This Leek and Gruyere Quiche highlights a classic flavor pairing in a perfectly custardy dish with a few shortcuts that make it even more enjoyable. With tender leeks and creamy gruyere cheese, it's an impressive brunch or even meal prep for the week.
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Ingredients
Ingredient quantities and full recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pie crust: When I have time and plan ahead, I like to make a homemade pie crust. But when I don’t (which is the more often scenario) I buy a frozen store-bought pie crust.
- Leeks: The white and light green parts of about 3 large leeks sliced into half moons.
- Gruyere cheese: One of my favorite cheeses. It’s mild, semi-hard, with a little funk. Similar to a cheddar cheese but less sharp.
- The closest substitution is Swiss cheese if you’re having trouble finding gruyere.
- Eggs: Four large eggs. If you only have medium eggs, use five of them.
- Heavy cream and whole milk: The combination of heavy cream and whole milk creates a perfect creamy consistency that helps result in a custardy moist egg mixture.
- Salt and pepper: Always kosher salt and fresh black pepper, if you can.
- Olive oil: To sauté the leeks before adding them to the quiche.
How to make a Leek and Gruyere Quiche
1. Par-bake your pie crust in a pie pan at 400°F for 10 minutes then remove. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
2. Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, once warm add the leeks and sauté until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Set them aside to get to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, salt and pepper.
4. Place the pre-made pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet, put the sautéed leeks on the bottom.
5. Pour the egg mixture directly on top of the leeks.
6. Scatter the grated cheese overtop, allowing it to sink in a bit.
7. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and set. Remove and let the baked quiche cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in.
Tips and tricks
This leek and cheese quiche is one of the simpler ones to make, but with a ton of flavor.
- Leeks are dirty, especially between their layers. Make sure you are cleaning them well after you cut them (by rinsing under cold water).
- To par-bake your crust use a piece of parchment paper topped with pie weights or dried beans to help keep its shape. If you use dried beans, you should not use them for cooking in the future.
- To know if your quiche is set and ready to take out of the oven, give it a gentle wiggle. If the center looks liquidy it is not set yet.
- To get a flaky crust and to keep the bottom of the quiche crust from getting soggy, par-baking is crucial.
- Good to know: Par-baking and blind baking are two different things – par-baking bakes the crust only a little, whereas blind baking fully bakes the crust with no filling.
- If you want to add some more veggies, sautéed spinach or mushrooms would be great.
How to make your own pie crust
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3-4 tablespoon cold water (ice water preferred)
Combine the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add 3 tablespoon water and pulse until you get moist crumbles that stick together when squeezed in your fist. If you need to add more water, do so a splash at a time. Turn it out onto a clean surface and form it into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to use, roll it out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin until roughly ¼ inch thin.
Storage and reheating
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave for a few minutes until warmed through or in an oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
- To freeze, bake it until cooked through then wrap tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months, but eating it after 1 month is recommended.
What to serve alongside leek and gruyere quiche
- Simple green salad
- Berries or citrus fruit
- Crispy maple bacon or breakfast sausage
FAQs
They are in the same family (allium), but leeks are more mild than an onion.
Sure! Any meat you add, make sure it’s cooked before you bake everything.
Yes, you do. They will not cook fully if added raw.
Trim off the root end and the dark green parts. Slice in half lengthwise, then cut thin slices of half moons.
Milk will give you a lighter quiche, and cream will give you a richer quiche - that’s why I use a combination of the two, light yet rich.
No, there's too much filling it would overflow.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating and review below and tag me on social!
📖 Recipe
Leek and Gruyere Quiche
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 3 leeks sliced into half-moons, 2 cups
- ¾ cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 store bought pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉.
- Par-bake your pie crust in a pie pan at 400°F for 10 minutes then remove. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, once warm add the leeks and sauté until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Set them aside to get to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, salt and pepper.
- Place the pre-made pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet, put the sautéed leeks on the bottom.
- Pour the egg mixture directly on top of the leeks.
- Scatter the grated cheese overtop, allowing it to sink in a bit.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and set. Remove and let the baked quiche cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in.
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