This vegan quiche is so easy to make and packed with delicious flavor. With a crisp shortcrust pastry base and vegetables in a flavourful custard filling, it makes the perfect meal on warm summer days served with salad and coleslaw.
It has no tofu and it’s also gluten-free if you make it crustless or with a vegan gluten-free crust.
While quiche is traditionally made with a lot of eggs, butter and cream and therefore not vegan, it is possible to make vegan quiches in a variety of flavours and textures.
There are two main ingredients that can be used to make a vegan quiche filling: chickpea flour or tofu.
Vegan quiche recipes made with firm or silken tofu closely resemble the texture of a traditional egg-based quiche, while vegan quiches without tofu tend to be a little drier.
Silken tofu is not readily available here and if I can find it then it’s very expensive so I’ve never had quiche with tofu. I tried a few recipes with chickpea flour but wasn’t happy with the texture so I adjusted the recipe until I had a quiche which I loved.
So how do you make a vegan quiche without tofu, eggs or dairy? With chickpea flour!
Chickpea flour is an incredibly versatile flour, naturally gluten-free and grain-free it is simply finely ground dried chickpeas. It is the magic ingredient that makes egg-free quiche possible.
Chickpea flour goes by many names, including garbanzo bean flour, besan, cici flour and gram flour, and is used in cuisines all over the world, including India, Pakistan, Myanmar (Burma), France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, and throughout the Middle East.
It’s a high fiber, high protein flour that has naturally binding properties making it particularly handy in gluten free and vegan cooking. With chickpea flour you can often leave out binding agents like eggs and xanthan gum.
The base of this recipe is made up of a simple batter made from a combination of chickpea flour, water, yogurt and a bit of oil.
The rest of the ingredients for the batter are flavourings like herbs, tumeric for colour and the all important Kala Namak which gives the quiche it’s eggy taste.
The texture is simply amazing and if you didn’t tell anyone it was vegan, they wouldn’t have a clue!
As for the crust, most supermarkets sell accidentally vegan shortcrust pastry to make your life easier or you can also make your own vegan pastry simply using dairy-free butter, flour and water.
Alternatively you can pour the batter straight into a well oiled flan dish and bake it without any crust, it will still taste just as good!
Ingredients for the filling
- Chickpea Flour: This serves as the egg replacer for the vegan quiche filling. The chickpea flour and its binding properties are what makes up the base of this eggless quiche. It’s also what’s responsible for creating the soft, almost custard-like texture that’s typical in traditional quiche.
- Nutritional Yeast: Aside from the fact that its fortified with vitamins and minerals, nutritional yeast is great way to add a cheesy flavor to food.
- Turmeric Powder: Ground turmeric is purely added for the yellow/gold color which makes this vegan quiche look more like an egg-based quiche.
- Kala Namak: This is a Himalayan black salt, in its rock-form it’s violet to black, when ground it’s pink in color. Due to its high sulfur content, it’s perfect for all dishes that benefit from an “eggy” taste and smell. It really is essential to add the egg taste. If omitting the kala namak add 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder to the batter.
- Onion Salt: This adds yummy onion flavour but use sea salt if you don’t have onion salt.
- Vegan Yogurt: This adds creaminess to the quiche.
- Herbs: I used dried mixed Italian herbs but you can use any herbs you want, fresh or dried.
- Oil: There is only a tablespoon of oil, it just helps to bind the batter together. Use any type you want.
How to make Vegan Quiche
The ingredient list might look a bit long at first glance, but I promise this is not an intimidating recipe! Most of the ingredients are things you very likely already have on hand to make the batter and vegetables to fill your quiche.
- The Pie Crust should be pre-baked for this recipe, as well as most recipes where the filling is a liquid. This prevents the Crust from getting soggy/mushy once the liquid is added to it (and before it has the chance to solidify in the oven).
- First make the pastry: tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the margarine or vegan butter and rub in gently with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 3 tablespoons cold water until the pastry comes together in a ball.
- Roll out the dough: on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed flan tin or flan dish. Ideally, use a fluted tin.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220˚C. Prick the pastry case all over with a fork, to prevent air bubbles forming during baking. Line the base and sides with baking parchment and weigh it down with baking beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake the empty case for a further 10 minutes, or until the base is lightly browned. Trim the overhanging pastry.
- Prepare the vegetables as needed: chop everything up into even sized pieces.
- Prep the batter: whisk the dry ingredients (chickpea flour, herbs, tumeric, onion salt, kala namak and seasonings) then mix in the water, yogurt and oil. Chickpea flour can clump easily. Feel free to mix the batter in a blender or food processor if you’d prefer.
- Add the vegetables to the batter: Mix the chopped vegetables into the batter to evenly coat them.
- Bake the quiche: Pour the quiche filling into the pastry case then bake until set. The quiche should be lightly golden, puffed up and set.
The pastry case should be pre-baked for this recipe, this prevents the pastry from getting soggy/mushy once the liquid is added to it (and before it has the chance to solidify in the oven).
Customize it
My vegan quiche recipe is so versatile, you can easily customize it any way you like. Instead of pepper, courgette and spring onion you can use mushrooms, spinach, chopped broccoli, onions, leeks, tomatoes, asparagus, or kale. Just use about 300 grams of chopped vegetables in the quiche, total.
If you want a vegan meat in the filling then use cooked vegan sausage or vegan bacon.
If I have some, I’ll sprinkle a little vegan grated cheese on top of the mixture just before it goes into the oven. You can use whatever type you have on hand like vegan parmesan, vegan mozzarella or even vegan feta.
Finish your quiche with lots of toppings. I love pressing cherry tomatoes into the top of the quiche before it goes into the oven as it looks so pretty. Sliced tomatoes, asparagus, or fresh herbs are also great choices.
IMPORTANT: If you are using a vegetable that releases a lot of water while it cooks like mushrooms or courgettes, I recommend sautéing them briefly in a little olive oil over medium heat to release some of the water. Allow the vegetables to cool before adding them to the mixture.
If too much water is released while these vegetables cook in the quiche the final texture will not be correct and the quiche will not fully solidify and be too soft because of the excess liquid.
Can I make this a crustless vegan quiche?
If you want to skip the crust all together, you may absolutely do so. This vegan quiche recipe is easily made into a crustless vegan quiche! Simply oil a 8cm flan dish and pour the filling in to bake.
After the quiche has finished baking, it will be firm and the middle of the quiche should not jiggle. The top of the quiche and the crust will also be slightly brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to sit on a cooling rack until it has cooled slightly. Serve it warm or wait until it is cool. It tastes great either way.
Making in advance
Vegan quiche is great for making ahead. It can be served warm or cold and reheats well.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Bake the quiche and allow to cool completely. Cover tightly and store for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 180C/350F.
It can also be removed from the pan and reheated in a microwave for 1 minute for slices and up to 3 minutes if reheating whole.
How to serve quiche
You might be wondering whether you should serve a quiche hot or cold. I recommend serving this vegan quiche recipe slightly warm.
That being said, you can serve a quiche cold- this vegan quiche won’t have the same “rubbery” texture that you get with a traditional quiche when you serve it cold. So it actually is quite enjoyable and delicious.
I love to have it with pickled vegetables like beetroot and red onion as well as a mixed salad. It’s really good with my Vegan Potato Salad.
How to store leftovers
Keep the whole quiche or individual slices covered in the fridge and enjoy within 3 to 4 days. The quiche is delicious served warm or cold so you can serve it straight from the fridge.
This Vegan Quiche will last well for up to 1 week in the fridge, but I would not recommend freezing it. Freezing affects the final texture of the quiche once it re-thaws and it is not as realistic.
Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #aveggiecooks and tag @aveggiecooks__. I would love to see it!
Vegan Quiche
Equipment
- 23cm Pie or flan dish
Ingredients
Pastry
- 175 gm Plain Flour
- 85 gm Hard Vegan butter or margarine
Batter
- 300 gm Vegetables such as courgettes, peppers, spring onion, mushrooms, broccoli, any combination
- 135 gm Chickpea flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Kala Namak
- ½ teaspoon Tumeric
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional
- 1 tablespoon Dried herbs
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 360 ml Water
- 60 gm Plain vegan yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
Instructions
- First make the pastry: tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the margarine or butter and rub in gently with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 3 tablespoons cold water until the pastry comes together in a ball.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed flan tin. Ideally, use a fluted tin.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220˚C. Prick the pastry case all over with a fork, to prevent air bubbles forming during baking. Line the base and sides with baking parchment and weigh it down with baking beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake the empty case for a further 10 minutes, or until the base is lightly browned. Trim the overhanging pastry.
- Combine the flour, water, yogurt, salt, kala namak, turmeric, nutritional, pepper, and oil. Whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add the vegetables and herbs to the batter. Pour the mixture into the pastry case. Finish your quiche with lots of toppings. I love pressing cherry tomatoes into the top of the quiche before it goes into the oven as it looks so pretty. Sliced tomatoes, asparagus, or fresh herbs are also great choices.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 190°C/375°F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. The top will crack and get golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving
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