A soy-free protein-rich Vegan Quiche with quinoa crust and chickpea flour filling. Fill it with leeks or any other vegetable you love in a quiche. Naturally gluten-free and super delicious!
It’s quite a challenge to make a Vegan Quiche. If you think about it, the crust of a regular quiche contains butter and the filling is basically all eggs and cream and cheese.
Once I was introduced to chickpea flour and it’s versatility I instantly knew this is THE PERFECT ingredient for a quiche filling.
You achieve a very similar consistency to eggs, it’s high in protein and absolutely delicious!
How to make a vegan quiche crust
The easiest way would obviously be to make a puff pastry crust with coconut oil instead of butter. However, as much as I love coconut oil and the taste of coconut, it just doesn’t sound right or remotely delicious as predominant flavor in a quiche.
Instead, I opted for a quinoa crust that has an added benefit to the obvious one. It’s not only protein-rich but also naturally gluten-free.
Also, it’s mega easy to make. Pinky promise. Way easier than any puff pastry! All you do is cook quinoa, mix it with a flax egg and that’s it. “Knead” the “dough” until it becomes a sticky mess, press it into your tart pan and done!
It’s such an amazing crust for vegan quiche, I dedicated a separate blog post for it. Here is more detailed info on the specific quinoa crust blog post.
How to make a soy-free vegan quiche filling
Two simple ingredients: chickpea flour and water!
The filling is easy but requires one very, very, very important step. Don’t even think about skipping that one: The chickpea flour has to be soaked in the amount of water stated in the recipe for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better.
If you don’t soak it for a while I can assure you, the filling tastes like POISON!
I remember when I made a baked chickpea flour thing the first time and I didn’t know that I had to soak the flour first. Let’s say it all had to go in the garbage right away. I even thought the flour had maybe gone bad. I used the very same flour again, however, making sure I soaked it first (as recommended in many different recipes online) and what.a.difference!
So this stuff can, in fact, taste amazing. Aha! Fast forward a couple of tests and I came up with this naturally gluten-free no tofu Vegan Quiche and I’m damn proud about the result.
Vegan Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 Tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1.5 cups vegetable stock
- 2 Tbsp flax seeds
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 large leeks
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together chickpea flour, thyme, sea salt and tapioca starch with a whisk. Then add water and whisk vigorously until very well combined. Set aside. (This has to soak for minimum 30 minutes, the longer, the better. If you remember prepare this an hour ahead of starting to cook).
- Add quinoa and vegetable stock to a pot and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 10-12 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
- In a coffee grinder or blender finely grind flax seeds, add to a small bowl, add water and mix well with a spoon. Set aside.
- Once quinoa is cooked, empty into a bowl and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
- Wash and slice leek. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400F (200ºC).
- Grease a 9" (24cm) tart pan.
- Once quinoa is cool enough to touch, mix in flaxseed/water mix with your hands until very, very well combined and the quinoa resembles a sticky dough.
- Put dough in tart pan and press it in with your fingers until the whole surface and sides are evenly coated. Cut off excess from edges.
- Add leek to chickpea flour mix and combine.
- Pour leek/chickpea flour mix onto quinoa crust. Smooth out the top with a spoon.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
- Serve with fresh leafy salad.
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Av says
Thanks for this super recipe. I loved the quinoa crust.
Isabella says
Hello, is the 1 cup of quinoa dry or cooked? Midway through making it and a little confused!
Lorena Grater says
It’s raw. You cook it in the broth. I’m so sorry. I thought instruction point 2 explained this well enough? Does it not? Can you please let me know which part was confusing so I can make it more explicit. Thank you for helping me improve my website :)
Sonja says
I have just tried this and it turned out great !
I had some modifications to it though since I didn’t have the right ingredients.
I added 1tbs of corn flour and the same amount of nutritional yeast to top up the cup of chickpea flour; 2 tbs of tapioca starch as suggested in the instructions and only one cup of water and let it stay for about an hour.
Since I had some previously cooked quinoa in the fridge I warmed it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds and added flax egg to create a crust. It was super easy. The only thing I would do next time is to add baking paper on the bottom or add more oil; since it was a pain to take the first piece out of the round glass pan. Or spring form with baking paper would even be better solution.
My filing was not leek since I didn’t have any; so I used 4 green onions, 3 pcs of asparagus: about 50 grams of green zucchini and hands full of baby spinach. Just make sure it is thinly sliced and it will do.
It turned out delicious 😋
Thank you 🙏 kindly for this recipe.
Lorena Grater says
Your adjustments sound amazing! And yes, parchment paper is a great idea for sure.
Barb Stapleton says
Lorena,
Can you freeze this quiche?
thanks
Barb
Lorena says
Yes! It’s perfectly freezable.
Vanessa says
I love leeks, but I prefer them caramelized. Obviously cooking them down that way would change the proportions, but do you think it would be ok?
Lorena says
Vanessa I think it’ll still turn out just fine. Caramelize them first and then proceed as normal. It will be a little flatter but still delicious :)
Pongodhall says
I love chickpea quiches, this is lovely as I’m mad about leeks!
Couldn’t agree more about soaking chickpea flour, I tend to get that going and the flax egg and do other things.
Lorena says
I’m so happy you like it :)
Lisa says
Hi Lorena,
I was incredibly excited to make this recipe. your pictures are so beautiful and I just love how simple and healthy it looked. I followed your recipe every step but found it a little confusing and the recipe seems so off! on all parts. The quinoa crust mixture ( the quinoa + the ground flaxseed) I tried to combine it and turn it into a dough but it wouldn’t happen, I started by adding 1 tbsp of water each but even lost count due to the ‘dough’ not sticking together. eventually I just went with it, then I wanted to mix the filling ( soaked chickpea flour mixture ) + the slices of 2 large leeks, but that seemed so out of proportion, only with half the chopped leeksthere was just a tiny little of chickpea flour mixture left. Maybe I should chop the leeks thinner? I popped it in the oven at 200C and after 30 minutes the top layer already started to slightly burn, which isn’t very similar to your version… Also the filling contained so much leek and hardly any chickpea flour mixture. Hope you can help me out here.. because I would love to try the one in your pictures!! many thanks, Lisa
Lorena says
Hi Lisa,
I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you :( I hope I can help you troubleshoot. Did you cook the quinoa right that moment? It doesn’t work with leftover quinoa. The quinoa has to still be sorta wet with steam from cooking it. Did you make the “flax egg” first? The recipe calls for mixing quinoa with “flax egg” not just flax seeds. To make a flax egg you first grind 2 Tbsp flaxseeds in a coffee grinder until they are like flour, then mix the ground flax meal with 2 Tbsp water until you it is well combined and sticky. That sticky flax egg is what you mix with your freshly cooked still warm quinoa. I’ve made this crust many times. It doesn’t require any extra water, just the quinoa and flax egg, that’s it.
For the filling, I don’t know how big your leeks were. They could have been much bigger than mine and that’s why it was so out of proportion. Ugh, I wish I had weighed my leeks back then “large” is so subjective. You did cut off a big chunk of green at the top? Usually I cut off about 1/3 of the whole leek, the green isn’t usually used from a leek and obviously about an inch off from the root as well. That already reduces the size a lot. Cut the white part of the leek very thinly so it cooks evenly. In this recipe I’m using what I consider a “large leek” watch the video to see the size and also get an idea on how thinly it should be sliced. http://greenhealthycooking.com/roasted-garlic-potato-leek-soup/
There shouldn’t be any chickpea flour mixture left at all because you’re adding the finely chopped leek into the bowl where all the chickpea flour dough has been soaking and then combine everything with a spatula.
Are you putting the quiche in the middle rack in your oven? Do you have an oven thermometer? Maybe your oven is overheating? If your oven is overheating make sure to reduce heat and/or put the quiche in the lower third of the oven.
I really hope you are more successful next time. Fingers crossed big time!
Lisa says
Hi Lorena,
Thank you so much for your fast and detailed feedback.
First of all: Despite the quiche turning out different from your pictures the flavour was absolutely delicious!
I did make the crust with freshly cooked quinoa and a flaxseed egg with the ground flaxseed. The crust was quiet crumbly still so next time I will add heaps more of water until it shapes more of a dough. I think that will do the trick.
for the filling I probably had larger leeks than you + I chopped up a big amount of the green as well. I think this might have made the difference.
Thank you again for your help and I will try to make it today again with the left over chopped up leek.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Lorena says
Seems like you’re on the right track Lisa. I’m so glad it was tasty despite of the different outcome. In the end that’s the most important anyway. To fill our tummies with YUMMY healthy food :)
Connie Leung says
This may be a silly question but.. Why must you soak the chickpea flour prior? Does it help get rid of the smell?
Thank you!
Lorena says
Hi Connie, if you don’t soak the flour the quiche ends up tasting very very VERY bitter. I forgot to soak it the first time and had to throw away the whole quiche. It was not edible. Gross. I don’t know the scientific explanation of this but it HAS to be soaked to become not only edible but delicious :)