|

The Difference Between Frittata And Quiche

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure to learn more.

Quick Answer

The main difference between frittata and quiche lies in their preparation and ingredients. Frittata is an Italian dish made without a crust, resembling an open-faced omelet, while quiche is a French dish made with a custard filling in a pastry crust.

Read on for more detail

When it comes to clever dinner ideas, frittata and quiche are both delicious dishes. Many people confuse these two dishes because they are quite similar. At the same time, they are also very different. 

Egg dishes are some of the most versatile meals you can make. It’s a great way to use up a lot of eggs and get your protein fix. It’s also a great way to sneak in some veggies that your family may not notice or complain about. 

So, what is the difference between frittata and quiche? These two dishes are quite a bit different. While they both contain eggs, you can think of quiche as a custard pie loaded with other meats and/or vegetables while a frittata is similar to an open-faced omelet.

In this guide, we will walk you through the difference between frittata and quiche and hopefully help you understand just how these two dishes stand apart. We will walk you through each one individually and then round up the guide with a quick comparison summary for you. 

Keep reading to learn just what is so different about frittata and quiche. 

Your Guide to Understanding Frittata and Quiche

When it comes to understanding just how frittata and quiche compare to each other, here’s what you should know. They are not the same type of dish. While both of these dishes are made with eggs as the primary ingredient, that’s about where the similarities end. 

We’re going to break it down for you piece by piece. 

Frittata

Let’s start with frittata. 

A frittata is very comparable to a casserole. It’s made with egg and then often has other variables added to the mix. Frittata is a common Italian dish and is often made with Italian herbs and spices. 

Apart from the egg in a frittata, you might add any number of meats, vegetables, and cheeses to your dish. The great thing is, you can personalize a frittata just about any way you want to. 

The best description for a frittata is an open-faced omelet. Frittata is prepared much like an omelet but it’s not folded to complete the process. You make frittata in a skillet and some people finish it in the oven to complete it. 

Some people have adapted the frittata recipe to simply baking it as well. In that case, it’s more similar to a quiche but it doesn’t have a crust as quiche does. 

How Frittata is Made

Let’s cover quickly how a frittata is made. This will help give you a general idea of some of the similarities and differences of frittata and quiche overall.

This is a simple instructional, remember there are numerous ways to make the dish. 

  1. Cook your vegetables and meats prior to adding them to the dish. 
  2. Prepare eggs, milk, and cheese – with eggs being the primary ingredient. 
  3. Whisk together your egg mixture and season to your tastes. 
  4. You can add your egg mixture over your cooked add-ins and use the same skillet to finish the dish. If you have a cast-iron skillet, this is the key to a really delicious frittata. 
  5. Cook for a minute or two on the stove. The edges of the eggs should just begin to set. There is no stirring needed. 
  6. Move the pan to the oven at 400 degrees and allow to bake for 10-12 minutes or until the eggs are set and fully-cooked. 

As you can see, making frittatas is not a single-step process. However, it’s still rather simple and you can ultimately finish a frittata in 30 minutes or less. There is no real art and you can mix up the added ingredients easily to fit your tastes. 

With a frittata, you can use any kind of cheese you like or you can leave it out. Most frittata recipes call for cheese in them but you can make it without if you prefer it that way. Additionally, you can add things like ricotta or cream cheese to the mixture to change it up further. 

Once you’ve finished making your frittata, you can top it with sour cream, salsa, or anything else you wish to top it with. You can make this dish your own in multiple ways and it’s so easy to work with. 

If you have leftovers, you can refrigerate them or freeze them and you can easily reheat your frittata using the oven or the microwave. 

Quiche

Quiche is another simple egg dish that allows you to do something besides scramble or boil your eggs. With quiche, you can also add any type of things to the dish. Quiche is made in a crust and is baked to perfection when you cook it. 

Quiche was originally a French dish. Traditional quiche had custard mixed with eggs, cheese, meat, and vegetables. Traditional French quiche even sometimes had seafood in it, which is an interesting twist many of us may not consider now. 

Quiche is most often served hot but can be served hot or cold, depending on how you like it. Now, many people substitute milk or cream cheese for the custard as it simplifies the process.

How Quiche is Made

For comparison purposes, we think it’s important to walk through how quiche is made. Remember this is an example and there are different ways to make the dish, including using added toppings of your choice. 

  1. Start with a pastry crust of some sort. You can even use a pre-made pie crust if you prefer. 
  2. Cook your meats and veggies that you plan to add to the quiche. 
  3. Whisk together eggs, cream (cream cheese, heavy cream, or milk work great), and seasoning to taste. 
  4. Place your cooked meat and vegetables into the pie crust first so you can spread them out evenly. 
  5. Pour your egg mixture over the meat and vegetables. 
  6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. 
  7. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving. 

Making quiche is another relatively simple process. You can add whatever meats or vegetables you like. You can even use seafood if you prefer. You can season it to your own tastes. Most of the time, you only need some salt and pepper but ultimately, it’s up to you! 

With quiche, you can make it ahead of time and reheat it. You can also store leftovers in the fridge or the freezer and easily reheat it in the oven or the microwave. Quiche is quite easy to work with but takes a little extra time for the necessary baking time. 

Comparison Summary

When you review frittata and quiche, there are a few similarities. Both are made with eggs, cheese, meats, and vegetables. Both dishes can be seasoned to your tastes and you can use whatever meats or vegetables you prefer in the dish. 

Both dishes can be stored in the fridge or the freezer and both reheat well in the oven and the microwave. These are the primary similarities between the two. 

Quiche is considered a French dish and is traditionally made with custard. Most current recipes use heavy cream rather than custard. Quiche almost always has milk or cream cheese in it. Quiche is prepared in the oven and takes close to an hour from preparation to completion. Quiche has a crust while frittata does not. 

Frittata is considered an Italian dish. Traditional frittata does not have any type of milk or cream in it, although you can use milk if you like. Frittata is a two-step process that starts on the stove and then finishes in the oven. However, frittata can typically be finished in 30 minutes or less, and that includes preparation time. 

In the end, both dishes look very similar but you can quickly tell the difference based on whether the dish has a crust or not. 

Related Questions

We hope that you have found this guide to understanding the differences between quiche and frittata to be quite helpful. The dishes can be quite similar in many ways but are certainly set apart by some vast differences as well. 

We invite you to review the following question and answer section to see if there might be anything of value to you in there as well. 

Can You Make Quiche Without a Pastry?

The crust is one of the things that sets quiche apart from other egg dishes. However, it is possible to make a crustless quiche is you so desire. 

What is the Best Cheese to Use in Frittata or Quiche?

The beauty of these dishes is you can use whatever type of cheese you like for the dish. Cheddar is perhaps one of the most popular because it has a sharp flavor. However, you can also use goat cheese, Swiss cheese, parmesan cheese or any other cheese you have on hand. 

How Can You Tell When These Dishes Are Done?

The best way to know your quiche or frittata is done is to test the center. You can cut into the center or poke into the center to see if the egg still appears runny or mushy. Add additional cooking time if the center appears not done. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *