These tofu-based, mini vegan quiches are extremely versatile: Good hot or cold, for breakfast, in a lunchbox, or as party appetizers.
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.
These tiny vegan quiches are 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!
More Vegan “Egg” Dishes
Through the magic of tofu or chickpea flour, vegans can enjoy lots of formerly egg-based dishes. Here are a few of my favorites:
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 or other plant milk
- 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
Suggested Tools
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.
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chris in astoria
Unbelievable. I’m recently vegetarian and I think this may be better than any egg based quiche I’ve ever had.
Blew me away.
Penny
Hi Susan!
I cook for someone who is allergic to yeast. If I omit the nutritional yeast from the recipe would I have to add more cornstarch? If so, how much do you think would be needed?
Thank you for all of your awesome recipes!
SusanV
If you omit the nutritional yeast, you’re taking away most of the flavor. I suppose you could increase the other herbs and spices to compensate, but the yeast is there for seasoning, not thickening.
carrie
Hi Susan – Thanks for the great recipes! Would these quiches freeze well? Thanks!
SusanV
I’ve never frozen them so I can’t say for sure. Freezing changes the texture of tofu, but sometime that can make things taste even better. You could try freezing one of them first, just to see the results. We never have ANY leftover, so I’m not sure I can perform this experiment myself. 🙂
Angela
i have tried making this twice now….. and when i remove form the oven the bottoms of the quiches are soggy! they kind of firm up after cooling….but it’s not like its supposed to be….. should i add more corn starch?
SusanV
Sorry about that, Angela. You could try adding a little more cornstarch and cooking them a little longer to see if they firm up more.
Angela
ok, this is some conspiracy or something…..i cook alot with much success and now i’ve made these dam things for the 3rd time! i didn’t use cups this time as greasing cups just seems to add to the problem. so i put straight into greased muffin tins (as someone on here suggested). now they’re stuck and the only way to get them out is with a spoon which of course destroys them because they are too soft in the middle. do i really need to buy silicone cups? should the veg be processed with the tofu to make it smooth before baking…(did that on 2nd attempt which seems to help a little)… the only ingred different is i’m using corgette instead of mushrooms…. people, what do i have to do to make these dam things!!!
Sandy
@ Susan: My husband has trouble digesting eggs, so I’m definitely going to try this . . . without the garlic, which he also can’t eat; they do sound good! Thank you!
@ Angela: possibly it’s the courgette (which I think U.S. readers will know as zucchini or summer squash) – it’s a vegetable with a lot of water in it. Try salting-and-draining, as you would eggplant, or panfry it just enough to brown, before dicing.
Angela
i put extra cornstrach which didn’t really make alot of diff and baked for the whole 35 mins. i’m using the right tofu and everything! i even have an oven thermometer, so it’s not that. this is why i think i must need silicone cups. i just can’t believe that everyone can make these except me.
bluegrass2
Angela, you’re not the only one! Mine were like scrambled eggs too with just a crust on the top. Followed the recipe to a t and kept cooking and kept cooking. I used paper in a metal pan, not silicon. Maybe that’s the key. Susan said to try adding more cornstarch and also that the moisure of the tofu might vary. I’m going to give it another try but not for tomorrow.
Angie
I made these last night and I had the same problem. I used silken tofu in a metal muffin pan. They didn’t set under the crust and they stuck to the pan. I ended up scooping the whole lot out and tried to ‘scramble’ them in an effort to make the set, to no avail.
I think the tofu is the culprit. In Australia we only have silken OR firm tofu, not firm silken tofu. We can also only get the fresh stuff from the fridge (which I think contains more water) and not the type you buy in the aseptic boxes on the shelf.
I personally wasn’t a fan of the nutritional yeast flavour either, so if I try this again I will use firm tofu, more corn flour, and some grated vegan cheese.
Elizabeth
This sounds great! I have yet to find a good quiche recipe! I think this will be it! Thank you, I look forward to trying it!
Josephgirl
Can I convert this recipe to a mid sized quiche plate? Also, can I use the firm tofu instead?
Sara Gothard
In concocting my own vegan quiche, I found your recipe exceedingly inspirational! I tinkered with it, but linked to your version on my blog. Tiny cup-quiches are a great idea!
http://www.thecelerymuseum.com/2010/09/of-cooking-to-share-and-small-crustless.html
Guy from Hoboken
I have made these mini quiches so many times for dinner parties. I rarely ever tell my guests that they are vegan until after they are eating them. They all LOVE them and devour them so quickly. I have also made this quiche in a full sized quiche dish to serve as a meal with a nice tossed salad on the side. Just be sure to let it bake a bit longer if you make it the full size. To mix things up, I have also made them with some chopped soy bacon (I use Smart bacon) in it.
My immigrant home-cookin’ stick to your ribs Greek mother loves this dish as well. She said “in the old country we didn’t use Tofu, I wish we did!”
Susan you are a true diva. Love you, love your blog.
Una
I made this in a crust. Fits a regular nine in crust just fine. Tasted great. I did omit the tahini. Just don’t like it. I added extra nutritional yeast. (add extra to everything. Slighly addicted there.) and I did add a bit of coconut oil to make up for the fat missing from the tahini other than that followed as directed. Thank you thank you!!!
Rhoda
I just want to say that these are very yummy. I am new to this Vegan diet and I am having a really hard time adjusting to it. Thanks Susan for being so clear in your directions and for coming up with something that actually tastes good! I am now going to try a few more of your recipes. The great thing is that the health benefits are well worth weeding through the recipes that don’t taste so great. Thanks I can always find good ones here!
Foodie Girl
My husband is a meatatarian, but I made this and he really loved it!! I had a great time with this. It was so easy to make. Thank you for the recipe!
Kim
I made this tonight and LOVED it! I posted it on my blog, I hope you don’t mind.
Susan Connors
Will the paper muffin cups work also for the quiche? Can’t wait to try these! Just tried the Impossible Pumpkin Pie last night. So good! Hard to keep away from. Enjoyed the Pumpkin Bites too. They are so good as you say, the next day. I have enjoyed all of the recipes I have made thus far! I make your Dirty Little Secret Soup weekly. It’s so easy and nutritious! I really enjoy reading the little stories behind each recipe. These are what inspire me to make your wonderful dishes. Thank you! I could go on….. Love your site!
SusanV
Thanks for your kind words! I’m afraid that the quiches would stick to paper muffin cups. You might wind up having to scrape them off with your teeth! 🙂
Jill Boyd
These sound very intriguing. I might try to make them with sun dried tomatoes and green olives instead of the mushrooms and peppers (not a mushroom and pepper kind of gal). Do you think this would work?
I love your blog, by the way … a recent delightful discovery in the blogosphere.
SusanV
Thanks, Jill! I think sun dried tomatoes and olives would be great. Feel free to use whatever vegetables sound good to you. As long as you stick to approximately the same amount, it should work fine.
Fiona
I just made this for dinner and I love it!!! (My fiance however did not like it at all, so I think you have to be a quiche lover to begin with to like this version of quiche perhaps.) It’s amazing that something that tastes exactly like the dairy and egg filled version from my childhood has so few calories and is so much healthier! I am so thankful that you created this wonder of a quiche. I can’t wait to tell my mom about your recipe because she is also a quiche lover. I poured the batter into a whole wheat pie crust bought from Whole Foods (definitely not fat free – filled with tons of palm oil – so I would not buy again). But it did pair beautifully. I would perhaps make it again in the crust for company (if I knew they liked quiche). I baked it for about 50 minutes and it was cooked to perfection. From now on I will make it in muffin tins without crust for myself. Thanks Susan!
kifar
OK…. this does sound DELICIOUS…. Now, you can’t have low-fat all the time BUT how can this be changed to indeed make it low-fat? Take out the tahini, of course. Low-fat soy milk. Interesting how low that % calories from fat could go.
SusanV
If you take out the tahini, that subtracts .8 grams of fat per 4 quiches (or .2 g from each quiche). The soymilk I used contributed only 1 gram of fat to the entire recipe, so I doubt changing that will help much (I used soymilk that has 4 g fat per cup). The rest of the fat is naturally occurring in the tofu and vegetables, so it’ll probably be impossible to get it lower than about 1.5 grams of fat per serving.
Jeanne
I can’t use any recipes that contain nutritional yeast because I can’t find it in any grocery store. We don’t have a whole foods and most of our grocery stores are lucky if I can find tofu. It is terrible for vegans in the northern area of Pittsburgh.
MyRedSandals
Amazon.com and Vitacost. com have these… just order it online and have it shipped to you!
Arlene
Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches mmmmmmmmmmmgood
Annika
Sounds absolutely amazing, we are going to be eating this at Christmast time for sure! I just have one question, as I don’t own a blender as it broke… Could I use plain soy yoghurt instead of tofu (which I’d imagine might be kinda hard to get smooth with a fork!) or would that make it just too wet? I might try to do this with the ingredients you suggested, and just try my best to get them smooth.. lol
Kristen
These are amazing. I was a little worried about serving tofu quiche to a group of non-vegans, but I should have doubled the recipe. These went fast.
Mari
Can I ask why you use yeast in some of your savory recipes?
SusanV
Mari, I use nutritional yeast (not baking yeast) to give recipes a richer, deeper ( and some would say cheesier) flavor. In this recipe, it helps recreate the cheesy, eggy flavor of real quiches.
LeeAnne
I made this for my almost one year old son and he loved it! Didn’t have mushrooms, so I just threw in some spinach. Made a double batch and froze them, so I can pack them for his lunch. They set up nice and make good (albeit a little messy) finger food.
Marlene
These are the bomb. Omnivores like them too (always a good test!)
Veggiebel
OMG! These quiche’s are little pots of gold! My husband has secondary progressive MS and is following a very low fat diet to try to keep it in check (he was already vegan) and it sometimes gets a bit tricky to find tasty things for him to have at lunchtime at work. I had to hide the 4 I’d saved for his lunch as he enjoyed them so much tonight at supper. Thank you so much Susan for your wonderful, easy to follow recipes which really deliver.
Allie
Hey Susan!
Let me first say you have really helped me and my husband out with amazing vegan recipes! I LOVE these little gems!
I made my own pie crust to go with it bit I seem to not be able to get it to firm up in the center, even after 45 mins. How long can I leave this in the oven without ruining it? I have been doing it at 350, should the temp be more?
I am trying again this weekend as I made a full 9×9 one without a crust before and it firmed up nicely so it must have been something I did! LOL!
Thank you again for being amazing at what you do while helping other vegan make amazing meals to show everyone we can have amazing food too! (I bring your goodies into work and the coworkers eat them up!)
Allie
SusanV
As long as it’s not burning or getting very dried out, you should be able to bake it for longer. I suggest putting a ring of aluminum foil around the edges about halfway through so that the edges won’t overcook befor the middle gets done. Raising the temp another 25 degrees would probably be a good idea for a full pie size quiche. Good luck!
Sez from Melbourne
Susan! Thankyou so much for sharing this recipe, and so many other delicious recipes. I made a batch of these for a New Year’s Eve picnic – they were fantastic. My omnivore husband loved them, and said that they were way better than egg-based quiches (which he won’t eat). My dog even stole one off my plate and munched it down happily.
I have been trying out many of your recipes (I brought your Thanksgiving Loaf to Christmas lunch with my in-laws who loved it) and I wanted to thank you. I have been vegetarian for 14 years, but vegan only since March. Your website has given me so many great ideas and without the fat and calories of other recipes.
Thankyou so very much!
Sez
Anna Down Under
Well, I gave it my fourth try. Since I have loved so many of your recipes, I can only assume that either the tofu or the corn flour (cornstarch) in Australia is just too different. I’ve tried using different kinds of tofu and adding more corn flour and nothing seems to work. I must say, the resulting product TASTES wonderful but won’t come out of the tins easily ad collapses into a pile of mush. Ah well … but even hubby had to admit as we gobbled them up with a spoon, they do taste great. 🙂
Angie
Hey Anna,
Yes, same. I used silken tofu last night and it just didn’t set. In any of your attempts did you try firm tofu? I reckon the Aussie silken is the culprit, just too much water in it.
However, I’m not a fan of the nutritional yeast flavour. Have you ever substituted that with grated vegan cheese? I’m keen to try that next time.
A. Perez
Corn flour and cornstarch arent the same thing…Could it be a translation problem??Maybe what americans consider corn starch is different in your country?
Kristi Link
Do you think these will freeze/refrigerate well? I always pack my daughter’s lunch and think this would make a fun change from the pb&J sandwiches she is always asking for. She is 4 and probably as picky as E is!
SusanV
Kristi, I know they refrigerate well, but I haven’t tried freezing them so I can’t say about that. We eat them too quickly to ever get to freeze them!