Easy asparagus crustless quiche made in under an hour that can be gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free! This formula takes well to variations, so be sure to see the other filling suggestions in the recipe notes.
Whip this up for an effortless brunch or easy weekday breakfast. Leftovers keep wonderfully to enjoy throughout the week for a nearly-instant gluten-free breakfast.
I love a classic gluten-free quiche with veggie-laden custard encased in a flaky, golden GF pie crust (or paleo pie crust). But for mornings (or afternoons, or evenings) when I need a gluten-free breakfast dish in under an hour, I turn to my favorite crustless quiche formula.
Crustless Quiche Vs. Frittata
What's the difference between crustless quiche and frittata, you ask? Well frittata is made from beaten eggs plus goodies cooked on the stove or baked. But quiche adds milk and/or cream for a more tender, custardy filling.
While most crustless quiche recipes are just frittata in disguise, this recipe uses a more custardy ratio of dairy to eggs. A little flour absorbs moisture and the result is somewhere between luscious quiche filling and a puffy oven pancake. It's divine, and simply satisfying.
I learned this easy crustless quiche formula several years ago from a friend and shared a springy potato green garlic version. Today I'm sharing this simple asparagus crustless quiche made with lots of gooey, melty cheese and made grain-free with cassava flour.
This quiche is casual enough for a lazy Sunday brunch, but tasty enough to serve guests for a light but substantial supper. The delicate custard creates an elegant foil for grassy asparagus and nutty gruyere cheese. See below for pairing suggestions!
Ingredients and Substitution Suggestions
This recipe uses just 8 main ingredients and it takes well to variations if you don't have asparagus on hand.
- Eggs form the base of this crustless quiche. If you can use pastured eggs, you'll be rewarded with especially bright & flavorful egg yolks!
- Milk and cream add moisture and richness. For dairy-free crustless quiche, use full-fat coconut milk – it works beautifully and doesn't taste like coconut!
- Flour absorbs excess moisture. I've used grain-free cassava and arrowroot flours here, but any all-purpose flour (wheat, GF, or Paleo) should work. I've also used a mix of sweet rice and GF oat flour. It's a forgiving recipe, so feel free to experiment with your preferred flours!
- Asparagus cooked briefly in butter adds its delightfully grassy flavor, but you can use pretty much any seasonal vegetable such as broccoli, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or greens. See the notes section below the recipe for more ideas!
- Cheese adds umami flavor and melty goodness. I used gruyere here, which has a lovely nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with asparagus. But any mild melting cheese will work, such as gouda or Swiss. Fresh goat cheese is another favorite option!
- Chives add oniony goodness. Green onions work well too. Or use sautéed leek or shallot.
- Salt and pepper sharpen the flavors.
How to Make Crustless Quiche
This recipe comes together in under an hour turning out one 9- or 10-inch quiche which serves 4. To feed a crowd, double the recipe and bake it in a 9x12-inch pan.
Allergy-Friendly Variations
Gluten-Free Crustless Quiche
If grains aren't an issue, use sweet rice and GF oat flour (see recipe notes for the amounts) or a good all-purpose GF flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1.
Grain-Free Crustless Quiche
Make the recipe as written with cassava and arrowroot flours.
Dairy-Free Crustless Quiche
To ditch the dairy, simply swap the milk and cream for full-fat coconut milk. Use olive oil instead of butter for cooking the asparagus. Omit the cheese or use a good vegan cheese. I'm a fan of Miyoko's vegan mozzarella with their chive or sun-dried tomato soft cheese wheels.
Paleo Crustless Quiche
Make the above subs, and use cassava and arrowroot flours.
What to Serve with Quiche?
Quiche needs nothing more than a simple green salad tossed with dijon vinaigrette and a glass of white wine or bubbles to make it a meal. But here are a few favorite brunch-friendly pairings:
- Roasted Potatoes and Parsnips
- My favorite basil pesto
- Toasted gluten-free nut & seed bread
- Sparkling Grapefruit Elderflower Cocktails
- Green Goddess Potato Salad
- Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Feta & Herbs
- Spring Greens Salad with Miso Buttermilk Dressing
However you serve up this crustless asparagus quiche, I hope it becomes a brunch staple in your home like it has in ours!
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this asparagus crustless quiche recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Foolproof Crustless Quiche with Asparagus
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, plus a little for the pan
- 1 bunch asparagus (12-16 ounces)
- ¼ cup (33 g) cassava flour*
- 3 tablespoons (21 g) arrowroot starch*
- ½ teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
- black pepper
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk (or full-fat canned coconut milk)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (or full-fat canned coconut milk)
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens
- 4 ounces (1 cup lightly packed) gruyère or other favorite cheese*
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Rub a 9 or 10-inch round baking pan with softened butter.
- Snap the ends off of the asparagus. Cut the stalks into half-inch pieces on diagonal, leaving the asparagus tips intact.
- In a wide skillet, melt ½ tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the small asparagus pieces plus a big pinch salt. Cook, stirring, until bright green and crisp tender. Remove from pan.
- Add the remaining butter and asparagus tips & cook for one minute.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, arrowroot starch, salt and pepper. Add two of the eggs and whisk smooth. Add the remaining four eggs, two at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the milk, cream, and chives.
- Spread the small pieces of asparagus in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle most of the cheese over the asparagus pieces. Pour the quiche batter over the asparagus and arrange the asparagus tips on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the quiche until puffed and golden, 40-45 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- sautéed mushrooms
- sautéed leeks or spring onions
- cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes
- sautéed zucchini
- lightly steamed broccoli
- wilted spinach or other greens
- other herbs such as tarragon, basil, thyme, etc.
- sweet corn
- roasted winter squash
- parboiled potato slices
- bacon, sausage, or pancetta for omnivores
rtgarden2019 says
mmm so basic and yet so nice.
asmallfryup says
yum! i am usually not a fan of quichey things - but that sounds AMAZING!!!
Barbara says
I made this today for Sunday brunch! Then ate it for dinner. Scrumptious indeed.
Monisha says
Loved this dish. These proportions were perfect for the two of us, with leftovers! I must say, it tasted even better 2 days later. Loved how it reheated. Many thanks.
Alanna says
Thanks, all you guys! So glad y'all are enjoying this recipe. :)
kaprise.com says
I baking this right now with cheddar cheese and fennel!!! Such a lovely idea!!
:)
Alanna says
Ooh! That sounds delicious! Bon appetit. :)
Leigh says
This looks and sounds luscious! As for dairy free do you have any suggestions as a substitute for eggs that you may have tried?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That's a great question! Eggs are tricky to substitute. But here's a version that uses tofu! You could also try use Just Egg. Let me know what you try!
AMANDA PAA says
Made this for Mother’s Day, everyone loved it!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw thanks for trying my recipe Panda! I'm so glad it was a hit. Looked like an epic feast!!
Megan H says
Oh, this is sooo good! I just had a slice and can't stop thinking that I better have another one, ha ha! I am no stranger to making quiche, with hash brown crusts, pie crusts, no crusts. But I love the texture that the flour brings to this one! I had planned to make a ham and asparagus and gruyere quiche, with a new recipe I wanted to try, but then I got your brunch email with this recipe, and the other one flew right out the window. I had already done the shopping for the other one, and it was similar (without the interior flour quotient) however instead of milk and cream it called for evaporated milk. I had a can of coconut evaporated milk, and used it to sub your liquids in the same quantity. And I threw in a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, just because I do. :)
Otherwise I followed your recipe to the letter, and it is so beautiful and light and delicious! I can imagine this in so many different yummy combinations. Thank you for another winner!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Megan
Oh I'm so happy to hear that you loved this crustless quiche recipe! I make it all the time myself, using whatever veggies are in season at the moment. Ham would be so perfect here too, and nutmeg sounds like a delicious addition as well! That's great to know that it can work with evaporated coconut milk - brilliant! Thanks a bunch for trying my recipe and for the sweet note. :)
-Alanna
jayne fertig says
Hello my dear! This recipe is awesome! My new go to! Never going back to crusts or frittata again! I used asparagus & stuff I had on hand: greek yogurt, water, eggs, same proportions cassava & arrowroot; spiced it up with tarragon & korean chili flakes; bacon, carmelized onion and a bit of cheese. It came out beautiful! Cooked in my ol Grizwold to perfection in 40 minutes. I topped it with a bit of tomatillo salsa. I loved it! The possibilities are endless now that I have a good basis for crustless quiche! Great for freezer prepping for the week. I think I'll make some batches to keep for a month in the freezer after choosing other veggie suggestions. Love it! I want to try your carrot cake & mascarpone icing with my carrot pulp too.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Jayne,
Yay, I'm so glad you liked this formula and that it worked well with those ingredients - brilliant and those flavors sound incredible! Please let me know what other versions you try, and if you make the carrot cake with carrot pulp - such a fun idea!
Cheers,
Alanna
Judy says
Great recipe! I’m thinking tons of chopped spinach mixed in with the eggs, sautéed garlic and a bit of anchovy. Srsly. :)
Btw, I make your cassava flour crackers all the time. So thanks for that!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
So glad you like this crustless quiche formula and the cassava flour crackers too - yay! Those mix-ins sound delicious; let me know how you like them!
Effie says
Made this for lunch today. Had made something similar in the past, but really liked the texture of this one so much better, with the added 'flours' (casava flour & arrowroot). Definitely putting this on the faves list!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you liked the crustless quiche! Let me know if you try it with other fillings, I'm always looking for more ideas too. :)
Mary says
Can this recipe be frozen.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Great question and yes, this crustless quiche freezes beautifully. I've frozen it many times myself. I like to make two and cut them into wedges to freeze for the rest of the week. Just reheat them in a 350ºF oven or toaster oven until they're warmed through. It can take 15 minutes or so. Please let me know if you try it!
Andrea Eisenberg says
So I didn't understand the difference between a crust-less quiche and a frittata until I made this. I used spinach, sundried tomatoes and feta because that's what I had at home and it was delicious. Very light and airy compared to a more dense frittata. It almost looked like a souffle coming out of the oven. I definitely will be making this again!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yes I feel you! Frittata is just a bit too eggy for me; I like the way the flour and dairy break up that egginess and add some creamy goodness. So glad you liked it too, and those add-ins sound superb! Let me know if you try other fillings. :)