Cheesy Vegetable Quiche with Cauliflower Crust

JUMP TO RECIPE PIN RECIPE
4.92 from 12 votes

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

A cheesy quiche loaded with veggies, baked in a low-carb, gluten free, and deliciously seasoned cauliflower crust.

aerial photo of cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust in a pie plate with a slice cut out

Many years ago, I was dying to try out this cauliflower pizza crust I had seen all over the place.

Being a baker, my brain constantly thinks in recipes– my bookmarks, notes in my phone, and scribbles in the margins of my planner are filled to the brim with recipe titles and ideas (real life Pinterest, over here).

slice of cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust sitting on a plate

My brain is also constantly thinking in indoor cycling songs and workout playlists, but that’s a completely different problem I have.

While pizza toppings never quite made it onto my cauliflower pizza crust, turning that crust into the bottom layer of a quiche turned out to be one of the best blogging decisions I ever made.

Save This Recipe form

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust in a pie plate

In fact, just 2 months after I originally published this post, Huffington Post picked it up and plopped it into a roundup of recipes using cauliflower in unconventional ways.

Needless to say, this post has gotten so much traffic over the years from that post, so, in turn, it has received some pretty great reviews from folks who have made it.

I thought that six years later was a good time to finally update the post with fresh photos and an updated, clearer set of instructions.

The same great recipe, just easier to understand!

slice of cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust sitting on a plate

I have written before that I adore savory breakfast.

Give me sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit or an everything bagel, you can keep your pastries and French toast (except these sourdough cinnamon rolls can stay… Mmmkay?).

If you aren’t interested in the cauliflower crust, you may certainly bake this in a store bought pie crust, my favorite homemade pie crust, or go with one of my tried and true methods and leave it crustless.

sliced cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust in a pie plate

Just skip the part about the crust and head over to the guts and glory, but if I were you, I would give this a try.

It really surprised me, not only that it was fairly easy to make, but that it gave a really good flavor and texture to the quiche overall.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR A GREAT CAULIFLOWER CRUST

All you need for the crust is
•a large head of cauliflower
•some grated Parmesan
•an egg
•and some spices

Good news– you need all of that (minus the cauliflower) for the quiche, so you might as well go all out and try something new.

head of cauliflower

You’re going to cut up your cauliflower, removing all of the stems and working with just the florets, and pulse all of it in your food processor (this is the food processor we own and love) until it resembles cornmeal.

After processing, you should have about 2 cups of “cauli-flour” (I crack myself up).

Throw this mixture into a microwave safe container, and cook it in the microwave for 5 minutes (no need to add water).

After it’s done cooking, try to get over the fact that it smells like you-know-what, and let it cool for at least 10 minutes.

riced cauliflower in a food processor

Trust me, you don’t want to leave this part out, because the next step involves squeezing out all of the excess water, and you don’t want hot lava pouring down your hands and arms (not that I know this from experience, I am super patient and always wait the entire 10 minutes before I start squeezing…).

While you’re waiting for the cauliflower to cool, blend your cheese, egg, and spices, and maybe start chopping up the vegetables for the quiche filling.

SQUEEZE OUT ALL THE MOISTURE

Once your cauliflower is cool, ball it up in a strong kitchen towel and squeeze like you’ve never squeezed before. There will be a ton of water in that bad boy… Seriously, a ton.

black kitchen towel being used to squeeze moisture out of cooked cauliflower

And when you think you’re finally done squeezing, squeeze some more, because you’re not. You want absolutely zero liquid left in your cauliflower crust.

Once it’s all dried up, throw it in with your egg mixture and get your hands in there (or a spatula) to mix it all together. From there, you can sort of flatten it and put it right into your pie dish, spreading it out evenly like you would a pie crust.

hands pressing a cauliflower crust into a pie plate

Once it’s all in, bake it for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges brown and the overall color is browning as well.

While my crust baked, I started to sauté my vegetables (seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper).

ALL THE VEGGIES!

For this recipe, I used frozen chopped spinach. I went this route because
1) it’s easier than sweating down a bunch of spinach
2) it’s already chopped and
3) it comes in a 10oz block which was the perfect amount I needed for my quiche.

No measuring!

slice of cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust sitting on a plate

Just make sure that once your spinach is defrosted, you squeeze out the water just like you did with your cauliflower (again, make sure it’s cool enough for you to do so if you thawed it in the microwave).

bowl of greens with chopped peppers and onions in a bowl ready to be the filling of a quiche

After all of the vegetables are cooked, it’s time to whip up the simple spinach and vegetable mixture, layer it in the bottom of the baked cauliflower pie crust, and sprinkle the cheese right on top of that layer.

For my cheese, I like to shred my own off the block and use a creamy blend of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack.

The eggs, milk, salt, and pepper get whisked together in a bowl and then evenly poured on top of the cheese mixture.

pouring egg mixture onto quiche filling in a pie plate

Although we typically dig right in once it’s finished baking, we find the best taste to be after it has settled a bit in the fridge. The flavors marinate together better and, surprisingly, the crust gets crustier.

PERFECT FOR ANY MEAL

This quiche is the perfect breakfast, although if we’re being honest, we have had it for lunch AND dinner. So it never lasts long in our house!

The quiche itself is perfectly cheesy, speckled with sweet vegetables, and blends nicely with the boldly seasoned cauliflower crust (which taste-testers can usually tell is different, but aren’t exactly sure in what way, and still delicious).

aerial photo of cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust in a pie plate

Change up your vegetables, play around with your cheeses, but certainly do not be intimidated by this “crust.” It might surprise you and your next breakfast guests!

If you’re interested in any other recipes that would go nicely with this low carb crust for quiche, check out any of the following quiche recipes on my blog:
crustless mushroom & tarragon quiche
asparagus quiche
crustless caprese quiche

BONUS: this is actually a keto cauliflower pie crust, so if you’re looking for one of those, BINGO!

slice of cheesy vegetable quiche with cauliflower crust sitting on a plate

Plus, it’s lasted the test of time here at FAF. And I don’t think it’s going anywhere any time soon!

Want to continue getting your veggie fix? Try my veggie nuggets (perfect for kids) or zesty cucumber salad next.

Cheesy Vegetable Quiche with Cauliflower Crust

A cheesy quiche loaded with veggies, baked in a low-carb, gluten free, and deliciously seasoned cauliflower crust.
Prep Time1 hour
Bake Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Recipe Author Lynn April
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

CAULIFLOWER CRUST

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower
  • ½ cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

FILLING

  • 1 10-ounce package (283g) frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
  • 1 large bell pepper chopped
  • ½ of a yellow onion chopped; about ⅓ cup
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 cup (240g) milk any
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 ounces (114g) shredded cheese

Instructions

CAULIFLOWER CRUST

  • Preheat the oven to 450ºF (232ºC). Spray an 8″ or 9″ pie dish with non-stick spray and set aside. 
  • Cut cauliflower into pieces, removing as much stem as possible and keeping the florets. Rinse the florets in a colander, place in a food processor, and pulse florets until they resemble corn meal. 
  • Place processed cauliflower in a medium size microwave safe bowl and cook in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave, set aside, and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  • After cauliflower has cooled, use a strong kitchen towel to wring out all of the moisture. I will sometimes use two different towels separately to get out as much moisture as possible. Transfer dry cauliflower back to bowl.
  • In a small bowl, blend together Parmesan cheese, egg, and spices. Add to cooled cauliflower and mix together with a spatula or your hands.
  • Transfer cauliflower to pie dish, smoothing it out with your hands, making sure to spread it evenly to cover the bottom and the sides of the dish.
  • Bake crust for 15-20 minutes until edges are brown and overall crust starts browning. Allow to cool on wire rack while you prepare the filling.

FILLING

  • Decrease the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Blot or squeeze out as much moisture as you can from your thawed spinach. If you heated your spinach to thaw it, make sure it is cool enough to handle. Put dry spinach in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook mixture for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender. Spoon the cooked vegetables into the bowl with the spinach. Stir to combine and allow to cool.
  • In a medium size bowl, preferably with a spout, whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Set aside. 
  • Spoon spinach and vegetable mixture into cauliflower crust, top with shredded cheese, and pour the egg mixture evenly on top of cheese layer. Place a pie shield or foil around the exposed crust to prevent from burning.
  • Bake quiche for 40-42 minutes or until filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator up to 4 days, or in the freezer up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake at 350°F (177ºC) until warmed through, about 25 minutes.

Notes

You may certainly leave this quiche crustless or consider making your own traditional crust!
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Love quiche? Try my Crustless Caprese Quiche next!

Crustless Caprese Quiche: A crustless, low-carb quiche bursting with flavorful basil, creamy mozzarella, and juicy tomatoes.

Need some sweet go to with your savory? Try Cinnamon Chip Scones with your quiche!

Cinnamon Crunch Scones: buttery, tender, and full of sweet cinnamon flavor.

Or maybe you want a sweet yet still healthy addition to your breakfast…

Banana Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

54 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious!! Thank you! I’m beyond impressed that you had this recipe before Cauliflower crust was a thing, Lynn! Healthy, and so tasty. I’d been making Frittatas for years so only wish I’d found this before! Thanks for all the tips and helpful info too. I used Coconut Milk instead and turned out delicious!

    1. Thanks so much, Laura! This is on my list to redo, rephotograph, and republish with updated info for later this summer. It’s one of my most popular posts– can’t believe I got in while cauliflower crust was still on the rise, hahaha.

    2. 5 stars
      Taste is a 5, but this is super labor, tool and time intensive, IMO. Lots of bowls, a frying pan, strainer, towel…I feel like my kitchen was full of utensils and equipment when I was done. Not to mention itty bitty cauliflower pieces. It had good flavor, but after all that work I think I’d probably try another recipe in the future. Thank you for sharing though and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!

    3. Fair assessment– crustless is way less work! This is for those who want a crust but don’t want to use a traditional pie crust. I’m glad you liked it though!

    1. My next suggestion would be a blender, but if you don’t have that either, my best suggestion would be to chop up the cauliflower as tiny as possible and cook a couple more minutes than suggested to soften. Then chop again. You’ll probably be able to get the florets pretty tiny that way, though I can’t guarantee anything. Good luck and keep me posted!

  2. 5 stars
    Hey Lynn – this recipe is amazing! I made it for my mum who follows a keto diet, but we all loved it! And the leftovers were just as good as the first round. The only sub I made was whipping cream for the milk as that was all we had in the house (and threw in some bacon because … well … everything is better with bacon right) and it was fantastic! In fact, it reminded me of a cheese and onion tart I used to eat in a little French restaurant in London so … I’ve just made it again replacing all the veg with beautifully softened almost caramelised onions. Can’t wait to try it out.

  3. Hi! Thanks for the recipe, going to try it today! I would like to make many and freeze some. Anything I should know about to do this?