This creamy, cheesy, crustless quiche is stuffed full of smokey bacon, melty cheese, and subtle nutmeg. Enjoying a slice will make you feel classy, even when there’s nothing glamorous about your chaotic morning. Make it for brunch, lunch, or breakfast for dinner!
What’s the difference between a crustless quiche and a frittata?
Although crustless quiche and frittata may seem the same, there are a few differences (which will vary with each recipe). Typically:
- Quiche (not this recipe) is made with a crust, whereas frittatas are always crustless.
- Frittatas are partially, or sometimes entirely cooked over the stove, while quiches are baked in the oven.
- Quiche contains heavy cream and a lot of meltable cheese. While frittata contains a dash of milk and a light sprinkle of cheese.
Crustless Quiche Ingredients
The correct ratio of cheese to cream to eggs in any quiche takes practice. It’s how you get that fluffy (not dense) and creamy (not soggy) texture we all know and love in a quiche recipe. Here’s my tried and true recipe:
- The meat: bacon.
- The veggies: Yellow onions + leeks. Be sure to carefully wash your leeks, they have a tendency to stash dirt. I always thinly slice and soak them in a bowl of water. Rinse in a colander, then dry thoroughly before sauteing.
- The base: Eggs + heavy cream.
- Spices: Cayenne pepper + nutmeg add complexity to the creamy base.
Crustless Quiche Recipes + Variations
This crustless quiche is extremely easy to make with all your favorite mix-ins. You’ll want to keep the ratio of ingredients the same–so instead of adding, consider swaps:
- Veggies: Swap the onions and leeks for broccoli, spinach (ala crustless spinach quiche), zucchini, asparagus, or even tomatoes.
- Cheese: think shredded gruyere, swiss cheese, or even cheddar.
- Meat: Swap bacon for pancetta, prosciutto (like I use in my crustless asparagus quiche), or use diced ham.
- Mini Quiche or quiche muffins: Pour the egg mixture into a muffin tin pan. You can even turn this into a keto breakfast casserole by doubling the recipe and pouring it into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Add a crust, just pour this filling right in. Know your bake time will vary.
How to Make Crustless Quiche
Making crustless quiche is super easy! Here’s how:
Prep the mix-ins: Crisp the bacon and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Cook veggies in bacon grease until soft.
Make the base: Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Stir in cheese, cooled bacon, and veggies.
Pour egg mixture into a greased pie pan, and bake in the oven until the center is firm.
Storing, Reheating, + Freezing Tips
Quiche stores and freezes beautifully and makes a great breakfast in minutes. Here’s how to make the most out of your leftovers:
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll last up to 4 days. Top with fresh herbs after reheating.
- Reheat in the microwave, at 50% power.
- Freeze individual slices of quiche in resealable baggies–Be sure to remove as much air as possible before placing them in the freezer.
- Defrost in the microwave, or in the fridge overnight.
Are quiches healthy? High in Fat? Low Carb?
Crustless or not, quiches are loaded with heavy cream, cheese, and egg yolks, making them a high fat and high calorie food. That said, skipping the crust here makes this recipe a low carb and keto quiche.
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Crustless Quiche
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 8 Pieces Bacon sliced into 1/2" strips
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 Leek thinly sliced + carefully cleaned. White + pale green parts only (note 1)
- 1 Cup Mozzarella grated and divided (Swiss is more traditional, but we prefer mozzarella)
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Dash of Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- Pinch Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- Prep. Heat oven to 375 F and grease a 9” pie pan, or oven-safe skillet (quiche/tart pan won’t work for this quiche).
- Crisp + saute. In a large skillet, add bacon (8 pieces sliced) and cook over medium heat until crispy. Place cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease. Add chopped onion (1/2 cup) and thinly sliced leek (1), and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Whisk. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs (6 large), heavy cream (1 cup), salt (1/2 teaspoon), dash of pepper, cayenne pepper (1/4 teaspoon) and a pinch of nutmeg until combined. Stir in the cheese (1 cup). Once cooled, stir in bacon, onions, and leeks.
- Bake + enjoy. Pour quiche into the greased pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes. You'll know the quiche is done once the edges begin to brown and the center is firm. Allow quiche to cool for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!
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Lindsey’s Tips
- Cleaning leeks – Leeks have a tendency to store loads of dirt. I always slice them very thin, break them apart, then soak them in a bowl of water. Rinse in a colander, then dry thoroughly before sauteing.
- Craving crust? This quiche can be made inside my keto pie crust — just increase the bake time by 10 minutes, or until the center sets.
- Double the recipe and bake this quiche inside a casserole dish to feed a crowd!
