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:
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you want to make a homemade quiche crust from scratch; or
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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
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Blitz – place flour, butter and salt in a food processor and blitz until fine crumbs form
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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!
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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
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Roll out pastry to 3 mm / 1/8″ thick
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Press into quiche tin or pie dish
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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.
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Remove beads carefully – Nobody wants hot beads bouncing all over the kitchen!
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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:
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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;
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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!
Likely a silly question but if you don’t have a food processor can you do it in a Kitchen aid or what’s the alternative?
i think you can, just mix all and add grated frozen butter (butter cold creates the flakiness etc if you read the recipe in full) to the mix and follow rest of recipe
Nagi please reply to this question, thanks.
Next time I make a quiche I will try making my own dough as it looks so easy…I was wondering what sort of quiche/ pie dish you made this in?
Hi Jenn…in that video I am using a Wiltshire Rose Pink 23cm / 9-inch tart tin with a removable bottom widely available here in Australia at Coles and Woolies stores. Good luck! Nx
I just made this after reading reviews and it was so easy!! I made it at lunch time and refrigerated it until dinner (about 5hrs) and didn’t realise it would harden up SO much. (In reflection it makes sense coz it’s butter!) So it unexpectedly delayed our dinner. I did some googling and realised I should’ve brought it out much earlier to let it come back close to room temp/rolling temp. So Nagi, since you always have great additional Notes can I suggest adding a note about if you choose to refrigerate for a long time, make sure u leave X Time for the pastry to soften before you can roll it! This is the first time I’ve made quiche with my own pastry so thank you for another great recipe! Never using store bought shortcrust again😄
I loved this crust easy recipe .
I have made this crust a couple of times and turned super good and easy recipe that’s what I like…
This is so good, thanks Nagi!! I don’t actually love bought shortcrust pastry so have always used puff for quiches – but I will definitely use this one again 🙂 5 stars! Made my own filling using the eggs, cream, cheese ratio on quiche lorraine, filled with lightly fried bacon, caramelised red onion & spinach that needed using. Delicious lunch!!
I love your Quiche Crust (Shortcrust Pastry) recipe, it always works for me and I am one who hates making pastry.. I normally buy it frozen.. but not any more. However, I have to lose a lot of weight and am asking how much butter can I leave out without risking the pastry not working out. Or do you have a less butter/fat pastry recipe. I try a lot of your recipes and am very happy with the results. A very big thank-you to you and an extra big hug for Dozer.
Hi Nagi How to double this recipe? I want to try for Apple pie please thank you
Hi Anabella, you can click the servings and scale the recipe up to double 🙂 N x
My friend asked me where I bought the quiches. Said it all really! She said she doesn’t normally like quiche pastry and mine were lovely. Today I made 2 quiches for her party.
You’ve absolutely nailed it Gina, that’s the best compliment!!! 👏 N x
Hello Nagi, this is a great recipe. I have made it many times now. Lately however the pastry shrinks down the side of the tin when I blind bake it. The result is that it is only half the height. Can you tell me why it does this please. Cheers Mary
Hi Mary, are you chilling the dough before cooking it? Chilling prevents the dough from shrinking too much once baked. N x
My first attempt at processor dough and I think it’s turned out well (haven’t made the full quiche yet!). Possibly a silly question, but should you completely cool the quiche shell before you fill it or can you fill it as soon as it’s out of the oven?
I presume you could cook this the day before making quiche? Will have a lot of cooking to do on the day!
Sure can Judy, just store in an airtight container. N x
Hi Judy…I have to make 4 quiche crusts. I saw your comment. Did u do yours ahead of time?
I love this crust I will never buy store pastry again. So delicious. Thanks