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Garden Vegetable Vegan Quiche With Silken Tofu

A golden whole wheat crust filled with mushrooms, leeks, tomatoes and spinach, set in a smooth silken tofu custard that slices clean.

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Garden Vegetable Vegan Quiche, freshly made and ready to serve
Garden Vegetable Vegan Quiche, freshly made and ready to serve
Main Course

A vegan quiche lives or dies on the set. If the custard is loose, you get a slice that slumps off the spatula. This one uses silken tofu blended smooth, and it holds its shape once it cools.

You blind bake the crust first, then fill it. That order matters more than any single ingredient. A raw crust under a wet filling turns soggy at the base, and no amount of extra baking fixes that.

Black salt is optional. It brings a sulfur note people read as egg, and a pinch goes a long way. Skip it and you still get a good quiche, just a less eggy one.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix the dry crust ingredients

Whisk both flours and the salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it in with your fingers until the pieces are no bigger than peas. The mixture should look shaggy, not smooth.

2. Add water and chill

Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix. Add more a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds when you squeeze it. Shape it into a disc, wrap it, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

3. Heat the oven

Set the oven to 350°F (180°C) so it's ready when the crust comes out of the fridge.

4. Sauté the mushrooms

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes until they start to brown.

5. Add leeks and tomatoes

Turn the heat to medium. Add the leeks with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook 3 to 5 minutes until they soften. Add the tomatoes for 1 minute, just until they start to give.

6. Wilt the spinach

Stir in the spinach and cook 1 to 2 minutes until it collapses. Pull the pan off the heat.

7. Roll out the dough

Flour a clean counter and roll the chilled dough to a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Turn it as you go so it doesn't stick.

8. Fit it into the dish

Lay the dough in a 9-inch pie dish and trim the overhang. Tuck the edges under themselves and crimp them with your fingers.

9. Blind bake the crust

Crumple a sheet of parchment, flatten it out over the crust, and fill it with dried chickpeas, spreading them toward the edges. Bake 15 minutes, lift out the parchment and weights, then bake 5 minutes more until the dough looks cooked rather than raw.

10. Drain the tofu

Scoop the silken tofu into a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and leave it 10 minutes. Discard the water that collects.

11. Blend the custard

Put the drained tofu in a blender with the nutritional yeast, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the black salt, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric and cayenne. Blend until completely smooth.

12. Layer and fill

Spread half the vegetables across the bottom of the crust. Pour the tofu mixture over them, then scatter the rest of the vegetables on top.

13. Bake the quiche

Bake 40 to 45 minutes. The center should be set with only a slight wobble and the crust should just start to color.

14. Cool before slicing

Leave it on the counter at least 30 minutes. The filling firms up as it cools, and that's what gives you clean slices.

Variations

  • Swap the mushrooms for 2 cups of sliced zucchini, cooked the same way.
  • Use kale instead of spinach. Give it an extra minute in the pan since it's tougher.
  • Leave out the black salt for a milder, less eggy custard.

Pro Tips

1
Wet Filling: If the tofu blend looks watery after draining, blot the surface with a paper towel before it goes in the blender.
2
Pale Crust: If the edges brown before the center sets, tear a strip of foil and lay it over the rim.
3
Jiggle Test: The center should look set with a slight wobble, not liquid. A shake that moves like water means more time.
4
Leek Grit: Slice the leeks, then swish them in a bowl of water and lift them out. The grit sinks.

How to Store Garden Vegetable Vegan Quiche

Refrigerator

Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days. Let it cool completely first.

Freezer

Wrap slices tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Reheating

Warm slices in a 325°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. A microwave works but softens the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is my vegan quiche still soft in the middle?

Most likely the tofu wasn't drained, or it didn't bake long enough. If the center still moves like liquid after 45 minutes, give it 5 to 10 more minutes and check again. It also firms up a lot as it cools, so don't judge it straight from the oven.

Q: Can I skip the black salt?

Yes. It's optional and it's only there for the eggy flavor. The quiche sets and tastes fine without it, just less like a traditional egg quiche.

Q: Can I use firm tofu instead of silken?

No, not for this method. Firm tofu blends grainy and won't give you the smooth custard texture. Silken is what makes it work.

Q: Do I have to blind bake the crust?

Yes. The filling is wet, and a raw crust underneath it goes soggy. The 15 minutes with weights plus 5 minutes without is what keeps the base crisp.

Q: How do I know when it's done?

Give the dish a gentle shake. The edges should be set and the center should wobble slightly, not slosh. The crust should be starting to brown at the rim.

Garden Vegetable Vegan Quiche, freshly made and ready to serve

Garden Vegetable Vegan Quiche With Silken Tofu

A golden whole wheat crust filled with mushrooms, leeks, tomatoes and spinach, set in a smooth silken tofu custard that slices clean.

25 minPrep time65 minCook time120 minTotal8Servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1Mix the dry crust ingredients — Whisk both flours and the salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it in with your fingers until the pieces are no bigger than peas. The mixture should look shaggy, not smooth.
  2. 2Add water and chill — Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix. Add more a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds when you squeeze it. Shape it into a disc, wrap it, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
  3. 3Heat the oven — Set the oven to 350°F (180°C) so it's ready when the crust comes out of the fridge.
  4. 4Sauté the mushrooms — Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes until they start to brown.
  5. 5Add leeks and tomatoes — Turn the heat to medium. Add the leeks with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook 3 to 5 minutes until they soften. Add the tomatoes for 1 minute, just until they start to give.
  6. 6Wilt the spinach — Stir in the spinach and cook 1 to 2 minutes until it collapses. Pull the pan off the heat.
  7. 7Roll out the dough — Flour a clean counter and roll the chilled dough to a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Turn it as you go so it doesn't stick.
  8. 8Fit it into the dish — Lay the dough in a 9-inch pie dish and trim the overhang. Tuck the edges under themselves and crimp them with your fingers.
  9. 9Blind bake the crust — Crumple a sheet of parchment, flatten it out over the crust, and fill it with dried chickpeas, spreading them toward the edges. Bake 15 minutes, lift out the parchment and weights, then bake 5 minutes more until the dough looks cooked rather than raw.
  10. 10Drain the tofu — Scoop the silken tofu into a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and leave it 10 minutes. Discard the water that collects.
  11. 11Blend the custard — Put the drained tofu in a blender with the nutritional yeast, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the black salt, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric and cayenne. Blend until completely smooth.
  12. 12Layer and fill — Spread half the vegetables across the bottom of the crust. Pour the tofu mixture over them, then scatter the rest of the vegetables on top.
  13. 13Bake the quiche — Bake 40 to 45 minutes. The center should be set with only a slight wobble and the crust should just start to color.
  14. 14Cool before slicing — Leave it on the counter at least 30 minutes. The filling firms up as it cools, and that's what gives you clean slices.
Cook's note: The chickpeas you use as pie weights are not for eating after baking. Keep them in a jar and reuse them for the next blind bake.

Servings: 8

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course

Darnell

Written by Darnell
Darnell covers air fryer recipes and slow cook meals, with a steady side of eggs and breakfast casseroles for people cooking on a tight schedule. He writes in a blunt, test-it-again voice and flags the mistakes that ruin texture, from soggy fries to rubbery eggs. Every post gives timings, temperatures, and a fallback if your machine runs hot.
FROM THE KITCHEN TABLE

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