Broccoli Bacon Quiche is a delicious tart with a crisp, buttery crust filled with broccoli, bacon, and a rich cheesy custard made with milk, cream, and eggs. Each bite is packed with different textures from the flaky pie crust to the creamy, fluffy eggs to the crispy bacon. This easy broccoli cheddar bacon quiche is really versatile too. It can be made in advance and you can easily swap in different fillings or even make it crustless.
This bacon broccoli quiche is like the best mashup of loaded potato skins and broccoli cheddar soup! It's decadent and savory and great for breakfast, brunch or paired with a salad for lunch or dinner.
Quiche is the perfect make-ahead breakfast recipe to feed a crowd. For more crowd-pleasing savory breakfast ideas, try this Smoked Salmon and Spinach Quiche, Ham and Swiss Quiche (with Frozen or Homemade Crust), or Bialy Bagels with Everything Seasoning.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Bacon- If you are a bacon lover, you will love this quiche. Not only is there crisp bacon mixed into the custard, the broccoli, onion, and garlic are cooked in the rendered bacon fat, ensuring bacon flavor in every bite!
Creamy custard - The filling of this broccoli bacon quiche is made with eggs, milk, and heavy cream for a creamy and rich custard filling. Using milk and heavy cream is essentially making your own half and half which makes the custard really velvety.
Make ahead - This easy bacon broccoli quiche is perfect for a brunch buffet because it can be served warm or at room temperature, making it perfect to make ahead. Take the last-minute stress away from hosting your next event by making this quiche ahead of time!
Customizable - Quiche are a great canvas for playing around with your favorite flavors or using up what you have in the fridge. Have leftover smoked salmon from lox and bagels? Try my Smoked Salmon and Spinach Quiche. Have all of the ingredients but no crust? Go ahead and make it without a crust. The opportunities are endless.
What is a Quiche?
A quiche is a French tart consisting of pastry crust filled with a savory custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood, or vegetables. It is commonly eaten for breakfast or lunch, served at room temperature or warm.
A traditional French version is the classic Quiche Lorraine which has bacon or ham and Swiss cheese. It is simple and delicious!
The difference between a quiche and a frittata is that quiche has a pie crust and is filled with a more creamy custard-like filling whereas frittatas do not have a crust and typically have a more dense, egg-forward filling with only milk instead of cream.
Ingredients
- Pie crust. This recipe uses my all-butter pie crust and produces an awesome, flaky crust. See the recipe notes if you'd like to use a store-bought pie crust.
- Bacon. Use thick-cut bacon, and cook until very crispy. This helps prevent the bacon from getting soft during cook time.
- Broccoli. Fresh broccoli should be used. Frozen broccoli contains too much moisture, even after thawing.
- Cheddar cheese. Use an aged cheddar cheese, such as Dubliner. Alternatively, use any extra sharp cheddar. Be sure to shred your own, as pre-shredded cheese contains anti-melting agents.
- Heavy whipping cream. This is what produces that classic, creamy texture of a quiche. I don't recommend swapping this ingredient.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swiss, feta, mozzarella or goat cheese or any combination of these cheeses can be used in place of cheddar cheese.
- Make mini quiche cups by forming the pie crust in a muffin tin and filling each with custard, veggies, and cheese.
- Swap in turkey bacon in place of regular bacon.
- Add mushrooms or use them in place of the broccoli.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Set the crust into a pie dish, then add parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried/rice beans. Par bake.
Two: Remove the weights and brush the inside of the crust with whisked egg whites. Return to the oven to finish par-baking, then cool.
Three: Cut the bacon into ½" pieces and fry until very crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
Four: Sauté the broccoli, onion, and garlic in some of the bacon fat, until the onions are soft and translucent. Remove and cool.
Hot tip! Remove most of the bacon fat (leaving a thick coating on the entire pan) before sautéing the vegetables.
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Five: Add the vegetables, bacon, and cheese to the cooled pie crust, dispersing evenly.
Six: Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and milk until no chunks of eggs remain.
Seven: Pour the custard slowly all over the filling. It will come up to the very edge, but should not spill over the crust.
Eight: Top with chopped scallions, then bake until set.
Expert Tips
- Allow the quiche to settle and cool for at least 30 minutes prior to slicing in, otherwise, the filling will ooze off of the pieces.
- Cook the onion, garlic, and broccoli in the rendered bacon fat for extra smoky flavor.
- Move the quiche to the bottom third of the oven for the last 15 minutes of bake time to ensure the crust gets fully cooked.
- The quiche should still be slightly jiggly, but not sloshy, in the center when it is done baking.
- Cut bacon and broccoli into bite sized pieces for cleaner slices and so every bite of quiche has a little of both.
- Make sure to use the most flavorful cheddar you can find. Aged cheddar is best.
- The quiche will look puffy around the edges when it comes out of the oven. This is normal, and it will fall as it cools.
Recipe FAQs
Heavy cream leads to a much creamier texture that is traditional of quiche, and is suggested.
It's best to par-bake the pie crust prior to adding the custard filling. This prevents the crust from getting soggy and allows for an even bake time overall.
Par-baking the pie crust and moving the quiche to the bottom third of the oven for the final 15 minutes helps with this.
It's best to cook the broccoli slightly to remove a bit of moisture, that way it doesn't release water into the quiche filling.
Storage
Store the broccoli bacon quiche covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Eat cold, or reheat the quiche in a 350℉ oven until warm or slightly hot, about 15 minutes.
Individual slices can be microwaved, if desired.
To freeze, wrap the entire quiche or individual slices in plastic wrap, then foil and place in a large zip-top bag. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw uncovered in the fridge then reheat in the oven.
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📖Recipe
Broccoli Bacon Quiche
Equipment
- Food processor or pastry cutter
- 9" pie plate
- Pie weights or dried rice or beans
Ingredients
- 1 disc homemade pie crust or pre-made recipe for crust
- 1 egg white to seal the crust
- 6 slices bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 cup roughly chopped broccoli 100g
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 oz dubliner or sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- Green onions or chives thinly sliced
Instructions
Pie Crust
- If using the All-Butter Pie Crust, begin by making the dough and hydrating it in the fridge for 1-2 hours.1 disc homemade pie crust or pre-made
- Roll out one disc of pie dough to ⅛" thick, or unroll one pre-made pie crust.
- Add the crust to the pie plate and press into the bottoms and corners, then crimp the edges. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes, then dock all over with the tines of a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉/190℃. Add a piece of parchment paper to the crust and fill completely with pie weights (or dried rice/beans).
- Par-bake the crust for 15 minutes (5 minutes for pre-made), then carefully remove the weights and parchment. Whisk an egg white with a splash of water, then brush all over the bottom and sides of the crust.1 egg white
- Continue baking (no weights) for another 10 minutes (5 minutes for pre-made), then remove to a wire rack to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350℉/177℃.
Quiche Filling
- In a large pan, fry the bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate with a paper towel. Remove excess grease, keeping a thin layer on the bottom.6 slices bacon
- In the same pan, add the onions and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add the broccoli, garlic, and salt and cook for another few minutes until the broccoli begins to soften slightly. Remove to a bowl then mix together with the bacon. Allow it to cool slightly.½ yellow onion, 1 cup roughly chopped broccoli 100g, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream and milk until no streaks of yolks or whites remain.4 large eggs, ¾ cup heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup whole milk
Assembly
- Add the slightly cooled vegetables and bacon to the pie crust, then sprinkle over the cheese.4 oz dubliner or sharp cheddar cheese
- Carefully pour the egg filling into the pie dish until it meets the very top without going into the crust edges. Top with sliced scallions or chives.Green onions or chives
- Bake for 30 minutes in the center rack, then transfer to the bottom third of the oven for the final 10-15 minutes to ensure the bottom is fully baked.
- The quiche is done when it's slightly puffy around the edges with a jiggle in the very center (but not sloshy).
- Cool the quiche on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, then slice and serve.
Stef
So, so good! I've made different quiche before and there is just something extra special about this one. Everyone who ate it on Mother's Day commented on the flavor. Going to be a repeat in our house for sure!