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!
Nina says
How do you freeze the quiche Cooked or uncooked?
Nagi says
I freeze it cooked Nina! N x
Esther says
Lovely pastry Nagi, used it for meat pies. Next time would like to use 50/50 butter/lard instead of all butter. Do you see any issue there? Thanks!
Ian Thomson says
Thank you so much! I made my first Quiche and people were amazed at the crust! Easy, and great every time!!
Tamara says
Hi Nagi! I’m wondering if this can be made in a stand mixer since I don’t have a food processor? Thank you and I’m excited to pair this with your Aussie Meat Pie recipe tomorrow.
Nagi says
Hi Tamara, not really as you want the blades to cut the butter into the flour (not beat it) as this is what yields a crumbly, short pastry. You can always do it by hand! N x
Belinda Wong says
I made this in the stand mixer and it was perfect. Used the whisk attachment to make the fine breadcrumbs part, mixed in the cold water with a spoon to get it to come together and then dough attachment for the final part until it forms a ball.
ALYCE says
How do you blind bake mini-quiche? Is it necessary?
Nagi says
Hi Alyce, you do it the same way as a full size quiche (just in smaller form) – and yes it’s necessary to cook the base first otherwise it will become soggy 🙂 N x
Pat Adler says
Hi. Ive joined some time ago but never received my free ckbks. Maybe I did something wrong.
Nagi says
Hi Pat, sorry they got lost along the way – send me an e-mail and I’ll reply with the e-cookbooks. N x
Kazz says
Hi Nagi Made this recently and it was amazing. One question. After the initial blind bake with the baking beads, my pastry developed a large air bubble. I pushed it down several times during the second part of the blind bake but wondered why it happened. Do you think increasing the time of first blind bake might help?
Emma says
Hi Nagi, if you want to freeze a batch of pie cases can you blind bake and freeze or do you need to cook them fully before freezing?
Nagi says
Hi Emma, I imagine you can do that! You can then simply thaw and use as needed. N x
AE says
This recipe looks really similar to pate brisse (French readers, please excuse the lack of accents!), which is two parts flour for one part butter, plus the cold water and salt 🙂
I understand the main reason for cooling the dough is to let the gluten stabilise. If you try to roll it straight from the food processor, it keeps shrinking back, but not after refrigerating which I know because I usually roll it straight away, and cool it in the quiche tin because I’m short of time.
Also, I find Australian flour is super thirsty compared with flour from my home country (the main difference being flour here has 10 g protein / 100 g and over there it’s only 3 or 4 g).
Sorry, got excited with the data!!
The truth is, I love your recipes and I know they’ll never fail me, which is why I kicked myself earlier today, for not using your recipe I know, and trying someone else’s just because it made two cake layers… Sweet
or savoury, you *always* deliver!!
Melanie says
hi nagi, you are my go to recipe chef, luv the site. a question re making pastry in a food processor, can i use the metal blade?
Nagi says
Yep – I do all the time Melanie! N x
Liz says
can the cooked pie crust be frozen until it is needed later?
Helen says
Hi Nagi, have always been keen to try making this especially now that Coles & WoOlies have been out of stock for a few weeks now.
Could I use this same recipe to make pie bases in muffin tins (looking to make your delicious party pies)? If so, will I still need to blind bake?
Thank you!
Nagi says
Hi Helen, great idea and yes you’d need to blind bake – enjoy! N x
Brigette says
I’m determined to master pastry so that I’m not so scared of it so I plan to make your quiche this week.
I’m pumping myself up mentally – I can do it, I can do it, I can do it! 🙂
I love your recipes and having the video to refer to gives me more confidence.
Nagi says
You’ve got this Brigette, it’s super easy! N x
Brigette says
I did it! 🙂
Thank you so much Nagi, it worked out so well. I have never ever managed to make pastry. Now I can make quiche!!!
You are the best 🙂
adh says
Followed directions exactly and turned out perfect.
adh says
Wups, meant as a new comment, not reply.
Angelica says
Just tried this with store bought frozen pastry- still good. Simple recipe but delicious. Thank you.
Francene says
Love this recipe, make it many times and always turns out beautifully, thank you!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear, thanks so much Francene!
Bill says
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.
Nagi says
Sounds divine Bill! N x
Vivienne Simmons says
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.
Nagi says
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 ❤️
Ashley says
Hi Nagi, I don’t have a food processor, can I use my kitchen aid stand up mixer?
Nagi says
Sure can Ashley!!
Alma says
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!
Nagi says
Hi Alma, is it cracking once it’s baked? Or is it just the dough that’s cracking?
Alma says
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!
michelle says
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.
Kelly Turner says
awesome!
Nagi says
Thanks so much Kelly