Easter is coming up and I thought it was about time to finally photograph and share my vegan quiche recipe. I’ve been really pleasantly surprised with how much non-vegans seem to enjoy this tofu quiche. Made with a combination of tofu and also chickpea flour, and full of vegetables and savory flavor, this is a crowd-pleaser that I hope you’ll really enjoy.
There seem to be two camps with vegan quiches. The tofu camp, and the no tofu camp. Making a vegan quiche without tofu seems to involve a mixture made with pure chickpea flour. And my delicate sensibilities just cannot handle that onslaught of chickpea flour flavor. I love the ingredient here and there, but if it’s even slightly undercooked, or dominant in a dish, it kinda makes my stomach churn.
Chickpea flour does do wonders for creating a cohesive texture, which is something that’s often lacking in basic tofu quiches, I’ve found. So my chickpea tofu vegan quiche is the best of both worlds! I base the batter on extra-firm tofu, but I also add a tasteful amount of chickpea flour to help firm it up. The result is an eggless quiche that’s super slice-able, creamy, and delicious.
Talking about crust for a moment, I went with Wholly Wholesome brand spelt crust for the pictured version of my vegan quiche. (Consequently this is also the one I used to calculate the nutrition facts). Hence the darker brown color compared to traditional pie crust. I LOVE this brand though, and used to purchase it quite frequently prior to having a gluten-free boyfriend.
I have tested a crustless version of this and it’s great too, and obviously a lot lighter. I went to three stores trying to track down a vegan, gluten-free pie crust for the bf, but sadly my search was not successful. Thankfully, this can be turned into more of a frittata type of dish by omitting the crust. I recommend baking it in a springform pan if you have one. If not, a regular casserole dish also works!
I have heard murmurs of aquafaba and cashew-based quiches if you’re of the soy-free persuasion and, like me, don’t care for intense chickpea flour applications. The one in Zsu Dever’s Aquafaba cookbook looks like a good start. However, I have not tried it. If you do, please let me know- I am very curious!
I added a verdant spring-appropriate assortment of vegetables and herbs to my vegan quiche this time around: fresh asparagus, spinach, spring onions and chives. In previous versions I’ve done all sorts of mixes of veggies. Chopped broccoli is a great addition, as is diced zucchini. I’ve also gone the puttanesca route before and added olives, capers, and sundried tomatoes. Super yummy. Just be sure to properly sweat any veggies, including leafy greens, in your saute mixture so that they don’t make the batter runny.
Fair warning: I don’t remember what non-vegan quiche tastes like anymore. I wasn’t a huge fan of eggs back in the day. So I’m not prepared to make any claims about how much this vegan quiche resembles its counterpart. However, I can tell you that I’ve served variations on my tofu quiche to omnivores, including my parents on Christmas morning this past holiday (!), and it was VERY well-received.
For that special occasion, I cubed up some of my absolute favorite vegan cheese, Vtopian (<- linking to their Facebook page because their website seems to be down). This is wholly unnecessary to make a tasty eggless quiche. I just happened to have some on hand. I suppose you could also add some smoky crisped tempeh or tofu pieces to go all the way with a vegan quiche lorraine type of thing. Sadly, my rice paper bacon would probably not hold up well mixed into the batter.
I hope you enjoy this delicious vegan quiche! If you give it a try, let me know in the comments or by tagging me @yupitsvegan on Instagram!
Vegan Quiche with Vegetables
Ingredients
For the tofu-chickpea quiche base:
- 1 lb firm tofu (16 oz.)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp prepared mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
For the vegetable mixture:
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions or green onions white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 tbsp dry white wine (optional)
- 10 oz asparagus woody ends removed, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 4 oz fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
- salt to taste
For assembling the vegan quiche:
- 1 pie crust of choice
- 6-8 asparagus spears (optional, for bedazzling the quiche)
- 1/4 cup thinly-sliced cherry tomatoes (optional)
Instructions
- Par-bake your pie crust in a pie dish, according to the recipe or package instructions. Afterward, set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Open the tofu, drain any excess liquid, and either press it in a tofu press, or wrap it in a clean towel and stack something heavy on top of it.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable mixture. Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and softened, about 2-4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, as well as the white wine, if using. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have somewhat thickened and lost their excess liquid. Add the asparagus to the pan, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 more minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and cook until fully wilted. Season to taste with salt, and stir in the chopped chives. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine all of the filling ingredients (including the pressed tofu) EXCEPT for the chickpea flour, blending until smooth. Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper. Add the chickpea flour and blend to combine.
- Add the tofu mixture to a mixing bowl, and gently stir in the vegetable mixture. Transfer the mixture into the to par-baked pie crust, and smooth it out evenly. If desired, top with asparagus spears and sliced tomatoes.
- Bake uncovered for approximately 45 minutes, or until golden brown on the surface, slightly puffed up, and firm. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from One Dish Vegan and America’s Test Kitchen.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
JK says
I have made this a few times. This weekend I used asparagus and broccoli as the main vegetables in it. It comes out delicious every time.
Gail Spach says
We really enjoyed this quiche today. Thank you! Great recipe. I used broccoli instead of spinach. It is going to be in our rotation of meals. I’m already looking forward to eating it again ASAP !
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
So glad to hear that!
Brigitte says
Just baked this with no crust, yellow peppers,tomatoes,eggplant , lots of garlic ,dried basil,and savory . I think the flavor can be improved . I will keep it but I will make some changes. I would decreased the broth to 1/2 cup add some vegan cheese just a little bit add some liquid smoke and 2 precooked diced vegan beyond sausage , along with all the vegetables. I flipped the quiche putting a plate over and turn it. I lined my baking plate with parchment paper . I have a husband that is trying very hard to change for a year now . I wanted to be vegan but my husband had no choice , so I need to wow him with tasty dishes . this one has a good base , I am decreasing the liquid I just thought it needed to be firmer. I like to leave a comment , it helps others to improve it !
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Brigitte, thanks for your feedback. Peppers, tomatoes and eggplant all have a good deal of water content so it’s possible they may need to cook longer or the liquid content in the quiche be reduced in order to stop it from being too wet. Make sure to also season it to taste with plenty of salt, needed for flavor. Hope the next one turns out more to your liking!
Lynne Bereza says
I have tried other eggless quiches with chickpea flour and was also turned off. This is bang-on! Quiche is a Christmas morning tradition that I have missed since going vegan – now I don’t have to. I baked it for 45 minutes and it is perfect. Thanks so much for an excellent recipe.
Gretchen Nelson says
I want to make it ahead of time for the holidays. Do you recommend freezing it ahead of time?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I haven’t honestly experimented much with freezing this particular recipe. It might be a good idea to do a test run! I’m guessing it would freeze okay and be best reheated in the oven, but I could be wrong!
dino says
You can freeze it AFTER baking, and it comes back to life just fine, if a bit drier than when you started. Not enough to be /bad/ but not as good as when it’s freshly made. To be honest, the filling takes zero time to make. The longest part is making the crust, and sauteeing the veggies. What you can do is make/buy the crust, and freeze that. Then sautee the veg, and freeze those guys. When you’re ready to roll, nuke the veg until they come back to room temp (no need to get them hot), and drain off any excess liquid (into your measuring cup, so that you can sub out some of the broth for the veggie liquid), and then make the filling the day of. After it’s baked, if you wrap it tightly in cling film, it’ll keep in the fridge just fine for 5 days or so.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you so much for these suggestions! It’s very helpful.
Heather says
Delicious! I made it with sauteed leeks, broccoli rabe, and sun-dried tomatoes. I added some turmeric for extra color, but otherwise followed the recipe – so good! I had a little extra filling leftover, so I skimmed into well-oiled muffin cups, and now have mini-frittatas that will be perfect for lunch or dinner. I plan to put this recipe into regular rotation, and freeze the frittatas. Thank you!
De Dee says
Thank you so much for this recipe
I made it today it is delicious
I will be making this again and again
Fabs says
Hello! I followed the directions exactly but after 50 minutes in the oven, the quiche was hot cooked the middle? It was still the same batter like consistency from before it went in the oven. The top was darker than in your pictures. What is the consistency supposed to be like?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Fabs, thanks for your comment. Sorry you had this experience. If you used the listed ingredients, oven temp, oil quantities, etc. then I’m a little stumped why this would happen. It does make me wonder if your oven temp might be reading off or have hot spots.
When it cooks right, it should be moist but fluffy inside. Slicing it into pieces won’t result in a clean knife, but well formed pieces can be sliced.
Unfortunately I’m not sure what else it could be. Perhaps it is the vegetables you used? Were they frozen or veggies with higher water content?
JJ says
Hello; just found your website, and I’m enjoying it — thanks very much. (Also, a spark of hometown pride — I’m a longtime 21211 / 21218 resident.)
1. Could I avoid pressing the tofu and simply add less veg broth? (Or, is removal of tofu-fluid then addition of broth more about flavor than about texture?)
2. If I wanted to avoid chickpea flour, would a flax egg (or two) be a good substitute as a binding agent? If not, what might work?
Thanks again.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey JJ! Thanks for your comment and sorry about the slow reply, I’ve been on a sorely needed vacation 🙂 just moved back to the 21211 myself after a stint in 21223…
Definitely the flavor will be inferior if you do as suggested, but texturally it should work somewhat similarly.
The chickpea flour is both binding and absorbent so if you want to avoid it, I would recommend substituting it with a different type of flour. This will change the texture a little bit. Chickpea flour adds a certain fluffiness after baking. If I were going to experiment with this, I’d probably start with a 50-50 mix of AP flour and some kind of starch like tapioca starch.
If you try out the tweaks let me know how it goes!
Marie says
I tried your sub suggestion for chickpea flour, Shannon. I used 1.5 T all purpose flour and 1.5 T tapioca flour instead of 3 T chickpea flour. Turned out great. This is the first time I’ve made it, so I don’t know how it would compare to the chickpea flour in the recipe as written, but it didn’t taste starchy or flour-ey. Very eggy, actually.
Gail says
Sorry, mistyped above, just plain loved it.
Gail says
Hi! I made this recipe and and shoot it loved it. I have been missing quiche. One question I still tasted the chickpea flour. Just a little. Is there anything else you can add as far as flavorings to cover this up a bit more?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
So sorry I missed this comment at the time! I know it’s too late for you, Gail, but in case others are perusing the comments and particularly sensitive to chickpea flour flavor: I’d recommend reducing the chickpea flour by 1tbsp and adding 1tbsp more of whichever starch you’re using. Also, additional olive oil, mustard, and the other seasonings, can help a lot too.
Bruce Deniger says
super easy!!
JANET says
I made this last night AND I am making it again today. I don’t know what to say!! This is amazing in every way. You have to make it. Oh, it’s delicious hot or cold. Close your eyes and you’ll think it’s real quiche. Thank you Shannon.
Jes says
Does the nutritional information include the piecrust? I’m guessing that since it’s a ‘piecrust of choice’ the nutritional info is just for the filling?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The nutritional information is calculated using 1 Wholly Wholesome brand spelt pie crust, which is the one I used in the photos pictured. So, it will vary if you use a different crust. A traditional pie crust will be about the same calories and fat but slightly less fiber
Monica Evans says
Can I make this without the crust? Do you have any idea of nutritional value without it?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Should work fine without the crust, I recommend using a springform pan if you can, or at least a well greased dish. I’m unable to recalculate the nutritional info but it should be much lower fat and higher protein, relative to calories!
Logansver Iline says
wow…realy superb ..Awesome…thank you so much for this recipe..I will definitely try this out..
Looking forward for more recipes like this