I don’t have a lot to say about this recipe. I mean, there are only so many ways I can say something’s delicious—Mmmmm! Yum! Wow! Awesome! Kid-Friendly!—without sounding like a 4th grader.
The story on these mini vegan quiches is that I saw a non-vegan recipe for mini crustless quiches in a magazine and wanted to try using silken tofu. So one night when my husband and daughter were both out for the evening, I tried these out as an experiment. I figured if it failed, it was just my dinner at risk. I wasn’t prepared for them to be so good—or for E. to come home and demand a share of them!
After initially exclaiming, “Ew, what is that?” she decided that she wanted to try one. And another. And another. And another. I’d made only 12, so my dinner was rapidly disappearing. I had to promise that I’d make a double batch soon, or there would have been none left for D. Yes, I figured he should get a chance at something this tasty.
They’re extremely versatile: Good hot or cold, you can eat them for breakfast, put them in a lunchbox, or serve them for dinner. If you’re throwing a party, try making them in mini muffin cups, and they’ll be the perfect finger food. (Reduce the baking time for smaller quiches.) Try them with different vegetables, but be careful not to add too many or they may not hold together. Most importantly, plan to either hide them from your family or make enough to share!
Well, I guess I did have a lot to say after all.
Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches
Ingredients
- olive oil spray optional
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives or one green onion
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed
- black pepper to taste
- 1 12.3-ounce package lite firm or extra-firm silken tofu drained of water, see note below
- 1/4 cup plain soymilk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch may substitute another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch
- 1 teaspoon tahini or cashew butter optional but preferred
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 generous pinch black salt kala namak adds an eggy taste, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray or use silicone cups like these (do not use paper because it will stick).
- Heat a non-stick skillet and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, remove from the heat, and set aside.
- Place the tofu and all remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.
- Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean–about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups (silicone will take longer than metal, so if you’re using a metal pan, check it at 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy! They’re light, so plan on making more of these—or serve hearty side dishes—if you’re serving more than 3 people.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Liz W
April 2, 2015 at 11:25 amI made these and loved them! In fact I’m making them again today. Thank you!
Devona
April 15, 2015 at 2:21 pmSo I just made this, and I used the Nasoya organic silken tofu. It seems that like others have said; it didn’t turn out right, they didn’t set up and are still liquidity. i froze the tofu before and added extra corn starch to no avail. It’s cooling now but I don’t believe they change that drastically from just cooling down.
Susan Voisin
April 15, 2015 at 3:05 pmSorry for your bad experience, but these only work with MoriNu tofu in the aseptic package. Freezing changes the texture of tofu, making it crumbly, not smooth, so I don’t recommend freezing for this recipe.
PniB
October 18, 2015 at 6:01 pmI have made these many times with silken tofu, any organic brand, and they come out perfectly lovely and delicious every time 🙂
mikelle
June 18, 2015 at 6:39 pmThese are amazing. I loosely followed the recipe and used whatever veggies I had on hand. They were great and will make again repeatedly!! Thank you.
Darlene
December 23, 2015 at 9:27 amHi Susan I am on your regular email list and I love your recipes!!! Thank you so much for making such yummy and healthy vegan recipes..
But I have a question regarding the mini quiches:
Can I make this the night before and refrigerate it and then pour it into the muffin tin the next morning and bake it? I want to bring it Xmas morning to my granddaughters house and bake it there..
Thank you again.
Darlene
Susan Voisin
December 23, 2015 at 9:41 amI can’t think of any reason that wouldn’t work. I hope you enjoy them!
Leah Woodcock
February 6, 2016 at 8:23 amI am so grateful for this recipe! I have been missing eggs since going completely vegan (eggs were the last thing to go). So, made this recipe last night and it is to die for and eating again for breakfast! The flavors are even deeper than last night and the spices are more fragrant! I will need to make a double batch in the near future!
Pavithra
February 17, 2016 at 4:29 amHi Susan,
Can I use canola spray instead of olive spray ?
Susan Voisin
February 17, 2016 at 7:53 amSure. It’s just to keep them from sticking, so don’t use a lot. You can also just wipe the muffin tin with a bit of oil on a paper towel.
whan
March 6, 2016 at 9:38 amI am so excited to try this recipe!!! It looks awesome and just like a quiche. I am going to try this recipe this week.
Kerrie
March 11, 2016 at 8:30 pmI just made these with mushrooms and corn and a sprinkle of daiya cheese on top- amazing!!
sirfil
May 20, 2016 at 3:02 amCould you link to the non-vegan recipe?
I’m not being contrary, I just don’t happen to be a vegan and prob wouldn’t be able to get that brand of tofu in any case, I don’t think so anyway, never bought tofu
Pavithra
May 26, 2016 at 9:23 amI can’t wait to try this! Only my husband and I aren’t big mushroom fans – any tips on what I can substitute it with?
Susan Voisin
May 26, 2016 at 10:24 amA lot of people like them with broccoli. Just chop the florets very small. Or you could use any of your favorite vegetables as long as you pre-cook them first.
Bernadette
April 11, 2019 at 2:01 amFrozen chopped spinach thawed pressing out the liquid
Tabitha
September 21, 2016 at 1:46 amThank you for this recipe! I used it as a stepping stone and omitted a few ingredients because quite frankly, I dont have a well stocked cupboard!
I left out the tahini, black salt, red peppers and the milk. I used regular firm tofu and baked them in mountain bread (a super thin rice wrap) in my muffin tins
They’ve firmed uo beautifully and taste amazing!
Like a devilled egg quiche haha!
Thank you!
Chen
November 1, 2016 at 6:23 amI’m going to make this today for breakfast to celebrate World Vegan Day ^_^, but I was wondering if using unbleached parchment paper would work? Thank you Susan!
Susan Voisin
November 1, 2016 at 9:02 amHmmm. You can try using parchment paper. If you can get it to fit into the muffin cups, it should be okay, though they may look a little wrinkly. 😀
Chen
November 1, 2016 at 1:57 pmI meant to say unbleached muffin liner, not parchment paper lol. So anyway, I made them and used the mentioned muffin liner. They were a little tricky to peel off, but delicious nonetheless. I didn’t have chives or green onions and substituted with red onions. Will definitely make again! Thank you <3.
ellenmulle
December 6, 2016 at 6:52 amHi! Does this recipe work in a quiche pie pan also or just muffin tins? I’ve been looking for a good vegan quiche recipe for a while? Thx!
Miranda
December 13, 2016 at 1:44 pmHey, these look great, I’ve done similar before- just wanna know, as we roll into Christmas, can you freeze them?
Thanks, your work is a service to humanity!
Susan Voisin
December 13, 2016 at 2:47 pmThanks, Miranda! 😀 I haven’t ever frozen them, but they might be ok. O rly one way to find out….😉
Evan
December 27, 2016 at 8:10 amThese were great! Even my family, who can’t stand tofu, had no idea it was an eggless quiche and they liked it! Five *****
Manon
May 18, 2017 at 3:20 pmDo you think this could be done in a larger baking pan, like a cake pan for example? And is there something I can use as substitute for the non-stick spray? Like buttering the pan for example? (I’m not actually vegan, I’m simply dieting and I also love tofu so I’m super excited to try this recipe, but non-stick spray is something I absolutely never use, so it would be a shame to buy it just for this recipe and then to have to throw it away….)
Susan Voisin
May 18, 2017 at 3:26 pmYou can probably make this in a pie pan, but it would take much longer to cook and you would have to experiment. You can use any oil/grease on the pan or use a non-stick pan.
Stephanie Campbell
June 23, 2017 at 8:14 pmDo you think it would be okay to make this in a cake pan so like one big round quiche ??
Nofu
August 16, 2017 at 11:52 pmIs there any substitute I could use for the tofu? 😬 Recipe sounds amazing and like the kiddos would love it but we don’t eat tofu. Thanks!
Susan Voisin
August 17, 2017 at 5:41 amSorry! This recipe is designed around tofu. I think I’ve seen similar recipes using chickpea flour, so you might try googling that. I have chickpea flour omelets that you might like.
katie
August 27, 2017 at 10:12 pmthis did not work at all for me.
I’m from australia and i tried to find the tofu in the recipe but its hard to know if it is the same.
they came out like scrambled eggs
i will try again with the firm tofu which should set better than the silken one.
Susan Voisin
August 28, 2017 at 9:54 pmI’m really sorry it didn’t come out right for you, but I think it’s unfair to rate it so low when you didn’t use the right tofu. I said in the post that people don’t have success if they don’t use the same tofu I used.
Toni
April 10, 2019 at 1:04 amNot sure if giving a really low rating because you were unable to make it with the required ingredients is reasonable :/
Jeannie in Germany
December 5, 2017 at 4:09 amThis was SO GOOD! Many thanks for the recipe! You were right – I should have made more than one batch.
Do you think it would work as a quiche if I doubled it and put it into a quiche pan? I would hate to waste the time/ingredients if it’s unlikely to work, but only made it once and am not as experienced a cook as you are.
THANK YOU for your terrific work!
Rebekah
March 30, 2019 at 2:31 pmLindsay Nixon has a fatfree spinach-artichoke frittata that can be made in a 8×8″ or doubled for a 9×13″ baking dish. It comes out with a similar flavor, as it’s made with very similar ingredients. I think the recipe is in her Everyday Happy Herbivore cookbook; the internet also has it if you search around.
KIERAH
January 12, 2018 at 5:17 pmDelicious!! These are so good….
suz
January 23, 2018 at 8:25 pmthese are really great susan. Thank you! a definite go to recipe!
Megan
May 7, 2018 at 3:49 pmI made them with the “right” tofu, which I was surprised to find in my small town. We usually use another brand. As you suggested, I did use broccoli chopped finely in place of peppers. Delicious! I inhaled them! My only sad face is that the recipe didn’t make 12: it made like 7. And my kids didn’t like them, but they don’t like baked egg stuff. More for me!
Tracy
May 21, 2018 at 6:48 amThese are delicious! How long will they last in a he fridge? Can they be frozen? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
May 21, 2018 at 7:41 amThey’ll last for several days in the fridge and should freeze well, too.
Tracy
May 21, 2018 at 7:01 pmI followed everything and they stuck terribly and are runny. Is the silicone pan better? I appreciate any tips. Thank you!
Susan Voisin
May 21, 2018 at 7:11 pmI’m so sorry! Yes, silicone is a hundred times better at preventing sticking. But I don’t know why they were runny. Did you use Mori-nu silken tofu? Other types of silken tofu often need cornstarch added to make them hold together.
Zoe Lee
June 16, 2018 at 3:36 amI thought they tasted a little bland (even with heaps of Kala Namak) so i tried adding a bunch of Sriracha to the mixture and they turned out AMAZING! Thank you
Brooke
September 12, 2018 at 5:24 pmThese are absolutely amazing!! I haven’t had a quiche, plant based or not, that tasted so good! I made them exactly as stated in the recipe…with all of the optional ingredients. I also used parchment paper cupcake liners and they worked wonderfully. Thank you for sharing!
David Abramowitz
October 16, 2018 at 9:27 amHave you ever tried these with a crust? I was wondering about a chickpea crust with this filling. Also, do you ever press your tofu before using? This can make a tofu based item more firm in many cases.
Susan Voisin
October 16, 2018 at 11:22 amPeople have made them with a crust before, which works fine. This recipe uses silken tofu which doesn’t need pressing (and would just turn to mush if you tried.) 🙂
Melissa L.
February 7, 2019 at 10:21 amI’m hoping to find a breakfast item like this that I can make a large batch ahead of time and freeze. I saw you answered someone else’s comment to not freeze the tofu, but I’m wondering if you think it would work to make the full recipe and then freeze the finished quiches?
Susan Voisin
February 7, 2019 at 10:36 amI haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. It may change the texture a little–make them crumbly, for instance. The only way to be sure it to make a batch and freeze one or two. Honestly, we eat these so quickly that there’s never been a chance to freeze one, so if you decide to experiment, I’d love to know what happens.
Jill
March 9, 2019 at 10:48 amJust made these!! So good! I’ve been wanting to make these for a while but took me a bit of shopping around to find the tofu you recommended. Found it last night and had to make these first thing this morning. I followed your recipe as close as I could without measuring cups haha. I used tahini and the black salt. Subbed sautéed sweet onion because I didn’t have chives/green onion. Served it with a sweet potato pinto bean hash and hummus and avocado. Amazing! Will definitely make these again.. maybe tomorrow!
Aimee B.
April 2, 2019 at 1:01 pmThis is another amazing 5 star recipe that my whole family enjoyed. I ended up having to tweak it due to what I had on hand and my laziness, lol! I cooked up some frozen bell peppers, a drained can of tomatoes with mild chiles, and a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen shredded hash browns. I added the blended tofu mixture to that, upping some of the spices, poured it into a casserole dish and baked at 375 for about 25 minutes. It was soooooo creamy and awesome. I’m going to be serving it at a brunch later this month. Thank you!! 🙂
Toni
April 10, 2019 at 1:27 amMade these with a few deviations from the recipe due to availablity etc, with great results. The silken tofu wasn’t the same brand and the pack slightly smaller, so I added a slice of firm tofu to meet the weight requirement of the recipe (also hoping that would assist with binding and firming).
I added 3/4 teaspoons of Kala lamak – did the trick (I like savoury food to be well seasoned, this may be a bit strong for some people).
I used sundried tomato with the oil washed off, onion, corn, and finely chopped kale – YUMMY. Cooked it all first to ensure moisture was removed and onion soft and sweet.
I used chickpea flour (besan flour, or gram) since it is often used as a binder and also used in egg-like recipes.
I didn’t spray the muffin tray quite enough so they stuck a little, but not to the point that they were damaged during removal (well, I’ve removed one so far and eaten it already).
The result was more like soft omelette, or scrambled egg, with a sort of soft cottage cheese look to it (not wet or sloppy though, just the texture).
So it wasn’t smooth like I hoped it would be, but that’s due to ingredient I’ve used. Otherwise, DELICIOUS and relatively simple, with reasonably basic ingredients.
Toni
April 10, 2019 at 1:29 amEdit: the texture is fluffy, like fluffy omelette. That’s what I was trying to say…
Cap'n Dave
June 25, 2019 at 10:13 amI haven’t made this…yet…still in the process of installing a new oven on my boat, BUT I woke up craving something savory – specifically, QUICHE!
There was this place in Pennsylvania that had mini quiches that were to die for! Of course, that was also pre-vegan, so…yeah. Still, the broccoli ones were my favorite. I can still recall the flavor, so will have to modify your recipe a bit. A touch of nutmeg instead of rosemary, for example. Nevertheless, the mixture you mentioned is pretty much what I was envisioning, but here you’ve already gone ahead and recorded measurements and things! LOL!
Question, though…what WOULD you suggest for a little crust on these? (Personally, I like the crust, and it just wouldn’t “feel” the same without.) Maybe a finely milled panko with almond milk and a flax egg for the binder? Line the tins (or the silicone liners) with the mixture and then add the rest? Or do a quick pre-bake? Any help you can give here would be wonderful!
Can’t wait to give it a whirl! Wish I had some this morning, actually! Sigh…guess it’s just going to have to be roasted potatoes, onions, and peppers picked up from the store…they never do chop the onions or peppers right. More work for me. Yay.
Susan Voisin
June 25, 2019 at 12:22 pmI think your Panko mixture idea is worth a try. Please let me know how it works if you try it. I have sort of given up on finding a fat-free crust that is worth the effort.
yaffa bauer
July 4, 2019 at 12:35 pmI’ve made this a million times and always with poor results (too soggy), until this morning!!! Silicone baking cups and bake for the full 35 minutes. PERFECT!!! I was using a dark metal muffin pan and they never really set up. Now its game on, I am so excited to make these more often now that I have the texture right! Thank you for all your hard work on all these lovely recipes.