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…
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.
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’.
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 the onions. Mmmm, delicious!
Before…
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!
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.
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!
The very best crustless quiche (Impossible Quiche!)
Equipment (affiliate links)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for 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
Stacey says
The best quiche I’ve made, parter ate 3 quarters of it. Thanks for sharing.
Helen says
Hi Stacey! So happy to hear this! I’m glad you got to taste a little bit for yourself! 🙂
Diana says
Absolutely mind blowing!!! Yummy!
Helen says
Thank you so much, Diana! 🙂
Kathy Frantz says
A beautiful recipe, thanks for sharing. Loved it. Used 6 eggs, spinach, and sour cream.
Best quiche I have ever made.
Helen says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Kathy, and the 5-star rating! I love the sound of your additions of spinach and sour cream. One of the things I love about this recipe is that it’s so adaptable. 🙂
Kathy Frantz says
This is the best quiche I have ever made in all my years of cooking (40 years). It was so light, fluffy, and absolutely beautiful. I used 6 eggs instead of 4, added a couple of teaspoons of sour cream that needed using up and layered some steamed spinach at the bottom with onions, mushrooms etc. It was like a souffle, just beautiful. Lunch for the next couple of days for sure!
Thanks for a great recipe.
Helen says
You’ve made my day with this comment, Kathy! What a compliment! Actually, you’re making me hungry with your description. So happy you liked it so much.
Di says
My husband is not a quiche man but I made this at the weekend and we both thought it was out of this world, we could eat it every day! I have already given the recipe to a friend who has also made it and loved it.
Just divine!!
Thank you Helen.
Helen says
Hello Di! Oh wow, thank you so much for the great feedback! Isn’t that great when you find a recipe that wins someone over on something they usually don’t like! My blueberry muffin recipe does this for my muffin-hating husband 😉 I also have a newish zucchini slice recipe on the site that gets good reviews – just in case you’d like to try your husband with that one too? 😉
Agnes says
Hi Helen,
I couldn’t decide what to make for dinner, there was 1 smoker cooked chicken breast left over. Scanning possible recipes, I saw one for artichoke spinach dip….hmmm. Then searched impossible quiche and your recipe came up. So why not! Crossed the artichoke spinach dip idea with the quiche! I Fried the sliced leeks, shallots, the chicken cubed finely, mushrooms, spinach, chopped tamed jalapenos, and chopped artichokes. Then made your impossible quiche mixture with gluten free flour. Then shredded 3 different cheeses. Mixed everything together and poured into greased deep dish pie plates. Wow!!! Paired it with a nice salad. Thank you for the delicious dinner inspiration!
Helen says
Hi Agnes! Thank you so much for your feedback – it’s so helpful! I love that you kind of combined 2 recipe ideas in one. Your flavour combo sounds heavenly quite frankly. Good to know it works with gluten free flour just as well too. 🙂
Helen from Arrowtown, NZ says
Absolutely delicious. I’ve made many crustless quiches over the years, and your recipe without question has instantly become our favourite! Thanks for giving me another quick and tasty dish to include in my meal rotation. Love your detailed instructions, complete with photos and video too 😊
Helen says
Hello Helen – what a great name ;-). Thank you SO MUCH for your lovely feedback on this recipe. I’m so glad you liked it. I love it when I get a new recipe to add to my regular rotation – I consider that one of the biggest compliments I could ever get! Thank you too for the comment on the detailed instructions. Sometimes I wonder how helpful it is to go into so much detail, so this is really great to know!
Yvonne says
Hello Helen,
I made this recipe for quiche again today.
My variations were cooked sweet potato, cooked parsnip, sautéed swiss chard and onion.
And cheese of course, a vegetarian quiche this time.
It was lovely. I really like the many variations of vegetables and meats you can use in this recipe. It is very versatile and the creamy custardy bottom is so delicious.
Helen says
Hello Yvonne! I love your feedback on this recipe – thank you! So helpful! You’re right that this is a very versatile recipe, and I love the souffle-style filling too! 🙂
Nikki Taylor says
Hello, me again lol! I’m officially obsessed with this quiche, made it 5 times now, each one a different flavour. All amazing but this weeks was the best so far. A while back I adapted omelette Arnold Bennet into a quiche, think smoked haddock, chives, onion, lemon zest and lots of cheese 👌 of course this quiche is now impossible. For this one I used gluten free flour and it made a better base than regular flour, I like to leave the assembled quiche to stand for at least half an hour before cooking too to allow the flour to sink. Thanks again for bringing this amazing recipe into my life ❤️
Helen says
Always lovely to hear from you, Nikki! This kind of comment always makes my day! 🙂 I absolutely love the idea of an Arnold Bennet quiche! To be honest I have never heard of an Arnold Bennet omelette but I love the sound of that combination of ingredients. Smoked haddock and eggs is my hubby’s idea of a nightmare though so I’ll have to try it when he’s going out lol. Also thank you SO MUCH for the tip to let the quiche stand for a while to let the flour sink. I never thought of that but it makes perfect sense. 🙂
Zippy says
Turned out perfectly. Very tasty and essy recipe. Will become a weekly meal with different fillings from now on. Loved it 👍😊
Helen says
Hi Zippy! I love it when I find a recipe I like enough to make it again and again. Thank you so much for your feedback!