Live to Eat & Eat to Live

Unbelievable Vegan Quiche

Why is it called unbelievable vegan quiche?

Quiche was always a best seller at my bakeries and restaurant, and everyone raved about my recipe, which was loaded with eggs, heavy cream and cheese. It was silky, decadent and packed with flavor. Naturally, when I set out to create an egg free, dairy free version, I doubted that I would be able to come close to the original. I was wrong!

This recipe is one of my great achievements as a chef and recipe developer. Not only did I nail it on the first try (that does not always happen!), but it is so good that when I fed it to my family, who have no allergies and all eat gluten, dairy and eggs, they had no idea it was an imposter.

The keys to this recipe are my vegan cream cheese pie crust, a fairly new product called JUST Egg — which is a liquid egg replacer — and full fat cashew milk (I like Elmhurst brand). You can use whatever vegan cheese you like. For my first try, I used Daiya, which I actually do not think is the greatest, and the recipe still came out amazing.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

 

Unbelievable Vegan Quiche

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, French, gluten free
Keyword: Quiche
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 277 kcal
Author: Alina Eisenhauer

Flakey, tender crust with a delicious silky filling that has endless flavor variations.

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Ingredients

  • 1 unbaked pie crust (regular or gluten free)
  • 230 grams Just Egg egg replacer (1 cup)
  • 230 milliliters full fat cashew milk (4 ounces or one cup) (1 cup)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt*
  • 120 grams cheese, shredded or crumbled (4oz) (1 cup)
  • 1-2 cups add-ins**
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, granulated
  • ½ teaspoon thyme, dried (optional)
  • flour for rolling out dough

Instructions

Crust

  1.  Make the pie dough ahead of time/the night before, because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling out and blind baking (the ext step).

  2. Roll out the chilled dough on a floured work surface. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls, until you have a circle 12-13 inches in diameter. Roll and wrap dough around a rolling pin, then transfer to a 9 to 9½-inch, deep-dish pie pan.

  3. Unroll dough into pan, then shape into pan. Trim uneven edges while leaving about 1-inch overhang, and tuck overhang underneath. Decorate edges as desired. 

  4. Freeze dough for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 30 min. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes.

  5. While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

  6. Partially blind bake your crust. Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper, heavy duty plastic wrap or foil. Fill with pie weights, unpopped popcorn or dried beans. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. If using plastic wrap, make sure to pull the excess into the middle, covering the beans and making sure it doesn't touch the pan, or it will melt.

  7. Bake about 13-15 minutes, until the edges of the crust are barely starting to brown. Remove pie from the oven, and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the pie crust to the oven. Bake about 7-8 additional minutes, until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven, and set aside. (Crust can still be warm when you pour in the filling. You can partially prebake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time.) Cover cooled crust tightly, and refrigerate until ready to fill.

Filling

  1. In a large bowl with a whisk or handheld mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the Just egg, cashew milk, salt and any herbs or spices together until completely combined, about a minute. 

  2. Starting with your cheese, add the mix-ins, alternating between cheese and whatever else you are using. Slowly pour the liquid mixture over the top, and let it settle evenly.

  3. Bake the quiche 45-55 minutes, until the center is just about set. Don’t over-bake. Use a pie crust shield or foil to prevent the pie crust edges from over-browning. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. You can also cool the quiche completely before serving. It’s delicious at room temperature. (My personal favorite way to enjoy it!)

Recipe Notes

Orignial Recipe (pictured): ½ cup of sautéed onion, 1½ cups cooked spinach (squeeze out extra water), 1 cup dairy-free cheddar, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon green salt and ½ teaspoon dried thyme.

Variations:

  1. Cheese: Really anything you like -- cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, gruyere, smoked gouda, goat cheese and feta cheese. 
  2. Cashew Milk: Use a milk with at least 8 grams of fat per cup (I like Elmhurst, which is 11 grams/cup). If you can't find full-fat cashew milk, you can use a mix of equal parts cashew cream and almond milk or low-fat cashew milk.
  3. Veggies: Corn, mushrooms, grape tomatoes (or sun-dried), bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, olives, kale, spinach, radicchio, arugula, peas, potatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, caramelized onion or shallot. Note that the vegetables should be cooked beforehand by sautéing, steaming or roasting, and any excess water should be drained or dried off.
  4. Herbs & Spices: Basil, parsley, chives, tarragon, dill, thyme, marjoram, chervil, oregano, herbs de Provence, red pepper flakes, paprika, a tiny bit of nutmeg, hot sauce...whatever you love.
Nutrition Facts
Unbelievable Vegan Quiche
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 277 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 164mg55%
Sodium 559mg24%
Potassium 240mg7%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 356IU7%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 110mg11%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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