Smoky Tempeh Crustless Quiche with Eggplant ‘Crust’

Looking for a delicious vegan quiche recipe that’s both eggless and dairy-free? This crustless vegan quiche uses thick slices of eggplant to encase the filling, making it a lighter and healthier alternative to traditional quiche. Despite being free of eggs and dairy, it doesn’t compromise on texture or flavor.

A touch of kala namak, or Indian black salt, adds an authentic ‘eggy’ aroma to the tofu-based cream, creating a convincingly delicious quiche that’s both filling and satisfying. Perfect for any meal, this vegan quiche is sure to impress!

The recipe is a low-carb take from my previous vegan quiche recipe with a potato crust, with a few tweaks. If you prefer, you could use thinly sliced potatoes for the crust instead of eggplant or substitute with a regular crust, like our oil-based shortcrust pastry which makes the perfect crust for this.

This quiche is lovely for weekend brunches or late lunches and ideal for packed lunches too.

Thick slices of roasted eggplant make an interesting crust to hold and wrap the creamy centre while garnishing this crustless quiche into a pretty presentation.

How to make Vegan Crustless Quiche with Smoky Tempeh and Eggplant ‘Crust’

Although, all this might look rather elaborate, the process is actually simple with little prep work. The aubergine or eggplant is sliced along the length, then brushed with oil and roasted for about 20 minutes until half cooked.

Once half-baked, arrange the eggplant in a 20-cm / 8-inch baking pan. One eggplant of about 450 grams [about 1 pound, 16 oz] is enough to line the pan in a single layer. If you want a thicker sturdier crust, use two eggplants and arrange into double layers.

While the eggplant is baking, you can prepare and pan-fry the tempeh. I love making my own tempeh at home as it’s a rather easy process and very rewarding. You may use any store-bought tempeh though or substitute with tofu.

For the creamy sauce, make sure to use a firm silken tofu like Morinu extra firm. I always have a few packs of these long-life shelf-stable tofu in the pantry. They come in really handy sometimes as they don’t need any refrigeration. But because of their soft delicate texture, silken tofu does not lend itself to all kinds of preparation. In this quiche however, silken tofu delivers the perfect texture and yields a superior creamier mouthfeel. You may use regular tofu if you can’t get hold of silken tofu. The texture might turn out slightly grainier but still delicious.

If you don’t have a blender, you can just mash the tofu to a puree consistency with a fork then mix in the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast and kala namak (Indian black salt).

Once the creamy sauce base is ready, add in the fried tempeh, mushrooms, greens and herbs.

If you wish to saute the mushrooms and dry out some of their moisture before adding them to the sauce, you may do so. This will help reduce the overall baking time once the quiche is assembled. Otherwise, for an easier version, I have incorporated the mushrooms uncooked and subsequently increased the baking time to dry up the liquid.

I’ve used arugula or roquette leaves but you can leave this out or use spinach instead.

Mix everything together, then pour the creamy filling onto the eggplant and spread out evenly. You may top with some melty vegan cheese, I have left this out. Sprinkle with some dried thyme and tuck in some basil leaves if you wish.

Then bake for 30 minutes covered with some foil, then another 30 – 35 minutes uncovered or until the quiche is firm. The creamy centre should not be runny. If it is, leave the quiche to bake for some more time. Once out of the oven, let the quiche cool before slicing. You will get a much cleaner cut once it is cooled.

This quiche is crispy around the edges and creamy in the centre. Delicious!

Leftovers reheat well and make nice packed lunches as it can be eaten cold with a side salad.

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