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The very best crustless quiche (impossible quiche!)

Posted | Updated Apr 06, 2022 by | 213 Comments |

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Sometimes you can’t beat a homemade quiche with a baked potato and a nice fresh salad, but it always takes me longer to make a quiche than I think it will! Which is why I was very excited to ‘discover’ this amazing (magic?) crustless quiche. The Aussies call it ‘impossible quiche’! Read on to find out why, and how to make it…

A crustless quiche or impossible quiche just out of the oven from above with a blue striped tea towel

All quiches are easy to make… right?

A big thumbs down for traditional homemade quiche!

Whenever I make quiche, which we all enjoy in our family (including our super picky toddler!), I find it surprisingly time consuming to make.

I also find the end result varies.

I’m sure it’s just me, but I often end up with holes in my pastry (aka half the filling dripping out onto the oven – oops. See this post. Delicious quiche, terrible photos desperately in need of an update!).

Or I undercook or overcook the filling.

Even if everything goes swimmingly and my quiche is perfect, it takes ti-iiiiii-me. Especially if I make my own pastry.

So now… I either make THESE mini quiche lorraine, because you don’t have to precook the pastry or fillings, or I make THIS crustless quiche.

Someone lifting a piece of crustless quiche out of a white dish

Impossible Quiche!

Have you ever heard of impossible quiche? I’ve only ever seen recipes for it in Australia, but it’s pretty well known there, and for good reason. It’s a delicious quiche – and a little bit different!

Most crustless quiche recipes I find a bit too interchangeable with a frittata. The thing that makes this recipe different is that you add flour to the egg mixture.

The idea is that the flour sinks to the bottom of the quiche during cooking and makes a very light ‘crust’.

A whole crustless quiche (impossible quiche) with a piece out of it in a round baking dish with a blue striped tea towel

Quiche or souffle? 

I say crust, but really I’d describe it as a sort of pancake-y layer that’s slightly heavier than the rest of the quiche. Sometimes it’s a bit more defined than other times.

I think it might depend of the type of fillings that you add to the quiche, and whether or not they are cooked. 

Either way the quiche is delicious. If the flour doesn’t sink so much, I find that the eggy mixture has a slightly different texture to a regular quiche – almost like a souffle! The top of the quiche is also a bit crunchier than usual. As some of the flour stays on the top, it forms a kind of light batter topping.

This quiche reheats really well, and when you reheat it the top gets even more deliciously crunchy. Try it and see!

Erm… but what’s Impossible Quiche?

If I’m totally honest I don’t know why this is called impossible quiche. At first I thought it was because of the thin ‘crust’ that forms at the bottom, as if by magic!

But this feature of the quiche is subtle, and like I said before seems to depend on what fillings you’ve added.

So maybe it’s because the quiche is ‘impossibly’ quick to make?

Lightly cook the onions and mushrooms (or whatever fillings you want to add), then pour everything into your quiche pan and cook it for just 30 minutes.

Caramelizing onions with a wooden spoon in a frying pan from above

Caramelizing the onions. Mmmm, delicious!

A person holding a crustless quiche over a marble background before it goes in the oven

Before…

A closeup of a crustless quiche just as it\'s out of the oven

After…

Of course it doesn’t really matter why it’s called what it’s called. The important thing is that it’s a really delicious quiche. Recently it’s become my go-to, and I wonder if it will become yours too if you give it a go!

Why is this the best crustless quiche? 

To summarize, I think this is the very best crustless quiche because…

  • It’s REALLY quick and easy to make, but it ISN’T just another frittata!
  • It seems really cheesy, even though there isn’t that much cheese in it – almost like a souffle.
  • This particular quiche is made with ham (so no pre-cooking!), mushrooms, and the most amazing caramelized onions.
  • If you’re lucky there’s a kind of magic thin crust on the bottom of your quiche.
  • Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially lazy or short on time, I don’t pre-cook any of the veggies. I just add finely chopped onions, peppers and chopped cherry tomatoes (as well as ham and cheese, of course!). Surprisingly I seem to end up with the best ‘magic crust’ on the bottom of the quiche when I do this.
  • You use milk to make this quiche, not cream. So it’s a little lighter than a regular quiche – but no less delicious!
  • This crustless quiche reheats really well. If anything it’s more delicious when reheated!

A whole crustless quiche from above on a white background with a blue tea towel in the background

So next time you’re craving a quiche, I challenge you to ditch your regular recipe (or store-bought go-to!) and give this crustless quiche a chance.

A close up of a slice of quiche on a white plate with a fork

What to serve with a crustless quiche 

Our favourite way to eat quiche is with a baked potato and salad. Don’t forget the coleslaw – trust me, it’s the icing on the cake 😉

Another easy quiche recipe for you!

If you’re loving the easy quiche vibe in the post, but would rather keep the crust…

  • try these easy mini quiche lorraine! They do have pastry, but you don’t need to pre-cook it. In fact you don’t pre-cook anything. The quiches are super super quick and easy, contain only 6 ingredients, and are perfect for freezing and/or taking along to parties!
Someone lifting a piece of crustless quiche out of a white dish

The very best crustless quiche (Impossible Quiche!)

This is the VERY BEST crustless quiche! It's known as Impossible Quiche in Australia! Added flour sinks to the bottom during cooking, creating a thin pancake-y crust. You can either add caramelized onions and mushrooms, ham and cheese, like I’ve stated in the recipe below, or you can keep things super simple and add raw finely chopped veggies like onions, peppers and tomatoes.
4.97 from 123 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Cuisine French
Servings (click to change) 8
Author Helen

Equipment (affiliate links)

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)

cups/ounces - grams/ml
  • 1 onion sliced thinly
  • 1 tablespoon butter for cooking
  • 5 ounces mushrooms (around 4 medium mushrooms)
  • 3½ ounces ham chopped
  • 1 cup grated cheese (strong cheddar cheeses or similar work well)
  • ½ cup self-raising flour
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 4 eggs lightly whisked
  • 2 teaspoons mustard (I usually use wholegrain, but any mustard works)
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C.
  • Melt the butter in a large frying pan or saucepan, then cook the onions slowly for about 10 minutes or until soft and beginning to caramelize.
  • Add the mushrooms to the onions in the pan and cook for a further couple of minutes.
  • Grease a standard quiche dish (or other round pan) with a little butter, then spread the onions and mushrooms evenly over the bottom. Scatter over the chopped ham and cheese.
  • Slowly add the milk to the flour in a large jug. Whisk continuously so that there are no lumps, then whisk in the eggs, mustard, and salt and pepper.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the fillings in the dish/pan, then bake for 30 (to 40) minutes or until the mixture is just cooked in the centre. Slice and serve!

Notes

A note on the fillings

The amount/type of fillings in this recipe are just a guideline. You could easily make a more traditional quiche lorraine with just bacon, onions and cheese if you prefer.
To make this quiche even quicker and easier, don’t pre-cook a single thing! I’ve made it with just finely chopped raw onion and peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, and lots of cheese! Interestingly, this made for the best ‘magic crust’ on the bottom.
Or add things like:
leftover cooked roasted vegetables (I often add these)
asparagus (no need to pre-cook)
chopped spinach (blanched and squeezed) & cubes of feta cheese

A note on serving the quiche

I sometimes find that despite greasing the pan my quiche still sticks to it a bit. That’s OK! Some of the thin ‘crust’ at the bottom might get left behind in the pan, but it really doesn’t make any difference to the appearance of the individual pieces, and certainly not to the taste.

A note on freezing and/or reheating the quiche

This quiche freezes really well. I usually freeze any leftovers in glass containers or aluminium foil, then I defrost and reheat in the oven at 300F/150C for about 20 minutes.
Sometimes I feel like the reheated quiche is even more delicious than it was when fresh!

How to serve a crustless quiche

For a light lunch, serve it with a simple fresh green salad, or how about a colourful, healthy Greek salad? 
I also love this with baked potatoes and coleslaw or another type of easy potatoes. Try these incredible Greek potatoes! 
For more ideas about what to serve with this, check out my list of 40+ easy side dish ideas for quiche. 

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 12gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 314mgPotassium: 224mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 380IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 169mgIron: 0.8mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know if you liked it!

Comments

  2. Annie says

    Hi, I intend making this quiche at the weekend.
    What type of ham is it best to use? Thanks

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hello Annie! It doesn’t really matter but for maximum flavor I’d choose a good quality, fairly thick cut off-the-bone smoked ham. But I’ve even made it with that thin stuff you buy in a packet for sandwiches! Enjoy!

      Reply

  3. Christine says

    I’d like to make this for a friend who’s Gluten intolerant, could I use cornflour please?

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hello Christine, yes that should be no problem at all. The cornflour may not combine to make a ‘base’ but the quiche will still have a lovely texture. Alternatively you can use gluten free flour. Good luck and I really hope your friend enjoys it!

      Reply

      • Christine says

        Thanks for that, stupid of me not to think about it especially as I have some in my cupboard!! Unfortunately all my quiche tins are perforated, I have a dish but it’s quite deep could the ingredients be increased don’t want it to look half full. Am going to try broccoli, Stilton and cherry tomato which is what they all like, must admit bit nervous about it!!!

      • Helen says

        Not stupid at all, Christine! I think both will work. As for the tin, I think you could either line the quiche tin with 2 layers of baking paper, or you could increase all the ingredients by say 50% (there’s a slider in the recipe card if you’d like to use that) and use your larger dish. The cooking time will increase a bit but it’s pretty easy to see when the quiche is done. Just keep an eye on it. You want it to have started to brown on top (lightly) and for it to be ‘just’ set in the middle. Although saying that a few times I have slightly overcooked it and it’s still been delicious. Try not to be nervous – it’ll be delicious even if not perfect! 🙂

  4. valda cox says

    Hi there from Cape Town South Africa.
    I really enjoyed this quiche and don’t think I will ever worry about making a pastry lining again.
    I made a spinach, feta and cooked onion one and you don’t even miss the not having a pie crust.
    I am going to send it to my daughter in the UK
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hello Valda, always love to hear from people from near and far. Would love to visit Cape Town some day! I hear it’s beautiful. I’m so happy you enjoyed the quiche, and I love the sound of the way you made it your own. I agree that you just don’t need the crust any more, and I really hope your daughter likes it too! 🙂

      Reply

    • Rodney says

      Lekke… we are NOW busy making 2 this for dinner and leftovers for breakfast tomorrow morning (if anything will be left).
      Greetings from Kuilsriver, Cape town South Africa.

      Reply

  5. Adriana says

    It’s called impossible quiche (or sometimes impossible pie), because it’s virtually impossible to mess it up 🙂

    Reply

  7. Reggie says

    5 stars
    Wow! The best I’ve tried so far. The mustard seed just makes it sing!! I’ve made this many times and tweaked it many times, they were all nice but the original recipe is the best!

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Thank you so much for the vote of confidence, Reggie – I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a great review. Like you I’ve made many different versions of this, but always come back to the original 😉

      Reply

  8. Desiree says

    5 stars
    I have made this a few times and it always comes out delicious. I now bake it ahead of time and freeze it for lunches.

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hi Desiree! I’m so happy that this has become a favourite recipe! And it’s very helpful to hear that you find it freezes well. Thank you so much! 🙂

      Reply

  9. DG says

    I spiced up with red chili peppers sautéed with ham and onion, delicious!

    Hosting a brunch next weekend and was looking for an easy egg veggie and meat dish. This is perfect!

    Reply

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