Easy Crust Dairy-Free Veggie Quiche ~ gluten free w/ grain-free option
This Easy Crust Dairy-Free Quiche is the perfect make ahead meal. It's loaded with Veggies in a Quinoa Crust and is sure to please!
Dairy-Free & Quiche.
Those words might not seem to go together, but when you're a family with food allergies, almost anything is game.
In fact, this is not only a dairy-free quiche--it's a gluten-free quiche as well.
So what remains in a quiche after you've removed the cheese and the gluten?
Thankfully, a lot of goodness :).
A Great Make Ahead Meal
Breakfast can be a challenge when you’re fighting candida. You're typically busy and someone is trying to get out the door, so you want something quick.
Gone are those quick and easy cereals, waffles and granola bars and fruit. And while it’s best that most of these packaged, refined foods and higher carbohydrate foods are staying out of your body, it can leave you frustrated about what to eat for your morning sustenance!
Even if you don't suffer from candida, you might have noticed that the typical SAD (Standard American Diet) of cereal or breakfast bars just doesn't tide you over for very long. I notice that I tend to feel so much better when I eat more protein and fats at meals. And when I think of breakfast as a small dinner and get away from the idea of having something sweet in the morning, I find that I feel more balanced.
Anyway, back to the problem of being too busy in the morning.
One solution to stressed out mornings is make-ahead meals or easy meals.
Recently I shared a great prep-ahead Sweet Potato Frittata, perfect for a great meal that you can pull together early for easy prep on the day you want to eat it. And today I'm sharing a healthy option that fits the bill for both--being a make-ahead AND an easy meal. It's a Dairy-Free Quiche with a Quinoa Crust.
Since it's a quinoa crust, that means this isn't just a dairy-free quiche, but it's also a gluten-free quiche, making it very helpful for those on special diets.
And if you are on a low carb diet, simply sub out the gluten-free crust for a grain-free crust and you have a low-carb dairy-free quiche.
This gluten-free quiche is easily made ahead and can then be reheated in the morning for a quick breakfast that's sure to satisfy.
I don't have many recipes with egg on my blog since my son has a life-threatening allergy to them, but my youngest is a BIG egg fan and I'm gradually reintroducing them to my diet. Eggs used to really aggravate my thyroid disease, but I'm working on a lot of healing. I've reintroduced little bits of egg now and then to my diet and so far, so good.
Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy eggs more often as time goes on!
In any case, in our home, we haven't had cold cereal or store bought breakfast bars in our home for a very very long time. Breakfasts have typically consisted of protein shakes with veggies, or a chia pudding like this Chocolate Chia Pudding or this Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding. Most of us are fine with the same old thing almost every day, but my youngest is funny. He likes having a protein shake for a snack, but for breakfast he really likes having something different.
This dairy-free quiche is just the thing for him. Instead of the same old thing every day, he gets something special, and something I can make ahead.
He even likes it cold!
When I think of quiche, I think of tons of veggies held together by a bit of egg and a crunchy, slightly salty crust. Well, this quiche delivers for me on all levels--lots of broccoli, bright and creamy free range eggs and a crunchy quinoa base.
The gluten-free quiche's crust is a light addition that would easily be adaptable to sweet desserts as well.
Don’t have broccoli or red peppers? Use whatever you have in your fridge--greens, fresh herbs, cauliflower--feel free to experiment!
Tip: To make this recipe even easier, cook your quinoa in a rice cooker or Instant Pot. It’s hands off and there’s no need to babysit the contents!
Pair this Dairy-free quiche with a lovely salad like this Broccoli Jicama Salad or even this Spaghetti Squash Salad, or your salad of choice with this Zingy Dairy-free Avocado Dressing or Dairy-free Ranch Dressing, and you've got the perfect easy meal.
Crust Notes & Options
This gluten-free quiche, as I mentioned, has a lovely quinoa easy crust. And it's super simple--no rolling or fussing with pastry and a rolling pin--just press in the pan like my Easiest Pie Crust.
However, if you are grain free or eating a low-carb diet, you can substitute cauliflower rice for the quinoa and flour in the crust.
Simply cook the cauliflower rice, then squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Next, add in the remaining crust ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Milk: You can substitute any dairy-free milk for the hemp milk. Regular milk will work as well, but of course the resulting quiche won't be dairy free. This Easiest Homemade Coconut Milk or Homemade Almond Milk would work perfectly.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: For sun-dried tomatoes, look for a brand with no added ingredients or make your own Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
- THM: Use the cauliflower crust option to make this recipe be an "S" on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
- Whole30: Use cauliflower crust to make this recipe work for Whole30.
- Mini Quiche Option: Make this quiche in a mini muffin tin or in a baking pan for a tasty appetizer.
Recipe
Dairy-Free Quiche with Easy Quinoa Crust ~ gluten free w/ grain-free option
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (soaked and/or sprouted if possible. Note 1 cup dry = about 2 cups cooked)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (eg. oat, buckwheat, quinoa)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon for a saltier crust)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Filling:
- 2 cups broccoli (cut into small pieces - about 1-2” pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (finely chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup hemp milk
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 1/4 white onion (diced)
- 5 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9” pie plate.
- Mix all ingredients for the crust together.
- Press crust mixture into pie plate.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Saute broccoli, bell peppers and onion in a cast iron skillet or frying pan in about a teaspoon of oil. (I saute each veggie separately as I like them cooked to different degrees. I cook my broccoli until the edges are just browned, pepper just slightly, so they still have some bite, about 1 -2 minutes, and onion until slightly browned.
- Place vegetables into the crust.
- Beat together the eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl.
- Pour egg mixture over veggies.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until an inserted knife comes out clean.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Voila!
You have a lovely and colorful dairy-free quiche that you can eat right away or store in the fridge for a quick, on the go breakfast (or lunch, or dinner).
What is your favorite breakfast food?
This was delicious!
In my oven it happened to need a good amount of additional time to cook, but nothing burned while it was firming up. Veggies near the top got a nice golden brown and egg was fluffy all the way through.
That crust is a game changer for me! Seriously delicious. Thank you!
Wow so great!!! I'm so glad to hear this!
Do you think I could freeze individual portions for later? I want to make some freezer meals/ breakfasts I can heat up when baby gets here.
Yes, you could for sure do that. Congrats on your baby!
I made this & was delicious. I used leftover cooked sprouted rice & quinoa blend (Costco) with excellent texture & flavor.
What a great idea on the crust. We have enjoyed that product when sampling there before. I bet it would be an easy blend to DIY at home too! So glad to hear how much you liked it!
Eggs are not from a lactating animal. They are the product of a unfertilised egg usually from a poultry hen.
How can you think it’s ok to speak to another human in such a disrespectful way?
This looks amazing! I have candida as well as I'm lactose intolerant so I'll definitely be making this over the weekend!
Eggs are dairy, dumb ass.
No, they are not. And that was really rude.
Dairy refers to products that come from a cow. Eggs are from chickens. Hope that helps.
Could this be made crustless, would it affect cooking time or anything?
I am sorry but I don't know. I think that you would have to change the ingredients some but maybe if you had it fixed up enough to have it not stick it might work.
Hello?This sounds wonderful! Does it freeze well?
I would think so!
I just put this in the oven and it looks great! I didn't have everything on hand but I have a quinoa crust (really easy to throw together and I LOVE quinoa), mostly egg whites, with a bit of ham and a bunch of broccoli. Thanks for a great dairy-free recipe! It's hard to find good dairy-free recipes that aren't vegan, which is a problem for a quiche. 😉
Hi Adrienne,
I'd like to try this. Sounds AMAZING! Would I be able to use regular tomatoes in place of sun dried?
I think you could - the liquid will change the consistency a bit but there are fresh tomato quiches out there. Enjoy!
Thank you! This looks very tempting and I LUV quinoa and I sprout them too! But I was recommended to avoid nightshades like tomato, eggplants, ... etc. Do you have any suggestion for what I can substitute the sun-dried tomatoes w?
Thanks again!
Oops, didn't see the bell pepper, which is another nightshade, it turns out... :/
Yes, same suggestions. I think it really will taste good!
You are welcome! I would do something w/ a strong flavor like hmmm...olives / chives / more onion? That kind of thing.
The article is perfect. I love it
Excited to try this recipe. My niece is 'dairy free' so will also pass along to her family!
Thanks. Looks delicious!!
I so hope you like it, Carol!
This looks amazing and that crust...yes!
Thanks so much!
What a great idea for the crust! I love how easy quiches are. This one sounds delicious!
Thanks, Raia. I have to admit - no more rolling of crusts ever for me! 🙂
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that quinoa is a seed, not a grain. However, it does have more carbs that cauliflower.
This looks amazing and I am very happy to have found your site. Thank you for sharing your great recipes!
Hi Diane. Thanks for reading. Yes, it's technically a seed but it's grain-like in carb count so most consider it to be a grain for that purpose. Good point! I so hope you enjoy it. If you'd like to subscribe there are more coming....one more hopefully today! https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
Thanks for this recipe, Adrienne. I've been looking for make-ahead breakfast dishes, and I love the idea of a cauliflower crust.
You are so welcome, Suzy. I agree with you!
No need to "squeeze out the water" in your cauliflower if you steam it.
Hi Carol. With a crust like this it will tend to be mushy unless you squeeze it. Have you done it and it worked out OK?