Easy quiche crust recipe (savory shortcrust pastry)

Name: Quiche crust (shortcrust pastry) recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 300 grams all purpose flour; 150 grams unsalted cold butter; pinch salt; 1 large egg; 2-3 tablespoons cold water

Posted: June 15, 2025

Easy quiche crust recipe (savory shortcrust pastry)

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If you enjoy baking savory pies, a basic quiche and savory pie dough recipe is an absolute must-have in your repertoire. Crispy dough makes a savory pie even more delicious. That’s why I’m sharing an easy, basic recipe for a shortcrust pastry with you today.

Why this recipe works

Easy recipe – making this shortcrust pie recipe is super easy to do and super versatile too.
Endless options – once you know how to make a buttery quiche crust, the possibilities are endless.
Freeze the pastry – if you love baking savory pies and quiches, make the quiche dough in advance and freeze in portions so you’re never without.
Superior flavor – compared to a store-bought version a homemade quiche crust is so much better. It’s flaky, delicious and always the better option.

Ingredients for shortcrust pastry

The ingredients for the perfect quiche crust are very basic.

flour – I use regular all-purpose flour for making the crust
butter – it helps to use cold butter. Always unsalted by the way
egg – I use one egg which binds the pastry together
water – you need about 2-3 tablespoons of ice water

It helps to bake the quiche crust with a pie dish with a removable bottom.

The difference between quiche and savory pie

Both quiche and savory pie are savory, not sweet. The difference between these two savory pies is in the crust. A quiche is always made with a non-sweet shortcrust pastry crust and filled with a cream and egg mixture (+ additional ingredients).

A savory pie can be made with either shortcrust or puff pastry. This gives you more variety and allows you to experiment with different ingredients.

I previously shared the sweet shortcrust pastry, which you can find here. The biggest difference between the two is that one uses sugar and the other one doesn’t.

The difference between puff pastry and savory pie dough:

The recipe below is for a quiche with savory pie dough, which is a shortcrust pastry. Almost everyone is familiar with its sweet counterpart, which is used for instance for these cute little mini lemon meringue tartelettes.

This savory version results in a crispy, crumbly base and is easy to make. Simply mix all the ingredients and knead them into a ball. You don’t need a food processor to do this, although you can if you want to.

Puff pastry is a different story. For example, it contains a lot more butter. This gives it a different taste and texture. Puff pastry is lighter because it flakes when baked.

To make puff pastry, you have to laminate it by folding the butter into the dough several times. This technique is more labor-intensive and requires more resting time in between.

I never use puff pastry for large savory pies, but I do use it for small savory tarts and flat tarts.

Storing the shortcrust pastry

Storing in the fridge

You can store the short-crust pastry in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

Storing in the freezer

Storing the pie crust in the freezer is a great way to make sure you always have supply. You can even freeze the crust in tin, place it in a freezer bag, and bake the frozen pie crust straight away from the freezer. Otherwise defrost it first and roll dough so it can fit into a pie plate or tart pan.

In the freezer, the dough keeps up to 3 months.

How do I prevent a soggy bottom?

There are several tricks to ensure that the base of your savory tart is cooked through. One method that always works is blind baking the base, which gives it a head start before the quiche filling goes in. The filling always cooks faster than the base. You can read more about blind baking here. You can use pie weights or dry beans to blind bake the quiche.

If you often have trouble cooking the base, it helps to cover the top of the quiche and place it as far down as possible on a closed baking sheet (to conduct heat). After the specified baking time, remove the quiche from the tin and bake it again for 10–15 minutes so that both the top and bottom are browned and cooked through.

This last step always works very well for me. I usually bake a quiche well in advance, and this is how I reheat it. I bake it without the pan, directly on the baking tray with parchment paper underneath. The result is always an evenly browned quiche with a delicious flaky crust.

What kind of quiche pan do you use?

I prefer not to use a ceramic quiche pan, even though I think they’re beautiful, because they take longer to conduct heat, making it more challenging to cook and crisp the crust.

One last tip is to use a quiche pan with holes in it. This allows the crust of your quiche to bake better and become crispier. A removable bottom is always a bonus.

Can I freeze this savory pie dough?

Absolutely! Just wrap it tightly in an airtight container, and store it in the freezer for up to three months.

How should I reheat a savory pie?

I prefer to reheat it without a baking tin, placing the tart directly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once the top is browned, cover it with aluminum foil. Bake the quiche for 10–15 minutes at 180˚C/350˚F.

How should I reheat a frozen savory tart?

If you choose to defrost the tart first, do so in the refrigerator or using the defrost setting on your microwave. Then, follow the steps above. The same applies to a frozen quiche or savory pie, but bake it for 10 minutes longer.

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Quiche crust (shortcrust pastry) recipe

Ready-made tart shells are a thing of the past. With this basic recipe for savory shortcrust pastry, you can make the most delicious quiche and tart crusts yourself!

Prep Time15

Cooling time30

Total Time45

Servings: pie

Ingredients

Metric | US Customary

300 grams all purpose flour
150 grams unsalted cold butter
pinch salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Equipment

28 cm quiche pan (11 inch)

Instructions

Combine the flour, butter, salt, egg, and two tablespoons of water in a bowl. Mix until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is still crumbly, add a third tablespoon of water. The dough should be firm but not too dry.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for half an hour. In the meantime, start preparing the filling for your quiche.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is slightly larger than your quiche pan. To line the pan, I roll the dough around my rolling pin and then place the pan on top, carefully rolling the dough out over the pan.
Press the dough firmly into the corners of the pan, then trim off the excess edges. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Always do this, even if you are blind baking the quiche.
Baking time and temperature can vary depending on the quiche. However, you can use this basic recipe for any quiche or savory tart filling. After pricking holes in the bottom, follow the recipe steps for your quiche or savory tart.
As a general rule, I usually bake a quiche with a crème fraîche and egg filling for 30-35 minutes at 200°C/392˚F (conventional oven).

How to store

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Easy quiche crust recipe (savory shortcrust pastry)

Why this recipe works

Ingredients for shortcrust pastry

The difference between quiche and savory pie

The difference between puff pastry and savory pie dough:

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