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Quiches are a hugely popular food eaten in many countries in the world, but the vast majority are heavy on animal products. In 2023, however, it’s easier than ever to make eggless quiches that are dairy-free and completely plant-based – and this vegan quiche recipe is sure to impress at your next dinner party.
Many vegans have happy memories of eating quiches before adopting their plant-based diets. Quiches originated in France, but they are now sold in supermarkets all over the globe. Quiche is the name given to a tart consisting of a pastry crust, and they are often filled with egg, cheese, and meat. Quiche Lorraine, which contains lardons of bacon, is perhaps the most well-known variety.
This recipe, which comes from Viva!’s Vegan Recipe Club, is a vegan take on a vegetarian quiche. It contains vegan blue cheese in place of dairy.
The rise of vegan cheese
A few years ago, the it would have been near impossible to find anything resembling vegan blue cheese in most shops. But the plant-based dairy market has skyrocketed in recent years. The vegan cheese market was valued at USD $2.43 billion in 2021, and it’s been forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 12.6 percent until 2030.
As well as the rising popularity of veganism, there has been growing general awareness of the ethical, health, and environmental costs of dairy production. To cater for the dairy-free population, a number of mainstream brands – including Cathedral City and Babybel – have launched vegan versions of their products in recent years.
Where can you buy vegan blue cheese?
While vegan cheddar and mozzarella is relatively easy to find in many UK stores, vegan blue cheese may be more of a challenge. This recipe recommends splashing out on a more expensive brand for best results, such as I Am Nut OK. If you’re on a budget, Violife and Sheese also offer blue cheese options.
Mushroom, Leek, and Blue Cheese Quiche recipe
See below for the full method (NB: If you’re after a quicker recipe, you can opt to buy a 500g pack of vegan ready made pastry, rather than make it yourself).
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g plus 1tbsp plain flour (you can use half plain, half wholemeal flour for a healthier version)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 115 g butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed in a bowl with 3 tbsp water and set aside for 5 minutes
Vegetables
- 2 medium leeks trimmed and thinly sliced
- 300 g mushrooms, sliced thinly sliced
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped or use dried parsley
Filling
- 400 g firm tofu
- 225 g vegan cream cheese
- 125 ml unsweetened plant milk
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp syrup (eg agave or maple etc)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- pinch salt (ideally black salt/Kala Namak as this has an eggy taste but any salt is fine)
Cheese layer
- 250 g vegan blue cheese
- 150 g vegan cheddar cheese
Instructions
Pastry
- Preheat oven to 190˚C/375˚F/Gas Mark 5
- Line a loose-bottomed fluted flan tin
- Combine the flour and salt in a bowl then add the butter and flaxseed. Rub together with your fingertips until completely mixed and crumbly. Continue with this stage until the dough comes together
- Transfer onto a work surface and continue kneading until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is too crumbly then add a tablespoon of water (only add bit by bit)
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit your tin. Spread the pastry evenly around the tin with your thumb and fingers. Trim the top and prick it a few times with a fork
- Place in the refrigerator to chill until needed
Vegetables
- Heat some oil in a large frying pan with a lid, on a low-medium heat, and add the leeks. Pop the lid on and leave for 10 minutes
- Remove lid, add the mushrooms and salt and pepper and heat for 5 minutes
- Turn up the heat to medium and heat for a further few minutes
- Add the garlic, fresh or dried parsley. Cook for a further couple of minutes and turn off the heat
- Set aside until needed
Filling
- Using a high-speed blender, blend all the ingredients together until very smooth
Assembly/cheese layer
- Remove the pastry case from the fridge and spoon a bit of the leek/mushroom mixture into the bottom. Crumble half of the blue cheese over the base. Add half of the tofu mix and until evenly spread. Repeat this stage again until all of the vegetables, tofu mix and cheese have been used up. Make sure you crumble some of the cheese and layer some of the veg on the top of the quiche
- Sprinkle the vegan cheddar cheese over the top, if using
- Cover the top of the quiche with foil or greaseproof paper and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil/greaseproof paper and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden and the cheese is bubbling. Enjoy
This recipe was republished from Vegan Recipe Club, which is owned and run by animal rights organization Viva!. You can find the original here, and check out some of their other recipes below:
