Meet your new brunch hero: a light, fluffy Cottage Cheese Quiche that sneaks in 12 grams of protein per slice. It uses everyday ingredients and a store-bought crust to keep things simple, making it ideal for both slow Sunday mornings and weekly meal prep.
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Healthy Quiche with Cottage Cheese
Much like my cottage cheese egg bake, this Cottage Cheese Quiche is simple to make with common kitchen ingredients and no special equipment needed. It even uses a refrigerated pie crust - so easy! It tastes amazing hot or cold and, and like my Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese and High Protein Egg Salad, is great for meal prep or weekend brunch.
Plus, this healthy quiche is higher in protein and lower in fat than traditional quiche with 12 grams of protein in just one slice. It’s also easily customizable (like this Savory Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl) and can be made with your favorite breakfast meats, or skip the meats and keep it vegetarian. I’ve included lots of mix-ins and variations in the section below.
Store bought pie crust makes it quick and easy but if you're making it for a special occasion, such as Christmas morning, feel free to make your own homemade pie crust.
Ingredient notes
- Refrigerated 9-inch pie crust - the package usually comes with 2 sheets of pastry - you will only need one.
- Fresh eggs - I like free range Vital Farms eggs
- Cottage cheese - I used low fat Good Culture brand, but full fat can be used as well
- Cooked ham - diced small
- Shredded cheddar cheese - or your favorite cheese (monterey jack, colby jack, gruyere, gouda)
- Milk - low fat milk or milk of choice, plant based also works
- Green onion - aka scallions or spring onions
- Salt and ground black pepper - for seasoning
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Place one sheet of pastry in a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp edges and pierce the bottom with a fork.
- Step 2: Blind bake the crust for 10 mins in the preheated oven.
- Step 3: In a bowl whisk together eggs, cottage cheese and milk.
- Step 4: Add shredded cheese, ham, green onions and spices.
- Step 5: Transfer to a bre-baked pie crust.
- Step 6: Bake for 45 minutes or until fully set.
Agnieszka's tip
Check the color of the crust after about 25 minutes. If it's browning too fast, cover quiche with a sheet of foil to prevent burning.
What to serve a quiche with
Serve it for breakfast with my Green Cucumber Spinach Smoothie or for brunch or lunch with a side salad, such as this Beet, Feta And Walnut Salad.
This high-protein cottage cheese quiche also makes a great dinner, especially served hot with some Air Fried Potatoes or a bright salad, such as this Pomegranate Feta Salad.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- STORE leftovers in an airtight container or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- REHEAT in the oven at 350 degrees or in the air fryer for best texture.
- TO FREEZE, let the quiche cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze individual slices by placing them on a baking sheet and freezing before transferring to a freezer safe bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat at 350°F until warmed through.
Flavor variations
If you’re looking for a little variety to the ham and cheddar cheese type of quiche, use any of these great suggestions to make different flavored quiche recipes:
- Spinach & Feta: Sautéed spinach, crumbled feta, and a sprinkle of dried oregano.
- Broccoli & Cheddar: Steamed chopped broccoli and shredded sharp cheddar.
- Mushroom & Swiss: Sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and shredded Swiss cheese.
- Tomato & Basil: Cherry tomato halves, fresh basil, and mozzarella or provolone.
- Asparagus & Goat Cheese: Roasted asparagus pieces and crumbled goat cheese.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Make mini quiches: bake in a muffin tin for meal prep or on-the-go breakfasts.
- You can use a frozen pie crust in a disposable pie tin for a great shortcut. Just blind bake according to package instructions before adding the filling.
- The blind bake keeps the crust from getting soggy. Use dried beans or pie weights. Don’t skip this step.
- Cheddar cheese can be swapped for Colby or Monterey jack, or your favorite cheese.
- Cooked bacon bits or ground sausage can be subbed for the diced ham. You can also skip the meat all together and make it vegetarian with some fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and sliced bell peppers.
- Another vegetarian option is to use a plant based breakfast meat or add imitation bacon bits at the end, they soften and plump a little.
- The quiche can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
- Skip the crust and pour the mixture into a greased pie dish to make a cottage cheese crustless quiche.
More High Protein Breakfast and Brunch Ideas
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Cottage Cheese Quiche
Equipment
- 1 9-inch pie dish
Ingredients
- 1 9-ich pie refrigerated pie crust or frozen, see Note 1
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup low fat cottage cheese see Note 2
- 1 slice ham diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese see Note 3
- ¼ cup low fat milk or milk of choice, see Note 4
- 1 green onion plus more for top
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Blind bake the crust: place the refrigerated pie dough disc in a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck the edge that sticks out under and crimp it. Pierce the botton with a fork several times. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the pie shell and fill with pie weights or dry beans.
- Blind bake the crust for 10 mins. Remove from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees.
- While the pie crust is pre-baking, prepare the filling. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and add cottage cheese and milk. Whisk together until combined.
- Now add chopped ham, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate.
- Remove the parchment paper with pie weights or beans from the pie crust. Pour the egg filling in.
- Place it in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until set.
- Check the color of the crust after about 25 minutes. If it's browning too fast, open the oven and cover the quiche with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent further browning.
- Take out of the oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes until cutting into triangles.
Notes
Note 2: Full fat (whole milk) cottage cheese will also work. I like Good Culture. Note 3: Cheddar cheese can be swapped for colby jack, monterey jack or your favorite cheese. Note 4: Any milk will work, diary or plant-based
The quiche can be served hot, at room temperature or chilled. Note 5: Chopped ham can be swapped out for cooked bacon bits. You can also skip the meat all together and make it vegetarian. Note 6: The quiche can be served hot, at room temperature or chilled.
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Carol says
It was such a great idea to use cottage cheese in this recipe! It turned out great. I am planning to make it again for Christmas!
Lory says
I baked this cottage cheese quiche today, and it came out light, creamy, and super simple—such an easy high-protein meal for any time of day.
Jacqui says
Loved this quiche with cottage cheese. Very tasty and easy to make!
Beth says
This was so good! I was a little dubious since I don't like cottage cheese much, but I needed something healthier than a regular quiche. It turned out amazing and you couldn't tell it was made with cottage cheese. Will be making this again.
Linda says
I love a hearty breakfast and this cottage cheese quiche fit the bill. Makes great leftovers too!
Jane says
Loved this quiche! Needed something a little healthier and the cottage cheese works surprisingly well
Ellen says
SO easy and delicious! It was perfect for Sunday brunch! I'll be making it again with leftover Easter ham.
Phil says
This is such a great recipe. I love the texture the cottage cheese gives this quiche.
Penny says
Love this one. I've already made it twice this week. Once for dinner and once for breakfast on the weekend.
Cristina says
Tried the cottage cheese quiche today and it came out creamy, high in protein, and really simple to make!
Bogusława says
Tasty and healthy dish😋