Silken Tofu Is The Easy Swap For Eggs In Vegan Quiche

What's breakfast without eggs? Ask a vegan. Aside from the obvious, eggs are one of the quintessential breakfast foods vegans choose to cut out — but that's not to say they're without alternatives. These days there's an egg replacement for every way you crack them, tofu being one. More known for its use in a tofu scramble, tofu in its silken state serves as an easy swap for eggs in vegan quiche. In fact, it's one of the best ways to use silken tofu. You'll have to break out your food processor for it, though.

To make your silken tofu pass for eggs, it's not just going to have to look like them — it'll have to taste like them, too. Fortunately, you can opt for turmeric or mustard powder for the yellow-orange color and any form of umami for flavor. Black salt and nutritional yeast are recommended, but if you have any MSG on hand that will certainly do, too. From there, you can add in your chosen seasonings along with a 12-ounce block of silken tofu and ⅓ cup of flour to give it that airy texture before blending it all in your food processor until smooth.

Some recipes also call for milk, but given how watery silken tofu is, you may need to add cornstarch, too, if you go this route. Start with a tablespoon at a time until you get your desired texture, then mix it into a bowl with your chosen vegetables, pour it into your pie crust, and bake it.

When looking for inspiration for things to add to your vegan quiche, look no further than your favorite vegetarian options. Miriam Hanh's loaded vegetarian quiche recipe is packed with everything from mushrooms and red peppers to zucchini and diced onion. There's also Hayley MacLean's easy spinach frittata recipe, which keeps things simple with spinach and cheese — the latter of which, of course, can be replaced with your favorite dairy-free cheese alternative to keep it vegan. 

Not all are created equally, however. You should avoid Go Veggie vegan cheese at all costs and go for something like Daiya's newest formulation that will actually melt. Beyond the vegetarian toppings and vegan cheeses, another thing you can experiment with is crusts. Ina Garten famously approves of store-bought pie crust, and whatever she says goes. So, if you want, you can use something pre-made for your quiche, too, just make sure that it's vegan before you do because some brands contain lard. 

Another fun idea, though, is to make a hashbrown crust. It might take a bit more time, but the crispy crust will complement the creamy, fluffy texture of your silken tofu filling impeccably — just make sure you're opting for a vegan butter if you do. But a crustless quiche is always an option, too. You can serve your vegan quiche — crustless or not — just as you would a regular one. That is, as long as there's a hot cup of coffee along with it.