A classic quiche crust and pie crust are made using homemade shortcrust pastry. It’s straightforward to make, especially if you have a food processor, and far superior to store bought in both flavour and texture!
I’ve also included directions for using store bought pastry sheets because the steps are the same for the baking part.
Quiche crust recipe
This is my recipe for quiche crust which I’m publishing separately so it’s handy to reference for the quiche recipes I’ve shared and the many more I will inevitably share over the years!
Use this recipe if:
you want to make a homemade quiche crust from scratch; or
you have store bought shortcrust pastry – frozen or refrigerated. The steps to press the pastry into the tin and baking are the same.
If you have a store bought prepared pie shell, simply cook it per the packet directions.
Quiche crust is shortcrust pastry
Quiche crusts are made with shortcrust pastry. The name “shortcrust” refers to the baking term “short” which means pastries that are flaky and crumble when you cut into them. They should be tender enough such that you can cut into it with little effort, and while it should be flaky, it should not disintegrate into crumbs.
And a quiche crust should hold together so a slice of quiche doesn’t fall to pieces when cutting and serving.
Even if you’re new to making quiche crust from scratch, I think you’ll find it quite straight forward the way I’ve broken it down plus the recipe video below!
Using a food processor, the quiche crust dough takes less than 5 minutes to make and it works 100% perfectly!
How to make quiche crust or pie crust
Blitz – place flour, butter and salt in a food processor and blitz until fine crumbs form
Add ice water while the motor is running. Why ice water? Because it stops the butter from melting. Teeny tiny bits of butter in pastry = flaky pastry!
Once a ball forms, take it out, pat into a disc, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour+ (up to 2 to 3 days). Reason: This makes the butter in the dough firm up again = flaky pastry
Roll out pastry to 3 mm / 1/8″ thick
Press into quiche tin or pie dish
Fill with pie weights and bake – Use baking beads, dry beans or rice. Anything that will weight down the pastry to stop it from puffing up and shrinking while it bakes. This is called Blind Baking.
Remove beads carefully – Nobody wants hot beads bouncing all over the kitchen!
Bake again just for 10 to 15 minutes until the base is light golden – this will really ensure your quiche crust base stays nice and crisp once filled.
Quiche Filling
Once baked, fill the quiche crust with your filling of choice – or use one of my existing Quiche recipes:
If you want to make your own filling, use this as a guide:
Standard quiche tin (about 23cm / 9″ diameter, 2.5 – 3cm / 1 – 1.25″ deep) – use the cream, eggs, salt and cheese in the Quiche Lorraine recipe;
Deeper quiche tart tin (about 23cm / 9″ diameter, 3.5 – 4 cm / 1.5 – 1.7″ deep) – use the cream, eggs, salt and cheese the Salmon Quiche recipe
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Quiche Crust / Shortcrust Pastry for Pies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (185g / 5.6 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1cm/ 1/3″ cubes
- 3 tbsp ice cold water (+ more as required)
Instructions
- Place flour, salt and butter in a food processor.
- Pulse 10 times or until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- With the motor running on low, pour 2.5 tbsp of water into the tube feeder.
- Turn up to high and blitz for 30 seconds or until it turns into a ball of dough. Initially it will look like breadcrumbs, then it will turn into a ball of soft dough – some random escaped bits is fine. If it doesn’t look like its coming together at 20 seconds, add another 1/2 tbsp of water. Don’t blitz longer than 30 seconds at most.
- Form a disc, wrap in cling wrap. If there are escaped crumble bits, that’s fine – just press them in. Refrigerate for 1 – 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan forced)
- Sprinkle work surface with flour, unwrap dough and place on the flour. Sprinkle top with flour, then roll out into a 27cm/11″ round.
- Gently roll the pastry so it wraps around the rolling pin.
- Unroll it over the quiche pan or pie dish – 23cm / 9".
- Press the pastry into the edges of the quiche pan, patching up edges if required (if pastry doesn’t quite reach top of rim).
- Roll the rolling pin across the top to cut off the excess pastry.
- Optional extra “safe measure” refrigeration – 15 minutes. See (Note 2).
- Place a large piece of parchment paper over the pastry, then fill with baking beads or lots of rice or dried beans to weigh it down. (Note 3)
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Turn oven DOWN to 180C/350F (or 160C/320F fan).
- Use excess paper to CAREFULLY remove hot beads, then return to oven for 10 minutes or until base is light golden.
- Remove from oven and fill with chosen Quiche Filling. Quiche Lorraine, Salmon Quiche, Italian Sausage or your other filling of choice.
- The pastry will not be 100% cooked, it finishes cooking with the filling. It’s cooked enough so the crust will not go soggy.
Recipe Notes:
- Standard quiche tin (about 23cm / 9″ diameter, 2.5 – 3cm / 1 – 1.25″ deep) – use the cream, eggs, salt and cheese in the Quiche Lorraine recipe, then your add ins of choice
- Deeper quiche tart tin (about 23cm / 9″ diameter, 3.5 – 4 cm / 1.5 – 1.7″ deep) – use the cream, eggs, salt and cheese the Salmon Quiche recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Racing for a toy!
Followed directions exactly and turned out perfect.
Wups, meant as a new comment, not reply.
Just tried this with store bought frozen pastry- still good. Simple recipe but delicious. Thank you.
Love this recipe, make it many times and always turns out beautifully, thank you!
That’s great to hear, thanks so much Francene!
Good base for filled pies, mate. I use leftover braised short ribs.
To blind bake I use an oven bag filled with sugar. Can be re-used and slowly caramelizes the sugar.
Sounds divine Bill! N x
Hi Nagi,
I made both of your quiches: smoked salmon and Lorraine, and both were gorgeous, although I’m not sure about the temperature I should have used for the Lorraine.
I scaled up the filling of the Quiche Lorraine to fit a 9″ x 2″ tin. I simply added a fifth egg and increased the other filling ingredients by 25%. I’ve read your notes on upscaling, but I can’t find advice on oven temperature. Should I cook the Lorraine at 350 (fan) as stated in the 4 egg Lorraine recipe, r 320 (fan) as stated in the 5 egg smoked salmon recipe.
I managed to muddle through by lowering the temperature at one point, and I must say I’ve never enjoyed quiches more than yours.
Thank you very much.
Hi Vivienne, the same temp is fine, it may just take a little longer. I’m so glad you enjoyed it – nothing beats a homemade quiche ❤️
Hi Nagi, I don’t have a food processor, can I use my kitchen aid stand up mixer?
Sure can Ashley!!
Hi Nagi.. i absolutely love this quiche.. made it so many times.. the last time with home made crust and it turned out great (even without a food processor) i attempted it yesterday and the crust kept cracking.. threw the first batch away (ouch!) and started over..the dough keeps cracking!! i don’t know what i did differently.. i googled all pâte brisée and pie crust problems but i can’t seem to get why this is happening.. please help! thanks!
Hi Alma, is it cracking once it’s baked? Or is it just the dough that’s cracking?
it’s the dough that kept cracking and was impossible to roll.. kept popping it back in the fridge to make sure it’s cold enough but that didnt help either!
I made this pastry, delicious. I would like to make it for a friend who eats wholemeal flour. Would I make it exactly the same way? Thank you for all the great recipes Nagi.
awesome!
Thanks so much Kelly
Hi Nagi, can I use instead of Gruyere cheese cheddar or parmesan? Thank you!
Hi Aygul, yes you can use any cheese here – a mix of parmesan and cheddar would be great!!
Can this be made a couple of days in advance and left in fridge to be used later?
Hi Gale, yes that’s fine to do – Nx
I really love the way you explain the WHY. When you tell us why something needs to be done it really helps in making the dish and teaches great techniques you can use in other recipes. You are awesome
Hi Nagi,
My family love the meals that I make from your site so I wanted to make this pastry, have tried several times but mine never rolls up into a ball. You make it look so easy. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong. I bring it together with my hands but it just feels like a hard lump. Butter is kept in the fridge so is cold, I pulse 10 times looks like breadcrumbs and then this is where is goes down hill, I do the 2.5tbsp water and it doesn’t come together so I add another half and it still doesn’t come together and you say not to do for longer than 30secs.
Do you ever do cooking classes? I would be keen to come to one for making pastry.
Regards
Joanne
Hi Joanne, I don’t hold cooking classes sorry, sounds like your pastry needs a little ore water to bring it together though – N x
Thanks Nagi,
That’s a shame as I would be keen if you ever do 🙂
Is there anyway to make this without a food processor? I don’t have one. Can I use Kitchenaid instead?
hi Nagi, love your work and have cooked heaps of your recipes over and over. However I made this and the dough shrunk once cooked. Barely any room for filling. Any tips? It’s winter at the moment so I didn’t do optional step 12 but otherwise followed recipe.
Hi Amanda, sorry you had trouble here, did you blind bale with weights to stop shrinkage?
Just wondered if this pastry could be used for an apple pie by doubling quantities and adding some sugar? Or would the crust on Pecan Pie recipe be a better choice? Thanks
Hi Esther, use the sweet pecan pie recipe as a base – N x
are you talking about puff pastry?love your sight!!!
Hi Sheila, this is shortcrust – not puff pastry. – N x
I am trying to minimise my use of plastic. Is it possible to wrap the pastry in a damp tea towel?
Hi Lisa, yes that will be fine – N x
Good one, thank you. Last two days we had 30 C, was down the beach and in the water just like Dozer. Wish you Happy Easter and be safe on the road.
Hi Nagi,your food always makes my mouth water,I once had a quiche with a cheesy pastry and it was delicious,what quantities of cheese and butter do you think would work 😊
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried with cheese in it but it sounds divine! I usually put the cheese in my quiche filling – N x