This easy Mushroom Quiche recipe is made with an all-butter pie crust and has been in my dinner rotations for more than 30 years. This savory quiche is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner served alongside a green salad.
When I first moved out on my own, my mom bought me the Pol Martin cookbook to get me started on fending for my adult self. His easy 1-2-3 custard base works perfectly with any veggies or meats to make a delicious quiche.
In This Post
Why this Works
The base has three simple ingredients: heavy cream, eggs, and cheese. How you flavor it…infinite! Check my notes below on how to achieve a golden crust on the bottom. As the other Paul (Hollywood) says, “no soggy bottoms”.
Experiment with different types of cheese. A few of my favorites are gruyère cheese, asiago, or smoked mozzarella. Use my easy Basic Pie Crust recipe for the pastry case. It’s the easiest homemade crust recipe that you’ll ever try and the flaky crust is perfect.
Heather’s Recipe Notes
Drawing from 20 years of recipe development and my time co-founding a spice company, here’s what makes this recipe worth making exactly as written.
- Cooked mushrooms release a lot of water (they are composed of 90%-92% water), so you will need to pre-bake (blind bake) the pie shell.
- Blind baking a pie crust prevents a soggy bottom and sets the crust’s structure, stops the shell from shrinking or puffing, and creates a crisp, flaky base for wet fillings.
- Lining the bottom of the pie crust with parchment paper and using pie weights or uncooked rice or beans to blind bake will keep the shell from puffing when baked.
The Maillard Reaction
The Maillard reaction gives quiche its best flavor and color. It happens when heat drives amino acids and sugars in eggs, cream, cheese, and browned meats to react, forming hundreds of new aroma and taste compounds. You see it as the golden top, toasted cheese spots, and browned edges where the custard meets the pan. You get more of it when your oven runs hot enough and the surface dries out a bit, so avoid covering the quiche and bake until the center sets but the top turns deep gold. For extra browning, finish with a short blast of higher heat at the end, or use a brief broil while watching closely so the custard stays silky and the top turns nutty and savory.
The Process
Quiche Crust
- Make a half recipe of my basic all-butter pie dough. Press into quiche tart pan or pie dish and set aside for 20-30 minutes so the gluten as time to relax.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Dock (prick) the bottom of the shell all over with a fork. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and precook for 15 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.
Mushroom Custard
- Sauté sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil over medium high heat until softened and slightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle in fresh thyme, salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, and cheese. Whisk to combine.
Assemble & Bake
- Lower oven to 375ºF.
- Layer mushrooms on the bottom of the baked pastry shell and pour egg mixture over.
- Bake 45 minutes. If the top is getting too brown, tent the top of the pan with aluminum foil.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Quiche Variations to Try
- Quiche Lorraine: bacon, caramelized onion, Gruyere cheese, pinch of nutmeg, black pepper.
- Spinach and Feta: sautéed spinach, feta cheese, scallions, dill or parsley, lemon zest.
- Mushroom and Swiss: browned white mushrooms, shallots, thyme, swiss cheese.
- Ham, Cheddar, and Broccoli: steamed broccoli, diced ham, sharp cheddar, dijon mustard.
- Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese: roasted cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, cracked pepper.
- Smoked Salmon and Leek: sautéed leeks, smoked salmon, snipped chives, crème fraîche or cream cheese.
Tips for Storing
- Cool quiche on a rack for 30 to 60 minutes before storing. This prevents steam from turning the crust soggy.
- Refrigerate within 2 hours. Wrap tightly in foil, or store slices in an airtight container.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep slices separated with parchment if you stack them.
- For best texture, reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 300°F until warm. Finish uncovered for a crisper top and crust.
- Freeze for longer storage. Wrap slices in plastic wrap, then foil, and place in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat covered first, then uncover to re crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook mushrooms first. Drive off moisture until the pan looks dry. Cool them before adding to the custard. Use full fat dairy and avoid overloading the filling.
3 large eggs to 1 cup of heavy whipping cream will create a silky smooth quiche custard.
The edges look set and slightly puffed. The center of the quiche still jiggles like soft gelatin, not like liquid. A knife inserted about 1 inch from the center comes out mostly clean.
You baked it too hot or too long. Eggs tighten and squeeze out moisture. Bake at a moderate temp and pull it when the center still has a small wobble. Let it rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Yes, if you want a crisp bottom. Par bake the crust until it looks dry and lightly golden. For extra insurance, brush on egg wash and bake 2 minutes more to seal it.
Yes. Cool it fully, then chill. Reheat covered at 300°F until warmed through, then uncover for the last few minutes to re crisp the top. Avoid microwaving slices if you want the best texture.
Easy Mushroom Quiche Recipe
Recommended Tools
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Basic Pie Dough, or store-bought pie crust
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ lb mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, sliced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, leaves only
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, preferably 35%
- ⅓ cup gruyere cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Pastry Shell
- Make a half recipe of my basic all-butter pie dough (or use a store-bought pie crust). Press into quiche tart pan or pie dish and set aside for 20-30 minutes so the gluten as time to relax.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Dock (prick) the bottom of the shell all over with a fork. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and precook for 15 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.
Mushroom Custard
- Sauté sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil over medium high heat until softened and slightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle in fresh thyme, salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, and cheese. Whisk to combine.
Assemble & Bake
- Lower oven to 375ºF.
- Layer mushrooms on the bottom of the baked pastry shell and pour egg mixture over.
- Bake 45 minutes. If the top is getting too brown, tent the top of the pan with aluminum foil.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
This was so delish and easy to make!