A quiche is a salty cake originating in French cuisine, traditionally with a creamy filling made from eggs, cream or milk cream and a short crust pastry base. The original recipe for quiche Lorraine comes from the French region called Lorraine. From this base recipe, which, apart from the main ingredients, had black pepper and nutmeg as condiments, all the other variants come from, including the later version to which the pieces of bacon or smoked bacon were added.
This recipe tries to prepare a vegan version of the traditional recipe without any ingredient of animal origin, in which we are going to substitute its components in such a way that the creaminess and texture of the original quiche Lorraine are preserved. For the filling I am going to use chickpea flour, which I have already used in many of my recipes for similar preparations, for example, to make vegan feta cheese or a vegan potato omelet. To replace the bacon we are going to marinate tofu bits for a rich smoky flavor, but you can also marinate coarse textured soy or tempeh bits. This vegan quiche can become the star of any lunch or dinner, since it is an easy recipe to prepare that will surprise your guests with its combination of flavors. You can serve this savory tart both hot and cold, as a starter or accompanied by a side of vegetables or a salad.
If you like the idea, keep reading and discover how to make vegan quiche, a perfect dish for an aperitif.
Ingredients to make vegan Quiche Lorraine:
For the vegan quiche
- 1 sheet of short crust pastry or short crust pastry
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 2¼ cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the vegan bacon:
- 250 grams of tofu
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1 splash of soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 splash of vegetable oil
- ½ cup of crushed tomato
How to make vegan Quiche Lorraine:
Cut the tofu into small cubes to start preparing the vegan quiche filling. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl: garlic and onion powder, crushed tomato, sugar, soy sauce, oil and smoked paprika. Cover the tofu cubes with the marinade and let them rest for 20-30 minutes so that all the flavors are well absorbed. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and cover a round mold with parchment paper. Place the dough inside molding it in such a way that there are edges of about 3 centimeters. Fill the chickpea dough so that it covers the bottom, thus preventing it from rising during cooking. Then, bake the dough for 10 minutes. Once baked, remove the chickpeas.
For the filling of the vegetarian quiche Lorraine, mix the chickpea flour with half the vegetable broth in a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir until a creamy and homogeneous mixture is left. This mixture will act as a substitute for cream or milk cream.
Heat the rest of the vegetable broth in a saucepan until it reaches a boil, lower the heat and add the chickpea flour mixture little by little and stirring continuously with the rod. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Drain the tofu and add it to the filling, and pour the filling into the mold with the dough. Bake the vegan quiche for half an hour at 180 degrees.
Cut the quiche into portions and enjoy! This vegetarian and vegan quiche Lorraine recipe is easy, quick and delicious, perfect for an appetizer or to take to a picnic, as it is just as tasty cold. If you like international cuisine, another idea to complement the picnic is to make a salad, and none better than the Greek cucumber salad.
Vegan quiche dough
If you want to make your own dough for a 100% homemade vegan quiche, here is a simple vegan short crust pastry recipe:
Ingredients
- 200g of flour
- 50ml olive oil
- 65 ml of water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
Preparation
- Mix the sifted flour with the sugar and salt.
- Add the olive oil and integrate with your fingers.
- Add the water and continue mixing until a homogeneous and compact mass is formed.
- Make a ball with the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for half an hour in the fridge.
- After some time, you can now roll out the dough and bake it following the previous recipe for vegan quiche.
