Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts (or homemade pie dough)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted (for greasing)
For the Egg Custard:
- 6 large eggs
- ¾ cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional, but traditional)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyère, or Swiss)
Filling Options (choose 1-2 cups total):
- ½ cup cooked, crumbled bacon
- ½ cup diced cooked ham
- ½ cup cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage
- ½ cup sautéed mushrooms
- ½ cup sautéed spinach (squeezed dry)
- ½ cup diced bell peppers (sautéed)
- ½ cup caramelized onions
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives or herbs, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously brush a 12-cup muffin tin with melted butter, making sure to coat the bottom and sides of each cup. This ensures easy release after baking.
- Prepare the crust: Unroll the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out 12 circles from the two pie crusts (you should get 6 circles per crust; re-roll scraps if needed). Gently press each pastry circle into a muffin cup, making sure it comes up the sides and sits flush with the rim. If the dough tears, simply press it back together with your fingers.
- Pre-cook your fillings: If using vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, or peppers, sauté them in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened and any moisture has evaporated. Squeeze spinach completely dry using paper towels. If using bacon or sausage, cook until fully done and drain on paper towels. Set all fillings aside to cool slightly.
- Make the custard: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg until smooth and well combined. The mixture should be homogeneous with no streaks of egg white visible.
- Assemble the mini quiches: Distribute your chosen fillings evenly among the 12 pastry-lined muffin cups (about 1-2 tablespoons of filling per cup). Sprinkle shredded cheese over the fillings in each cup. Carefully pour the egg custard mixture into each cup, filling to about ¾ full (leave a little room for expansion). The egg mixture should just cover the fillings.
- Bake: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 22-27 minutes, until the quiches are puffed, golden brown on top, and set in the center. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. The edges of the pastry should be golden and crispy.
- Cool and serve: Remove from the oven and let the mini quiches cool in the pan for 5 minutes. This cooling period is crucial—it allows the custard to set properly, making the quiches much easier to remove. Run a butter knife around the edges of each quiche and gently lift out using a spoon or small offset spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Preventing soggy bottoms: Blind baking the crusts isn’t necessary, but if you want extra-crispy bottoms, prick the pastry with a fork before adding fillings and bake empty for 5 minutes first.
- Moisture management: Always pre-cook and thoroughly drain vegetables. Excess moisture is the enemy of good quiche! Squeeze spinach completely dry.
- Even baking: If your oven has hot spots, rotate the muffin tin halfway through baking for even browning.
- Doneness test: The center should be just set with a slight jiggle. They’ll continue cooking slightly from residual heat as they cool.
- Crustless version: Skip the pastry entirely and pour egg mixture directly into well-greased muffin cups. Reduce baking time by 3-5 minutes.
- Size variations: This recipe works for regular muffin tins (shown here) or mini muffin tins (reduce baking time to 12-15 minutes for mini).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini quiche
- Calories: 195
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 285mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 115mg