This Crustless Spinach Quiche recipe uses feta cheese and is reminiscent of the flavors in Spanakopita. This easy quiche doesn’t have a crust and is naturally low-carb, gluten-free, diabetic, Atkins and keto-friendly.
The recipe for Keto-Friendly Crustless Spinach Quiche
One thing I love about a crustless quiche is how easy they are to prepare! Let’s face it, making a crust takes time and energy. Ditching the crust not only makes this quiche easy to make, it also cuts out a lot of carbs. Don’t worry, though. This crust is still loaded with flavor!
The spinach and feta are a classic flavor combination. I blend in some notes of onion, garlic, oregano, and just a touch of red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes don’t make it hot and spicy, but just add some interest to the flavor profile.
The heavy cream I use in this recipe adds to the richness in flavor and texture.
The inspiration
There are a lot of variations of spinach quiche out there! Recipes use lots of different cheeses and herbs.
I wanted to create the best crustless spinach quiche I could, so I considered the options seriously. I finally decided on using the traditional flavors of Spanakopita in this recipe.
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How to make a crustless quiche
In a lot of ways, a crustless quiche is faster and easier to make than one with a crust. After all, there is no crust to make and no crust to bake. There is also no waiting time while the crust cools!
To make a crustless quiche, be sure to preheat the oven to the correct temperature–325º F for this crustless spinach quiche. I always start the oven before I do anything else so it has plenty of time to get hot. I also butter a glass pie dish, so it’s ready when I need it.
When making a quiche, it is important to start with pre-cooked ingredients. When veggies cook, the release a lot of water. If they cook in the quiche, the released water will make a watery, unappetizing quiche.
You don’t need to worry about cooking the frozen spinach as it has been gently cooked before it was frozen. You do, however, need to squeeze any additional water from the spinach (see the section below on how to do this).
To make a crustless quiche, you will simply layer the fillings in a pie plate. Next, whisk together the eggs and cream and any herbs or seasonings in the recipe.
The final step is to bake the quiche to perfection in the preheated oven.
How long to cook a crustless quiche
How long you cook a crustless quiche depends on a lot of factors. These factors include the type of baking dish, the temperature of the oven, and even your altitude.
I use a temperature of 325º F to bake this quiche. This is a lower temperature than some recipes use. It may take longer at this temperature, but it is easier to completely cook the center of the quiche without overcooking or burning the edges.
The quiche is done when the center doesn’t jiggle when you gently shake the baking dish a bit. I also like to allow it to start browning a bit on top. If you insert a knife into the center, it should come out clean.
This recipe takes 50-55 minutes to bake, but I start checking it at about 45 minutes. If you don’t have a glass baking dish and use a metal pan, you will need to check it even earlier than this.
How to defrost spinach
For those of you who plan ahead, you can defrost spinach in the refrigerator overnight.
If you’re like me and don’t plan ahead, the refrigerator method won’t work. That doesn’t mean you need to wait to make the quiche. There are a few other ways to defrost spinach.
My favorite way is to put it in a colander and run warm water over it. It will defrost faster this way if you use your hands to break up the icy bits. Once it’s defrosted, you can immediately squeeze the water out (see the next section).
Some people choose to microwave the frozen spinach to soften it. To use this method, remove the spinach from the packaging and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 or 2 minutes or until defrosted.
How to squeeze the water out of the spinach
There are a few different methods to get excess water out of spinach and they both work well.
Some people wrap some cheesecloth or a towel around the spinach and squeeze to get the water out.
My favorite method is to hold the spinach over a colander and use my hands to squeeze it out.
With either method, it’s important to get as much water as possible out of the leaves. If you leave a lot of water in the spinach, it will result in a watery quiche. You need to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze some more. Squeeze until no more water comes out.
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen in quiche?
While I prefer to use defrosted frozen spinach in this recipe as it is less work, you can use fresh spinach instead of frozen in quiche.
The trick to using fresh spinach, is that you need to cook the spinach first. To cook the spinach, you can either steam it or cook it in butter (or oil of choice) in a skillet. You will want to make sure it’s completely cooked and not just wilted as you need all of the water to release.
After cooking the spinach, let it cool, then drain it and squeeze out the water as you would the defrosted frozen spinach.
Can I use milk in quiche instead of cream?
I love using cream in quiche because it makes the final product richer. If you really don’t want to use heavy cream, you could use half and half.
You can get away with using whole milk, but the lower the fat content of the milk, the more watery the quiche will be.
Crustless Spinach Quiche.
This Crustless Spinach Quiche recipe uses feta cheese and is reminiscent of the flavors in Spanakopita. This easy quiche doesn't have a crust and is naturally low-carb, gluten-free, diabetic, Atkins and keto-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion (about 1/2 cup) finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 1 cup feta cheese (about 4 ounces) crumbled
- 1 10-ounce pkg frozen spinach defrosted, water squeezed out
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Butter or grease a 9 inch pie dish.
Heat a medium skillet over medium low heat. Add butter. When butter melts, stir in the onions. Cook onions until soft and translucent and just beginning to brown on the edges. Stir in garlic. Cook gently,while stirring until garlic is fragrant--about one minute. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, oregano, sea salt, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Tranfer the onion and garlic mixture to the pie dish. Spread evenly.
Sprinkle the feta cheese over the onion and garlic mixture.
Evenly distribute the spinach over the feta cheese, breaking up any clumps.
Give the egg mixture one more stir, then pour it over the ingredients in the pie dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, or until the the quiche is set and starting to brown on top.
Thank you for making this recipe easy to follow and for the inspo!
This crustless quiche is a great way to start out the day with a healthy and delicious breakfast!
I love your crustless variation of spinach quiche! This is probably my breakfast over the weekend. 🙂
This is delicious any meal of the day – perfect for breakfast or lunch, and delicious side a salad for dinner!
I’ve been having a hard time keeping up with a healthy diet because I’m such a picky eater. Thanks for making it easier for me with this healthy and delicious recipe!
This is a great recipe. Science of temperature I like. It’s very important. I see Dr. Robert Henkin at the Taste and Smell Clinic in the nice area of D.C. He insists that I eat the RDA of leafy greens everyday. Spinach is so good for people. Thanks so much. Also, I am taste testing broccolini and parm is good. Good ideas are welcome.
Thanks so much, Terri! Leafy greens are some of my favorite veggies these days. This recipe is the only one I have with broccolini: Lemon Garlic Shrimp Sheet Pan Dinner with Broccolini
-Annissa
This is DELICIOUS! I made it with 5 medium eggs and baked for 50 minutes…it is perfect!
The Ingredients list doesn’t contain sea salt but step 3 in the Instructions says to add sea salt. Is it optional?
Hi Cari,
The sea salt is optional. I use around half a teaspoon, but the cheese will also provide a bit of saltiness. Personally, I like my food salty, but I’ve learned that others don’t like salt as much as I do.
-Annissa
Looks yummy. Can I use fresh spinach? If yes, is the same amount of frozen spinach? Thanks.
If you start with fresh spinach, you will want to cook it first. Otherwise it will release a lot of liquid as the quiche bakes. Once cooked, you can use the same amount.
-Annissa
I’d like to try this recipe, but I’m not a fan of feta cheese. Is there an alternative that you think might work as well?
Almost any cheese would work–blue cheese, cheddar cheese, gruyere, for example.
-Annissa
Any suggestions for an alternative for the heavy cream and I am suppose to avoid coconut so no coconut milk. I am trying to stay away from dairy but can have feta.
Recipe sounds very delicious so I would like to try with an alternative for cream.
Thanks, Karen
If you can have nuts, you can make a cashew cream by blending raw cashews with hot water in a food processor or blender.
I made this last night and it tastes even better than I anticipated! I just adore spinach and feta, and with a plenty of both in this recipe, I can truly say it’s divine! I didn’t change anything. Highly recommend giving it a try, you won’t be disappointed!