The Basic Ratio To Memorize For Perfect Quiche

There aren't many other dishes that can take on breakfast, lunch, and dinner like a well-made quiche, which is a savory egg custard with fillings that's cooked in a pastry crust. Plus, the ingredient possibilities are endless, ranging from easy quiche Lorraine to a simple spinach and feta combination. As long as you have a basic custard recipe in your arsenal, you can use almost any ingredients you'd like. We love a good quiche at Daily Meal, so we reached out to Mary Nguyen, the Chef and Founder at Olive & Finch Collective in Denver, Colorado, for an easy-to-remember, basic ratio that will give you perfect quiche every time without a recipe. 

The most important thing to remember, she says, is to keep volume in mind. "A good rule of thumb is about two cups of filling — veggies and meats combined — for every four to six eggs and one cup of dairy (like milk or cream)," says Nguyen. "This balance ensures the quiche is packed with flavor and texture but still holds together well." The reason this works is that an average 9-inch pie plate holds about 4 cups of volume, so 2 cups of fillings plus one cup of dairy and ¾ to one cup of eggs is the perfect amount.

According to Nguyen, the ratio between custard ingredients (egg and dairy) and the amount of fillings (meat and vegetables) is important for maintaining the structure of a quiche. Too many fillings will prevent the quiche from setting properly – when you go to cut the pie, it will fall apart on the plate. Basically, the egg mixture needs to be able to reach everywhere inside the pie shell so that it can cook and solidify together. "Depending on your preference, you can adjust slightly for a meatier or more veggie-packed quiche, but sticking close to this ratio gives the best results," Nguyen says.

If you're making a quiche without a recipe and you're not sure if the ratio is right, all you need to do is prep your filling ingredients into a 2-cup liquid measure and simply stop cutting and chopping when you reach the top. If you don't have a liquid measure available, you can also eyeball it. 1 cup is around the same size as a closed fist, depending on the size of your hands. Chop up enough stuff to match two fists, and you'll have the perfect amount of filling.