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This quiche crust recipe makes a crisp, buttery crust with no soggy bottom! Here’s the secret to the perfect pie crust for quiche.
Making quiche? Great, we’ve got the pastry covered. Here’s the perfect Quiche Crust recipe to use when baking up a quiche of any flavor! Here’s the thing about quiche though: it’s notorious for coming out with a soggy bottom. (We can just feel the Great British Baking Show judges disapproving stares!) It’s a common problem because quiche is a custard pie: a type of pie with a liquid filling that can soak through the crust if you’re not careful. Here’s how to get it perfectly crisp and buttery…every time!
Looking for gluten free? Try this Gluten Free Quiche Crust.
How to make quiche crust: an overview!
Here’s a little overview of the process of how to make quiche dough from scratch! Since you’ve ended up here, we assume we agree on this fact: homemade quiche crust is infinitely better than store-bought. That’s not to say purchased pie crust works in a pinch! But if you’ve got the time and energy, homemade is the way to go. Here’s an outline of the time you’ll need for this recipe:
| Make the crust dough | 20 minutes |
| Refrigerate the dough | 1 hour |
| Shape the crust | 10 minutes |
| Refrigerate the shaped crust | 30 minutes |
| Blind bake the dough (make the filling while it bakes) | 35 minutes |
| Bake the quiche | 40 to 50 minutes, inactive |
Equipment for homemade quiche crust
What do you need for this quiche crust recipe? Here’s an equipment list! When you’re ready to start, have confidence! Working with dough takes time and practice. If it’s your first time, give yourself some grace. (Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.)
- Use a standard 9-inch pie plate, not deep dish. This crust is intended for a standard thickness of quiche.
- A pastry cloth is helpful, but not necessary. Got a pastry cloth? It helps for rolling out the dough so it doesn’t stick on the counter (otherwise, just lightly dust the counter with flour). Here’s a link to buy a pastry cloth if you make pie crust on the regular.
- Grab a rolling pin and pizza cutter. These are essential for rolling and cutting the dough.
- You’ll need pie weights, dried beans, or rice! The key to quiche crust is blind baking it. Use ceramic pie weights (like these pie weights we use) and pour them right into the crust so it doesn’t shrink or get too puffy. Or, you can use dried beans or dry rice if you don’t have pie weights! It doesn’t harm them: you can still cook them as normal after using them as weights.
How to avoid a soggy bottom? Blind bake the crust!
The biggest key to quiche crust? Blind bake the crust! Blind baking is baking a pie crust without the filling. This avoids the soggy bottom problem by making the crust perfectly firm before you add the filling. This is important for a custard pie like a quiche because the filling is so wet. If you don’t blind bake, you’ll get soggy bottom crust for sure (we did).
Here’s what to know about blind baking and how to get the perfect flaky crust:
- First, refrigerate the crust 30 minutes. Why? This helps the crust to hold its shape while blind baking.
- Prick holes with a fork all over the crust. This is called docking the crust: it makes it puff up less while in the oven.
- Add parchment paper then pie weights, dried beans, or rice! Pour them right into the crust! Then bake it for 18 minutes at 400°F.
- Reduce oven temp and remove the pie weights. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the weights and bake 18 to 22 more minutes until golden brown. Then you’re ready to fill your quiche!
Make ahead instructions for quiche crust
Can you make a homemade quiche crust in advance? Yes! This crust is very easy to freeze. Here’s what to know about the process:
- Make the dough and roll it out into the pie plate. This is business as usual.
- Wrap in plastic and freeze up to 3 months! When you get to the freeze for 10 minutes step, you can simply freeze…for months! When you’re ready to make the quiche, pick back up at the blind baking step (Step 5 below).
Quiche recipes!
You can use this quiche crust for any filling of quiche you choose. Here are a few of our favorites:
- This Spinach Quiche can be made with any leafy green (spinach, kale or chard)
- This Classic Asparagus Quiche is perfect for spring
- This Easy Quiche Recipe is simpler than most
- Opt for our favorite Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
- Try Breakfast Quiche to start the day
- Go for Quiche Lorraine, featuring cheese and bacon
What’s your favorite filling? Let us know in the comments below.
This quiche crust recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, go to Gluten Free Quiche. For vegan, substitute coconut oil or vegan butter, or go to Vegan Pie Crust.
Print
Perfect Quiche Crust
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 16 minute
- Yield: 1 quiche crust 1x
Description
This quiche crust recipe makes a crisp, buttery crust with no soggy bottom! Here’s the secret to the perfect pie crust for quiche.
Note: This post was updated on 7/5/2023. The recipe was modified slightly from the previous version (with even better results!)
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups [175 g] all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup [1 stick] cold unsalted butter, preferably Irish-style (like Kerrygold or other), cut into ½ tablespoon-sized pieces
- 4 tablespoons ice cold water
Instructions
- Mix the dough: Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to a food processor and pulse several times (if you don’t have a food processor, see the bowl method below*). Add about a quarter of the butter in pieces and pulse 2 to 3 times until it is incorporated, but visible chunks about 1/4-inch across remain. Continue adding the remaining butter, one quarter at a time. When the butter is incorporated, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing 2 to 3 times in between. The dough is ready when it appears very crumbly but sticks together when pinched. If the dough seems too dry, add up to an additional ½ tablespoon ice water.
- Refrigerate the dough (1 hour): Transfer to a counter and use your hands to press it into a uniform dough (don’t knead or overwork it). Form it into a ball and flatten into a disc. Place in a covered container and chill for 1 to 24 hours (if chilling longer than 3 hours, wrap tightly in plastic wrap).
- Roll out the dough: Dust flour over a clean work surface. (Or if you have a pastry cloth, set it up and dust it with flour.) Dust a rolling pin in flour. Place the dough on the work surface and gently roll it evenly from the center to the edge, until the dough is about ⅛-inch thick. Pick up the dough and rotate it occasionally as you work, keeping as perfect of a circle as possible and making sure it’s not sticking to the work surface. If it’s sticking, dust with a bit more flour. Roll the dough to a 12-inch wide circle (which corresponds to the 9-inch circle on a pastry cloth). Visible chunks of butter are expected: that’s what makes it flaky!
- Transfer to pie pan: Gently drape the dough over the rolling pin, then transfer it to a 9” glass or metal pie pan. Gently center and push the pastry towards the bottom of the pan. Use kitchen shears to trim excess dough so that there is 1 inch of overhanging dough all around the pan. Fold the 1-inch of overhanging dough backwards and seal it to form a rim. Using your index finger and thumb from one hand and a knuckle from your other hand, crimp the edges of the crust. Use a fork to gently prick holes in the bottom and sides of the crust, which helps it to not puff up while blind baking.
- Refrigerate the crust (30 minutes): Place the pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill (this prevents shrinkage during the blind bake).
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven with a rimmed baking sheet covered in foil to preheat.
- Blind bake the crust at 400°F: Crumple a piece of parchment paper, then open it and place on top of the crust. Fill the parchment paper with pie weights (we used two sets of these), dry beans, or dry rice. Bake for 18 minutes at 400°F.
- Reduce oven temperature and blind bake at 350°F: Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the pie from the oven and carefully remove the parchment and weights, then place the pie back in the oven. Bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and add the filling once it is ready.
- Finish baking: Finish baking according to quiche instructions, using a pie shield (or piece of foil with a hole cut in the center**) to prevent the crust from over-browning.
Notes
*Bowl method: If you don’t have a food processor, place the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mostly incorporated and a pebbly texture forms (with pea-sized or smaller pieces). Then use a fork to stir in the ice water 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough just comes together. If the dough seems too dry, add up to an additional ½ tablespoon ice water.
**To make your own crust shield, cut a hole in the center of a large sheet of foil that’s the diameter of your pie plate. The foil will rest on the crust but let the pie filling be uncovered. Here’s a video with instructions for more details.
- Category: Essentials
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Quiche crust, quiche crust recipe
Wonderful, thank you for the tip! I love quiche.
Happy baking,
Julie M.
Can one substitute lard for butter with this recipe?
That should work
Hi. What may I substitute for a “pastry blender”?
You can just use a fork!
A very cold ceramic dish should not go from freezer to oven as it will probably crack. Readers should be warned. Of course, if metal or aluminum pans are used there is not an issue.
★★★★★
Wow great catch! What about a Pyrex glass dish?
Also, and sorry if this is a newbie question, should I grease the dish before putting the pie crust in?
Thanks for your advice! 🙏
Thanks for asking! We added a note to the recipe that if you’re freezing the pie crust for long-term storage, you should use a metal pie dish. The glass pie dish is fine for the 10 minute freeze! And no, you don’t need to grease the dish before putting the pie crust in: it’s buttery enough that it won’t stick. Great questions!
This is my go-to recipe now! I use 1.5x for my deep pie dish. It’s so quick and easy. Love it for quiche and shepherd’s pie and other pot pies! Thank you :)
★★★★★
I made two changes to the process that might invalidate my opinion: instead of freezing the crust, I put it in the refrigerator for three hours, as I was going out for the afternoon. And I didn’t blind bake it, because the recipe I’ve been using for just shy of 50 years is a two-temperature recipe – 425° for 15 minutes and 300° for the remainder. I reasoned that this would suffice.
That being said: I personally have a lot of difficulty with pie crusts. Even between waxed paper, I almost always have trouble transferring to the quiche pan without massive rips, necessitating a lot of patchwork once it’s mostly in the pan. That doesn’t affect the taste, of course, but it’s eternally irritating.
This was the easiest crust to handle that I’d ever had the pleasure of making. It rolled out easily and relatively quickly. I was able to transfer it into the pan perfectly – an unbelievable joy compared to my normal misery.
The taste was excellent. The exposed part in the fluted top of my ceramic pan was somewhat crisp, perhaps because of the initial 425° temperature, but I didn’t mind – it was an interesting change from the norm. The remainder was appropriately firm. It was easy to cut without breaking apart.
All in all, I’m extremely pleased with this recipe. Five stars in my book!
★★★★★
The 2 temperature has worked for me in the past.
★★★★★
Great recipe. Well expained. Best pie crust recipe yet. Easy to follow and very specific.
★★★★★
Hi! I’m trying to make this for Xmas morning. Could I blind bake the crust, refrigerate the cooked crust and egg mixture separately then bake them together in the morning from the fridge?
I only have time to bake it together and not bring bake the day of.
Thanks in advance!
Yes, that will work!
This recipe worked for me like no other. I always had a hard time rolling out the dough, but this time it worked like a charm. I’m no cook, but I try. Do you think it can be used for pies?
★★★★★
Yes, it works for pies as well.
Great recipe! I think this is the fastest and easiest to roll crust I have made. Great flavor. I blind baked but forgot to turn down the temp, so the exposed portion of the crust was a little crunchy – I just used a crust guard while doing the final baking, which worked great.
I loved how it held up under the quiche making it so easy to serve.
Next time, I’m going to use it for individual quiches.
★★★★★
Can this crust be used for sweet pies too?
Yes!
We really didn’t like this crust. It was very heavy and not very flavorful. I made it exactly as the recipe instructed.
★
I’m very sorry it didn’t work for you!