This low FODMAP, gluten-free quiche with ham, broccoli, and mushrooms and a hash brown potato crust is a delicious, show-stopping dish for your Mother's Day, Father's Day, holiday or weekend breakfast or brunch table. Lovingly-made with a tasty, savory filling and a crispy, homemade gluten-free hash brown crust, this low FODMAP quiche is Paleo and Whole30 compliant, lactose-free, gluten-free and grain-free. It's also a great way to use up some leftover holiday ham.
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Why quiche with a hash brown crust?
I actually developed this recipe over a year ago; however, I didn't have it finalized in time to post for the Spring brunch season, so I saved it until this year. Pre-hypoglycemia diagnosis, I was in a different place in my food journey at the time, which included finding gluten-free and grain-free alternatives to bread, crusts, etc. Something that had always intrigued me was the use of potatoes for a quiche crust. Hash browns are already breakfast-y, so pairing hash browns with quiche seemed to make a lot of sense.
If you think it will be a lot of work - it really isn't too bad. Compared to the amount of work it takes to prepare a traditional quiche crust, it's actually probably easier to make one out of potatoes, especially if you use a food processor to shred them. It is possible to use pre-made, store-bought hash browns, but I didn't include that in my testing as I can never find any that don't have some sort of non-Paleo ingredient.
Set Your Expectations
A hash brown crust does not hold together as well as a traditional crust. It simply doesn't. If you want something that holds together better, I suggest making a low FODMAP, gluten-free crust. Or, buy a frozen one from the grocery store and follow whatever instructions it has on the box. However, if you're willing to give a hash brown crust some patience and leniency when it falls apart, it's actually really tasty and a great compliment to quiche.
Low FODMAP Quiche
To make this quiche low FODMAP, I've used canned mushrooms instead of fresh, dried and fresh chives instead of garlic or onion, and kept the quantity of broccoli per serving well below the threshold set by Monash University. The hash brown crust is a gluten-free, grain-free alternative to a gluten-containing crust made with all-purpose flour. I've also used a low FODMAP amount of coconut cream instead of heavy cream or milk to omit the FODMAP lactose. Finally, I've added some optional nutritional yeast to add some cheesy flavor to the quiche without adding actual cheese.
Please note that this quiche is fairly high in fat due to the amount of ghee that's added. According to Monash University, fat affects gut motility, and when consumed in large quantities, can trigger IBS symptoms. To reduce the amount of fat, use a non-stick skillet to sauté the broccoli, ham, and mushrooms and reduce or omit the amount of ghee used.
Necessary Equipment
The equipment I use to make this low FODMAP quiche with hash brown crust recipe includes:
- Gas or electric range and oven
- Food processor or box shredder with a coarse shredding blade
- 10.25-inch cast iron skillet - or another oven-safe skillet of this size. This is a requirement to achieve the same results with this recipe. If you're using cast iron, make sure your skillet is well-seasoned.
- Heat resistant measuring cup or small bowl
- Additional large skillet
- Lots of paper towels
- Flat-bottomed measuring cup (a stainless steel, ½" cup works best)
- Fine mesh sieve or colander
- Large plate
- Spatulas
- Large bowl
- Whisks
- Oven mitts
- Knife
- Pie server
Low FODMAP Quiche with Hash Brown Crust: Ingredients & Tips for Success
To start this low FODMAP quiche recipe, I preheat my oven to 425°F and place a rack on the top rung. I spray my 10.25" cast iron skillet with avocado oil cooking spray and set it aside while I prepare the:
Hash Brown Crust
Potatoes
To make the hash brown potato crust for the quiche, I coarsely shred 1.5 lbs of russet potatoes with my food processor. If you don't have a food processor, a box shredder works as well (it's just an arm workout). Make sure you don't finely shred the potatoes as they will not work well for a crust this way.
I dry the shredded potatoes with paper towels, one handful at a time, using as many paper towels as necessary, to remove as much moisture as possible. You could potentially use other types of potatoes for this recipe, but I've only ever made it with russets. I can't say with certainty that it would turn out the same. You could also use frozen hash browns but would probably need to lengthen the cooking time.
Ghee, Salt and Pepper
I use ghee to get the potatoes to sort of fuse together as well as brown them. I melt the ghee in the microwave, usually in a heat resistant measuring cup or small bowl, and then whisk it together with salt and pepper. This ensures the seasonings get evenly distributed throughout the crust.
I pour the ghee mixture on top of the shredded potatoes and toss them with a spoon until they're evenly coated. Then, I place my cast iron skillet on medium high heat on the stove top. While the skillet heats up, I add the potatoes to the skillet and use a flat bottomed measuring cup to press them into the sides and bottom of the skillet to form a ½-inch crust. A ½ cup stainless steel measuring cup works best for this purpose.
Once I have the crust formed, I allow it to cook until it starts browning on the bottom, about 8 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, I press them down with the measuring cup as needed. I remove it from the heat and spray the top with more avocado oil cooking spray. Then, I pop the crust in the oven and bake it at 425°F until the top of the crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Low FODMAP Quiche Filling
Broccoli, Ham and Mushrooms (and more Ghee)
I probably fill my quiche with way more stuff than what's traditional, but I love filling! Here's what I use to fill this low FODMAP quiche with yumminess:
- Fresh broccoli, chopped into nickel-sized florets - you don't want them too big as they'll be clunky to eat, but you don't want them too small as they'll burn. I find chopping them to be about the same diameter as the sliced canned mushrooms (which is about the size of a US nickel) is the best way to go. Monash University's Low FODMAP Diet App lists fresh broccoli as low FODMAP in quantities of up to ¾ cup. This recipe calls for 1 cup across 8 servings.
- Cooked ham, diced - this quiche presents a great opportunity to use up some leftover holiday ham, such as from my Low FODMAP Slow Cooker Maple Dijon Glazed Ham. Or, you can use sliced deli ham as I have here (check labels for Paleo/Whole30).
- ½ cup canned sliced mushrooms, drained, well-rinsed and dried - Monash University's Low FODMAP Diet App lists canned mushrooms as low FODMAP for up to 75g per serving. We're adding ½ cup total, which comes to about 86g across 8 servings. Be sure to rinse them using a fine mesh sieve or colander as FODMAPs leech out of the mushrooms during the brining process. Rinse off those nasty FODMAPs!
While the hash brown crust is baking, I place another skillet on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of ghee. Once the ghee has melted, I swirl the pan to coat the bottom in ghee. Then, I add the broccoli florets and sauté until they start to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring them constantly with a spatula to prevent burning. I remove them from the skillet to a large plate. Then, I add 1 more tablespoon of ghee to the skillet and swirl it again to coat. I add the ham and mushrooms and sauté them for an additional minute, stirring constantly, and then remove them from the skillet to the plate.
Eggs, Coconut Cream, Spices, and Nutritional Yeast
Then, in a large bowl, I add the following ingredients:
- 6 large eggs
- Coconut cream - I use this in lieu of traditional heavy cream. Coconut cream is deemed low FODMAP by Monash University in quantities of up to ¼ cup per serving. We're adding ¾ cup across 8 servings.
- Dried chives - add garlicy/oniony flavor without the garlic or onion and can be found in the spice aisle in most grocery stores.
- Salt and pepper
- Nutritional yeast (optional) - I love adding nutritional yeast to things that would normally contain cheese, but it's definitely optional.
I whisk these items together until well combined.
Low FODMAP Quiche: Putting it All Together
Once the crust is done browning, I remove it from the oven. I reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and move the oven rack to the 2nd rung. Then, I spoon the broccoli, ham and mushrooms evenly on top of the crust. Finally, I pour the egg mixture on top of the fillings, spreading it evenly with a spatula to coat the entire crust. I pop the quiche into the oven and bake it until it's lightly golden brown on the top, about 30 minutes. I remove it from the oven and slice it into 8 slices and serve it with a pie server. Any leftovers I store in an air-tight container for 3-4 days. The quiche can also be frozen for up to 4 months.
More Low FODMAP Breakfast Recipes
- Tigernut Flour Pancakes
- Air Fryer Red Potatoes
- Breakfast Poutine
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins
Low FODMAP Quiche with Hash Brown Crust (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Hash Brown Quiche Crust:
- Avocado oil cooking spray
- 1.5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled and coarsely shredded
- 3 tablespoons ghee or butter, melted
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Low FODMAP Quiche Filling:
- 2 tablespoons ghee, divided*
- 1 cup fresh broccoli, washed, dried and chopped into nickel-sized florets
- 1 cup cooked ham, diced (such as leftovers from Low FODMAP Slow Cooker Maple Dijon Glazed Ham)
- ½ cup canned sliced mushrooms, drained, well-rinsed and dried
- 6 large eggs
- ¾ cup coconut cream
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast, optional
Garnish:
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Hash Brown Crust: Preheat oven to 425°F and place rack on top rung. Spray a 10.25-inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray.
- Dry shredded potatoes using paper towels, one handful at a time, and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together melted ghee, salt and pepper. Pour ghee mixture over potatoes and toss with a spoon to coat.
- Place cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Add shredded potatoes to the skillet, and using a flat bottomed measuring cup (a ½ cup sized cup works best), press potatoes evenly against the bottom and sides of the skillet, making an approximately ½ inch thick crust. Cook for 8 minutes until potatoes start to brown on the bottom, pressing them down with the measuring cup as needed.
- Remove the skillet from heat and spray the top of the crust with cooking spray. Bake at 425°F on the top rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until the top is brown and crispy.
- Quiche Filling: meanwhile, heat another large skillet on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and swirl to coat once melted. Add broccoli and sauté until the broccoli starts to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove broccoli to a large plate. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the skillet and swirl the pan to coat. Add chopped ham and sliced mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove ham and mushrooms to a plate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut cream, dried chives, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast (if using).
- Once the crust is done browning, remove from the oven, using care not to touch the handle without oven mitts from this point forward. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and place rack on the 2nd rung from the top. Spoon broccoli, ham, and mushrooms evenly over the bottom of the crust. Add egg mixture to the crust and spread with a spatula until the crust is evenly coated. Bake at 350°F on the 2nd rung from the top of the oven for 30 minutes or until quiche is lightly golden brown.
- Remove from oven. Cut with a knife into 8 pieces and remove from pan, ideally using a pie server.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container (not the cast iron pan) for up to 4 days. The quiche can also be kept frozen for up to 4 months.
Notes
- Please note: As is the case with many French recipes, this quiche contains a fair amount of fat via ghee (a.k.a. clarified butter). According to Monash University, fat affects gut motility, and when consumed in large quantities, can trigger IBS symptoms. To reduce the amount of fat, use a non-stick skillet to sauté the broccoli, ham, and mushrooms and reduce or omit the amount of ghee used. See post above for additional FODMAP information.
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