Mini Quiche – 4 Ways!

This mini quiche recipe is sponsored by Real California Milk. All opinions are my own.

Mini Quiche are an adorable, bite sized appetizer that are make-ahead and freezer friendly.  Choose from four tasty flavor combos or create your own!

Mini quiche are the perfect hand-held heroes for parties or an elegant addition to any breakfast or brunch spread.  They boast an irresistible, buttery, flaky pastry crust, a creamy, cheesy, eggy center and can be customized in countless ways – all in one batch.  In this mini quiche recipe, I’m sharing how to make Bacon Gouda, Broccoli Ham Cheese Quiche, Spinach Mushroom Quiche and Mediterranean Quiche, or how to make your own with any cheese, veggies or protein. You’ll also love that this mini quiche recipe can be made ahead or frozen for later and can be made with homemade pie crust or store-bought.  So, skip the bland, overpriced store-bought quiche and make your own mini quiche today!

Savory breakfasts are always a win to start off the day or make a fun breakfast-for-dinner option.  Some must try breakfast winners include: quiche Lorraine, ham and cheese quiche, sweet potato frittata, sausage breakfast casserole, eggs Benedict casserole  breakfast tacos, breakfast quesadillas, and now these mini quiche!

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How to make Mini Quiche Video

 

What is Quiche?

If you’ve never made a quiche before, you’re in for a real treat!  Quiche is a savory French tart made with a creamy, soft egg and cheese custard filling. Quiche can be loaded up with any combination of meat, seafood, cheese, and veggies. In this mini quiche recipe, we take all of the same ingredients and divide them into a mini muffin pans to make charming bite-size pastries.

How do you make Mini Quiche?

Don’t let the adorable fancy factor fool you. Mini quiche are very easy to make. I’ll go into greater detail below, but here’s the outline:

1. Roll out pie dough or unroll store-bought pie crust
2. Cut pie crust into circles
3. Press the rounds into a mini muffin tin
4. Bake for 5 minutes
5. Add your favorite toppings
6. Top with cream and egg mixture
7. Bake just until set

Mini Quiche ingredients

There are 3 main parts of mini quiche:

1. The pastry crust
2. The flavor/filling options
3. The egg mixture

Here’s what you’ll need for each:

part 1:  pastry crust

You can use either homemade pastry crust or store-bought crust.

Homemade pie crust

For the most flaky, flavorful, buttery mini quiche, I highly suggest my homemade pie crust recipe which turns out perfectly every time – just make sure to double the recipe because you need one crust for each mini muffin tin.  The pastry crust is made with both butter and shortening to create the best flavor and texture: mega buttery, mega tender, mega flaky deliciousness.

Best of all, the pie dough is super simple to make, even if you’ve never made pie crust before. Just pulse flour, butter, shortening salt and water together in a food processor, chill, then roll. 

The only caution with homemade pastry dough is you need to plan ahead. The dough needs to chill for at least 2 hours, so it’s handy to make it the night before you make the quiche, so all you have to do is roll and bake the next day.

storebought pie crust

If you’re short on time, you can use store-bought pie crusts, but if you do have the time, homemade is 100% worth the time and effort – it’s buttery and flaky in ways store-bought can only dream of.  

To use store-bought pie crust, make sure to pick up a total of 4 pie crusts (sometimes there are two per package, so check the box).  You want the crusts thawed but chilled so make sure to plan accordingly.

Can I make crustless quiche?

Yes, you can also make crustless mini quiches from this recipe.  Grease the mini muffin tins with nonstick spray then add the add-ins, egg filling and then the cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 14-18 minutes. If baking in a regular 12-count muffin pan, bake for 18-22 minutes.   

Can I use puff pastry? 

I do not recommend puff pastry.  The pastry puffs up too much and overpowers the ingredients.

part 2: Choose your Mini Quiche flavors

The fact that these mini quiches are so customizable is one of the best parts!  The recipe card is divided into ingredients for 4 quiche flavor options: 48 Bacon Gouda Mini Quiche, 48 Mini Spinach Mushroom Quiche, 48 Ham and Broccoli Quiche OR 48 Mediterranean Quiche. 

You can make 48 of all one kind or halve the ingredients of two kinds and make 24 of each, or quarter the ingredients and make 12 of each – or mix and match however you’d like.  You can also come up with your own (instructions to follow):

• Option 1 – Bacon Gouda: made simply with smoky bacon, Baby Swiss, nutty Parmesan and the cream egg custard. 

• Option 2 – Spinach Mushroom Quiche:  spinach, mushrooms, Baby Gouda, feta and cream egg custard.  Use both spinach and mushrooms or all spinach or all mushrooms.  Feel free to swap in some mozzarella if you’d like.

• Option 3 – Ham Broccoli Cheese Quiche:  diced deli ham or leftover holiday ham, steamed broccoli, Gouda, Baby Swiss and the cream egg custard.  Feel free to swap the broccoli for more ham or a different veggie.  You can also use cheddar or white cheddar in place of the Gouda.  

• Option 4- Mediterranean:  my favorite combo!  Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, feta, mozzarella and the cream egg custard.  You can also add chopped artichoke hearts or roasted red bell peppers, as long as you keep the total add-ins to about 1 cup.

Make your own quiche flavor combination

You can also come up with your own mini quiche using:

• ½ cup melting cheese.  I like using a blend of California cheeses in my quiche recipes for maximum flavor and texture. I recommend using at least one soft cheese so the filling is extra creamy such as Baby Swiss, Gouda, Cheddar, Provolone Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, fontina, asiago, taleggio, etc. and one harder cheese below:
• optional ¼ cup California Parmesan or feta.  This makes the filling extra flavorful.

• total of 1 cup add-ins of your choice. This can be a mixture of
  • 1) veggies such as sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, sweet potatoes, diced tomatoes, broccoli, etc. You’ll need to sauté or steam the veggies first (like in this recipe), otherwise the veggies won’t cook in time and they’ll make the quiche filling watery and the middle won’t set properly. Leftover roasted veggies are also an excellent addition.
  • 2) protein such as diced ham, shrimp, salmon, crab, bacon, Italian sausage, chorizo, corned beef etc.  Make sure the meat is fully cooked and patted dry of excess grease before adding to the crust.

You also have the option of not measuring any add-ins! Just add a pinch of cheese, a pinch of this and a pinch of that to each muffin tin and then fill with the cream egg mixture and pop in the oven!

More MINI QUICHE FLAVOR VARIATIONS

There are countless ways to customize these mini quiches. Here are a few more tasty pairings:

• Mexican: 1 cup cooked and crumbled chorizo, ½ California cheddar cheese or pepper Jack cheese, ¼ cup California Cotija cheese, ¼ cup chopped sautéed bell peppers and ¼ cup olives. Chorizo is very flavorful, so you will need less seasonings in the egg cream mixture.
• Italian sausage: 1 cup Italian sausage, ½ cup California mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan, ½ sautéed red bell peppers or sun-dried tomatoes.
• Sausage and potatoes:  1 cup Italian sausage, ½ California cheddar, ¼ cup Parmesan, ½ chopped cooked potatoes.
• Spinach and veggie:  8 ounces baby spinach, chopped, sautéed, ¼ cup chopped, sautéed bell peppers, ¼ cup steamed sweet potatoes, ½ cup California Baby Swiss and ¼ cup feta.

part 3: the egg mixture

The simple egg custard is the same for all of the mini quiche variations, making it easy to mix and match the add-ins. 

• Eggs: you will need 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk for extra richness. For best results, your eggs should be at room temperature. This ensures that the quiche filling bakes evenly in the oven. 
• Heavy Cream: also called “heavy whipping cream” at the grocery store makes the quiche filling ultra-velvety and rich. If you want to substitute with half and half, it will still work, but the quiche won’t be as luxurious – more of a frittata texture.  Look for Real California Milk seal on your heavy cream, cheese other milk products which means they are made with sustainably sourced milk from California dairy families who are at the forefront of the effort to create a cleaner, more sustainable future.
• Seasonings: a rainbow of dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, ground mustard, and pepper season the quiche without overwhelming the creamy custard.

CAN I USE MILK INSTEAD OF HEAVY CREAM OR HALF AND HALF IN QUICHE?

I do not recommend using milk or any alternative to cream or half and half because they will make for a flimsier, less sturdy, less creamy quiche that will require longer to set.

How to prevent soggy Pastry Crust

One of the biggest issues people face with mini quiche recipes is a soggy crust.  This happens when the wet egg filling is added to a raw crust and then baked because the filling and the crust bake at different rates. If the quiche is pulled out of the oven when the custard is set, the crust is still underdone/soggy.  If the quiche is pulled out of the oven when the crust is done, the custard is overdone/dry. 

The solution is simple.  The crust needs a 5-minute head start in the oven before the filling is added AKA blind baking (i.e., baking empty shells).  The crust won’t seem cooked at all when you pull the tins out after 5 minutes, but don’t let that fool you.  5 minutes is all the mini quiche need for a protective coating to form on the exterior of the crusts which acts as a barrier between the crusts and the egg mixture – no more soggy crusts!

The crusts will slink down a bit after being baked for 5 minutes, so just push them back up with your fingers before filling.

How to Make Mini Quiche

Now that we know what goes in mini quiche, let’s put it all together. Here’s how to make this easy recipe (full ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):

• Step 1:  Make the pastry dough.  Remember to double the recipe.   Pulse the ingredients in your food processor, form into a disc, cover and refrigerate. The dough needs to chill for 2 hours, so I recommend making it the night before.  If using store-bought dough, simply remove the thawed crust pouches from the refrigerator and let them stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before cutting out the rounds.

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• Step 2:  Cut dough into small circles. You’ll need a 2.5-inch cookie cutter or something similar in width like a jar lid or glass.   If using homemade pie dough, you’ll cut 20 circles, then re-roll the dough scraps to cut out 4 more.  For store-bought dough, you’ll cut 12 rounds out of each of the 4 pie crusts.

• Step 3:  Fit the dough rounds into your mini muffin pan.   Grease two 24-cup MINI muffin pans.  Press the dough flat into the bottom and up the sides of each cup so there aren’t any air gaps. I think you’ll be surprised how quick and easy they all come together.
• “Dock” the pie crust by pricking the bottom of each crust 3 times with a fork to allow steam escape. And no, your filling will not escape through the holes!  Pop the muffin tins with the dough back into the refrigerator while you prep the filling ingredients because remember, flaky dough is cold dough.  

• Step 4:  Make the egg cream filling.  Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, heavy cream and seasonings together in a medium bowl.  You want everything well combined but don’t overmix/make the eggs frothy.   

• Step 5:  Fill with desired add-ins followed by egg mixture:

TO MAKE QUICHE LORRAINE:

Whisk the cheeses together in a small bowl.  Place a pinch of cheeses in each quiche crust followed by a pinch of bacon. Top with 1 teaspoon, more or less, of filling to fill to the top of the crust.

TO MAKE SPINACH MUSHROOM quiche:

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add spinach and cook an additional minute or until wilted.  It will seem like a lot of mushrooms and spinach but they shrink a ton.

Place a pinch of cheese in each quiche crust, top with a pinch of spinach mushroom mixture.  Top with 1 teaspoon, more or less, of filling to fill to the top of the crust.

TO MAKE HAM BROCCOLI quiche:

Whisk the cheeses together in a small bowl.  Place a pinch of cheeses in each quiche crust followed by a pinch of broccoli then a pinch of ham.  Top with 1 teaspoon, more or less, of filling to fill to the top of the crust.

TO MAKE MEDITERRANEAN quiche:

Whisk the cheeses together in a small bowl.  Whisk the basil, olives and sun-dried tomatoes together (‘Antipasto Mix”). 

Place a pinch of cheeses in each quiche crust followed by a pinch of Antipasto Mix.  Top with 1 teaspoon, more or less, of filling to fill to the top of the crust.

how long to BAKE mini quiche?

Bake the mini quiche at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes, until the center is just about set.  Don’t overbake or they won’t be as creamy.   And don’t be alarmed when the quiche puff and then deflate as they cool.   Allow the quiche to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD QUICHE BE BAKED TO?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), egg dishes are safe to eat at 160 degrees F.   At this point however, the quiche will still be liquid in the middle.  Instead, bake the quiche until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center registers between 170 and 175 F.  Above 180 and it is definitely overcooked and runs the risk of curdling.  If it’s under 160, continue baking it until it reaches 170 degrees F. 

HELPFUL TIPS FOR MAKING MINI QUICHE

• Prep ahead. I suggest making your pastry dough or go one step further and blind bake the pastry shells a day ahead of time so all you have to do is pull the tins out of the fridge and fill when ready.
• Use chilled pie crust.  You want the store-bought pie crust to be thawed but chilled otherwise warm dough will be hard to cut out and won’t be as flaky.
• Fix pie store-bought pie crust as needed.  If you unpackage the pie crust and it’s cracked, make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water and use it to fill any cracks. 
• Use high-fat dairy. If you’ve experienced dry quiche in the past, it has either been overcooked or did not use enough fat. For the most luscious, never-dry quiche, I highly recommend heavy cream.  Half and half can work but I do not recommend milk.
• Don’t worry about creating the perfect shape with the dough.   As long as the dough is pressed to the bottom of the tin so there aren’t any air pockets, then you’re good to go!  Each quiche will bake up beautifully, slightly different and quirky.   
• Chill your quiche shells before blind baking.  Time permitting, pop the mini muffin tins back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so after you add the dough.  You can use this time to prep the filling ingredients. The colder the crust before baking, the crispier and flakier it will be.  You want the fat to be firm going into the oven so it melts in the oven – not on the counter – this creates pockets of steam resulting in flaky layers.  Equally as important, chilling the quiche crust lets the strands of gluten relax which helps prevent constricting and shrinking.
• Press the dough after the blind bake.  After baking the dough for 5 minutes, the crust will sink down a bit, just take a couple minutes to push the sides back up before filling so you can fit the maximum number of goodies in each cup.
• Chop the add-ins finely.  The mini muffin tin cups are smaller than you might think.  You want the meat and veggies chopped very finely so they fit snuggly in the bottom and evenly disperse throughout the quiche when baked.
• Pre-cook any vegetables.  Any veggies you add to the quiche should be pre-cooked because 1) they won’t become more tender in the oven and 2) cooking releases and cooks down moisture which otherwise will leach into the filling make the quiche watery.
• Pinch the cheese.  I find it helpful to literally pinch the cheese so it compacts before adding it to the muffin tin, otherwise it sprawls out and takes up too much space.
• Use thick cut bacon.  Thick cut bacon stands up to the creamy custard without becoming soggy or lost like traditional bacon.
• Use two types of cheese.  Cheese is a great way to introduce more flavor throughout the entire quiche and amps up the creamy factor. I like to use one melting cheese and one additional cheese such as Parmesan or feta. 
• Use freshly grated Parmesan for its nutty, salty richness to make all the ingredients sing.  Please do not use pre-shredded or green lid Parmesan! Please only use freshly grated cheese because packaged cheeses contain anti-clumping chemicals which inhibits their melting ability.
• I highly suggest Gouda.  Gouda is hands down my favorite cheese.  It tastes similar to cheddar but is milder and smoky. Equally important, Gouda melts 1000X better than cheddar so it melts gorgeously into the creamy custard filling. 
• Chop the ham small.  You can use leftover Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving ham or ham from the deli counter.  If purchasing ham from the deli counter, have them slice it ¼-inch thick then all you have to do at home is slice it the other direction to make cubes. 
• Don’t overbeat the eggs. Beat the eggs just enough to blend the whites and yolks. You don’t want to beat the eggs too much or you will incorporate too much air into the eggs; this will cause the quiche to poof in the oven and fall into a dense pile after cooling. Over-beaten eggs can also become tough and rubbery. 
• Don’t overbake the quiche: For the creamiest quiche, don’t overcook or you’ll end up with dry spongy, rubbery, crumbly eggs!  A perfect mini quiche should have a custard-like consistency. There are a variety of factors when it comes to baking times such as pan material, actual ingredients, actual oven temperature, etc. so it is important to keep an eye on your quiche the last few minutes of baking, especially if you have never made the recipe before. You will want to bake the quiche just until the center is set.

Can you make mini quiches in a regular-size muffin tin?

You can also make mini quiche in a regular muffin tin (not a mini muffin tin).  Divide the ingredients between two regular size 12-count muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Should mini quiche be served warm or cold?

Quiche is delicious served room temperature, or warm, but I’m partial to warm because the filling is creamier and the crust is soft and flaky.  I do not suggest cold, however, because the crust is pretty hard straight out of the refrigerator and the eggs aren’t as creamy.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH MINI QUICHE?

When serving mini quiche for breakfast, we like to serve it with:

• Fruit: Oranges, bananas, cantaloupe, strawberries, acai bowls, fruit salad, winter fruit salad, cranberry ambrosia salad, yogurt fruit salad. 
• Sweet pastries: cinnamon roll monkey bread, sweet orange roll bread twists, or lemon bread.
• Muffins: French toast muffins, blueberry muffins, cornbread muffins, chocolate zucchini muffins, pumpkin muffins, Nutella snickerdoodle muffins.

make ahead mini quiche

This mini quiche recipe should not be fully assembled in advance because the moisture from the veggies, meat, cheese and eggs will make the crust soggy.  You can, however, either bake and reheat the quiche when ready to serve or prepare all of the components ahead of time so all you have to do is add the custard and bake.  Here are a few options for prepping ahead:

• Quiche pastry crust: make the pastry dough in advance and chill in the fridge for up to 5 days OR make further in advance and freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight and use.
• Pre-bake the crust:  pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes up to 3 days in advance, push the crust back up the sides of the tin.  Let cool, cover and refrigerate.
• Fill quiche crust:  go one step further after pre-baking the crust and proceed to fill the tins with add-ins of choice EXCEPT the egg filling.    
• Egg filling: whisk the ingredients together, cover, and store in an airtight container (DO NOT fill the mini quiche) for up to 24 hours.
• Bake mini quiche:  bake the mini quiche, cool, cover and refrigerate. The quiche are best served within 24 hours.   

How long are mini quiche good for?

To store, let the quiche cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating.   Quiche will last up to 4 days in the fridge, but are best served within the first 24 hours.  

how do I reheat mini quiche?

Mini quiche reheat very well so they’re fabulous to make ahead.

• To store: let the quiche cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating.   Quiche will last up to 4 days in the fridge, but are best served within the first 24 hours.  
• To reheat in the microwave: warm quiche on a microwave-safe plate in the microwave for 30 seconds then at 10 second intervals as needed to warmed through.
• To reheat in the air fryer:  air fry for about 3 minutes or until warmed through or at 350F for 5 minutes.
• To reheat in the oven: place on a baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees F or until warmed through.
• To reheat from frozen:  bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.

how do you FREEZE mini QUICHE? 

These mini quiche freeze like a dream!  Here’s how:

• Follow the recipe through baking the quiche.
• Let the quiche cool completely then transfer them to a baking sheet or plate so they are not touching (work in batches as needed).
• Transfer the tray to the freezer and flash freeze until solid, about 1 hour (this prevents the quiche from sticking together later), then transfer them to a freezer size bag and squeeze out excess air. 
• When ready to eat, transfer the mini quiche to a baking sheet and reheat from frozen at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until heated through. 

Can I use this recipe for a full-size quiche?

Looking for a traditional quiche recipe made in a pie plate?  Try my Quiche Lorraine or Ham and Cheese Quiche.