This Leek Quiche with Gruyère Cheese is a delicious vegetarian dish that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even light dinner. The buttery, flaky homemade quiche crust is filled with a fluffy and cheesy custard mixture packed with tender leeks.
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Why we love this recipe
Combining a homemade quiche pastry with a fluffy egg custard, gruyère cheese and tender leeks, this quiche is a real crowd-pleasing dish!
This leek quiche is a great vegetarian dish that can be served for every single meal of the day, from breakfast to lunch and dinner.
The savoury tart can be baked in advance and kept in the fridge for a few days, making it a great dish to prepare when hosting a brunch party or to meal prep for the week. And it also freezes really well!
More recipes with leek to try: Leek & Smoked Salmond Quiche, Leek & Mushroom Quiche, Leek Tart with Onions & Gruyère.
Ingredients
Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities
What is Leek Quiche made of:
- Savoury Quiche Pastry: made out of Plain / All-Purpose Flour, Fine Sea Salt, Unsalted Butter (very cold) and cold Water.
- Leeks: I use both the white and most of the green part of the veggie. You will need to slightly pre-cook the leek in a saucepan with some Olive Oil, minced Garlic, Salt and Pepper.
- Custard Base: a traditional mix of Thickened / Heavy Cream and large whole Eggs.
- Seasoning: Fine Table Salt, black cracked Pepper and a Dried Herbs mix. You can really add any spices you want here too!
- Cheese: I used finely grated Gruyere Cheese but you can really make this leek quiche recipe with any of your favourite grated cheese like Comté, Parmesan or Cheddar - or even substitute it with cubed feta or crumbed goat's cheese.
How to make Leek Quiche step-by-step
Quiche Pastry
The always make my quiche pastry in a food processor, but it can also be made by hands if preferred. Check out my Savoury Shortcrust Pastry recipe for detailed instructions.
- Photo 1: Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor then add the very cold cubed butter.
- Photo 2: Mix for about 30 seconds, or until you can see very small crumbs of butter. The larger the butter crumbs are, the flakier the pastry will be - but that also increases the chance of collapsing in the oven when baking.
- Photo 3: Slowly add the very cold water while mixing. You might need a little more or less water depending on the brand of flour you use.
- Photo 4: Continue to blend until a rough dough starts to come together. You want to avoid over-mixing the pastry here.
To know the pastry is ready, press some of the dough crumbs inside your hand. If they stick together and turn into a smooth dough, it is ready. If still dry and crumbly, add a little bit more water.
- Photo 5: Tip the pastry over a large sheet of baking paper / parchment paper and bring it together into a ball. Flatten the ball using your hand.
- Photo 6: Cover with a second sheet of baking paper and roll into a wide disk that is about 4 mm thick (about 1/6-inch) using a rolling pin. Place over a flat tray and put in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Photo 7: Take out of the fridge and peel of the baking paper. Leave at room temperature for about 5 minutes so that the pastry can soften slightly. Transfer inside a 24 cm / 9,5-inch Quiche Pan with removable bottom.
- Gently slide the pastry down the sides and bottom of the pan and press to make it stick to the pan. Make sure there are no air bubbles trapped between the pan and the pastry. Use a small sharp knife to remove any excess dough.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. The more you rest it, the less it will shrink and move in the oven.
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- Photo 8: Preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius (325 degree Fahrenheit) and put the quiche crust in the freezer in the meantime. Dock the bottom of the pastry (poke small holes with a fork) then cover with baking paper and fill with baking weights (pie weights, rice or dry beans).
- Par-bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and baking paper and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool down.
Leek Filling
- Wash the Leek to remove any dirt. Cut out and discard the bottom part of the white side (cut about 2 cm from the bottom) and the top part of the green parts. Slice the leek in half lengthwise then finely chop.
- Photo 9: place a large skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the olive oil then the chopped leek, salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes then add the minced garlic. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the leeks are soft. Remove from the heat.
- Photo 10 & 11: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the Eggs, Cream,Salt, Pepper and Dried Herbs until just combined.
- Photo 12: Fold in the grated Gruyère Cheese.
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Photo 13 & 14: Transfer the cooked leeks inside the par-baked pastry.
- Photo 15 & 16: Pour the egg and cream mixture over the leeks. Optionally, top the quiche with a little bit more grated cheese.
- Carefully place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard filling has set and the top looks golden.
To know the quiche is baked, gently (and carefully) shake the pan back and forth. The centre of the quiche should not jiggle but appear mostly set.
If the crust seems to be browning (or burning) before the quiche is ready, you can cover the quiche with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, although store-bought pastries tend to be sweetened, so make sure to pick one that is plain or unsweetened. Alternatively, you could substitute the flaky pastry for puff pastry though the baking times might vary and the pastry will get soggy much more quickly.
Yes, the key to avoid getting a soggy crust or underbaked crust is to par-bake it. The first half of the par-baking is done with baking weights (I usually simply use rice or dried chickpeas) to make sure the pastry does not puff or collapse.
The second half is done without any coverings or weights to bake and dry out the pastry as much as possible before adding the filling mixture.
This quiche is great on its own, topped with a dollop of Crème Fraiche or simply served with a green salad.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Making quiche pastry: resting and chilling the pastry twice is key to get a crust that does not move, shrink or collapse in the oven. You will get the best result by chilling the pastry overnight once lined inside the tart pan.
- How to know a quiche is baked: gently shake the quiche and look at the middle of filling. You should not see much movement or jiggle in the filling. Note that the filling will continue to set once taken out of the oven.
- How do you keep the bottom crust of a quiche from getting soggy: blind-baking the pastry is essential to get a quiche that is properly baked and not soggy. You want to 'dry out' the bottom of the pastry as much as you can before adding the filling, which is why I par-bake the pastry with and without weights before adding the custard.
Storing & Freezing
The leek quiche is best served within 24 hours but it will last for up to 3 days in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap or aluminium foil.
If prepared in advance, reheat the whole quiche, cover with aluminium foil and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. Individual slices will reheat in 10 to 15 minutes. You can use the microwave for slices but it tends the make the pastry soggy.
You can freeze the quiche whole or cut into individual slices. Make sure to wrap it well with a layer of plastic wrap and one layer of alumium foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven.
I am so excited to share that my debut cookbook
"Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker"
is now available for purchase!
Recipe
Leek Quiche with Gruyère
Equipment
- 24 cm / 9,5-inch Quiche Pan with removable bottom plate
Ingredients
Quiche Pastry
- 200 gr Plain / All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Table Salt
- 100 gr Unsalted Butter, cubed, very cold
- 65 ml Water, very cold
Leek Filling
- 1 large Leek, about 200 gr sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Table Salt
- 1/3 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
Custard Filling
- 4 large Eggs
- 300 ml Thickened / Heavy Cream, 30% fat content min.
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Fine Table Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried Herb Mix
- 40 gr Gruyère Cheese, grated
Instructions
Quiche Pastry
- In the bowl of a food processor (see note 1), mix together the Flour, Salt and very cold cubed Butter. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until you can see very small crumbs of butter (see note 2).
- Slowly add the very cold water while mixing. Continue to blend until a rough dough starts to come together. To know the pastry is ready, press some of the dough crumbs inside your hand. If they stick together and turn into a smooth dough, it is ready. If still dry and crumbly, add a little bit more cold water.
- Place the dough over a large sheet of baking paper, bring it together into a ball and slightly flatten it. Cover with a second sheet of baking paper and roll into a large disk that is approximatively 4 mm thick (1/6 inch) using a rolling pin. Transfer over a flat tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the baking paper and leave at room temperature for about 5 minutes to slightly soften the pastry. Place inside a 24 cm / 9,5-inch Quiche Pan with removable bottom. Gently slide the pastry down the sides and bottom of the pan and press to make it stick to the pan. Use a small sharp knife to remove any excess dough.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight (see note 3).
- Preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius (325 degree Fahrenheit) and place the pastry in the freezer while it is preheating. Poke small holes at the bottom of the pastry using a fork then cover with baking paper and fill with baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the weights and baking paper and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool down.
Leek Filling
- Wash the Leek to remove any dirt. Cut out and discard the bottom part of the leek's white side and the top part of its green parts. Slice the leek in half lengthwise then finely chop.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, place the olive oil then the chopped leek, salt and pepper. Toss and cook for two minutes, then add the minced garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the leeks are soft and lightly caramelised. Remove from the heat.
Custard Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the Eggs, Cream,Salt, Pepper and Dried Herbs until just combined. Fold in the grated Gruyère Cheese.
Assembling the Quiche
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the cooked leeks at the bottom of the par-baked quiche pastry and pour the custard mixture over. Optionally, top the quiche with a little bit more grated cheese.
- Carefully place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard filling has set and the top looks golden (see note 4). Take out of the oven and allow to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
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Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, the pastry can also be made by hands. You can read the instructions to make it by hands in my Savoury Shortcrust Pastry recipe.
- The larger the butter crumbs are, the flakier the pastry will be - but that also increases the chance of collapsing in the oven when baking.
- Resting and chilling the pastry twice is key to get a crust that does not move, shrink or collapse in the oven. You will get the best result by chilling the pastry overnight once lined inside the tart pan. This will allow for the gluten to completely relax and the butter to be very cold.
- To know the quiche is baked, gently shake the pan back and forth. The centre of the quiche should not jiggle and appear mostly set. If the crust seems to be browning (or burning) before the quiche is ready, you can cover the quiche with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
Nutrition (per serving)
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