Crustless Keto Mini Quiche | Low Carb Keto Frittata

When you make crustless keto mini quiche in single-serve mini pie tins, you get to eat the whole thing! This low carb frittata recipe is packed with flavorful sausage, mozzarella, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. It's a savory and delicious morning meal that is high in protein and packed with veggies. Kids tend to love mini versions of foods, and this breakfast frittata is great for portion control too!

I remember when my son was little, he was especially enthusiastic about trying sample foods in stores. He always seemed more willing to try new foods (or give a food he didn't particularly care for another try) if it was served in a small portion.

Perhaps the small bites of food seemed less overwhelming. Or maybe it was the aesthetic appeal of attractively presented tiny food that was the draw.

I tried to capture that small food appeal with this keto mini quiche recipe. They're pretty cute, kind of like the adorable babies of the frittata world.

However, these cheesy mini frittatas are definitely not just for kids! If you're an adult who likes frittatas so much that you don't want to share, this recipe might be for you. With these single-serve portions, you get a whole frittata all to yourself!

This post is an update from July 2020 with a new recipe video and more nutrition information. That said, I made no changes to the original recipe for this low carb mini frittata. This healthy, tasty, and savory breakfast idea needs no tweaking IMVHO!

Jump to:

• Benefits of Making Keto Mini Quiche with No Crust:
• Ingredients for Mini Crustless Quiche (Keto)
• Equipment for Low Carb Mini Quiche
• How to Make Keto Mini Quiche (No Crust)
• Expert Tips from a Dietitian
• Here's an example of why keto diets work for some
• What to serve with low carb mini quiche?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Other Keto Breakfast Recipes That You May Enjoy
• And now for the disclaimer…
• 📖 Recipe
• Crustless Keto Mini Quiche | Low Carb Keto Frittata
• How to Reheat Leftover Mini Frittatas
• Air Fryer Directions
• 💬 Comments

Benefits of Making Keto Mini Quiche with No Crust:

Why make this keto friendly mini quiche recipe? Here's a rundown on the reasons:

• Gluten free mini quiche: Since this is a recipe for crustless quiche, these are naturally GF mini quiches. The gluten in quiche is typically coming from wheat flour in the crust. (That said, if you're buying a store-made frittata, you should check the nutrition label to verify that it has no gluten.)
• Low calorie mini quiche: Another benefit of skipping the crust is that this keto mini egg quiche is much lower in calories than classic quiche recipes. You need to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight, regardless of whether you are using a keto diet or calorie tracking. High protein, low calorie dishes (such as this keto mini quiche recipe) may help you reach your goals.
• No refined grains: A third benefit of making low carb mini quiche without crust is that we've avoided refined grains. Many of us in the United States are exceeding the recommended limits for refined grain intake. If you're looking to cut back on the refined grains in your diet (or cut them out for keto), try this crustless mini quiche!
• Minimizes food waste: I don't like it when there are a bunch of extra ingredients after filling pie tins, breading items, stuffing veggies, etc. It promotes food waste and makes life more difficult for those of us who track calories. This lowcarb mini quiche fills four 5" pie tins precisely, with nothing leftover that could get thrown out.
• Mediterranean diet compatible: The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and unsaturated fats like olive oil. This veggie and chicken-packed cheese frittata aligns well with the Mediterranean diet, especially if you add fruit on the side!

Ingredients for Mini Crustless Quiche (Keto)

Here is the roundup of what you need to make mini crustless quiche:

• Olive oil (or your favorite type of cooking oil)
• Chopped shallot
• Fresh chicken sausage (crumbled)
• Minced garlic clove
• Eggs
• Pesto
• Milk
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
• Salt and black pepper
• Cooking oil spray of choice
• Fresh basil or chives (optional)

For this recipe, I used my homemade sausage with chicken, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes. It imparted a ton of flavor to these mini keto frittatas. My fennel sausage would also be awesome in this recipe.

However, it's absolutely fine to use your favorite store-bought chicken sausage if you need to save time. Whole Foods sells fresh chicken Italian sausage (spicy or mild, your choice) that works perfectly in this recipe.

Another recipe that got to play a role here was my carrot leaves recipe for pesto. You could also use this keto pesto made with sage or a couple tablespoons of store-bought pesto instead.

I freeze pesto in a regular ice cube tray, so I have 2 tablespoon portions ready when I need them. (It wasn't a coincidence that I ended up using exactly two tablespoons of pesto in this recipe!)

By the way, I chose to take the shortcut of using store-bought sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) in this dish. Sometimes the recipe developer needs to take a break too. Haha

You could, of course, dry your own tomatoes to use instead. Fast or slow, it's ultimately up to you and what you can fit in your schedule!

Take shortcuts with food prep when you are short on time. If you find slow food projects and cooking relaxing, feel free to make more from scratch. There are many ways to create beautiful meals.

Equipment for Low Carb Mini Quiche

The main things you need to make this keto frittata for one are a skillet and mini pie tins. You'll use the skillet for cooking the alliums and for browning the sausage.

The miniature pie tins, of course, are for baking the keto low carb mini quiches. I used 5" mini pie plates, like these ones that are available on Amazon. These make larger frittatas than you’d get if you used a muffin tin.

I don't make baked goods very often, so I forgot that I purchased the tins several years ago. If you're on a keto diet, you're probably baking less as well.

However, if you have some mini pie tins, there's no reason to continue to let them collect dust. You'll put them to good use with this keto mini egg quiche recipe!

This recipe fills four of these mini tins perfectly. That's great because that is precisely how many are typically sold in a set!

How to Make Keto Mini Quiche (No Crust)

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the chicken sausage, shallot, and garlic in olive oil on the stovetop over medium heat.

Break the sausage up into crumbles with a spatula as it browns in the skillet. It will take about 10 minutes for the sausage to brown and the shallot to become translucent.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, pesto, milk, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cooked sausage mixture.

Mist four 5-inch mini pie pans with cooking spray. Don't be stingy with the spray! The cooking oil spray is necessary to keep the low carb mini quiche from sticking to the pie tins.

Divide the egg mixture evenly between the pans. Bake your mini frittatas in the top third of your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the mini crustless quiches from the oven when cooking time is complete. Let them cool for a couple of minutes before garnishing with the fresh basil leaves or chives. Enjoy your mini frittatas while they are still warm.

Expert Tips from a Dietitian

This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). The precise calorie count and nutrition information will depend on the type of pesto and chicken sausage that you use. I covered the specifics of the ingredients I used for this mini quiche earlier in the post.

Adding one cup of strawberries or raspberries on the side will add more volume to your meal while keeping things keto friendly. This simple side dish of berries will not knock the recipe out of level 1 (low calorie dishes). Even if you are using the keto diet for weight loss and not calorie tracking, you still need to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight.

If you are losing weight on a keto diet, your overall diet may be low calorie, even if you aren't calorie counting. Yes, you heard me right. It's possible to be following a low calorie diet pattern without calorie tracking. Want to know how?

Some dietary patterns may help you to feel full on fewer calories than others. For some, limiting carbohydrate intake can also be a good way to limit calorie intake without feeling hungry all of the time. The result is that the person may experience weight loss that feels fairly "effortless" (since tracking nutrients and fighting hunger is not involved).

Here's an example of why keto diets work for some

When I eat cold (high-carb!) cereal for breakfast, my morning meal ends up pretty high calorie. Most cold breakfast cereals are not very filling to me, regardless of whether they are whole grain. I need to eat A LOT of cereal to feel full (way more than the serving listed on the box).

If I eat this crustless keto mini quiche instead plus some fruit, I will feel satiated on fewer calories. This will remain true whether I track the calories using MyFitnessPal or not. The quiche is high in protein, the most satiating macronutrient.

Meanwhile, the veggies in the frittata and fruit on the side are low calorie, high volume foods. They provide the bulk that tells the stretch receptors in my stomach that the amount of food I ate is sufficient.

If I were to regularly make lower calorie keto swaps, as I detailed above, my diet would be lower calorie overall. If my dietary pattern changes enough that I am now in a calorie deficit, I will lose weight.

Is that weight loss because the specific foods you eat on keto have magical weight loss properties? Nope.

What's happening is that you found a way of eating that helps you to feel full on fewer calories. There are other ways to achieve the same thing without going on a very low carbohydrate diet.

I've maintained a 70-lb weight loss for many years now by making sure I eat plenty of whole foods with protein, fiber, and fluid. I am not hungry, and I didn't follow a low carb diet at any point on my journey.

That said, I think some keto-friendly strategies can be helpful to anyone with a weight loss goal. How about starting the day with this high protein breakfast?

What to serve with low carb mini quiche?

My top pick for a side dish to go with keto mini quiche is berries. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries can all fit in most keto diet plans.

One-half cup of pomegranate seeds is under 9 grams of net carbs (per Cronometer). You may be able to fit some pomegranate arils into your very low carb diet for another fruit option. It always takes me forever to cut and prepare pomegranate fruit; it would be tough to overeat!

If you have kids and other carb fans in your household, here are some high carb sides for this low carb quiche:

• Air Fryer Frozen Hash Browns
• Gluten Free Toast made with Sweet Potatoes (stick with a plain avocado toast, since you're already getting eggs from the frittata)
• Air Fryer Home Fries
• Fruits such as honeydew melon, cherries, sliced apples, or pick your favorites!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make quiche without milk?

There's very little milk in this recipe, so it is not contributing much nutritionally. Feel free to substitute the dairy milk here with your favorite dairy free milk alternative. You could also try skipping the milk entirely (though this may change the frittata's overall texture).

At what internal temperature is quiche done?

The FDA is one of my favorite resources for information on safe minimum internal temperatures. Egg dishes, including quiche, should be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Leftover quiche should be reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you had to pick a diet between low carb or keto, which one would it be and why?

This is a great question! If I were on a ketogenic diet as part of a medical nutrition therapy (such as for epilepsy), keto would be my top choice.

On the other hand, for weight loss or blood sugar control in diabetes, I would prefer a more relaxed low carb diet. Keep in mind that this answer only applies if low carb or keto are my only two choices.

In full disclosure, certain high carb foods are personal favorites of mine. (Pineapples! Mangoes!) I'm so glad that there is more than one way to maintain a healthy weight. I would have trouble sustaining a dietary pattern that eliminated or severely restricted these delicious whole foods.

Is quiche high in carbs?

Classic quiche recipes do tend to be high in carbs due to the flaky pie crust shell. Traditional quiches are essentially a French tart filled with eggs, cheese, meat, and veggies.

This no crust quiche recipe is a much lower carb option that is suitable for keto diets. It has only 4.7 grams of net carbs per serving.

How many calories are in a mini quiche?

This keto quiche recipe contains 320 calories per serving of one mini quiche. The calories in a mini quiche will vary by the recipe used. A keto mini quiche with crust or with lots of high fat ingredients will likely have more calories than a frittata.

Can I make this a keto mini quiche with bacon?

Yes! Feel free to make a keto bacon and cheese mini quiche by swapping the sausage in this recipe for a crumble of bacon. You could also add a little chopped, cooked spinach in place of the pesto.

In addition, you can use your favorite shredded cheese in place of the mozzarella. Feel free to make this recipe your own!

Other Keto Breakfast Recipes That You May Enjoy

Are you looking for more low carb and keto breakfast ideas? If so, here are some keto recipes for you:

• Cauliflower Hash Brown Egg Cups with Cheese
• Cooking Pork Sausage with Eggs (Swap berries for the peaches and use a small amount of almond flour as a binder in place of the oats.)
• Keto Crustless Quiche (This is a low carb, vegetarian frittata with baby kale and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s perfect for a keto meal prep!)

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And now for the disclaimer…

All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.

"Keto" recipes on the web may not be appropriate for those using ketogenic diets as part of their medical nutrition therapy. That includes this recipe.

The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.

For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats with yogurt post. Let's get cooking!

📖 Recipe