This easy sweet and savory Caramelized Onion Vegan Quiche is made with tofu and has a chickpea flour crust. It's perfect for brunch!
Caramelized onions are one of my favorite ingredients. They take any dish to the next level.
Many times I pair them with mushrooms, but for this Caramelized Onion Vegan Quiche, they are the star of the show.
For this vegan quiche recipe, I mixed the caramelized onions with tofu. Then I added tamari and white miso paste for a savory umami flavor.
I added nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. You could add the caramelized onions to the quiche filling last, and pulse until you get your desired consistency.
I saved about a quarter cup of the onions to spread on top.
Whether you add the onions first or last, it'll taste great. It just depends on the textures you prefer. I will probably make it with thicker chunks next time to see if I like it better.
Other recipes to try are my Vegan Mexican Frittata recipe and Vegan Tofu Frittata recipe.
Instructions
- Pie Crust: Mix chickpea flour, ice-cold water, olive oil, and salt. It should be the consistency of play dough.
- Oil a 9" pan with olive oil. Oil your hands as well so they don't stick to the dough.
- Spread the dough out in the pan, including the edges. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until starting to turn golden.
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Filling: Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Add sliced onions. Sprinkle salt on top.
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Stir the onions every few minutes or so. Cook for about 35-40 minutes until they are well-browned. Add a small amount of water if they start to stick. Add balsamic vinegar and cook until it's evaporated.
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In a food processor, mix caramelized onions - saving ¼ cup to place on top, tofu, tamari, miso paste, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper.
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Spread filling on chickpea flour crust. Sprinkle reserved onions on top. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, or until browned.
Tips
- For caramelized onions, you need some patience. It takes a good 40 minutes to get nicely browned onions. Slow and steady wins the race.
- If the onions start to stick, add a little water, like a quarter of a cup or so.
- Balsamic vinegar adds a wonderful flavor to caramelized onions. I always add a couple of splashes near the end of the cooking time.
- If you want a chunky onion filling, add the caramelized onions last to the tofu mixture and pulse until you get the desired consistency.
- Save about a quarter cup of caramelized onions to top the quiche.
- Pre-bake the chickpea flour crust, then add the filling and bake some more. That way you'll have a crunchy flaky crust.
- Don't have a cover for your quiche pan? No problem! Just use that shower cap you got from your last vacation. It works great in place of plastic wrap.
Do I Need To Press the Tofu?
For this recipe, it isn't necessary to press the tofu. Drain it if it's the refrigerated kind.
Substitutions
- You can use any vegetables you like, just cook them first and keep in mind ratios and water content. I made a Spinach and Broccoli Vegan Quiche a while back that's very similar to this recipe.
- The only flour I've used for the crust is chickpea flour because I really like it, but you could probably use a gluten-free flour mix as well.
Other Vegan Caramelized Onion Recipes
- Portobello Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Sliders
- Mashed Cauliflower with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
- Vegan Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Grilled Cheese
This sweet and savory vegan quiche has a creamy filling with a flaky crust. It will be the hit of your next brunch.
*Don't forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating.
📋 Recipe
Caramelized Onion Vegan Quiche
Equipment
Ingredients
Chickpea Flour Crust
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- ½ cup ice cold water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch salt
Filling
- 2 large onions sliced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-4 splashes balsamic vinegar
- 2 pinches salt
- 14 ounces extra firm or firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon low sodium gluten free tamari
- 1 tablespoon white gluten free miso paste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chickpea Flour Crust: Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix all ingredients in a food processor. It should be the consistency of play dough. Oil a 9" pan with olive oil, including the sides of the pan. Oil your hands as well.
- Spread the dough out in the pan, including the sides, pressing down to get it even. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are starting to turn golden.
- Filling: Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium low heat. Add sliced onions. Sprinkle salt on onions.
- Stir the onions every few minutes or so. Cook about 35-40 minutes until they are well-browned. Add a small amount of water if they start to stick. Add balsamic vinegar and cook until it's evaporated.
- In a food processor, mix caramelized onions* - reserving ¼ cup to place on top, tofu, tamari, miso paste, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread filling on chickpea flour crust. Sprinkle reserved onions on top. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, or until browned.
Notes
Nutrition
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
BikeWalkBakeBarb says
My rating is for the filling, made with a few adjustments. I didn't make the crust. Instead I sliced yams very thin, lined the pie plate with them, and baked for 35 minutes at 375 degrees before adding the filling and baking another 30 minutes.
Based on a tofu mushroom pie from the cookbook Almost Vegetarian that I liked (but which includes sour cream), I added 1 t. fresh ginger (the paste that comes in a tube and keeps in the fridge makes it easy to keep fresh ginger on hand), and 1 T. white wine vinegar. I had made caramelized onions in an instant pot and used 2 cups of those, which may be a bit more than what 2 onions would produce since they cook down so much. It was fabulous! And so easy since I already had the onions caramelized. I plan to make it again this way, and will also make just the filling and serve it as a hot dip.
Willow Moon says
I like the hot dip idea for the filling! I'm going to have to try that.
Alison says
I love this! Have made it a couple of times, it's so delicious my non-vegan partner loves it too! It's becoming one of my go-to recipes. And it's so easy!
(I switch out one cup of chickpea flour replacing it with wholemeal because I don't need gluten-free.)
Willow Moon says
Thanks Alison, that makes me so happy!
Satin says
This was absolutely delicious. Thank you Willow. My family are one and a half years into being vegan and there’s no turning back! So I’m always looking for new recipes that the kids will enjoy too. They devoured this and have asked me to make it again now. The only adjustment I made was to use a different crust (one cup wholemeal flour plus 1 cup almond flour mixed with water and a little oil). Thank you again!
Willow Moon says
Thank you so much Satin! Since I don't have kiddos myself, I love hearing when a recipe is kid approved!
Janice says
We loved it!!!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Janice!
Jeannie says
I have to be completely honest here. The crust was terrible, very dry, and not flavor. The quiche itself was just ok. I'm not trying to be a downer, but I read reviews myself before trying a recipe. Maybe you have a suggestion to improve the crust. I love chickpea flour so that wasn't the issue.
Willow Moon says
I'm sorry that you didn't like it Jeanne. I haven't tried it myself, but you could use vegan butter instead of olive oil in the crust or add in herbs or spices.
Jan says
This has to be my favorite breakfast! This is perfect for Sunday brunch get-togethers! Thanks for the recipe!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Jan, I'm so glad you like it!