A crustless zucchini quiche is a delicious way to utilize an abundance of summer zucchini. This vegetarian quiche is very low carb so it’s perfect for keto diets, too.
At first, I was leary of using zucchini in a quiche because I thought it might be watery. I was wrong. It’s amazing! The rich custard filling, delicate zucchini flavor, herbs, and mellow saltiness from the smoked gouda cheese is winning combination. And, ditching the crust means this recipe is low carb!
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What’s best? Sliced Zucchini or Grated Zucchini for Quiche?
You’ll see zucchini quiche recipes made with sliced zucchini and grated zucchini. After testing this recipe both ways, I found that grated zucchini works much better in this crustless zucchini quiche. Why?
- Grated zucchini is easy to squeeze dry
- Grated zucchini is easy to layer
- Zucchini rounds release a lot of water in the quiche, even when salted and patted dry
- Zucchini rounds need to be sauteed before adding to the quiche or they don’t cook completely
- Zucchini rounds sink to the bottom of the quiche
The Perfect Quiche Ingredient Ratio
The perfect egg-cream-cheese ratio for a quiche is ¼ cup of cream and 1 ounce of cheese for each egg. Because zucchini contains so much water, it was important to change the ratio for this zucchini quiche custard. Adding an extra egg and a little more cheese while decreasing the amount of heavy cream did the trick!
The Perfect Low Carb Crustless Zucchini Quiche
As far as low carb keto quiches go, this is an easy one. But for the best results you must grate the zucchini and remove as much water as you can. Don’t worry, it’s a piece of cake:
Grate one pound of zucchini and put it into a colander in the sink. Mix salt into the zucchini and let it sit for several minutes (the salt draws water out of the zucchini). Rinse the zucchini well to remove the excess salt. Then, using clean hands, squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the zucchini.
Then, go on to make the quiche but don’t forget to layer the ingredients!
Layer Your Quiche Ingredients
Want the best quiche? Do me a favor… Layer. The. Ingredients. Layering the ingredients prevents heavier ingredients from sinking to the bottom and ensures even distribution.
Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese into a quiche dish or a pie plate. Layer roughly one third of the ingredients into the pie plate followed by another layer of cheese. Repeat twice more. Pour the frothy egg mixture over the layers and bake.
To refrigerate, allow your zucchini quiche to cool completely and cover with cling film. Reheat a slice of quiche in the microwave or in the oven. Serve with a green salad or this refreshing sweet bell pepper salad.
Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Customize your quiche!
I love this zucchini quiche as written, but I did experiment with other seasoning combinations. In one variation I added two teaspoons of my homemade ranch seasoning. While the quiche was delicious and VERY FLAVORFUL, I felt like the zucchini’s delicate flavor was lost. However, if you aren’t a huge fan of zucchini, this may be a great option for you!
Here are some ideas for customization:
- add 2 teaspoons of ranch seasoning or lemon pepper
- try adding basil or parsley
- use green onions instead of chives
- add crumbled bacon or chopped ham for more protein
- try topping the zucchini quiche with crumbled feta cheese or dollops of ricotta cheese
- add a flaky low carb pie crust
Other Great Low Carb Keto Vegetarian Quiche Recipes
Low carb vegetarian recipes are sometimes hard to find. Quiche is great because it benefits from the protein contributed from the eggs and cheese. Plus, it looks so nice on a plate. Here are three more great low carb vegetarian recipes.
- Crustless Mushroom Quiche
- Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
- Zucchini gratin by my friend Mellissa at I Breathe I’m Hungry.
Crustless Zucchini Quiche Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Preparation
- Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Thoroughly mix salt into zucchini with your hands. Let sit for 10 minutes. Grate the cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and set rack to middle position. Butter a 9 – 10 inch pie plate or quiche dish.
Method
- Rinse the zucchini with running water very thoroughly. With clean hands, squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as you can. Place the zucchini into a medium bowl and mix well with the dried dill and chives.
- Measure salt, pepper, eggs and heavy cream into a medium bowl and beat until frothy.
- Layer ¼ of the cheese into the pie plate followed with ⅓ of the zucchini. Alternate layering cheese and zucchini until used up. Gently pour the egg mixture over the quiche.
Bake
- Bake for 40-50 minutes depending on you oven or until the quiche is browned and just slightly soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before serving.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate any leftovers. Reheat in the microwave or oven. Great served with a green salad.
- Serve warm with a green salad. Serves 6 at 4.1g NET CARBS per serving.
Nutrition
Spinach and Mushroom – Vegetable Quiche
Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Bacon
Could I mix this the night before & bake in the morning? Most egg dishes are fine to do this but wondering about the shredded zucchini here.
I don’t know Carla. I haven’t tried that with this recipe. The zucchini could release the rest of its water or not… There is only one way to find out and that is to try it. Have a wonderful week. -Kim
This came out absolutely delicious
My husband is a diabetic and has lost 50lbs cutting carbs in his diet. He no longer uses insulin and for now takes 2 pills a day, maybe nine if he loses a little more. Loving the low carb recipes.
Wow! Carol, he is doing so great. I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes. -Kim
I did this once but didn’t post. Not sure why. This was delicious! I made some minor changes. Used green onion instead of chives and regular Gouda cheese instead of smoked. I also added 3 finely chopped garlic cloves. Totally fabulous flavor! Will make this again.
This was delicious. Used green onions not chives bc it’s what I had and regular Gouda cheese, not smoked. I also added 3 finely chopped garlic cloves. Sooo good!
Hello! Can I make porridge with plain yellow cheese instead of gouda? :-)
Sure you can make the quiche with (I’m assuming you mean cheddar?) another type of cheese. The smoked gouda gave this a really nice flavor but use what you have – Kim
Delicious !
Can I use guyer cheese in place of Gouda?
Sure, Peggy. -Kim
Delicious. Will definitely make this again and again.
Excellent! Added cayenne pepper and used up Mexican and Gouda I had at home instead.
This was very quick and easy, the flavor was fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
This quiche is delicious and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. I made it exactly as directed.
I have made this many times, always changing it slightly what goes in. Thanks for sharing it and your advice too.
This is a yummy dish! I added ham and half an onion but I would suggest sweating the onion first. It’s a keeper!!
Perfect! Thank you!
a great base for creating, thanks for liquid smoke suggestion as it added a wonderful taste.
This quiche was absolutely delicious! I thought it would be really wet from the zucchini and it was not. Had one of those giant zucchinis that gets away from you before you pick it. Will make again.
Excellent. The layering made everything even, the taste was fabulous.
Great recipe.
What is a lb. of zucchini? Before or after grating? Draining?
Really should do it in cups of grated, drained zucchini!
Hi Bernadette. Weigh the zucchini before grating. A medium zucchini (about 5-6 inches long) is around 5-6 ounces. So 1 pound is approximately 3 medium zucchini. The reason I didn’t offer measurements in cups is because people following low carb diets carefully watch their carb intake. This is a low carb blog so I strive to provide the most accurate nutritional information that I can. This means weighing ingredients so I enter them properly into my nutritional calculator. The amount in a “cup” of zucchini will vary depending on how coarsely or finely it is shredded and how much one packs into a cup measure. I feel more comfortable using weights in some of my recipes because it’s more accurate. And since food scales are so inexpensive nowadays, I don’t see it as an inconvenience.
Thank you for your feedback, Bernadette. I read each comment and appreciate the time it took you to come back, formulate your feedback and submit it. Have a nice day. -Kim
How can I add a picture!
Did it turn out nice? Send me one on Instagram or in an email. I can’t wait to see it! -Kim
I agree Kim – I weigh everything, especially when baking, as it is more accurate (sometimes even eggs). Great recipe, truly enjoyed it!
This is sooooo good!!!! I have made it several times so far and my whole family eats it. Super easy to make! I just use whatever cheese I happen to have on hand and occasionally put crumbled bacon in it which is awesome. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Absolutely delicious! I put in an 8×8 casserole dish so portions were easier to gage. I didn’t change a thing…besides I don’t like pie crust anyway so this will be on my “make again” list.
314kcal? equals 314,000 calories?
Hi Sue. Sorry for the confusion. That’s a problem with my recipe card. I will look into trying to fix it. It’s 314 calories per serving.-Kim
Well that is very good news! A delicious recipe and low calorie per serving, thank you!!
What does kcal mean?
The calorie content is often given in kcals, which is short for kilocalories, and also in kJ, which is short for kilojoules. A kilocalorie is another word for what’s commonly called a calorie, so 1,000 calories will be written as 1,000kcals.
Excellent!
This was SO. GOOD. My kids even ate and loved it. Thank you! It was voted as a “keeper.”
This was a huge hit for our dinner! My husband loved it and told me this was a keeper recipe!
It was amazing! I didn’t use dill but Italian seasoning and added bacon. I made it last week and again tonight!
Holy cow, this recipe is just fabulous as is! Thank you for giving me a use for all that garden zucchini. Delicious!!!
Absolutely delicious. Only change I made was to add some fresh mushrooms. This is a real”keeper” recipe. Thank you.
Thank you for this awesome recipe. We have a garden full of veggies and I needed a new recipe twist for zucchini. This one met the challenge beautifully! Added dill,garlic powder and a dash of nutmeg. My cheeses were grated swiss and cheddar. The end result was absolutely delicious!
Hi
I want to try this recipe but need some advice, could I use oat cream and parmesan instead and what baking dish to use? Thank you so very much!
Hi Ann. I have never used oat cream and are use using 8 oz of parmesan cheese? Parmesan cheese is dryer than what I used and I don’t know how it would affect texture. You may use whatever ingredients you need to or have, but I can only speak to ingredients similar to what I used. -Kim
5 stars
very easy to prepare; great flavor and taste; Three of us ate the whole quiche in one meal!
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when my picky, anti-veggie husband said this recipe is a keeper. I followed the recipe exactly and had to sub Monterey Jack for the Gouda, since it wasn’t available at my market. I added liquid smoke and the dried ranch dressing and baked for 40 minutes. Note it does deflate as it cools down, but still looks good and cuts beautifully at room temperature. It was a lovely side dish and was full of flavor. I will be making this recipe again.
Well, if you can win over a anti-veggie husband, Julie Ann! Lol. I’m glad you tried the version with the ranch seasoning, as I mentioned in the post it was very flavorful. I love all the subs you made in your quiche and it’s no wonder your husband enjoyed it. You are clearly a good cook! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment. Have a wonderful week. -Kim
Can you freeze this dish??
Yes, Sherri, if you grate the zucchini as the recipe suggests and not slice it. Enjoy. -Kim
This was so delicious Kim! Actually made it for dinner last night. The flavors blend so well together. The best part is there are leftovers and it will be breakfast today!
Very yummy quiche!
Love your recipe, super delicious and healthy. I love the cheese in it, thanks for sharing!