can also use cherry tomatoes or sliced larger tomatoes.

basil: Feel free to substitute any fresh herbs you like, including thyme, dill, or chives.

Tips for the Best Vegan Quiche

Don't over-mix your crust: For a flaky texture, your dough should be a little clumpy with lumps of butter visible. Make sure you keep your vegan butter and water cold so that the vegan butter doesn't soften too much. Only use your fingers to combine the dough towards the end.

Poke holes in the crust: This lets air escape through the dough so the bottom of the crust doesn't become misshapen during baking.

I like using a 9-inch tart pan for a traditional crust shape, but any 9-inch pie pan will work. With the tart pan, the bottom pops out, making it easy to remove the quiche.

You'll have extra dough left over after you trim the crust from the pan. Although it won't be enough to roll out into another full pie crust, you could reuse it for mini quiches if you have small tart pans. If you don't want to make them right away, you can also roll out the dough and freeze it.

Customizing Your Vegan Quiche

Make It Gluten-Free

If you need to make this recipe gluten-free, you can either use a store-bought gluten-free vegan pie crust, or swap the flour in the crust. I substituted Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten-free flour and got excellent results. However, you will need to make some changes to the process:

First, you won't be able to roll out the pie crust if it's made with gluten-free flour. Instead, you can press the dough directly into the pan. Only use as much dough as you need to create a crust that's about 1/8 inch thick. You should also have enough dough

The gluten-free crust bakes more quickly, so you'll also want to reduce the baking time of the crust by about 10 minutes.

To use a pre-made gluten-free crust, see the next section.

Using a Pre-Made Pie Crust

While the homemade shortcrust is flaky, buttery, and 100% worth the effort, when you just want an easy vegan quiche recipe, buying a store-bought crust is the way to go.

Make sure you're using a vegan pie crust, like 365 frozen pie dough (available at Whole Foods) or Wholly Wholesome organic pie shells. Wholly Wholesome also makes pie shells that are vegan and gluten-free.

Start by defrosting your pie crust according to the package instructions. Then, poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork and add your foil and pie weights as usual. Instead of baking for 25 minutes with the weights, you can reduce baking time to 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes without the weights. Continue with the rest of the recipe as directed.

Make It Without Mung Beans

I've tested this recipe with many types of fillings, and the best result was with a combination of mung beans and tofu. However, tofu on its own also works if you can't find mung beans near you. Replace the tofu, milk, and mung beans in the recipe for: 1 14-oz. (400-g.) package of extra-firm tofu and 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk. You can keep everything else the same.

More Add-in Options

You can add in any veggies you like to make the quiche your own. It's great for using up leftover vegetables, too. Other good options include bell peppers, broccoli, baby spinach, zucchini, and asparagus. Instead of basil, you can also use dill, chives, or thyme.

While vegan Gruyère cheese is the most delicious option (in my opinion), you can save some time by using store-bought vegan cheese.

Make-Ahead Instructions

This quiche is perfect for a holiday breakfast or weekend brunch, and it's easy to prepare ahead of time.

After you've cooked the onions, garlic, and mushrooms, refrigerate all the components of the quiche separately (the baked crust, the blended filling, the cooked veggies, and the uncooked veggies and cheese). Make sure everything is covered in an airtight container so it doesn't dry out. The next day, just assemble the quiche and bake as usual.

This quiche also reheats well, so if you want to bake the entire thing a day in advance, it will still be delicious in the morning!

Storage and Reheating

You can store slices of your vegan quiche in an airtight container or zip-top bag for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, use a freezer-safe container and freeze the quiche for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

I like to reheat quiche slices in the air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 5 to 7 minutes, until warmed all the way through. You can also reheat them in the oven at the same temperature if you prefer.

More Vegan Breakfast Ideas

If you liked this recipe, you might also like my vegan breakfast casserole, which uses the same eggless filling, but is made with even more veggies and no crust. Here are some more delicious recipes to start your day with:

• tofu breakfast sandwich
• vegan English muffins
• vegan protein pancakes
• high-protein oatmeal
• vegan cranberry-orange muffins
• vegan coffee cake