Everyone loves a good Quiche Florentine. Done right in classic French style, it pairs a crisp, flaky pastry crust with a delicious spinach and Gruyère custard. While many recipes seek perfection in either crust or custard, I’ve tinkered with both until they’re just right. In this dish, you’ll find the simplicity of home-cooked comfort food with the delicacy of restaurant fare.
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A few simple techniques make all the difference here. My approach avoids rubbery quiche, watery spinach, and soggy bottoms, which all of us have experienced at least once in our lives. (Sometimes all three at once. Boo!) Luckily, there are answers. By par-baking the crust, you keep it crisp. Squeezing the spinach after thawing means no extra liquid to ruin your pastry. Baking at the right temperature ensures your custard has a silky texture throughout: firm enough to slice cleanly but still soft and creamy in every forkful. Better yet? It tastes just as good the next day.
If I had to pick one trick, though, it’s the two-stage blind bake. Specifically, you start by chilling your dough so the crust will hold its shape in the oven, then blind bake it with weights, then remove the weights, pierce it with a fork, and pop it back in the oven until lightly golden. That’s all before a drop of filling goes in. Using this technique, my homemade Lard Pie Crust comes out right every time, the perfect base for beloved, time-honored Quiche Florentine.
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings
- Skill Level: Intermediate
Quiche Florentine Ingredients
- Pie Crust: A deep dish crust is essential in order to fit all the custard without overflowing. I prefer homemade Lard Pie Crust, but if you’re pressed for time, feel free to use any high-quality store-bought crust.
- Leeks: Good leeks are firm and crisp, dark green at the top and white at the bottom. Steer clear of sliminess, yellowing, or that unwashed-crisper-drawer smell.
- Spinach: You’re looking for plain frozen spinach with no added sauces or seasonings, which can change the flavor of your quiche. Avoid packages that have visible ice crystals, indicating they’ve already been thawed and refrozen, which can change their consistency. Make sure to thaw your spinach completely in the fridge before starting the recipe.
- Gruyère Cheese: Although there are decent Gruyère substitutes, the characteristic nutty flavor is pretty key here. Note that aged Gruyère both melts and tastes better than a younger version.
- Heavy Cream: “Heavy cream” or “heavy whipping cream” are the same thing, so either label is fine.
- Milk: Whole milk is traditional and makes for the richest filling, but 2% will work too.
- Eggs: In my experience, large eggs give the best ratio of whites to yolks, which is important for a silky custard.
- Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter, but in the latter case, add an extra pinch of salt.
- Nutmeg: If you can, use freshly grated nutmeg. It has unparalleled flavor, but the ground spice will work fine as well.
- Salt: I always recommend fine sea salt, which has a cleaner flavor than table salt. Don’t have it? No problem, just use the standard version.
- Black Pepper: As with the nutmeg, freshly ground pepper makes a noticeable difference.
How to Make Quiche Florentine
Start by molding the pie dough into a deep dish pie pan and chilling it while the oven preheats to 375°F. (This step is not necessary if using store-bought crust.) Blind bake your crust with weights, then pierce with a fork and bake again until it is lightly golden but not browned.
Melt butter in a sauté pan and cook the leeks over medium heat until they become soft and translucent. Set them aside to cool so they don’t scramble your custard mixture. Squeeze your thawed spinach thoroughly, making sure to remove every last drop of moisture that you can. Some people like to squeeze the spinach through a rag to be sure, as anything left over could make your custard watery.
Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, and seasonings in a medium bowl. Stir in the cooled leeks, well-drained spinach, and shredded cheese.
Pour the egg custard mixture into your par-baked crust, then pop it in the oven for around 40 to 45 minutes. The center should be lightly set but not firm. Let the quiche rest for 15 minutes, then serve up. It’s good both warm and at room temp.
6 Recipe Tips
- Chill the Crust: Don’t think you can skip the 30-minute chill time and get the same pastry results. The cold really is necessary to help the crust hold its shape and come out flaky.
- Line with Care: When you’re blind baking, take care to press the parchment or foil into the corners of your crust as well as up the sides. The weights need to reach the edges or the crust will puff up into the custard space.
- Prep the Spinach: Again, you should thoroughly thaw and squeeze the spinach before mixing into the egg mixture.
- Cool Before Mixing: Let your leeks cool all the way before adding them to the egg mixture. Hot leeks can cook the eggs before their time.
- Check for Doneness: When done, the center of your quiche should be just set but still wobbly. It will continue to firm up as it rests, so don’t overcook it.
- Protect the Edges: Keep an eye on the crust — if it starts browning too quickly, shield the rim with foil for the remaining bake time.
Recipe Variations
- Switch Up the Cheese: Sometimes for a change of pace, I like to use sharp white cheddar, Swiss cheese, or Comté instead of the Gruyère.
- Use Fresh Spinach: Fresh spinach works instead of frozen. Substitute 1 pound of fresh spinach for 10 ounces of frozen spinach, cooking it down instead of thawing it, then squeezing it dry in the same manner.
- Try Different Aromatics: Shallots or onions are both nice instead of leeks, but it’s very important to cook them all the way. Soft and sweet is the name of the game!
- Add Herbs: Nothing wrong with a bit of fresh thyme or chives in your quiche. Either (or both) help to add brightness without overpowering the classic Florentine flavors.
- Make It Richer: Want decadence above all else? Swap out the milk and replace it with more cream. Thank me later.
- Add a Kick: Some like it hot, and a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes provides a nice means of balancing out the creamy richness of this quiche.
- Make It Ahead of Time: You can blind bake the crust and cook the leeks a day ahead, then store the crust at room temperature and refrigerate the leeks in an airtight container.
Storage and Reheating
This quiche will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, cover it with foil and warm it in a 350˚F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. For longer storage, freeze completely cooled quiche for up to 3 months by wrapping it in plastic and then foil. To reheat it, you can put it straight in a 350˚F oven without thawing, covered with foil, and cook it for 40 to 50 minutes. If you like exact guidelines, look for an internal temperature of 160-165˚F.
What to Serve With Quiche Florentine
Quiche Florentine works well from morning to night. I like it with a simple Little Gem Salad for brunch. For lunch or dinner, pair it with something light and bright: Heirloom Tomato Salad and crusty bread is always classic.
Reader FAQ
Both Quiche Florentine and Quiche Lorraine are French custard tarts baked in pastry shells. Quiche Florentine is vegetarian, typically showcasing spinach and Gruyère. Quiche Lorraine, on the other hand, is the preferred choice of carnivores, with lardons or bacon in place of veg.
Yes, you can freeze Quiche Florentine. After letting the baked quiche cool completely, you can wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months, then reheat it using the instructions above.
More Must-Try Quiche Recipes
Quiche Florentine
Video
Ingredients
- 9 inch deep dish unbaked pie crust ideally my Lard Pie Crust
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large leeks cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half rounds
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk or 2%
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 4 ounces Gruyère cheese shredded, or cheddar
Instructions
- Place unbaked pie crust in deep dish pie plate; crimp edges if desired. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Line chilled crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove lining and weights, then pierce bottom and sides of crust all over with a fork. Return to oven for 8 more minutes. Set aside and keep oven on.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until well combined. Stir in cooled leeks, spinach (drained and squeezed dry), and cheese until evenly distributed.
- Pour mixture into par-baked crust and bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is just set. If crust edges brown too quickly, cover with foil or a pie crust shield in the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking if crust is getting too brown. Let quiche rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To reheat leftover quiche from the refrigerator; cover with foil and warm in a preheated 350˚F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. To reheat frozen quiche (do not thaw before reheating), follow the same directions, but increase the reheating time to 40 to 50 minutes or when the internal temperature reaches 160˚F to 165˚F.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
