The Best Cheese and Onion Quiche (Ina Paarman Recipe)
This cheese and onion quiche is a proper classic. Buttery, flaky pastry made with mature Cheddar, filled with sweet braised onions and a rich, cheesy egg custard. It is the kind of recipe that feels like home, and one I come back to again and again.
The recipe is adapted from Ina Paarman’s ‘Cook with Ina Paarman,’ a cookbook I have owned for as long as I can remember. When I think of iconic South African cooking and heritage recipes, Ina is always where I turn first. My mom used to make a version of this quiche, and although I lost her when I was 18 and never got her recipe, Ina Paarman’s version tastes exactly how I remember it.
The pastry is the same recipe Ina uses for her cheese straws, so whatever is left over from lining the tin, roll out and bake as straws. I added finely chopped rosemary and thyme to give the pastry a slight herbaceous note, which works beautifully with the Cheddar.
Use the best mature Cheddar you can find. A 24-month-old Kerrygold Cheddar gives the most flavour, and since cheese is the central ingredient here, it really does make a difference. The sharper the Cheddar, the better the quiche.
Tips for the Best Cheese and Onion Quiche
The key to a great quiche is getting the pastry right. Keep everything cold, work the dough as little as possible, and blind bake the case properly before filling. Pricking the base with a fork and using dried beans or rice to weigh it down prevents the pastry from puffing up or shrinking.
Cook the onions low and slow in butter until they are completely soft but not browned. You want them sweet and tender, not caramelised. Caramelised onions will change the flavour and colour of the filling. Add the garlic at the end so it does not burn.
When you pour the egg mixture into the pastry case, place the quiche tin on a larger baking sheet before putting it in the oven. This catches any spills and makes it much easier to handle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make cheese and onion quiche ahead of time?
Yes. You can make the pastry a day ahead, wrap it in cling film and keep it in the fridge. The fully baked quiche also reheats well the next day.
Can I freeze quiche?
Yes. Wrap the cooled quiche tightly in cling film and then foil. It freezes well for up to two months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 160°C (320°F) for 15 to 20 minutes.
What is the best cheese for quiche?
A sharp, mature Cheddar works best for both the pastry and the filling. The stronger the Cheddar, the more flavour the quiche will have. Gruyère also works well if you prefer a nuttier taste.
Can I use shop-bought pastry for this quiche?
You can, but the homemade Cheddar pastry is what makes this recipe special. It takes about 10 minutes to make and the difference in flavour and texture is significant.
Why did my quiche go watery?
This usually happens if the onions released too much liquid during cooking or if the egg custard was underbaked. Make sure the onions are cooked until soft and dry, and bake the quiche until the filling is set and golden on top.
Serving Suggestions
This quiche is just as good at room temperature as it is warm from the oven. Serve it with a simple green salad for a light lunch, or alongside roasted vegetables for a more substantial meal. It is also perfect for picnics, packed lunches, and make-ahead entertaining.
Recipe – makes one 25cm quiche (slightly adapted from Ina Paarman)
Classic Cheese and Onion Quiche Recipe
Ingredients
Cheese Pastry
- 250 g flour
- pinch of cayenne
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chopped herbs rosemary & thyme – optional
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 150 gm Kerrygold butter
- 1 cup 100g grated Kerrygold 24 month mature Cheddar
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup cold water
Cheese & onion quiche filling
- 2 large brown onions chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Kerrygold butter
- 1 – 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 large free-range eggs
- ½ cup crème fraiche
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white or black pepper
- 1 cup grated 24 months mature Kerrygold Cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350 F.
- You can make this by hand using a pastry cutter or in a food processor.
- Sift the flour and add this to the bowl of the food processor with the salt and cayenne and give it a 3-second mix.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the water and process briefly until just blended.
- Add the cold water while the motor is running and until the mixture just comes together into a dough. Tip this onto a well-floured surface and knead briefly to form a ball of dough.
- Roll this out to about 3mm thick and line the base of a 25cm quiche tin (this will be a little over half the dough). Allow some of the dough to hang over the sides and then trim. It will shrink back during baking. Prick the surface area of the pastry with a fork.
- Blind bake the pastry case by scrunching up a piece of baking paper and then placing this on top of the pastry. The scrunching makes it easier to reach into the corners. Fill the case with any dried bean, rice or pasta (or pastry beans if you have these) and then bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and remove the paper and filling. Return the pan to the oven and bake for a further 5 – 8 minutes until it has crisped up and starts turning a golden brown.
- While the pastry is baking blind, make your filling for the quiche.
- Heat the butter and olive in a non-stick frying pan and once it starts bubbling add the onion and sauté them for about 10 minutes over low heat and until the onions are soft but not brown. Do not caramelize them. Add the garlic and set aside
- In a bowl whisk the eggs with the crème Fraiche, milk and spices.
- When the pastry comes out of the oven, sprinkle ¾ of the cheese across the base then spread the onion mix on top of that. Gently pour over the egg mixture and finally sprinkle the remaining cheese over the quiche.
- Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown and firm.
Notes
You may also like these quiche recipes:
Viral tortilla quiche with cottage cheese and vegetables
Mother’s Day Brunch recipe ideas
*This post is proudly sponsored by Kerrygold
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This looks divine! How do you prevent the custard mixture from leaking through the pastry and out the tin?? This always happens to me when I use a springform/loose bottomed tin for quiches, so I’ve given up and just use a glass pie dish.
Hi Jo, I generally find if the pastry is blind baked properly it wont leak. It might splash over the edges, so I always place it on a baking tray when it goes in the oven. Glass pie dishes are good, I often find though that the pastry doesn’t crisp up as much in one though.
The Cheese and Onion Quiche looks totally divine! I have to make it; my husband and I love onions — and cheese; what’s not to love!!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! I love your recipes Sam and will be trying the caponata tonight.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Heather and thanks for letting me know. I know you will love the caponata.
What a lovely recipe!! Baked and then enjoyed by my family. Thanks Sam!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Liesl 🙂
YUM YUM !!
Amazing Recipe.
Thanks for posting !!
So glad you liked it Fiona – its a fve of mine.
This impressed my mother-in-law so I am thrilled!
HI Kristi – I’m SO glad you impressed your MIL. I love that recipe so much! (its also quite old school)
Any suggestions on how to make this ahead? I love this recipe.
Hi Thomas, Sadly this cant be made too far in advance and it cannot be frozen. The day before would be fine
Lovely recipe! Crust is delicious! Instead of cheese straws I made a large cracker with leftover dough that was gobbled up in no time. I doubled the dough recipe and had enough for 3 quiche pans and a 5 x 7 ish sized cracker. I added chopped bacon and grape tomatoes to 2 of the quiche. Delicious! Will make again definitely.
Hi Paula, Im so glad you enjoyed the recipe and your crackers sound fabulous. Sam
Yummy absolutely delicious, please more recipes
HI Beverley. Glad you enjoyed the tart. I have about 2000 free recipes on this site which should keep you busy but will be posting more all thetime too.
I made this for a friend’s birthday picnic in the park. Still warm out of the oven got a huge thumbs up and “this is the best quiche I’ve ever tasted”
I used brown and red onions with shallots instead of brown onions and it tasted delicious. Definitely be making this again
Thanks, Michelle and glad you liked. it. I think the mixed onions sound divine too.
Great recipe which is in the oven as I write… can’t wait to get it out and tuck in! But a quick question: why make so much pastry when you only use “just over half” of it? Have I missed something? I’ll use the left overs to make (rather fragile) cheese straws or something, but I was left wondering why you didn’t cut the recipe by 25% if really only a max of 75% of it will be needed?
Hi Susanna, this is Ina Paarmans recipe and thisis how it worked out. Perhaps she made a bigger quiche. The cheese straws are so lovely though. Honestly this is my favourite quiche recipe so I hope you like dit as much. best Sam
It was indeed delicious! As are the cheesy biscuits made out of the remaining pastry. I might just try cutting down the amount of pastry made next time, though as you say, the straws/biscuits are yummy though, so I might stick with it as it is!
I made this quiche today, fabulous, best ever. I used chives in the pastry and in the egg mix. Thanks. Delicious.
Hi Peter, so glad you enjoyed this recipe, its a favourite of mine. The chives sound lovely
Just curious – I know the crust provides a lot of flavor but if I wanted to make this without a crust, would it work as is, just putting the filling into a greased tin? Would I need to make any adjustments or would it be better to skip if I’m not making the crust? Sounds delicious.
Hi Joleen this recipe won’t work without a crust. I suggest searching for a recipe online that is crustless and perhaps adapting it with onion.