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.
Please pin and share:
Marsha
January 28, 2011 at 12:33 pmThese are so good. I’ve made them several times for pitch ins at work and church (where I am the only vegan). I always make a double batch and generally don’t have any to bring home. I even started telling people in line that they were tofu/vegan hoping they would leave me some…no such luck. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Fiona
February 1, 2011 at 4:19 pmI made this recipe for a second time, curious to see if the recipe would be different now that I am living in Australia rather than California. Unfortunately someone ate my silken firm tofu not knowing it was for my recipe so I was stuck with regular firm tofu. I also cooked them this time in nonstick muffin tins instead of silicone muffin tins. The flavor is the same still but the quiches formed a weird skin on them. Firm tofu is good in a pinch but I think when I use silken tofu firm again they will come out exactly like they did in California. So to Anna from Down Under, I don’t think the tofu or cornstarch is different here as mine stuck together just fine.
Angie
July 20, 2013 at 7:23 pmHey Fiona,
I think the issue for Aussies is using silken tofu, not firm. You can’t get firm silken tofu here so every time I see silken tofu in an American recipe I think that means silken tofu, but I don’t think so. I think it’s possibly the equivalent to our firm?
I made these last night with Aussie silken tofu and they didn’t set at all.
I will try again with firm tofu and see how that goes.
Maraika
December 4, 2013 at 11:59 pmAngie, I buy Firm (silken, although it does not say silken on the pack) Morinaga Tofu from the Asian section on the supermarket shelf. Long life pack. I use if for all my Tofu baking dishes. Also for desserts. It does not have an “after taste” like some of the others may. I also use Blue Lotus brand. Woolworths now have their own Macro brand with many varieties of tofu. I have not made these Quiches – yet.
Liz
February 11, 2011 at 1:48 pmI finally made these today after I had been drooling over them for weeks!! They definitely didn’t turn out as pretty as yours, but I believe that they were just as delicious!!
Thanks for all that ya do!! I spend, sometimes too much time, looking at all your fantastic ideas and recipes!
Hannah
February 15, 2011 at 2:31 pmThese really are splendid! I made them in little heart shaped moulds for Valentine’s day and used broccoli instead of mushrooms. Delicious! Thank you!
val
February 22, 2011 at 10:28 amHi Susan
Love your blog and the delish vegan recipes !
One question though …. if someone has a problem with yeast (allergic) can they
still use nutritional yeast ? I keep seing it pop up on vegan recipes and im not sure i want to use it .
SusanV
February 22, 2011 at 10:31 amI’m really not sure, val, and I’d hate to give you bad advice. You should ask your doctor.
Nikol
February 26, 2011 at 6:29 pmMade these for my boyfriend a Culinary Arts student and not a vegan. He thought they were good enough to take to class. They just finished working with Tofu. He said nothing they worked with was as tasty. This was my first time. Used spinach instead of mushrooms. Firm tofu with extra milk. The smooth and creamy consistency reminded me of cake mix. Thanks Susan.
Get Skinny, Go Vegan.
March 10, 2011 at 1:53 pmI have to quit looking at your blog when I have ZERO ingredients in my kitchen and when I am hungry.
Natalie
March 10, 2011 at 2:16 pmOh my. This is another of my absolute faves that I’ve gotten from your blog. (^_^)b
The first time, I made it as written.
Now, my kid is practically offended by the consistency of mushrooms. She is not at all a red bell pepper fan, but she is most definitely a mushroom-hater. Nevertheless, the girl was a formidable mini crustless quiche gobbler. She did dreamily list all the various possibilities of veggie combos we could play with, as she shoved more of the m/bp quiche in her mouth.
We are living in that desperate pocket of time when nearly all your fresh produce has been devoured, but you don’t yet have time/money to go to the store. Last night, I was trying to dream up something to throw in your yummy little cup size creations.
I decided on spinach, (Lightlife smart) bacon, and roasted sun dried tomatoes. It was RIDICULOUSLY good. I doubled the amt of garlic and onion (using yellow inst. of chives/green), used hemp milk (it’s what I had & is my preference), used 3 tbsp of nooch, ~ 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch, ~ 1 packed cup chopped fresh spinach leaves, 6 reconstituted sun dried tomatoes, & 6 pieces of relatively crispy smart bacon. I kept the rest the same. Mouthwatering…
The sad part is, I somehow only got 11 out of it. I was really nice and halved the odd one, with my daughter, for lunch today. 🙂 I think it was the decreased bulk of the veggies I used, and the fact that I stupidly used my righteous new Vitamix to make the tofu mixture… (couldn’t scrape every last bit out like I compulsively do with my food processor).
1 SBST quiche= 52.2 cal, 1.9 fat, 5.5 protein, .8 fiber, 3% calcium, 4% iron, 6% vit A, 2% vit c
I am def making & freezing diff variations of these quiches to have on hand. I’m afraid it will ruin them- wasting time, ingredients, and deliciousness. :/
When I get around to actually doing it, I will update.
Cheers, for another great one.
( ^_^)/U*U\(^_^ )
Maria Pina
March 31, 2011 at 1:14 amI do not know how to save my favorite recipes in the box !
SusanV
March 31, 2011 at 7:48 amThere should be a link near the top of each post that says “ADD TO RECIPE BOX.” Just click it and it will be added.
Amelia
April 2, 2011 at 7:47 am*love*
Could you prep the mixture, refridgerate and then bake the next day? …as everything is fried etc beforehand. I want to make these for my birthday (tomorrow) but don’t really want to cook it all on the day 🙂
SusanV
April 2, 2011 at 9:46 amI think you could prep the mixture the day before, or you can also bake them beforehand and heat them up the next day. They reheat very well.
Happy Birthday!
Laura
April 24, 2011 at 3:15 pmI made this into a nice strata for an Easter Potluck, and got good reviews. I just used a double batch of custard over some cubed bread, cooked vegetables, veggie sausage and some vegan cheese. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and baked it for about 45 min this morning, then left it in @ 200 for keep warm while we were at church. Of course I made it much less healthy, but it made a great, easy holiday meal and it was less work than a bunch of mini-quiches for a crowd. I usually add a little black salt to this with good results but I was out today.
Thanks for another great, healthy meal Susan! Every week when I meal plan I make at least 1 thing from your blog.
Ginny
May 10, 2011 at 7:13 pmI had 6 mini quiches left over, so I mashed them with a fork, added a little mayo, and made “eggless” egg salad sandwiches. They were delicious.
Stacie
May 11, 2011 at 6:25 amI tried this last night… i used almond milk instead of soy milk, because that’s all i had… i didnt have chives, but I used green onions. Other than that, i followed it to a “t”… i didnt know how i would feel about the rosemary in them, but these turned out great!!!! 🙂 This was my first recipe of yours that I have tried, but I will be trying more!!!:)
Jill
May 18, 2011 at 11:11 amI really wish mine came out like your picture! I’m not exactly sure what went wrong, but think it must have been the type or handling of the tofu. Will try once more. I was looking for a good lunchbox food.
SusanV
May 18, 2011 at 11:29 amI’m sorry to hear that, Jill. Be sure to use the Mori-Nu silken tofu in an aseptic package, extra-firm. And if you did and it still didn’t set right, try a little more corn starch.
Pehpsii
May 26, 2011 at 4:00 pmHi! I found this recipe and tried it out tonight. I’m allergic to mushrooms but i fried up some small squared of ordinary tofu and tossed in some chopped up sun dried tomatoes and black olives in the final mix and they turned out awesome!
Such a perfect picnic food! I sliced some cherry tomatoes and put one half on top of each quiche for garnish and they were so pretty! I’m gonna use these for Mothers Day picnic this weekend (Swedish Mothers Day)
Thanks!
Victoria
May 29, 2011 at 9:57 amCan regular cheese be used instead of nutritional yeast? I have no way to obtain it.
SusanV
May 29, 2011 at 10:25 amI’m guessing that Parmesan cheese might work, but I can’t promise that it won’t mess up the consistency. You could just leave out the nut. yeast and increase the other seasonings.
Alexis
June 16, 2011 at 3:05 pmOh no 🙁 I royally screwed this recipe up (not a surprise haha!)! Even though they came out like soggy disks, I am so excited to try this again! They tasted lovely but just looked horrendous. Thank you so much for this recipe and next time I will definitely learn from my mistakes and hopefully they’ll turn out perfectly. 🙂
Erica
July 5, 2011 at 10:06 pmAlso made these today. I wanted to use what I had left from the banana coconut squares (which are my favorite dessert ever!) so I put it towards this. Epic win!
Mine look a little differently but are just as delicious!! I barely got 3 for myself before my non-vegan dad stole them away from me. Big family favorite. Another that will be made again this week. Thank you for sharing your creation with us! As a former egg lover, I definitely would not have known they were vegan had I not made them myself. Going vegan was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. With recipes like this, I’m not missing a thing!
How do you not have a cook deal!? I cannot sing your praise enough.
Michele M
July 11, 2011 at 8:58 amI have made this in many variations, mini and full size and it’s always delicious. I have also started to use the tofu “egg” part of this for veganizing some of my other favorite recipes, including an amazing egg and noodle dish that my mom made every year for Easter.
Taylor
July 19, 2011 at 12:21 pmI remember finding this blog a few years ago, and I was hesitant to make anything that sounded too healthy. I found it again recently, and now it’s my favorite blog!! The quiches are in the oven, I can’t wait to try them out! Thanks for continuing to bring us healthy and awesome recipes!
jamie
August 7, 2011 at 6:06 pmAmazing! I am a recent vegan convert, but have not had eggs or dairy in about 5 months. I love egg-y dishes, and these were awesome!
The only thing I changed was leaving out the tahini and replaced the mushrooms with japanese eggplant (due to allergies). Love them!
Lois Feld
August 10, 2011 at 11:27 pmCan these quiche be frozen?
SusanV
August 10, 2011 at 11:49 pmI’ve never tried to freeze them, so I’m not sure. Freezing may change the texture a little, but maybe not in a bad way.
angela
August 12, 2011 at 10:52 amCan I substitute a different tofu if mine is not “light”.
also can I substitute almond milk or flax seed milk for the soymilk.
🙂
looks delicious.
thanks susan
SusanV
August 12, 2011 at 11:10 amYes to both questions, Angela! As long as the tofu is silken and at least firm, it will work.
Get Skinny, Go Vegan.
August 12, 2011 at 2:37 pmOMG these are ADORABLE!! Think I know what I am bringing to the next potluck I am invited to! So cute.
yvonna
August 14, 2011 at 8:45 amHi Susan, I am a mother of three, 2 army boys and a fresh teenage girl who loves trying out new recipes. This one looks simple enough and the ingredients are easily availiable here ( guess it is everywhere), I can’t wait try let her try it and tasting one myself. Thank you.
HappyDane
August 19, 2011 at 4:43 pmHello!
I’ve been making your recipes for a while now, and I just want to thank you so much for making this blog and posting such delicious recipes! I’m quite young and my parents were very much against me being vegetarian and now going vegan, but they accepted it once I started making your recipes and showed them your blog! They love the food – even my father who’s a butcher likes it, takes seconds and he usually ate meat to all his meals! You’re amazing! And I really don’t think I can thank you enough for opening my eyes and my family’s to vegan food.
I’m sorry for rambling on this lovely recipe – which is definitely a favorite – but I just needed to tell you how much I appreciate your blog. :’)
Lots of love from a Dane~
Art
August 24, 2011 at 6:27 pmQuestion on nutritional yeast. You include this ingredient in a number of your recipe. I am new to it. What does it contribute to the recipe? It is used for ?
Is it a wheat free product?
Thanks!
SusanV
August 24, 2011 at 6:54 pmNutritional yeast gives food a rich, cheesy flavor. It is wheat-free. Here are some links to articles that give more information:
http://www.bulkfoods.com/yeast.htm
http://www.godairyfree.org/201001144012/News/Nutrition-Headlines/Ask-Alisa-What-is-Nutritional-Yeast-and-How-Does-it-Taste.html