This butternut squash quiche is full of cozy fall flavors: roasted winter squash, tender leeks, and earthy sage. Encased in a flaky gluten-free crust and held together with luscious savory custard and creamy goat cheese, this quiche makes a special vegetarian main dish for holiday gatherings or weekend brunch.
Thanks to Vermont Creamery for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
If you're looking for a vegetarian main dish for fall and winter holidays that still feels like a treat, this butternut squash quiche is the dish for you. I've been making a version of this recipe for over 10 years and it's become a tradition at family gatherings during the cooler months. My vegetarian husband especially loves having a main dish that doesn't taste like deprivation!
This savory fall quiche starts with my favorite flaky gluten-free pie crust. It's loaded with roasted butternut squash, sauteed leeks, and delicious fresh goat cheese. A savory custard binds the filling together. And herbaceous fresh sage tempers those sweet and creamy ingredients, taking it to the decidedly savory side.
Serve up wedges with a chicory apple salad and roasted potatoes and parsnips for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients and Substitution Suggestions
- This recipe starts with my flaky gluten-free pie crust. For best results, make this with Vermont Creamery cultured butter, which has a clean flavor full of buttery richness. For a grain-free option, go with my paleo pie crust. If gluten isn't an issue for you, use my flaky all-butter pie crust or sourdough pie crust.
- Vermont Creamery classic fresh goat cheese adds loads of flavor and creamy goodness. This award-winning small-batch cheese has a clean, bright taste with notes of lemon and freshly cut grass. Here it melts into luscious pockets. Gruyere is another cheese that plays well with these fall flavors. Or use Kite Hill almond ricotta for a dairy-free option.
- Butternut squash cubes roasted with olive oil create a golden mosaic and add sweetness. You can use any other winter squash you love (except for spaghetti squash), including kabocha, kuri, acorn, delicata, honey nut, and pumpkin.
- Leeks, sauteed in Vermont Creamery cultured butter until tender, add savory flavor. Feel free to swap diced onion or shallot.
- Eggs set the custard.
- Milk and cream (or crème fraiche) make a creamy filling. You can swap both for 1 can of full-fat coconut milk.
- A little flour in the filling helps the custard set and absorbs excess moisture. I used sweet rice flour here, any GF all-purpose blend will work.
- Slivered sage leaves add a lovely savory flavor that tamps down the sweet richness of the quiche. You could use any other herb you like, such as minced rosemary or thyme, or try a combination. You'll need to adjust the quantity to your taste.
- Salt and pepper sharpen the flavors.
How to Prepare Butternut Squash
- Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to peel the squash.
- Trim away the stem end and the butt of the squash and separate the neck from the body.
- Cut the body in half lengthwise and scrape out and discard the seeds.
- Cut the body and neck into 1-inch cubes.
How to Make Butternut Quiche
This butternut squash quiche takes a few steps to prepare, but all are simple and many can be done ahead (see recipe notes in the recipe card below!)
Butternut Squash Quiche for Everyone
This cozy butternut squash quiche is vegetarian, gluten-free, and can be made grain-free, paleo-friendly, and dairy-free too.
You can even cut it into small wedges and serve it up on a fall harvest cheeseboard.
Whether you eat it for brunch or dinner, with company or hoarding it all to yourself, I hope you love it as much as we do!
*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 butternut squash quiche recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Butternut Squash Quiche with Goat Cheese & Leeks
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Veggies
- 5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper, as needed
- 1 large leek
- 1 tablespoon Vermont Creamery cultured unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons slivered fresh sage leaves
Savory Custard & Cheese
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) flour (sweet rice or all-purpose)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk (or full-fat coconut milk)
- ¾ cup heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk)
- 6 ounces Vermont Creamery Classic Goat Cheese, in large crumbles (about 1 ½ cups)
Instructions
Make the crust
- Have the pie crust made, shaped in the pan, and chilled. You can parbake it along with the vegetables on the lower rack of the oven if you like, or parbake it ahead of time.
Prepare the veggies
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat to 400ºF.
- Place the prepared squash cubes on a baking sheet and toss to coat with the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a little pepper. Roast in the upper third of the oven until golden and tender, 30-45 minutes, tossing once or twice.
- To prepare the leek, slice it in half lengthwise, then cut it into ¼-inch pieces crosswise. Place the sliced leek in a large bowl filled with cool water and swish once or twice to remove any sandy dirt hanging out between the slices. Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat. When it sizzles, lift the leeks from the bowl and add them to the pan. Season with a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's very tender but not brown, 10-15 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF.
Make the custard
- Place the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Add one of the eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining eggs, then the milk and cream. Cover and chill until needed, up to 2 days.
Make the quiche
- Place the crust on a rimmed baking sheet to make it easier to maneuver and to catch any drips.
- Layer the roasted squash, cooked leeks, slivered sage, and goat cheese into the parbaked quiche crust.
- Carefully pour in the custard mixture until the quiche is as full as possible without overflowing; you may have a little extra.
- Carefully transfer the quiche to the oven and bake until the top is golden and puffed, and a knife inserted near the center reveals no liquid, 45-60 minutes. Rotate the quiche once or twice for even baking.
- Let the quiche cool to warm or room temperature to make it easier to slice, at least 20 minutes and up to several hours. Use a sharp knife to cut the quiche into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
Storage
- The baked quiche will keep at cool room temperature for up to 3 hours. Extra quiche can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 4 days. To reheat, place in a 350º oven or toaster oven until heated through, 10-15 minutes.
- To freeze quiche, place cooled slices in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place slices in a 350º oven or toaster oven until heated through, 15-20 minutes or as needed.
Notes
- The quiche crust dough can be made up to several days ahead and refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Unbaked quiche crust can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Parbaked quiche crust can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day, refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- The squash and leeks can be cooked and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- The custard can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Be sure to whisk it very well before baking to re-incorporate the flour into the custard.
- The quiche is best the day that it’s baked when the crust is crisp. But baked quiche can be made 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to serve. Slice up the cold quiche and reheat slices in a 350º oven until warm, 10-15 minutes.
- To freeze quiche, place cooled slices in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place slices in a 350º oven or toaster oven until heated through, 15-20 minutes or as needed.
- Grain-Free Quiche: use the cassava almond flour pie crust recipe.
- Dairy-Free Quiche: omit the cheese and use 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk in place of the milk and cream. Use vegan butter in the crust.
Val says
I think this is one of the first recipes of yours I ever made, and I’ve now been making variations of it for nearly a decade, too—it’s so delicious and versatile. happy thanksgiving!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw that makes me so happy to hear! Please let me know if you give version 2.0 a try :)
Sonya says
Hi Alanna!
Could I turn this into a crustless quiche/frittata sort of vibe instead of using a crust? If so, would I just omit the crust and bake the filling, or would I need to add more flour, etc?
Thanks!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oooh good question! I would use the same filling ingredients (squash, leeks, sage, goat cheese) with this crustless quiche base. I'm so hungry for this now! Please let me know if you try it!
Lisa says
Can't wait to try this!
Per says
Loved it! Thanks so much for this recipe, I have done it s few times. already. The quiche is great on it's own or as part of a buffet. I will definitely try more of your recipes. Cheers from a wintery Sweden.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you love the quiche! Thanks a bunch for the kind note and rating :)