A simple veggie packed quiche for kids, babies and toddlers! Grated carrots, peppers and broccoli add veggie goodness in soft, easy to manage bites. Add seasonings, garlic or herbs to flavor it to your liking, or enjoy it plain. This makes for a delicious protein packed meatless family meal that everyone can get on board with.
What Makes this a Quiche for Kids
Kids can eat any quiche, right?
I mean… they CAN. It’s just a question of whether they WILL. 🤔
So I designed this quiche recipe specifically to avoid a few pitfalls when it comes to feeding kids who are more selective / picky eaters.
- We are using very common veggies most likely be accepted by kids: carrots, bell peppers, broccoli. Lots of kids are exposed to these on dip platters, and they are frequently given as side dishes in restaurants, etc. You can of course trim this down if your kids don’t like all of them!
- We are grating the veggies so that they blend into the quiche and keep the texture fairly homogenous, and they are softened through the cooking process without getting mushy. Every bite of this quiche is fairly similar. This also makes the quiche easier to manage for babies and toddlers.
- There’s flexibility in how you season the quiche, so you can adjust it to your kids’ palettes. It works well plain with no seasoning, but I’ve given a few different variation ideas in the recipe card (my favorite being ranch seasoning!) for those who want them.
And it’s easy (ish) to make with kids underfoot
I won’t label a recipe as being “for kids” unless it’s also also fairly easy to make with kids around, inevitably wanting your attention every few minutes. So while I can’t pretend that making quiche is as easy as making frozen pizza, this is the mitigation I can offer…
- You can make this with ready rolled pastry crust in a square cake pan – this means you don’t have to roll the pastry into a round shape, you can just slide it right in on the parchment paper it comes wrapped in.
- All the veggies are grated, there’s no additional chopping or pre cooking. If you have a mandoline or a food processer that can grate your veggies for you, go for it! But I just use a box grater. Grating veggies by hand is, to be fair, a drag – but there is no time sensitivity, the quiche is prepped cold, so you can stop and start as much as you need to without things getting out alignment.
Ingredient Notes & Recipe Tips
- Grating red pepper with a box grater is a slightly awkward experience. I cut it into large pieces, then grate against the inside of the pepper, until it’s all grated off of the skin, and the skin can be discarded. The benefit here is that the skinless pepper slices can really melt in to the quiche. You can of course slice into teeny tiny slices if you’d rather. If you grate, you might find the grated pepper is very watery so just pat it dry with a paper towel.
- You can make this with just whole milk, or you can use half milk / half cream.
- Cheddar is my go-to cheese for this quiche but any flavorful melty cheese will work.
- I use a ready rolled shortcrust pastry but making quiche with puff pastry works too! I don’t pre- bake the crust – the bottom is a little soft at the end but my kids don’t seem to care.
Variations
This recipe was designed to be perfectly tasty just as written, but there are some optional variations if you wish to try them:
- Ranch and Veggies Variation (photographed): If your kids like veggie platters with ranch dip, try tossing your grated veggies in 2 tablespoons of ranch powder to bring some of that flavor into your quiche. This gives the quiche a more salty/tangy vibe. If there is a baby under 1 at the table I would not recommend this due to the added sodium level.
- Garlic and Herb: If your kids like garlicky, herby flavors, add one crushed garlic clove into the egg and milk mixture and a few shakes of whatever seasonings you like (dried chives or parsley, provencal herbs, etc)
- Rainbow Veggies: If your kid can tolerate a wider range of veggies, try adding some grated red cabbage to add more variety of color.
Veggie Quiche for Kids
A simple veggie packed quiche for kids, babies and toddlers! Grated carrots, peppers and broccoli add veggie goodness in soft, easy to manage bites. Add seasonings, garlic or herbs to flavor it to your liking, or enjoy it plain. This makes for a delicious protein packed meatless family meal that everyone can get on board with.
Ingredients
- ½ large red bell pepper, grated
- ¼ large carrot, peeled and grated
- 4-5 florets broccoli, grated
- 3 eggs
- â…” cup (160 ml) whole milk , or half and half
- 1 cup (125 g) grated cheddar cheese
- 1 roll shortcrust pastry dough, or a premade pie crust base
- OPTIONAL: 2 tbsp ranch seasoning OR 1 clove of garlic and a few pinches of dried or fresh herbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F. (If your oven is fan assisted, make it 160c / 320F)
- Press your pastry into an 8×8 inch square cake tin and trim off the ends. I like to leave the parchment paper it comes rolled in attached for maximum ease. My pastry doesn't go quite to the top on all sides, it's a little too narrow, so I press it in with my fingers and work it upwards a little. It doesn't have to be all the way up to the top, as long as it is most of the way the filling will fit no problem.1 roll shortcrust pastry dough
- Combine your grated veggies and cheese in a bowl and toss together. Add any flavorings / seasonings you've chosen to add, and then pour it into the cake pan.1/2 large red bell pepper, 1/4 large carrot, 4-5 florets broccoli, OPTIONAL: 2 tbsp ranch seasoning OR 1 clove of garlic and a few pinches of dried or fresh herbs, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Whisk together the milk and eggs, then pour that over the veggies. Use a spoon to compact the veggies down if necessary and ensure they're all covered by the egg and milk mixture.3 eggs, 2/3 cup whole milk
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the quiche is set with just a little wobble to it. Your cook time will vary depending on the size of dish you use, so keep a close eye on it.
