This no-tofu Vegan Quiche w/ Zucchini, Corn, Peppers is so rich and flavorful, that you’ll forget that it’s vegan!
I miss eggs. There! I said it!!! I miss the ease and comfort of eggs on a Saturday morning! I miss all the amazing breakfasts in my life that centered around eggs. Eggs and cheese, but we’ll do cheese another day. Today, is all about the eggs. Sure, early vegans in their infinite wisdom have found a way to substitute eggs with chickpeas and ground flaxseed and banana and applesauce in baked goods, but I miss the unmistakably jiggly texture of warm eggs in the morning. Don’t even get me started on a runny yolk running down toast. *tears!*
It all began the weekend before last when for no apparent reason, I was reminded of how much I miss eggs and since that thought crept into my head, try as I did, I couldn’t get rid of it. It was quiches that I craved, why I cannot say. In fact, I think I’ve had quiches just once or twice in my whole life, but suddenly it was all I wanted in my life to feel happy again.
So obviously, I went to the internet to see if someone else had already found the answer to my problem. Sadly, all the solutions for a vegan quiche began with one unappetizing word: tofu. I can totally see the texture working out, but I have yet to come to terms with the flavor of soy on Saturday morning. I went to my drawing board and began to list down all the possible ingredients (besides tofu) that could make it work.
I remembered this eggless custard (woah! there’s an oxymoron for you!) I grew up eating. It was made with Brown and Polsen’s Vanilla Custard powder that you boiled with whole milk and refrigerate to create a jiggly custard, set to perfection. It was absolutely stellar when served chilled in the summer with fresh mangoes; the perfect balance of creamy, fragrant, sweet and tang. The main ingredient of this magical custard powder was cornstarch. Would the same concept work for a quiche too??? It was just mad enough to warrant a try, and I have a thing for crazy ideas that are too good to be true.
I am so glad that I did give it a try because this one was a phenomenal success. It had the jiggle and everything when it came out of the oven, and after leaving it alone for a few minutes to cool down, set to a perfect custard, smelling like Italian herbs basking under the sun. And the crust, ugh! Buttery crisp, melt-in-your-mouth and not soggy at all!!!!
I thickened the coconut milk filling with cornstarch and chickpea flour. Why? While the cornstarch does its job invisibly, I felt that the nuttiness of the chickpea flour would add to the flavor profile of the dish, besides lending a touch of golden sheen to the quiche, the color that usually comes from the yolk.
While the crust is blind baking in the oven, roast the vegetables. Make sure that you roast them, uncovered, in a way that the skin begins to sear and char here and there, but some of the pieces still retain their crunch. Your best bet is to chop them rather chunkily to attain that tightrope balance between soggy and crunchy.
While the vegetables are cooling down just a tad, make the eggless and dairy-free vegan quiche filling. This one is a cake walk. You add all the ingredients to a bowl/measuring pitcher (hopefully with a spout for a no-mess experience while pouring) and whisk to break up the lumps in the cornstarch and chickpea flour, of which there will be plenty to begin with. But hopefully by the time you’ve whisked them into submission, it’ll be a smooth and creamy concoction that pours in a smooth and steady stream.
What else now, but bake!
While the entire thing should take you little more than an hour from start to finish when done efficiently, I’d still break the job into two parts: blind bake the crust the night before, roasting the vegetables and baking the morning of, for a seamless brunch experience unmarred by pastry rolling and constant oven manning.
And for more flavor infusion, toss a sprig of rosemary or thyme on top of that quiche before it goes into the oven. Let your home swirl in a delicious and soothing aroma, a teaser-of-sorts, if you will, as you wait for your quiche to be ready. When it does, after allowing it a few moments to set as it cools, slice in and savor the eggless, dairy-free Vegan Quiche that’s soft, creamy, luscious, jiggly and more!
When you make this delicious delicious Vegan Quiche (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!
Holly says
Hi there!
This tart looks great! How was the flavor from the coconut milk? Was it very coconutty? Wondering if you could sub almond or other dairy free milk?
Cheers!
Tina Dawson says
Hey Holly! Excellent point. Yes, the flavor of coconut milk comes through the quiche, but if you’re not a fan, you should be able to substitute other plant-based milks – just make sure that the thickness of your other plant milks match the concentration of canned coconut milk, otherwise the liquid to cornstarch ratio could be affected, resulting in a watery filling. I hope it helps!
Natalie says
This is awesome!! Eggs have been hard for me too – I’ve been making panisse, but it is a bit more dense than this sounds. This sounds perfect!!
Tina Dawson says
I just checked out what Panisse is. I’ll have to reserve judgement until I try it. I hope the quiche doesn’t disappoint!
All That I'm Eating says
This sounds great and it’s so full of different veggies, textures and flavours.
Tina Dawson says
Thanks, I hope you try it!
Danielle says
Beautiful pictures! This looks really good!
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Danielle!
Tanya says
That looks so delicious Tina, Im going to try this for sure.
Tina Dawson says
OMG Yaaay!!! I SO SO hope you like it Tanya!!!
Linda says
What a fantastic job you did figuring out how to make a quiche without eggs! I love playing around in the kitchen too but this one was just utter brilliance on your part. Love not using tofu, of which I’m not a fan of, and instead making a custard with chickpea flour, cornstarch and coconut milk. And you topped yourself by roasting the vegetables which brings out so much flavor. Definitely want to give this a try!
Tina Dawson says
Yes please!!!! It really wasn’t much creative work once I figured out that the ingredient list of the Brown n Polsen custard powder basically said cornstarch. The rest worked out themselves. I am really big on flavor, so there’s no way I was making a quiche without a medley of roasted vegetables!!!! 🙂
TIFFANY L Balagna says
This looks so beautiful. My attempt at it is not setting up we’ll, in the middle. Are there any tips/cheats/hacks/short cuts to help with that? I’m tempted to microwave the while thing for a minute, but at what cost?!
Tina Dawson says
I think the culprit could be the coconut milk. If it’s not thick enough, the cornstarch in the recipe would be insufficient to thicken the liquid. You could try baking for a little while longer until it sets fully. And next time, try a touch more cornstarch.
rebecca says
gorgeous photos! and this looks absolutely delicious! totally want to try it
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Rebeccaaa!
Shanika says
Quiche is one of the dishes I’m looking forward to trying and this recipe sounds so good! I love zucchini so this definitely works!
Tina Dawson says
Yes please!!!!! Zucchini-up as much as you like! In fact, do just a zucchini and corn one.
Katie Doyle says
I’ve never seen a quiche recipe with corn in it, but I love the sound of that! There are so many good veggies in this that I bet each slice is really filling.
Tina Dawson says
It definitely is a very filling meal – a decdent sized slice, some tea and some fruits power me through the afternoon.