Carrot Quiche (with Cheddar and Roasted Onions)

A creamy and savory quiche that's lovely for a winter or spring meal. Carrot Quiche features a filling of roasted vegetables, spices, and cheddar cheese.

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I love exploring the bounty of fresh, colorful, homegrown and homemade offerings at farmer's markets, like baked treats, sauces, jams, rustic breads, and of course, veggies.

While recently browsing an indoor market I found one farmer with tons of seasonal veggies on display, including a huge variety of carrots. Bunches of white, yellow, and purple carrots were dazzling, as well as garnet-colored Dragon carrots.

Despite the lure of those dazzling rainbow carrots, I was drawn to a big bag (three or four pounds) of regular orange carrots: medium-sized, twisty, and gleaming despite a few bits of soil still clinging to the surface. They just looked so cheerful and delicious!

To be honest, I don't normally look at raw carrots and think "delicious!" Carrots cooked into other things tend to be more my preference—with raw carrots, my reaction is something closer to, "Well, someone has to eat these. Do we have any dip?"

Despite this, I grabbed a big bag of these cheerful carrots and brought them home.

I thought about making them into soup or bringing them to a friend's house to snack on... yes, with a big bowl of dip. Instead, I gave my happy carrots a roast, then blended them into this Carrot Quiche with Cheddar and Roasted Onion.

This is just one of many ways to prepare winter root veggies!

What is a quiche?

A quiche is a type of savory pie or tart, with a custard-like filling made with ingredients like eggs, cheese, veggies, meat, and cream. It's a French dish—one of the most familiar types is a Quiche Lorraine with bacon and Gruyère cheese.

Quiches, large and bite-sized, are one of the most popular breakfast and brunch dishes ever, with endless meat, cheese, and vegetable combinations.

Pile of small orange carrots on white plate.

Why you'll love this recipe

The texture of this roasted carrot, cheddar and onion quiche filling is creamy, and smooth, with a balance of savory flavors with the sweetness of the carrots. And I love the sweetness that comes from roasting the veggies beforehand. It's like a savory version of a classic carrot pie.

The quiche is made with my Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust, a shell that's just as tasty as the filling—flaky and buttery. This dough is easy to make in advance and hold in the fridge or the freezer until you're ready to make your quiche.

Though the recipe for carrot quiche contains dairy and eggs, it has no meat products—that makes it a vegetarian carrot and onion quiche.

Make a Carrot Quiche for lunch or brunch, or even as a light dinner. It's also perfect to make for spring holidays: Easter, Mother's Day, or International Cute Bunnies Appreciation Day. Okay, I made up that last one.

Large figure of cartoonish were-rabbit — The Wererabbit!

But hey, you can't talk about carrots without thinking about fluffy bunnies. Just ask Bugs Bunny... or the WereRabbit!

🔪 How to make Carrot Quiche with Cheddar and Roasted Onions

Ingredients:

Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust: This is my favorite pastry crust recipe, and it's delicious with this roasted carrot quiche
Carrots: Use fresh carrots, locally grown if possible for the best flavor
Onion: Yellow onions are fine here; you can also use shallots or sweet onions if you'd like
Oil: Use canola or olive oil to roast the veggies
Salt and Pepper: To season the filling
Thyme: The flavor of this fried or fresh herb works so well with the cheddar and carrots
Milk: This part of the filling base
Half-and-Half: Also for the creamy filling
Cheddar Cheese: Use mild or sharp, whichever you like best

Step 1: Prepare the shell

Roll out the half portion of Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust dough into a circle, and fit the circle into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into place all around the sides and over the bottom, then crimp the edge. Fill the shell with pie weights and par-bake it.

Step 2: Prepare the veggies

Chopped carrots and onions on a baking sheet.

Slice the carrots and onions into chunks, then coat them with oil and seasonings. Spread them on a baking sheet, then roast them in the oven until they're tender.

Step 3: Make the carrot filling

Blended carrot and egg mixture in a food processor bowl.

Blend the cooled, roasted veggies with milk, eggs, cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Step 4: Fill the quiche

Quiche crust filled with liquid carrot and cheese filling.

Pour the carrot filling into the shell. Sprinkle more cheddar cheese over the top.

Step 5: Bake, then serve

Whole, baked carrot quiche on a baking sheet.

Bake the quiche for a little over a half-hour, until the filling is set. Let it cool for a short time, then slice and serve, garnished with fresh sprigs of thyme.

FAQs

Should the vegetables be cooked before putting them into a quiche?

Yes! Especially in this recipe, because the roasted vegetables are blended into the smooth filling. Another reason to cook the vegetables first is because they release water during cooking, which could leave your quiche filling watery and underbaked.

Should I peel my carrots before roasting them?

If the carrots and very large and have been sitting in the produce section awhile, the skin is likely to be tough and dirty—so, yes, it's a good idea to peel them. However, if the carrots are small, young, and well-scrubbed, you can get away without peeling them.

Do you have to prebake the crust for a quiche?

I do recommend it, just as this recipe directs. It helps ensure that the crust is baked through, which can be challenging when a liquid filling is poured into a raw crust. Like Mary Berry says, no one wants a soggy bottom!

What can I serve with a carrot quiche?

Quiche is delicious alongside a light salad or a bowl of soup for an easy, casual meal.
Food & Wine suggests serving champagne or sparkling white wine, Riesling, or Beaujolais with quiche.

Whole carrot quiche with slices out on plates.

Tips:

This quiche uses my Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust, a half-portion. Or, you can use your own homemade or store-bought pie crust dough: use an amount equivalent to a single crust.
For a great crust that's easy to handle and bakes up flaky, keep the dough cold until you roll it out, and then refrigerate the pie shell before adding the filling.

I hope you find this savory carrot pie recipe to be a tasty way to highlight the flavor of fresh, flavorful, cheerful carrots!

White plates with slices of carrot quiche.

The recipe for this Cheddar Quiche with Roasted Carrots and Onion is below. Here are more savory pie and quiche recipes to try:

💬 Have you made this quiche? Leave a comment below.

📖 Recipe