Zucchini Quiche (Courgette Quiche)

Name: Zucchini Quiche
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 quantity homemade shortcrust pastry; 1 store-bought pie shell; 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry (defrosted); 2 tbs (30g) butter; 1/2 onion (finely chopped); 200 g bacon (chopped); 3 small zucchinis (thinly sliced); 4 eggs (room temperature); 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) cream (cooking, heavy or thickened); 125 g cheese (grated, tasty or cheddar); salt and pepper (to taste)

Jump to Recipe

This classic Zucchini Quiche (courgette quiche) is made with a deliciously creamy and cheesy filling, encased in crispy shortcrust pastry.

You can have this simple zucchini quiche prepped, baked and on the table in under an hour!

Zucchini quiche on a white serving plate.

When it comes to quick and easy family meals, Zucchini Quiche is right up there as one of my favourites!

Not only is it budget-friendly, it also makes a yummy brunch or lunch, or a satisfying dinner when served with your favourite sides (like crunchy wedges!!)

Just the same as my classic Quiche Lorraine and my Caramelised Onion, Feta & Roast Pumpkin Tart recipes, this simple Zucchini Quiche is sure to please the entire family.

A slice of quiche with a fork on a plate.

Why You're Going To Love This Recipe

A healthy choice for dinner or lunch - this delicious courgette quiche is packed full of flavour and texture, and the goodness of eggs, cheese and zucchini!
Quick and easy to make - zucchini quiche can be assembled quickly with basic ingredients. It also cooks for a relatively short time, so you can have it on the table in less than an hour!
Tastes so good! - you'll love how the zucchini, bacon, onion, and cheese all come together in this creamy quiche.
Serve with a salad or veggies - serve on its own or with a light salad for lunch, or bulk it out with for dinner with some broccolini and baked vine ripened tomatoes...
Versatile - feel free to add other vegetables to your courgette quiche such as mushrooms, spinach, or peppers. You could even add some cooked chicken or ham for an extra protein boost.
Vegetarian option - just omit the bacon!

What You Need

Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.

Sliced zucchini , cheese, bacon, eggs, onion and cream in individual bowls.

For The Quiche Crust (Choose 1 Option)

Homemade shortcrust pastry.
Store-bought pie shell - such as the Pampas brand.
Frozen shortcrust pastry sheets - defrosted.

For The Filling

Butter - softened at room temperature. I recommend using real, salted, or unsalted butter rather than margarine or butter substitutes for the best flavour and texture.
Onion - finely chopped.
Bacon - chopped. I use either streaky or short cut bacon.
Zucchini's - 3 small zucchini's, thinly sliced. Also known as courgettes.
Eggs - use large eggs (approximately 60g), and have these at room temperature.
Cream - I recommend using full fat cooking cream, heavy or thickened cream.
Cheese - grated, tasty or cheddar. Preferably grated fresh for the best flavour.
Salt and pepper - to taste.

Equipment Required

I'm sure you'll have all the equipment required on hand to make this delicious zucchini quiche recipe!

You only need:

Frying pan;
Quiche/Tart tin with a removable base - (approx 26cm in diameter);
Grater - if grating your own cheese;
Mixing bowl.

A close up of a cheesy egg pie on a gold fork.

Step By Step Instructions

Zucchini quiche is a fabulous to serve as a light meal, and you can't beat lunchbox leftovers the next day!

Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.

Step 1 - Make The Crust (Choose One Option)

If making your own shortcrust pastry, follow these instructions for preparation and blind baking.

Also use this recipe to blind-bake shortcrust pastry sheets that have been defrosted, if you are using shortcrust sheets.

If using a store-bought pie shell, there's no need to blind bake it as it's already been baked.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius for fan-forced (or 200 degrees celsius conventional).

Step 2 - Cook The Onion And Bacon

Diced onion and chopped bacon in a skillet.

Start by melting one tablespoon of the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.

Stir in the bacon and onion until the bacon is fully cooked and the onion has softened.

Drain any extra liquid from the bacon and onion mixture and discard.

Crust with sauteed bacon and onion sprinkled over the base.

On top of the baked pastry case, scatter the bacon and onion.

Step 3 - Lightly Fry The Zucchini

Cook the zucchini slices in two batches in the remaining butter (1 tablespoon) in the frying pan, turning them over as they start to become golden (approx 2 mins on either side).

Cooked zucchini slices added to pie crust.

In the pastry case, place the zucchini on top of the bacon and onion (reserve a few slices for placing on top - optional).

Egg, cream and cheese mixture in a glass bowl.

Step 4 - Prep The Egg Mixture And Bake

In a bowl, combine the eggs, cream, grated cheese, salt and pepper.

Unbaked quiche in a pan with extra slices of zucchini on top.

Gently pour this mixture over the bacon, onion and zucchini slices in the pastry case.

Place the quiche into the preheated oven, and bake for 35 minutes or until golden and the egg is just cooked through.

Zucchini quiche with a slice taken out on a serving plate.

Expert Tips

Blind bake the pastry before filling it with the quiche mixture (unless using a store-bought pie crust that's already been baked). Blind baking crisps up the base so that it doesn't go 'soggy' when the egg mixture is added.
To make this zucchini quiche recipe gluten free, use a gluten-free pastry crust.
To make an extra cheesy zucchini quiche, add an extra ½ cup of grated cheese.
To cut down on saturated fat and calories, you can use light cream instead of heavy cream.
For a vegetarian zucchini quiche, omit the bacon and replace it with your favourite vegetables such as mushrooms or capsicum/peppers. This will also lower the calorie count.
If you like a little heat in your quiche, add some chilli flakes to taste when preparing the egg mixture.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze zucchini quiche for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost before reheating.

FAQs

Should vegetables be cooked before putting into a quiche?

Before adding vegetables to an egg custard quiche, it is important to sauté onions and other firmer veggies, such as the zucchini in this recipe, (or steam broccoli) as these vegetables can take longer to cook than the egg mixture. However there's no need to pre-cook softer/finer vegetables (such as spinach or cherry tomatoes).

Is milk better than heavy cream for quiche?

For the tastiest zucchini quiche, it is best to use heavy cream. This produces an optimal rich and creamy filling. Light cream or whole milk is still a good choice if you want to reduce the fat content, but using heavy cream is the ultimate in terms of flavour and texture.

What makes a quiche soggy?

A soggy quiche can be caused by adding wet ingredients, such as slices of uncooked zucchini, to the egg filling. As zucchini contains a high amount of water when raw, it releases moisture into the egg filling as it bakes and can cause the pastry to be soggy (hence why we cook the zucchini first in my recipe).
Blind baking the pastry before adding the filling will give you the crispiest, crunchiest pastry!

Courgette quiche can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

Here are a few of my most popular savoury egg recipes: