This Broccoli and Bacon Quiche is a breakfast favorite. The flaky crust, creamy custard, and bacon, broccoli, and cheddar cheese filling is rich, incredibly flavorful, and one of the best breakfast treats you can have. This is a perfect dish for a holiday brunch or a special weekend breakfast.
What we love about this Broccoli Bacon Quiche
The filling is amazing. The custard is rich with 4 eggs, an egg yolk, and a combination of heavy cream and milk. I use half cream and half milk instead of half and half because it results in a slightly richer egg custard (see more in my notes at the end of the recipe about this). Each bite is so creamy and delicious! Then, when you add bacon, broccoli, and cheddar cheese, it really is an amazing combination of flavors. This is an absolutely favorite quiche of ours and is perfect for feeding guests or for special occasion breakfasts.
I love our pie crust recipe. Our recipe for a Pie Crust Using a Food Processor is easy and foolproof. I have tried many pie crust recipes that were so much more challenging and frustrating. I love that the dough comes together in the food processor. It rolls out and transfers easily to the pie pan and shrinkage is minimal when you bake it. I use half butter and half shortening in the dough. The shortening helps the dough maintain its shape and structure while adding additional tenderness and flakiness to the crust. It is perfect with the quiche, no soggy crust at all! A frozen prepared pie crust is an easy substitute here, but if you are up to trying a homemade pie crust, it tastes amazing with the quiche and is easy to do! You can make the dough or pie crust in advance to make preparation time easier on the day you cook and serve the quiche.
If you are looking for other breakfast and brunch favorites, try our delicious Spinach Bacon Quiche or our Orange French Toast!
What you need to make Quiche with Broccoli and Bacon
You will need the following ingredients:
- Par-baked pie crust or frozen pie crust
- Broccoli
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Eggs
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Dried dill
- Cayenne
- Bacon
- Medium or sharp cheddar cheese
Bacon Broccoli Quiche Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- I use half cream and half milk instead of half and half because it results in a slightly richer egg custard. Half and half is closer to 75 % milk and 25% cream, it is not half of one and the other, but rather a combination of the two to create between 10.5 & 18% milk fat. You could substitute half and half, use more milk than cream, or vice versa.
- We use cheddar cheese in this recipe, but Gruyere cheese, Swiss, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or a combination of cheeses could substitute.
- While we love this quiche with our homemade pie crust, you could substitute a premade frozen pie crust for a homemade crust to save time. Just follow the directions on the package for a single-shell pie that needs to be filled and baked.
- The fillings here are very flexible. You can omit the bacon if you want just broccoli and cheddar. You can substitute a variety of vegetables, cheeses, or proteins like ham, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, Swiss, or Colby Jack cheese.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. Follow the directions for our parbaked pie crust or if using a frozen pie crust, follow the package directions for single-shell pies that need to be filled and baked.
Step 2. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cook broccoli for 3-4 minutes until barely tender. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, or using a blender, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, egg yolk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, dill, and cayenne until the eggs are completely blended with all of the ingredients.
Step 3. Fill the bottom of the pie crust with the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the cheese, then cover the bacon with the cooked broccoli.
Step 4. Pour the egg mixture over the filling. Carefully place the quiche in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. Check at 35 minutes. If the center of the filling is still loose and jiggly like jello, loosely cover it with foil to prevent the crust from excessive browning and check every few minutes until the center is almost completely set.
Step 5. Let the quiche cool for 20 minutes before slicing. You can also wait for it to completely cool and serve at room temperature. A serrated knife for cutting through the pie crust and a wedged pie server help to remove clean slices from the quiche for serving.
Tips
For a perfectly baked quiche, you want to remove the quiche from the oven slightly before it is completely set. You don’t want the center loose and jiggly, but when you gently shake the pan, the center should have the slightest jiggle as it will continue to set once removed from the oven. An overbaked quiche can curdle. A thin-bladed knife inserted in the center should come out clean, however, cheese in the filling can make the filling appear to still be wet. I start checking my quiche at 35 minutes and loosely cover it with foil then to avoid any excessive browning of the pie crust. Keep your eye on it every few minutes as the center continues to firm. I rarely use a knife test, but keep my eye on the center of the quiche.
These 9-inch pie pans are the perfect depth for quiches and pies. This brand has pie pans with fluted edges or flat. I own both kinds and often use the flat pan for quiches.
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Frequently Asked Questions
| How to store quiche? |
| Completely cool the cooked quiche to room temperature. Cover the quiche with plastic wrap or foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Quiche can be additionally stored in a large freezer bag (I like 2 gallon resealable bags) and frozen for up to 3 months. The texture of the quiche and crust may be altered after freezing. While you can make a quiche in advance before baking, I personally wouldn’t store the unbaked filling in the pie shell overnight or longer in case it resulted in a soggy crust. Making the crust in advance, however, can really ease preparation time when making a quiche. |
| How to prepare and store pie dough or a pie crust in advance? |
| a. Pie dough, well wrapped, can stay in the fridge for 2-3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use the pie dough, thaw overnight in the fridge before using it. You will need to let it come to room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out. b. To store the pie dough after it is shaped in a pan, place it in a freezer-safe bag to store, the 2-gallon-sized bags are a nice size, and make sure your pie pan is freezer-safe. You can bake it frozen, just make sure to bring it to room temperature while your oven preheats. c. To store a baked pie crust, wrap it in foil and place it in a freezer-safe bag. Store it in the freezer for up to one month and thaw overnight in the fridge before using |
| How to reheat Broccoli and Bacon Quiche? |
| A quiche can start to lose a little of its texture once stored in the fridge and to keep the crust crisp, I recommend reheating a quiche in the oven. Cover quiche loosely with foil and place in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through. You can reheat slices in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through, but the texture may be affected. Quiche can also chill overnight or for a few hours and be served cold if desired. |
Broccoli and Bacon Quiche
6
servings20
minutes40
minutes1
hourThis Broccoli and Bacon Quiche is a breakfast favorite. The flaky crust, creamy custard, and bacon, broccoli, and cheddar cheese filling is rich, incredibly flavorful, and one of the best breakfast treats you can have. This is a perfect dish for a holiday brunch or a special weekend breakfast.
Ingredients
1 par-baked pie crust or 1 frozen pie crust
2 cups broccoli florets (about 2 heads of broccoli)
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried dill
Pinch cayenne
1/2 slab of cooked bacon, chopped (about 8 slices)
1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using a frozen pie crust, follow the package directions for single-shell pies that need to be filled and baked.
- Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cook broccoli for 3-4 minutes until barely tender. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, or using a blender, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, egg yolk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, dill, and cayenne until the eggs are completely blended with all of the ingredients.
- Fill the bottom of the pie crust with the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the cheese, then cover the bacon with the cooked broccoli. Pour the egg mixture over the filling.
- Carefully place the quiche in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. Check at 35 minutes. If the center of the filling is still loose and jiggly like jello, loosely cover it with foil to prevent the crust from excessive browning and check every few minutes until the center is almost completely set. The center should have the slightest jiggle when you gently shake the dish. It will finish setting when removed from the oven. An overbaked quiche can curdle.
- Let the quiche cool for 20 minutes before slicing. You can also wait for it to completely cool and serve at room temperature. A serrated knife for cutting through the pie crust and a wedged pie server help to remove clean slices from the quiche for serving.
Notes
- I use half cream and half milk instead of half and half because it results in a slightly richer egg custard. Half and half is closer to 75 % milk and 25% cream, it is not half of one and the other, but rather a combination of the two to create between 10.5 & 18% milk fat.
- For a perfectly baked quiche, you want to remove the quiche from the oven slightly before it is completely set. You don’t want the center loose and jiggly, but when you gently shake the pan, the center should have the slightest jiggle as it will continue to set once removed from the oven. An overbaked quiche can curdle. A thin-bladed knife inserted in the center should come out mostly clean, however, cheese in the filling can make the filling appear to still be wet. I start checking my quiche at 35 minutes and loosely cover it with foil then to avoid any excessive browning of the pie crust. Keep your eye on it every few minutes as the center continues to firm. I rarely use a knife test, but keep my eye on the center of the quiche.
- I love this quiche with our homemade pie crust recipe. It is made in a food processor and is an easy, foolproof, delicious recipe. It really elevates the quiche and can be made in advance to aid in food preparation when preparing the quiche. A frozen pie crust can be used as well.
- Pie pans and premade frozen pie crusts can vary in size. If you are worried about any spillover from the quiche when baking, you can place the quiche on a baking sheet to bake.
I love quiche, this looks great. Thank you.
I love quiche too, thank you so much for the positive review and for stopping by!
This broccoli and bacon quiche is so good, flaky crust, creamy filling, and tons of flavor. Perfect for any breakfast!
I am so glad to hear you like the quiche! We love the creamy broccoli and bacon filling. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a review!
Perfect for breakfast, what an amazing combination, thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Thank you so much! We love this quiche, thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a review!