Tender asparagus, Gruyere cheese and savory bits of ham make this creamy asparagus quiche a springtime favorite. While this recipe includes a low carb pie crust, make it crustless to lower carbs even further. It’s an easy dish that makes a great family friendly meal and one of my go-to’s on busy nights.
THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS TO SHARE THE THINGS I LOVE.
So, let’s be truthful for a minute…
Quiche is a dish my mother’s generation made and served at ladies luncheons. With its French origins, flaky crust and silky custard filling, quiche is an impressive dish that elevates its humble ingredients; a savory pie filled with eggs, cream (or milk) and cheese with some odds and ends thrown in for flavor. A good quiche is simple and delicious.
As often with quiche recipes, this ham and asparagus quiche took advantage of what I had in the refrigerator: leftover Easter ham, some fresh asparagus, a few forgotten green onions and the last of our eggs. With minimal time and effort the asparagus quiche was in the oven, filling the house with amazing smells.
Ham and Asparagus Quiche
CRUST: This particular ham and asparagus quiche recipe is low carb because I used an almond flour pie crust. Adding sesame seeds to the bottom of the pie plate ensures the crust doesn’t stick and adds a nice flavor. Feel free to use your favorite crust recipe or make this quiche crustless for an ultra low carb version. While the ham and asparagus filling tastes great on its own, a pie crust looks nice and enhances the overall flavor.
ASPARAGUS: My ham and asparagus quiche recipe uses a half pound of asparagus (8 spears) which is just enough for a nice light flavor. Gently peel large spears of asparagus with a peeler and trim to half the diameter of the pie plate. Chop or slice any leftover asparagus stems for the filling.
HAM: While I cubed most of the ham, I finely chopped a small portion to top the quiche which caramelized and became crispy like bacon. In lieu of buying a large ham, a ham steak or a thick slice of deli ham works just as well. For additional flavor, fry the ham in a pan until it browns. I didn’t need this step since my leftover ham was flavorful from roasting in the oven.
CUSTARD: The custard is partly what makes this ham and asparagus quiche extra delicious. It’s flavored nicely and the texture is gorgeous.
The proper ingredient ratio for a quiche filling is 1 large egg: 1 ounce cream (or whole milk) : 1 ounce cheese and results in a luxurious, silky custard. (I thin my cream with a little water)
Adjust the ratio according to the moisture content of filling ingredients. I may add another egg and cheese while decreasing the amount of cream. I kept the quiche ratio as is for this ham and asparagus quiche.
What do I serve with Quiche?
I find a simple salad with an oil and vinegar dressing helps to cut the richness of the quiche. I served a mixed green salad with apple cider vinegar dressing while testing this recipe for my family. It was perfect. However, a serving of lightly grilled vegetables drizzled in oil and vinegar and fresh herbs is equally nice.
More Low Carb Quiche Recipes Please.
- Crustless Zucchini Quiche
- Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Bacon
- Spinach and Mushrooms Quiche
- Spinach Bacon Quiche
- Low Carb Mushroom Quiche
- Low Carb Spinach Feta Quiche
- Ham and Arugula Quiche with Creamy Havarti
- Ham Quiche Lorraine with Caramelized Onions and Gouda
- Bacon and Cheese Quiche with Bacon and Leeks
Ham and Asparagus Quiche
Equipment
- 10-inch pie plate
- Frying pan
- Medium bowl
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Flaky Low Carb Pie Crust (or your favorite or omit)
- 1/2 pound asparagus (8 oz)
- 1 cup ham cubed (6 oz)
- 1/4 cup onion chopped (1 oz)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded (8 oz)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream (8 fl oz)
- 1/4 cup water (4 fl oz)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust per instructions. While the dough chills, move on to the preparation of the quiche ingredients (below). Then roll out the dough and line a 10-inch pie plate, wrap and chill until needed. [NOTE: The pie crust dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.]
- Preheat oven to 375 F and place racks in the middle and lowest positions.
- With a vegetable peeler lightly peel the asparagus and trim to half the diameter of the pie plate. Slice any remaining asparagus into bite sized pieces. Chop the onion and dice the ham. Grate the cheese and set aside.
- To a medium pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of butter and saute the sliced asparagus, onion and ham until the onion begins to soften and the ham develops some color. Stir in the asparagus spears and turn off the heat to cool. Then remove the spears to use on top of the quiche
- Add the eggs, cream, water, thyme, salt and white pepper into a medium bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until frothy.
- Layer 1/3 of the cheese into the pie plate, followed by 1/3 of the ham mixture. Continue layering twice more. Pour the custard mixture over the quiche and arrange the asparagus spears on top, radiating out from the middle of the quiche.
- Bake the quiche on the lowest rack for approximately 30 then move to the middle rack and cook about 10 minutes more. The quiche is done when it is just barely set in the middle but still a little soft. (I like mine cooked more so I remove it when it is completely cooked and firm in the middle.) Place under the broiler to brown the top to your liking.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a green salad or grilled vegetables. Cover leftovers and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. I reheat a slice at a time, uncovered, in the microwave for about a minute.
Hi Kim, I’m a long time reader and have always loved your recipes. I’m wondering what I could use instead of heavy cream here to get the same richness. I’ve used canned coconut cream (not the watery part just the cream) in place of heavy cream in quiches before and oddly, even though I mixed it all very well…the coconut cream separated from the eggs and it created its own layer. Not good. I wasted a lot of expensive organic ingredients so I haven’t tried since but I am a pretty experienced cook.
Since you add water to the heavy cream, do you think I could use cartoned coconut milk? This brand has a pretty good amount of fat per cup at 9 g (so not watery) and there are no gums or fillers. It’s just organic coconut and water. I don’t like a quiche that tastes watered down or not rich if that makes sense so I’m really trying to hit that sweet spot.
We have to be dairy free but we can have goat and sheep milk products, so I will use manchego cheese and ghee for any butter.
Do you prefer your quiches with or without your crust? If it’s better with the crust, then I will make it. Your recommendations have always been so great and spot on on over the years 🙏🏼🤩
Thank you in advance!
Hi Holly. I would use full-fat goat milk for the cream. I only make crusts if I am having guests over or want something a little special because the flavor really elevates. You may need a little bigger pie plate than you would if making it crustless. The crust does take up a little room. I appreciate all the kind words. -Kim
We love this!! I use coconut cream vs heavy cream and lactose free cheese (lactose issues) and it rocks! My family requests it and eats every bite of it!
Very excellent quiche! I chopped my asparagus and mixed it into the batter. The flavor was excellent. I will definitely be trying the other quiche recipes on your site.
One of the best quiches I’ve ever had.
I made this as a crustless quiche and loved it. I cooked it on the middle rack for about 30 minutes. I’ve made several of your quiche recipes and have never been disappointed.
Delicious! This solved my dilemma of what to do with our leftover ham. I can’t wait to make it again around Easter-time when Asparagus is in season.
Hi Kim! I have made a few of your recipes in the past and commented on how great they are. Now they will be a necessity as my blood sugar hasn’t improved enough on Metformin. My doctor said it’s either a keto diet or insulin, and she hates putting people on insulin. This is my favorite keto blog so I will be making comments. I just made this and had a small slice for lunch, all I can say is wow! I have made a lot of quiches in my day, but this is the very best one I’ve ever made. It’s incredibly delicious. It’s also really forgiving. I didn’t have any oat bran, so I used coconut flour instead. The crust is just awesome, I can’t imagine it being any better. I also swapped out roast turkey for the ham and chopped my asparagus. In addition, I added a tsp of thyme and a few pinches of rosemary. I only had a 9 inch pie plate, so I couldn’t add in all of the custard. It still turned out wonderful. This is the second best quiche I’ve ever eaten, the best being one I had at a small cafe in Paris. Great recipe!!!!
I’m so happy you like this quiche, Tom. I am a quiche lover so my quiches are pretty great if I say so myself. Your substitutions sound perfect. Hopefully, you will see improvement with your blood sugars in a few months. Once I got control of my hunger, I found that skipping snacks and sticking to 3 meals a day was better for me. Everyone is different. I applaud you taking your health into your own hands and making a change. Luckily, you will find all kinds of low carb/keto recipes on-line nowadays. Have a great week. -Kim
Kim, made this as planned for Mothers Day and it was wonderful. Lovely custard, and the crust worked perfectly. I used you “patch and paste” parchment paper technique from your HAM QUICHE LORRAINE recipe to apply the rolled crust to the inner walls of the small springform pan that I used. Worked great.
I came across a tip from Milk Street (Christopher Kimbal’s new cooking site) for browning the bottom crust without having to move the quiche mid-bake. It recommended preheating a cast iron skillet in a 450F oven and placing the quiche in (or on) the hot skillet, then turning down the oven to bake at your desired temperature. The hot skillet helps cook the bottom of the crust and mine browned very nicely doing this. If your quiche is too large to place in the pan, can flip the cast iron skillet over and place the quiche resting on the bottom (no sides to get in the way).
Thanks again for a great quiche…and for the “golden ratio” for the custard. Great tip.
I’m so glad you liked the quiche, Deborah. I love the tip from Christopher Kimbal. I usually bake my quiche on the bottom rack and then brown under the broiler, but I am so afraid that a reader will try it burn the bottom so I always say to move it. The cast iron skillet is a great trick. I’m going to try it. The only thing I would caution is putting a glass baking dish onto the hot surface. It may cause cracking? I hope you have a wonderful week, Deborah! -Kim
I love your tip about the sesame seeds….what a great idea. I have been using my springform pan to make quiche since going low carb…I line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper befored fitting the crust into the bottom (I don’t worry about lining the sides since rouning a knife around the edge while it is still warm works fine)…but the sesame seeds sound easier and I think I would enjoy the bit of crunch on the bottom.
Gorgeous looking quiche….perfect for Mother’s Day brunch. Thanks Kim!
Thank you Deborah. Enjoy the quiche and Happy Mother’s Day! -Kim