Sometimes you want a simple (yet schmancy), healthy (yet tasty), eggy (yet vegan) quiche! Am I right? This Crustless Tofu Quiche is my favorite way to satisfy a quiche craving for three main reasons:
- It’s made from just eleven easy-to-find ingredients.
- Preparation is simple (sauté, blend, bake).
- And this vegan quiche is SO flavorful and satisfying without being greasy and heavy like traditional quiche.
Tofu, the classic vegan egg
If you prefer your quiche resting in a buttery, flaky crust, you can absolutely use this recipe with your favorite store-bought or homemade crust. But for me, quiche is all about the filling. I also don’t like a whole lot of fuss (I know I’m not alone!), and this quiche recipe keeps things simple using only tofu plus a bit of water for the eggy texture. I’ve experimented with a combination of chickpea flour (aka besan) and tofu and found that I don’t like it as much as straight tofu. For my palate, the chickpea flour introduces a bitterness that detracts from tofu’s natural egg-like flavor. It also makes the texture more dense and doesn’t help as much with binding as you might think. I actually really like chickpea flour for other things, like savory crepes, and feel bad about being so critical! Maybe I’ll give it another try in quiche one day soon. Until then, I’m on team 100% tofu.
In my pre-vegan days I was a huge fan of eggs. Always had been. Scrambled, hard boiled, fried, in frittatas and breakfast casseroles, all of it. To quote the late Anthony Bourdain, I was a total egg slut. Unlike a lot of people, I actually really liked the texture of eggs, which means I LOVE the texture of tofu. I seriously do, and even after all these years I’m still amazed how much tofu can remind me of eggs. Using different types of tofu provides different levels of moisture and mouthfeel, so even if you’ve tried tofu as a main dish egg replacement and didn’t like it, you should keep trying. There’s a tofu out there for everyone!
How to make crustless tofu quiche
The basic process looks like this…..
- Prep your vegetables. I used half an onion, mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic in my quiche (it’s asparagus season)! But you can easily substitute veggies based on your preferences or to use up whatever you have on hand. For example, small broccoli florets will take about the same amount of time to cook as the asparagus, so that’s an easy swap. Baby spinach is another great option. Just remember that leafy greens cook down a lot so you’ll need to start with more volume (about 4 cups). Swiss chard or dino kale would also be a beautiful, healthy addition to your quiche. Be sure to chop the greens into bite-sized pieces.
- Sauté the veggies until fork tender. This is also where we season the veggies with delicious dried thyme, onion powder and a pinch of salt.
- In a food processor combine the tofu, tamari (or soy sauce), and nutritional yeast. Drizzle in the water and olive oil, and blend until smooth. Season with a bit of salt. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. Spoon into the pan with the vegetables and stir to combine.
- Now transfer the quiche mixture into the prepared pie plate, and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
Mmmm, one of my favorites, Violife Smoked Provolone, but you can also use shredded vegan cheese.
Voila! Add a side salad and you have a delicious, satisfying, and elegant brunch or lunch.
With just 11 ingredients, 15 minutes of prep, and about 40 minutes of cook time (30 minutes of it being hands off), this classic Crustless Tofu Quiche is ready to be the guest of honor at your next brunch! If you try the recipe I would love to hear from you! Tag @myquietkitchen on instagram, rate the recipe and leave a comment below. 😀 Happy brunching!
You might also like Savory Tofu Pancakes and Cajun Tofu Scramble.
Crustless Tofu Quiche
Ingredients
- 1/2 large onion, chopped fine
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups) Or sub broccoli florets, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 pound super firm or extra firm tofu, drained
- 2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 to 4 ounces vegan cheese, shreds or slices (if using sliced cheese, chop it before adding to the food processor) I used half a pack of Violife Smoked Provolone.
- up to 1/2 cup water, for consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9-inch pie plate or 10-inch quiche pan (not the type with a removable bottom as the quiche mixture would leak).
- Preheat a saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan. Cook the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, asparagus, and a pinch of salt. Stirring occasionally, cook until the asparagus is barely fork tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and onion powder to the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Crumble the tofu into the bowl of a food processor. Add the tamari and nutritional yeast. Process until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the processor running, drizzle in just enough water so that the mixture becomes smooth, similar in texture to thick hummus (super-firm will require more water, normal extra-firm will need less). Drizzle in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Taste for salt keeping in mind that the cheese will add saltiness, and add up to 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the shredded or chopped cheese, and pulse 5 or 6 times to incorporate it into the tofu mixture.
- Spoon the quiche mixture into the sauté pan with the vegetables, and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie plate, and smooth the top with a silicone spatula. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until firm and a knife inserted in the center comes out hot. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
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