Crustless Quiche

Crustless Quiche in a pie pan, fresh out of the oven

Crustless quiche is everything you know and love about classic quiches – minus the carbs! While you can put almost anything in it, this ultra easy ham and cheese crustless quiche takes less than 5 minutes to get in the oven, and smells just like Quiche Lorraine.

Keeps perfectly for days, serve it as is, stuff into soft rolls or wraps, crispy burrito style!

Crustless Quiche in a pie pan, fresh out of the oven

If you were to drop round on any given day, there’d likely be some version of crustless quiche in my fridge. This, along with Baked Frittata, are two of my most used fridge clean out recipes because they’re both terrific quick dump-and-bake recipes.

This does take 30 minutes or so to bake. But with pre chopped ham and a bag of shredded cheese, it takes less than 5 minutes to get into the oven – and it smells like a Quiche Lorraine when it’s baking!

Add to that the shelf life – it keeps perfectly for up to 5 days in the fridge. Serve it sliced like a quiche OR stuffed into soft rolls, or rolled up into flatbreads or tortillas then pan fried until crispy, burrito style. (Yes, I realise that defeats the “low carb” pitch for this recipe!)

Crustless Quiche Ham and Cheese Burrito

Close up of slice of Crustless Quiche

What goes in Crustless Quiche

Here’s what you need for this quick ham and cheese quiche: eggs, cream OR milk, ham, cheese and green onions.

Ingredients in Crustless Quiche - Ham and Cheese

Cream v Milk

Cream gives it a more luscious, custardy texture like everybody’s favourite Quiche Lorraine. Milk gives it a frittata texture – still quite custardy as long as you don’t overcook it, but it doesn’t have the same luxurious mouthfeel you can only get from cream!

Use your adds ins of choice!

This recipe is more of a formula than actual recipe. Essentially, whisk together 5 eggs and 1 cup of cream OR 1/2 cup of milk, salt and pepper.

Then pour that into a greased pie tin with ~ 2 cups of whatever add-ins you want and bake for 30 minutes until puffed and golden.

I do recommend that part of those 2 cups of add-ins includes cheese!

How to make Crustless Quiche

Here’s how I make Crustless Quiche:

How to make Crustless Quiche - Ham and Cheese

Whisk together the eggs, cream or milk, salt and pepper;
Put most of the ham, cheese and green onions into a greased pie tin – we hold some back for topping so you get some bits on the surface rather than a plain golden surface (love the golden cheese crust and browned bits of ham!);
Pour in all the egg mixture;
Scatter with remaining ham, cheese and onions;
Bake 30 – 35 minutes until golden and puffed;
Rest 5 minutes then slice!

Note: there is major deflation. So don’t get too excited when you see how puffy it is straight out of the oven. See?

Showing deflation of Crustless Quiche - Ham and Cheese

But don’t worry. Deflation in height doesn’t result in deflation of tastiness!

Pie tin with Crustless Quiche - Ham and Cheese

Crustless Quiche on a plate with a side salad

How I serve Crustless Quiche

Being the low-carb, easier version of Quiche Lorraine, it would be a wonderful brunch option with a side salad – choose from this ever increasing collection of Vegetable Sides! For a very simple version, toss any leafy greens or fresh raw vegetables with my Everyday Salad Dressing, and for a show off option, try this Leafy Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts.

But, as depicted and mentioned above, my favourite way is to make sandwiches and burritos out of crustless quiche. Or just piled on toast. It’s fabulously delicious, cheesy, salty and filling too. Big bonus that it keeps for 5 days and freezes fabulously! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Crustless Quiche - Ham and Cheese

Recipe video above. Tastes like Quiche Lorraine, minus the carbs and a load of prep time. Buy pre chopped ham and pre shredded cheese, and you'll get this in the oven in 5 minutes flat! Excellent breakfast or brunch that keeps for days, serve slices like quiche OR stuff into rolls, make burritos! (see in post for photo)

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine Western

Keyword crustless quiche, easy quiche

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings - 8

Calories 264kcal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

5 large eggs (~50 - 55g / 2oz each)
1 cup cream , heavy/thickened (halve if subbing milk, Note 1)
1/4 tsp salt (Note 2)
1/2 tsp black pepper
100g/ 3.5 oz ham , diced
1 cup shredded cheese (anything that melts except mozzarella, Note 3)
1 green onion , sliced

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease with butter or spray a 22.5cm / 9" pie dish (Note 4)
Whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper.
Scatter most of the ham, cheese and green onion in the pie pan.
Pour in egg mixture. Top with remaining ham, cheese and green onion.
Bake 35 minutes until golden on top and centre barely wiggles. Don't overcook, it will lose custardy-ness.
Remove from oven, rest 5 minutes and watch it deflate!
Cut then serve with a simple side salad, or stuff into soft rolls, or wrap into burritos (then pan fry to crisp!)

Notes

1. Cream v milk - cream will yield a more luxurious custardy texture like traditional quiche (such as this Quiche Lorraine).

2. Salt - don't need much, ham and cheese is salty. Don't get greedy with ham - it can make the quiche too salty (first hand experience!).

3. Cheese - mozzarella doesn't have much salt in it so if you only have mozzarella, add a pinch of extra salt into the egg mixture.

4. Pie pans come in all sorts of sizes, I like using a 22.5cm / 9" standard pie tin because it bakes well in this - larger ones tend to sag more in centre and cook less evenly. If using a larger pie tin, scale the recipe up slightly (click on servings and slide up).

Muffin tins - use this recipe, switch fillings with this ham and cheese.

5. Storage - keeps 5 days in the fridge, freezer 3 months (cool, wrap, airtight container. Thaw then reheat in microwave or covered in oven 180C/350F for 10 minutes (for full, a slice will be less).

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 slices.