This wholesome vegan quiche is packed with healthy vegetables, and a decadent pie crust- yet the recipe is entirely egg-free, dairy-free, and even soy-free (no tofu)! Not to mention that this veggie quiche has an extremely customizable filling and can be enjoyed at breakfast, brunch, lunch, and special occasions!
Delicious, Vegetable-packed Vegan Quiche Recipe
If I were to do a poll to ask what people miss the most when first starting to eat a vegan diet, I’d hedge my bets that the answers would often include eggs and cheese.
However, there’s absolutely no reason that anyone should miss out on their favorite ‘eggy’ dishes, regardless of their chosen diet. With a carefully selected combination of ingredients, you can achieve a delicious eggless quiche that is still light and fluffy, with the familiar ‘eggy’ flavor that you love.
Not to mention that this veggie quiche is such a wonderful dish to pack in lots of healthy vegetables. Within this recipe, I’ve used onion, peppers, leek, and spinach to make a delicious spinach quiche. However, feel free to swap them out for your favorites, or whatever you have to hand.
What Is Quiche?
Traditionally, quiche is similar to an omelet (or omelette) or frittata that has been baked into a rich and flaky pastry crust. They can contain all varieties of fillings, including lots of vegetables, cheese, meats, and other proteins.
Unfortunately for vegans and those with dairy allergies, even the vegetarian versions are packed with eggs, cheese, and milk/cream. When it comes to vegan quiche, there are tons of tofu-based options available. However, for those who avoid soy-based products, then chickpea flour is your new best friend.
This chickpea flour quiche recipe is not only super delicious, but it is also wholly dairy-free, egg-free, and free of tofu. Plus, I even made a gluten-free quiche crust too!
The Secret Ingredient
This eggless quiche is completely transformed from the use of chickpea flour.
Chickpea flour, also referred to as garbanzo flour, besan flour, or gram flour is gluten-free, high protein, and creates a beautiful texture for the vegan quiche. When using chickpea flour, you also get to avoid the high cholesterol and fat levels found in eggs.
The results are a healthy tart that is super filling but still light- Precisely what I’m looking for!
Kala Namak
Another ingredient that can completely transform this dish is Kala Namak ( AKA black salt). This Indian spice has a delicious sulphuric ‘eggy’ flavor and is a wonder within a variety of vegan dishes.
In fact, the spice is so flavorful that it takes just a tiny pinch in a recipe. I talk more about this fantastic ingredient in this recipe for Vegan Tofu Scramble.
How To Make A Vegan Quiche
This easy quiche recipe is made up of just four simple steps. For the full ingredients list, measurements, and nutritional information, then please find the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prepare The Pie Crust
- Begin by preparing your flax egg by combining 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds and 3 tbsp of water into a small bowl and mixing well. Leave this aside for 5 minutes.
- When ready, add the flax egg, along with all other pie crust ingredients to a food processor and blend until a dough forms and is clumping together. Alternatively, add the ingredients to a large bowl and knead into a dough with your hands. Add a splash of extra cold water, if it feels a little dry.
- Next, roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for around 30 minutes. During this time, you can move on to Step 2!
- Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge, roll it out to fit the bottom of an 8-9″ Pie Pan. Press it into the pan without around 2 inches ( 5cm) of pastry up the sides of the tin. Place back in the fridge.
Step 2: Prepare The Vegetable Fillings
- While the dough rests in the fridge, you can prepare your veggies of choice.
- Heat a little vegetable oil in a large pan and saute the onion over medium hear just for a minute, to soften. Next, add the garlic, pepper, leek, spinach, and a pinch of salt.
- Saute the vegetables for a few minutes to soften and allow the vegetables to release their juices, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Squeeze the vegetables lightly to remove any remaining excess water. You can do this with your hands, within cheesecloth, or even through a sieve.
Step 3: Prepare The Chickpea ‘egg’ Batter
- Before you prepare the chickpea batter, turn on the oven to preheat to 430F ( 220C).
- To prepare the chickpea batter, mix the chickpea flour, 1 cup of plant-based milk or water, and the spices and mix well.
- In a medium saucepan, bring two cups of vegetable broth ( or water) to a boil and then slowly pour in the chickpea mixture while stirring continuously.
- Leave it to simmer over low heat for around 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. During this time it will thicken up and is the key to the best taste and texture (an excellent tip I learned from Mary’s Kitchen Blog)
Step 4: Assemble & Bake
- When assembling, begin by adding the sautéed vegetables to the pie crust first (You could also mix them directly into the chickpea mixture, if preferred).
- Next, pour over the chickpea batter and top with halved cherry tomatoes.
- Bake in the oven for between 25-30 minutes ( this may take longer, depending on your oven- up to 45 minutes). It’s best to leave the quiche to cool completely as the chickpea batter will further solidify when cooling.
- You can then serve the eggless quiche warm or cold and garnish with your favorite herbs such as thyme, basil, or even a small pinch of Kala Namak ( black salt) for additional eggy flavor.
How To Store
This vegan quiche will last well for between 5-7 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It is also freezer-friendly and can be stored in the freezer (wrapped in freezer bags) for around 3 months.
When ready to eat, this vegan spinach pie can be eaten cold or reheated in the oven or microwave.
Serving Suggestions
Whether eating this veggie quiche hot or cold, it is a wonderful addition to a hearty breakfast (breakfast quiche is a thing, right?!) / brunch spread alongside Chocolate Chip Pancakes or Savory Crepes, or Gluten-Free Waffles.
Or even as a light lunch along with some salad sides, including this Creamy German Cucumber Salad, Vegan Potato Salad, or Oil-free Vegan Pasta Salad.
Useful Tips & Variations:
- It is important to squeeze the liquid from your veggies before adding it to the quiche crust. Otherwise, you run the risk of a soggy crust.
- Baking time will vary depending on the oven used (electric vs. gas) and the size/ depth of the pie dish used.
- You can prepare the quiche crust in advance (for example, the night before). Just make sure that you wait until just before cooking to add the filling to avoid a soggy crust.
- If you’re running short on time, then you can use a pre-bought pie crust!
- Another crust substitution includes thinly sliced layers of potato. Alternatively, you can go completely crust-free like this veggie-filled Vegan Frittata.
- Rather than a single large vegan quiche, you could make this recipe into smaller mini quiches, using a muffin tin.
- This veggie quiche is incredibly versatile. Swap out any of the vegetables mentioned for your favorites. These include Mushrooms, broccoli, sweetcorn, asparagus, zucchini, potato, kale, etc. Just make sure to use the same amount of vegetables overall.
- You could also add some of your favorite vegan cheese or meat alternative.
- For an additional layer of flavor, spread a thin layer of tomato passata/sauce at the bottom of the quiche before adding the vegetables.
- This recipe is incredibly meal-prep friendly, perfect for preparing in advance and serving at gatherings, or taking to school/college/work.
THIS VEGAN QUICHE RECIPE IS:
- Plant-based
- Gluten-free
- Egg-free (cholesterol-free)
- Dairy-free
- Soy-free
- Can be made nut-free
- Hearty
- Meal-Prep friendly
If you give this tasty recipe a try, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag @elavegan #elavegan on Instagram or Facebook if you take a picture of your dish.
Vegan Quiche
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 1 cup (140 g) gluten-free flour (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 cup (60 g) almond flour (*see recipe notes)
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water) (*see recipe notes)
- 4 tbsp (56 g) margarine or vegan butter
- 1/3 tsp sea salt
- cold water if needed
Chickpea Batter
- 1 cup (120 g) chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour)
- 1 cup (240 ml) plant-based milk or water
- 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable broth
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/3 tsp black pepper
- A pinch of turmeric
- A pinch of chili powder (optional)
Veggies
- 1/2 onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 pepper (chopped)
- 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
- 1 stalk leek
- Pinch of sea salt
- A handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil for frying
- Fresh thyme to garnish
- Pinch black salt (optional)
Instructions
Pie Crust
- To make the flax egg, put 1 tbsp ground flax seeds to a small bowl, add 3 tbsp water and mix with a whisk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Now transfer all ingredients for the pie crust to a food processor and blend until the dough clumps together. If you don't have a food processor, simply add all ingredients for the pie crust in a bowl and use your hands to knead the dough until it clumps together (don't knead too long). If the dough appears too dry, add a tiny bit of cold water. With the flour blend which I am using (see recipe notes) no water is needed!
- Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it into the fridge. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge. Roll it out to fit the bottom of an 8 or 9-inch pie pan. Press it into the pan and about 2 inches (5 cm) up the sides. Put it back into the fridge.
Veggies
- While the dough rests in the fridge, you can prepare the veggies. Heat a little vegetable oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add garlic, pepper, leek, spinach, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for a few minutes until all the water evaporates. Let cool. If there is still water left, then squeeze it out as much as possible.
- Preheat oven to 430 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Chickpea batter
- In a bowl mix the chickpea flour, 1 cup of plant-based milk or water and the spice mix with a whisk.
- In a saucepan bring two cups of vegetable broth (or water) to a boil. As soon as it boils, slowly pour the chickpea mixture into the broth while stirring.
- Let simmer on low heat for 5-6 minutes and make sure to keep whisking frequently. It will get quite thick which is normal.
Assemble
- Add the sautéed vegetables to the pie crust first (or mix them directly into the chickpea mixture, if preferred).
- Now pour in the chickpea batter on top of the veggies and add the halved cherry tomatoes on top.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven it might take longer). It's best to let the quiche cool completely (preferably in the fridge) to set. It can be served cold or warm (you can heat it up in the microwave or in the oven). Garnish with fresh thyme leaves or basil and sprinkle a pinch of black salt (Kala Namak) on top for an eggy taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- I've used the following gluten-free flour mix: 1/2 cup rice flour (80 g) and 1/2 cup tapioca flour (60 g). However, you can use 140 grams (about a cup) of 1 to 1 Bob’s Red Mill baking flour (gluten-free) instead.
- To make the recipe nut-free, you can use ground sunflower seeds instead of almond flour.
- You can use ground chia seeds instead of ground flax seeds.
- Watch the video above in the blog post.
- Recipe serves 8. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
I didn’t actually make the quiche — just the crust, which I used for a lentil “meat pie.” Anyway, I used Bob’s Red Mill flour as you suggested, and I kneaded by hand to make things simpler. Turned out great — hearty and flavorful without tasting too strongly of almond flour. Family liked it too. This is now my go-to recipe for a savory crust!
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe!My second time making this queche but instead of veg I used butternut and sweet potatoes.. Delicious 😋
So glad you like it, Lian! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Delish! Thank you so much for this great recipe! Added more spices and next time I will put in more vegetables. Letting it cool now. A little soupy but tastes perfect. Can’t wait to see how it is when it solidifies in the frig. So glad I don’t have to deal with tofu! Thank you thank you.
You are so welcome, Susan! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
What is the best way to reheat it? Stove top or oven? Do you cover in oven to reheat? What temperature? Broil so it’s fast lol. It is a drawback that it has to be set/solidify in the refrigerator. But it’s the best tasting quiche recipe I have come across so it’s worth the effort.
Hi Susan, I would suggest the oven and the same temperature (430 degrees F / 220 degrees C) until warmed through. No need to cover it. 🙂
Hi. Thank you for this recipe! I’m on aip diet -(autoimmune paleo diet and can’t have flax, chickpeas or almond flour. Is there any replacement option for these items? Am I able to use Bob Mills egg replacer?
Hi Chantal, that are quite a lot of ingredients you would need to replace (check the notes for substitutes). I am not sure if the egg replacer would work, as I never tried it, sorry.
I would love to use your recipe but if i cut out the almond flour and use a normal flour replacement as i cannot replace with sunflower due to seed and nut allergies
Hi Abie, if using regular flour, you would need to add more vegan butter or oil, otherwise, the crust will be tasteless and too dry.
Could I make this with pureed chickpeas instead of chickpea flour?
Hi Seren! No, that won’t work.
I’m sorry but I totally disagree with your advice about storing this quiche – there is NO WAY it would last for days in the fridge because . . . . . it is totally delicious and everyone will go back for seconds!
Thank you so much for you beautiful recipes – every single one I have tried so far has been spot on x
Haha, I love your comment, Caryl! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
I’m not coeliac or have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. I found your recipe because I was searching for a different vegan quiche after not being impressed with the tofu-based one I recently tried. Will the recipe work if I use flour that isn’t gluten-free in the pie crust? I’m leaning towards fine plain whole-wheat flour that I’ve had for too long at the moment but I have whole-grain spelt too (and plain white flour, but I’d rather not use that).
Sure, you can replace the gluten-free flour (but not the almond flour) with whole wheat flour! 🙂
That’s great, thanks! I wasn’t planning to replace the almond flour.
You are welcome. 🙂
If we do not use a pie crust would it be ok to steam this recipe?
It might work, but I never tried it. 🙂
When i made this, the chickpea batter wasn’t pouring, it was too thick to pour. It still seemed to work when i whisked it into the broth however. We will see, it’s still in the oven! Also, i used a 9″ pie plate but will definitely use something larger next time since my filing was in a big mound just so i could get it all in.
I hope it still turns out great. 🙂
I really liked this for the reason that it doesn’t use tofu. I made mine in a pie dish and par baked my vegan pie crust (not GF) for ~50 minutes. That part worked fine. I definitely underbaked the filling, though. I was in a time crunch and got impatient. Next time, I plan on making this in a 10″ tart pan and baking it until the center is not so wobbly. Ela, do you have a good recommendation for the amount of “wobble” the center should have when the quiche is done?
Hi Monika, it shouldn’t be really wobbly, just slightly soft. A larger pan will definitely help. 🙂
Very tasty and filling!! I recommend using Better Than Bullion vegetable broth 😉
Hi Megan, I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
That stuff is tasty, but contains serious allergens and sugar, so make sur you check with the people you are feeding it to, it put me in the ER.
I accidentally got garbanzo fava flour, will it still work? Was hoping to make this for Mother’s Day tomorrow ????
I think that should still work. 🙂
I would like to try your recipes but every time I try to cut and paste it tells me were to go and I try to find the site but never have I been able to reach it. To nighty I have tried 7 different recipe of yours and was told to reroute to another spot and have had no lucky.. HELP
My developer made this because tons of site were stealing my recipes.
You can click the button “print recipe” in the recipe card, then you can copy it. 🙂
Thank you for this tip, Ela. I’m so sorry people have been stealing your recipes. 🙁 I’m glad your developer had a fix to make it more difficult. Best of luck going forward.
Thank you, Melanie. 🙂
After freezing, to reheat do you bake in the oven? If so do you let it thaw first? Thank you ☺️
Hi Sasha, yes, you can reheat it in the oven. I would let it thaw overnight in the fridge. 🙂
This is the second time I’ve made it, and i LOVE it! The first time I made in a pie dish, the second time I made in a muffin tin, baking for 15-18 minutes. The crust didn’t work out super smoothly, but I smooshed it into the tins and it still worked, just a bit rough. But, I like the look of it.
Thank you for making a recipe with NO tofu-why would someone eat a quiche just made with tofu? Seems pointless in proper nutrition.
Thanks!
Thanks for your kind feedback, Hannah! I am so glad you liked it. 🙂