Caramelized Onion Quiche

Try this rich, delicious caramelized onion quiche for your next special breakfast, brunch, or even lunch or dinner. Made with flavorful Gruyère cheese, it’s sure to be a new favorite.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated April 18, 2024
Elise Bauer
Caramelized Onion Quiche recipe
Elise Bauer

Ever wake up in the morning with a craving for a specific food?

This morning it was quiche, specifically an onion quiche. To my dear father who turned up his nose at this masterpiece, mumbling something about real men, I say, "phooey."

Kudos to my brother Ed, who almost made up for dad's transgression by saying just "damn good" after inhaling a piece at dinner.

Caramelized red onion quiche with Gruyère

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

What Is Quiche?

At its simplest, quiche is a French tart with an egg, milk/cream, and cheese custard baked in a pastry shell. It's often made with meat or vegetable additions to create versions such as the classic Quiche Lorraine with bacon or a Zucchini Tomato Quiche.

Baking Pans for Quiche

A tart pan is tradition for quiche, but you can use a variety of baking pans for this savory delight:

  • 9 x 1 1/2-inch round tart pan
  • 9-inch pie dish
  • Ceramic baking dish—great for crustless quiche
  • Muffin tins—for mini quiche
  • 8- or 9-inch round cake pan
  • Springform pan—also good for crustless quiche
  • A foil pie pan—you can add your own crust or buy a foil pan with a crust (you'll need to bake the crust)

Note: Baking time will be different for larger, shallower pans since they tend to bake faster or longer for smaller, deeper pans

Quiche Tips From Readers

Our readers always have something to teach us. Here are some of their tips for making quiche a little simpler.

  • Roberta: “Bake your quiche on the bottom or lower rack of your oven. It sets the egg and cream better than the center.”
  • Hannah: “Try putting the baking sheet in oven while it's preheating, then transfer the quiche to the baking sheet to cook. This always works for me!” (Our addendum: A baking stone works well for this, too.)
  • Carol: "Add a splash or two of white wine to the onions, and it really makes the flavor special."

How to Store and Reheat Quiche

Refrigerate cooled quiche tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat slices in the microwave or in the oven covered in foil at 350°F until heated through.

Freeze a whole, cooled, fully cooked quiche by placing it in its pan in the freezer. Remove it from the freezer when it's frozen, pop it out of its pan (or if you've used a foil pan, keep it in there), and wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil for up to three months.

Freeze slices of cooked quiche on a baking sheet. Remove when the slices are frozen and wrap each slice in a double layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil for up to three months.

Thaw frozen quiche in the refrigerator overnight, unwrap to remove the plastic wrap, and reheat covered in foil at 350°F until warmed through.

More Quiche Recipes to Try

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Caramelized Onion Quiche

Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 105 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings
Yield 1 quiche

Although this recipe calls for making a pie crust from scratch, you can easily use an already prepared frozen pie crust. Just prebake it using the directions that follow.

The onions will take about an hour to cook on the stovetop before they are ready to go into the quiche. So timing-wise, if you are making the entire quiche from scratch, it makes sense to get started on the onions once you've put the crust into the freezer to chill before prebaking.

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Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 large red onions (about 1 pound total)

  • 1 recipe pie dough (see pâte brisée recipe)

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

  • 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)

  • 3/4 cup milk

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

  • 3 large eggs

  • Pinch nutmeg

Method

  1. Slice the onions:

    To caramelize onions, you'll want to slice them lengthwise or from stem end to root end. That way the onions will hold their shape better during the long cooking involved in caramelizing.

    Sliced red onions on a cutting board, ready to caramelize

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  2. Prepare the crust:

    If you are making your own crust (instead of using an already prepared frozen crust), roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9 x 1 1/2-inch round tart pan (or 9-inch pie dish), pressing dough into corners, extending the edges extra high to allow for shrinkage. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

  3. Preheat oven to 350°F.

    Line pastry with aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges, allowing extra foil on the sides (they'll be your handles when you remove the foil).

    Fill at least 2/3 of the crust with baking weights—dried beans, rice, copper pennies, or ceramic or metal pie weights.

    Beans in a pie crust weighing it down for prebaking

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  4. Bake with the weights:

    Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove aluminum foil and weights.

    Pricking the crust with a fork

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  5. Remove the weights and bake again:

    Poke the bottom of pie pan with the tines of a fork and return to oven, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes allow any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making the filling.

    Prebaked crust in a pie pan

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  6. Caramelize the onions:

    Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and are translucent. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned.

    Add 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 minutes more, until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat.

  7. Start assembling the quiche:

    Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any runoff. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust.

    Spread onions over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese.

    Cheese added to the prebaked crust

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Caramelized onions and cheese added to the crust

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  8. Mix up the custard and pour over:

    In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tart.

    Unbaked caramelized onion and Gruyère cheese quiche

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  9. Bake the quiche:

    Transfer to the 350°F oven and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below! 


    Baked caramelized onion quiche

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
433 Calories
28g Fat
33g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 433
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 12g 58%
Cholesterol 103mg 34%
Sodium 437mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 278mg 21%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 221mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.