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 |
| Roll out and freeze the crust | 10 minutes |
| Blind bake the dough (make the filling while it bakes) | 25 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, freeze the crust 15 minutes. Why? This helps the crust to hold its shape while blind baking. (This freezer method shortcuts refrigerating for a few hours. You’re welcome!)
- 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 12 minutes at 400°F.
- Reduce oven temp and remove the pie weights. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the weights and bake 20 to 25 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
- Try 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: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 53 minutes
- 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.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (175 grams) unsifted all-purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons salted butter, frozen 10 minutes
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Place the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes. Add ice to a small bowl of water.
- Make the dough: Whisk the all-purpose flour and salt in a medium bowl. Use the large side of a grater to grate the butter into the flour. Use a fork to toss the butter with the flour. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gradually with a fork until the dough just sticks together, using as little water as possible to get the dough to form. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball and then flatten it into a disc. Place the dough in a covered container and refrigerate 15 minutes (this step can be skipped if you’re in a hurry, but it results in the best shaped crust).
- Roll out the dough: If you have a pastry cloth, set it up and dust it with flour; otherwise, flour a clean work surface. Put on a rolling pin cover (optional), dust the rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough to an even 12-inch circle. Use a rolling pin to transfer the dough to the pie pan (make sure it is standard and not deep dish). Fold the overhanging dough backwards and seal it to form a rim. Use your fingers to crimp the edges (see this video).
- Dock the crust: Use a fork to gently prick holes in the bottom and sides of the crust (this helps it to not puff up while blind baking).
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Freeze the crust: Place the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the dough from the freezer and place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the crust (you can crumple it first so it is more flexible). Fill the dough with pie weights, dry beans, or dry rice.
- Blind bake at 400°F, then 350°F: Bake for 12 minutes at 400°F. Then reduce the oven heat to 350°F and carefully remove the parchment and weights. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned. Remove from the oven.
- Add your quiche filling and bake: Remove the crust from the oven and fill it using the quiche recipe of your choice! Try our Spinach Quiche or Asparagus Quiche. (When you bake, remember to check at 30 minutes and if the crust is browning too much, add a crust guard.*)
Notes
*You can make your own crust guard by cutting a circle out of aluminum foil to protect the crust but leave the filling uncovered.
- 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!