This classic Spinach Quiche has it all—flaky, buttery crust, creamy eggs, tender spinach, and plenty of melty cheese. It’s perfect any time of day, and I’m sharing all my best tips (including one that makes all the difference!) to help you bake it like a pro.
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
The Quick Dish on Easy Quiche Florentine
Cuisine Inspiration: French Bistro Charm + a Nod to Italy
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Vegetarian (Gluten-Free Friendly: Crustless Option Available)
Key Flavor: Creamy, Cheesy, and Savory Goodness
Skill Level: Easy-Peasy with a Touch of Fancy
You will love this Spinach Quiche
I absolutely love a good quiche—especially this quiche florentine, which boasts the name of my sweet grandmother. She raised seven boys during the Depression and fed them well! I’m not sure who this quiche was originally named after, but with a name like Florentine, I think she was a pretty amazing woman.
Spinach and cheese quiche is delicious warm or room temperature and makes a fabulous breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner! And let’s dispel this rumor: real men do eat quiche! Mr. Fresh Cooky is every bit a real man, and he loves this quiche!
While I love a homemade crust, and my 3-ingredient butter crust is so easy, I get it – you may just want to purchase a store-bought crust. If you go that route, I recommend springing for a quality one for the best taste.
Expert Tips
- Blind bake your crust: Pre-baking your crust before filling prevents the dreaded “soggy bottom.”
- Layer your ingredients: Place shallots on the bottom, followed by cheese and then spinach, for even distribution throughout your quiche.
- Squeeze that spinach: Whether using frozen or fresh, removing excess moisture is crucial for a firm custard.
- Bake at the right temperature: Starting at a higher temperature for the crust, then reducing to 325°F, gives you a perfect balance of crisp crust and tender filling.
- Let it rest: Allow your quiche to cool for 10-20 minutes before slicing for cleaner, more beautiful servings.
What is Quiche Florentine?
Quiche Florentine is a classic French dish with a little Italian flair. At its core, it’s a savory, open-faced pie with a flaky pastry crust, filled with creamy eggs, cheese, and plenty of spinach. The quiche itself hails from France, known for transforming simple ingredients into something elegant and satisfying.
The Florentine part? That’s where Italy sneaks in. In the culinary world, “Florentine” means the dish includes spinach—a nod to Florence, Italy. So while Quiche Florentine wasn’t named after my Grandma Florentine (though I like to pretend it was), every time I make it, I think of her and imagine women in both France and Italy claiming this recipe as their own.
It sounds fancy, but honestly, it’s simple to make and perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner—because eggs, cheese, and pastry know no mealtime limits.
Now, go preheat that oven—you’re about to make a quiche that’ll have everyone asking for seconds!
Spinach Quiche Recipe Ingredients
- Flakey Pie Crust: Whether homemade or store-bought, a good quality crust is the foundation of your quiche. I recommend using my three-ingredient pie crust recipe!
- Butter: You need just a little butter to sauté the shallots!
- Shallots: These provide a milder, lighter flavor than onions. They should be thinly sliced and gently sautéed before adding to the quiche!
- Eggs: Five large eggs create the perfect egg custard filling.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream lends a luxurious, silky texture.
- Ground Nutmeg: Freshly grated is best for this recipe, adding a subtle warmth. If you don’t have fresh nutmeg, then ground nutmeg works, too!
- Dijon Mustard: For just a slightly tangy flavor! If you prefer, you can use ground mustard instead.
- Salt & Pepper: To taste!
- Gruyere Cheese: This nutty, melty cheese is traditional for quiche. Always grate your own for superior melting! But of course, this is your quiche, so if you prefer cheddar cheeses, use a sharp cheddar cheese.
- Spinach: Frozen spinach works perfectly here but must be thoroughly dried to prevent a watery quiche. I’ll explain how to to use fresh too!
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to make Quiche Florentine
Step 1 – Preheat & Prep Spinach
Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C) and move the rack to the middle of the oven. Gather, prep and measure all of your ingredients. This is called mise en place – that way you won’t forget any ingredients! Make sure your spinach is thawed or if you used fresh spinach, cooked and cooled. See below for how to quickly thaw spinach.
Fresh Spinach Tips: Use 1 pound of fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. Steam or sauté it in 1–2 teaspoons of olive oil until wilted, then cool completely and squeeze out excess liquid with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
Pro Tip for Quick Thawing Spinach:
Remove spinach from the package and place in a fine mesh strainer; run hot water over the spinach until it’s thawed, then squeeze and re-squeeze and squeeze one more time to make sure all of the water is out of the spinach. If your spinach still has water, it will make your quiche watery.
Step 2 – Prepare the Crust
Frozen Pie Crust: If using a frozen pie crust, remove from the freezer and thaw for 10-15 minutes until just soft enough to prick it with a fork. Prick it all over: the bottom and sides of the crust.
Butter Pie Crust: If using a homemade pie crust, fit it into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, trimming the edges so they stay just inside the rim. Crimp or flute the edges neatly—this helps keep the crust from breaking when you slice and serve the quiche. Katheen’s pro tips: use cold butter and use cold water!
For both crusts: Line the crust with parchment paper and add pie weights, raw rice or dry beans to the pie plate. This will help the bottom of the crust not to puff up while it bakes. Prebake your pie crust in a 400°F (205° C) oven for about 10-15 minutes, peek at it now and then, if the edges are puffing up, gently prick them with a fork to deflate. Bake until a light golden brown, then remove from oven. Reduce the temperature to 325°F (165° C).
Pro Tip: If you don’t have pie weights or beans to blind bake your pie crust, make sure you have pricked it well all over and bake, poking any puffed-up spots while baking with a fork to deflate.
Step 3 – Make the Filling
In a saute pan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter and saute the shallots for about 8 minutes, until lightly caramelized and translucent, you don’t want them browned.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, (black or cayenne pepper) and Dijon mustard, or ground mustard.
Place your pie crust on a baking sheet (this prevents oven messes and makes it easier to transfer to and from the oven). Layer the shallots on the bottom of the pie crust. Next, sprinkle the shredded Gruyère cheese over the shallots.
Sprinkle the squeezed dry spinach evenly over the top of the cheese, breaking up any large pieces. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
Step 4 – Bake & Enjoy
Transfer the quiche to the 325°F (165° C) oven on the baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden and the quiche is set. If the crust browns too quickly, use a crust guard or cover the edges with foil. A teensy jiggle in the middle is okay, as it will set as it cools slightly, but it shouldn’t be much.
Spinach Quiche Variations & Substitutions
- Mushrooms: While sauteing, add up to 8 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms (or 1 small jar of drained mushrooms) to your shallots.
- Bacon: Crisp up 8-12 ounces of bacon in saute pan, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease for sauteing your shallots. Crumble bacon and sprinkle over spinach when assembling the quiche.
- Ham and Spinach Quiche: Add up to 1 cup cooked, chopped ham to the quiche layer on top of the Spinach.
- Cheese Options: Use other cheeses; some great cheeses to use are: Gouda (smoked or regular), feta, goat cheese, sharp white cheddar, Comte, Swiss cheese, or Muenster. Make sure you finely shred them off the block for the best melting experience.
- Add-Ins: Add up to 2 cups cooked and slightly cooled vegetables and/or meat or seafood. All add-ins should be pre-cooked and can still be warm (but not hot) when added to the quiche. Layer add ins in the quiche pan.
- Crustless: Make it even healthier and bake it crustless. Lightly oil the pie plate with a little neutral oil. Then layer ingredients as directed above and bake in a preheated 350°F (175° C) for 35-50 minutes or until set.
How to store Spinach and Cheese Quiche
Store cooled leftover quiche wrapped well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, or see freezer notes below.
Make-Ahead Instructions: This quiche can be made up to 2-3 days in advance, cooled and refrigerated, and wrapped well.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Cook and cool your quiche completely, then wrap twice in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil (place in a large freeze baggie for even more protection) and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to reheat Quiche
From the Refrigerator:
Lightly cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 35–50 minutes or until heated through. To check, insert a butter knife into the center and hold it for a few seconds—if the knife feels hot, it’s ready.
From Frozen:
No need to thaw! Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove any plastic wrap, place the quiche on a baking sheet, and cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for 50–60 minutes until the center is hot. Use the butter knife test—hold it in the center for a few seconds and check if it’s hot. Remove the foil during the last 10–15 minutes of baking for a crispier crust. Let the quiche rest for 10–20 minutes before slicing.
Other Options:
Reheat individual slices in the microwave in 30-second bursts (know the crust will soften), or warm it up in the air fryer at 300°F (150°C) for 15–20 minutes.
Quiche Florentine FAQs
Quiche Florentine features spinach as its main ingredient, typically paired with cheese like Gruyere. Quiche Lorraine, on the other hand, is made with bacon or ham and sometimes Swiss cheese, but traditionally contains no vegetables.
Yes! If you are using fresh spinach, it needs to be cooked before adding to your quiche. This removes excess moisture that would otherwise make your quiche watery and ensures the spinach is fully cooked in the final dish. If using frozen spinach, you just need to thaw it and dry it to remove the extra moisture.
Both work well, but frozen spinach is often more convenient and consistent. If using fresh spinach, you’ll need about 1 pound, which will cook down significantly. With frozen spinach, the work of cooking it down is already done for you, and you just need to thaw and squeeze it dry.
The key is blind baking, which is prebaking your crust before adding the filling. Line your raw crust with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. This creates a barrier between the crust and wet filling. Also, make sure your spinach is thoroughly dried, if not = soggy crust!
More of our great breakfast & brunch recipes
You might not have a grandma named Florentine (lucky me, I did!), but trust me—you’ll still want this quiche in your recipe lineup. It’s like a warm hug from your oven, with melty cheese, tender spinach, and that golden, flaky crust. Whether you’re feeding a brunch crowd or just yourself (no judgment), this recipe’s got “new favorite” written all over it. Now, go on—crack those eggs and make some magic happen!
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Ingredients
- 1 9-inch unbaked Pie Crust see note 1
- 1 tablespoon butter salted or unsalted
- 3 – 4 small-medium shallots thinly sliced or minced (See note 2)
- 5 large eggs room temperature is best
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg fresh grated is the best!
- 1 – 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ – ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon black pepper or cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese 4 oz, finely shreeded, packed (see note 3)
- 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry (See note 4 for fresh)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C) and move the rack to the middle of the oven. Gather, prep and measure all of your ingredients. This is called mise en place – that way you won’t forget any ingredients! Make sure your spinach is thawed or if you used fresh spinach, cooked and cooled. See note 4 for tips on fresh and frozen spinach.
- Frozen Pie Crust: If using a frozen pie crust, remove from freezer and thaw for about 10-15 minutes until just soft enough that you can prick it with a fork. Prick it all over, the bottom, sides of the crust.1 9-inch unbaked Pie Crust
- Homemade Pie Crust: If using a fresh homemade pie crust, make crust and place in 9” inch deep dish pie plate, trim the edges so they do not overlap the edges of the pie plate and crimp or flute them just inside the top of the plate without going out onto the edge. (this way when you serve the quiche, you won’t snap off the edges while serving).Note: If you desire to lift out the entire quiche for a prettier presentation and easier cutting, line the pie plate with a large piece of parchment paper and trim so there’s a little overlap for easier lifting out, then shape your crust. Alternatively, you may make your pie crust in a tart pan that has a removable bottom.
- For both crusts: Line the crust with parchment paper and add pie weights, raw rice or dry beans to the pie plate. This will help the bottom of the crust not to puff up while it bakes. Prebake your pie crust in a 400°F (205° C) oven for about 10-15 minutes, peek at it every now and then, if the edges are puffing up, gently prick them with a fork to deflate. Bake until a light golden brown, then remove from oven. Reduce the temperature to 325°F (165° C). Note: If you don’t have pie weights or beans to blind bake your pie crust, make sure you have pricked it well all over and bake, poking any puffed up spots while baking with a fork to deflate.
- In a saute pan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter and saute the shallots for about 8 minutes, until lightly caramelized and translucent, you don’t want them browned.1 tablespoon butter, 3 – 4 small-medium shallots
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the (5) eggs, heavy cream (1 cup), nutmeg (¼-⅛ tsp), salt (¾ tsp), pepper (⅛-¼ teaspoon, black or cayenne pepper) and Dijon mustard (1-2 teaspoons), or ground mustard (½ tsp).5 large eggs, 1 cup heavy cream, ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 – 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, ½ – ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Placing your pie crust on a baking sheet (preventing oven messes and makes it easier to transfer to and from the oven) and layer the shallots on the bottom of the pie crust, next sprinkle the shredded Gruyere cheese (4 oz, 1 cup packed) over the shallots.1 cup Gruyere cheese
- Sprinkle the squeezed dry spinach (10 oz package, see note 4) evenly over the top of the cheese, breaking up any large pieces. Pour the egg mixture over the top.1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
- Transfer quiche to the 325°F (165° C) oven on the baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the the top is golden and quiche is set. If the crust is browning too quickly, use a crust guard or cover edges with some foil. A teensy jiggle in the middle is okay as it will set as it cools slightly, but it shouldn’t be much. See Note 5 for troubleshooting doneness of a quiche.
Notes
- Note that this recipe for pie crust provided makes 2 pie crusts! So make both and freeze the second amount of dough for the second one to enjoy a pie or quiche another day.
- About ¾-1 cup thinly sliced. Replace shallots with one small sweet onion, minced or grated. 💡 Tip: If you’re unsure, start with ¾ cup and add more to taste—shallots mellow as they cook!
- Grate your own cheese for the best melting experience. Also feel free to change up the cheese here; use the same amount of crumbled feta for a more Mediterranean taste, smoked or regular Gouda, Fontina, Swiss or even cheddar. If desired, add only ½ the cheese over the spinach then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top before baking.
- Fresh spinach: Use 1 pound of fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. Steam or sauté it in 1–2 teaspoons of olive oil until wilted, then cool completely and squeeze out excess liquid with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. To quickly thaw your spinach, remove it from the package and place it in a fine mesh strainer; run hot water over the spinach until it’s thawed, then squeeze and re-squeeze and squeeze one more time to make sure all of the water is out of the spinach. If your spinach still has water in it, it will make your quiche water.
- Here are a few easy ways to check for doneness:
- Visual Check – The top should be lightly golden and puffed and the edges should be set. If the center still looks very wet or shiny it needs more time.
- The Jiggle Test – Give the pan a little shake. A slight wobble in the center is fine; it will continue to firm up as it cools. But if the whole quiche wiggles like a wave it needs more time in the oven.
- Knife or Toothpick Test – Insert a clean knife or toothpick about an inch from the center. If it comes out mostly clean with just a bit of moisture, the quiche is done. If there’s runny egg, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
- Temperature Check – If you want to get technical use an instant read thermometer. The quiche should be between 165°F and 175°F (74°C-79°C) in the center for a fully set custard.
- Let the quiche rest for 10-20 minutes before slicing. This helps the filling firm up and makes for cleaner slices!
- I have found that layering the ingredients allows for a better distribution of the ingredients after baking. If preferred, you may choose to mix all of the ingredients into the egg and cream mixture then pour it all in the crust.
- If using a shallow baking dish or storebought pie crust, this mixture may be more than you need, fill to just about the rim (remember it will puff up) and then any leftover, either bake up a mini crustless quiche (use a muffin pan or ramekins) or scramble yourself a delicious breakfast.
Storage & Reheating
- Store: Cool completely, wrap well, and refrigerate for 2–3 days or freeze up to 3 months (double wrap in plastic wrap and again in foil for best results).
- Make-Ahead: Bake up to 2–3 days in advance, cool, and refrigerate wrapped well.
- Reheat from Fridge: Cover with foil and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 35–50 min until heated through.
- Reheat from Frozen: Bake (no thawing) at 350°F (175°C), covered, for 50–60 min. Uncover last 10–15 min to crisp the crust. Rest 10–20 min before slicing.
- Quick Reheat: Microwave slices in 30-sec bursts (crust softens) or air fry at 300°F (150°C) for 15–20 min.
Nutrition
Lisa Bond
Made this for Easter today and loved it! Doubled the recipe, threw in some sausage and cherry tomatoes, too. Awesome!
Yum!! Love your twist on it Lisa!! Thanks for your sweet comment!!
chellie
Light, fluffy, perfection! Loved this quiche so much.
Yay!! Thank you so much. Appreciate your sweet comment.