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Entertaining houseguests or planning the perfect holiday menu? Whip up this hearty Sausage and Pepper Quiche recipe and serve it with some fresh fruit for a satisfying breakfast or brunch!
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Originally published July 2015 and updated May 2025
Summer is in full swing and that means vacations, hosting house guests and attending family reunions.
Spending time with family and friends, especially a large extended family, is fun but can be challenging as well, especially when planning out meals.
When we make travel plans with friends or I plan and host a family reunion, to make things easy, we like to do breakfast and brunch buffets, “build your own” sandwich bars and then either go out for dinner (or have it catered in) or rotate who prepares dinner each night.
Serving brunch buffets is such a great way to feed houseguests or when hosting a holiday brunch for friends and family because so many brunch foods can be made ahead of time or store bought.
Things like hard boiled eggs, Peaches and Cream Coffee Cake, breakfast casseroles and Sweet Potato and Leek Quiche make the morning of the gathering a breeze and will satisfy several different tastes and preferences.
To make things even easier, and to add more variety, we also always have an assortment of fruit and store bought goodies like bagels and lox, muffins, juice, cereal and yogurt.
This Sausage and Pepper Quiche is one of our favorite brunch items. Not only have I served it as part of a brunch buffet when hosting overnight friends, it makes a great menu item to serve at a bridal or baby shower and is our “go to” breakfast recipe for holidays and other special occasions.
Specifically, if doing a brunch buffet or serving quiche for a party like a baby shower, I like making individual mini quiches for guests to easily grab and go!
What we love about this flavorful Sausage and Pepper Quiche recipe is that it is not only easy to make, it is hearty and filling with the addition of robust sausage, caramelized sausage and peppers and bold sharp cheddar cheese.
Whether you’re hosting a holiday brunch or needing a quick breakfast-for-dinner idea, this homemade quiche recipe will certainly save the day.
Helpful Tips and Information:
What’s the difference between a quiche and a frittata?
Both a quiche and a frittata are egg based breakfast and brunch dishes with a variety of mix-ins. However, a quiche is usually baked in a pie dish or tart pan with a crust, while a frittata is cooked in a skillet. Also, a frittata usually has more eggs than a quiche.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
(A full list of ingredients, plus specific measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.)
- Pie Crust – I usually always make my homemade all butter pie crust for this recipe, however, you could use a store-bought pie crust as well. If going store bought, I recommend using Pillsbury.
- Avocado oil – Another neutral cooking oil can be used.
- Unsalted butter
- Regular or hot breakfast sausage – We usually only use turkey sausage, however, pork or chicken sausage can be used as well.
- Yellow onion
- Red and green bell pepper – We use ½ of each a green and red bell pepper for added pops of color, however, you could certainly just use one whole red OR green bell pepper instead of half of each.
- Garlic – This recipe calls for fresh garlic, however, ½ teaspoon garlic powder could be substituted.
- Large eggs
- Whole milk – Whole milk is preferred, however, 2% or 1% can also be used. Almond milk, or even oat milk could also be used, if needed, however, as with any recipe substitutions, the texture and final product might change slightly.
- Heavy cream or half and half – Additional milk may be used in place of the heavy cream.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – Cheddar cheese is our go to, however, gruyere or monterey jack would also be lovely.
- Dried sage – This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon dried sage, however, 1 tablespoon fresh sage can be used.
- Kosher salt and black pepper
How to make mini quiches:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Unroll 2 (9-inch) pie crusts and place flat on a cutting board. Using a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter (or cup) cut 6 rounds from one 9-inch crust. Press 1 (3-inch round) pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of each cavity in the muffin tin.
- Continue with the recipe as directed to make quiche filling. Once egg and sausage mixture is made, pour approximately ¼ cup quiche mixture into crusts in the muffin tin, filling to within ¼-inch from the top.
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and set.
- Cool in muffin tin for 2-3 minutes, then using the tip of a butter knife, carefully lift quiches from pan.
- Serve warm, at room temperature or cold with fresh sage, if desired.
- Alternatively, you can omit the pie crust and create mini “crustless” quiches. Prepare as directed above omitting the crust and reduce baking time by 5 minutes.
How to make a crustless quiche:
Prepare quiche filling as directed, omitting the crust. Pour quiche custard directly into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake quiche in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is set and the top looks golden in color.
Do I need to blind bake the crust?
Many chefs recommend blind baking the pie crust for quiche. Blind baking involves pre-baking the pie crust to ensure it turns out crispy. However, we have made quiche many, many times and do not think this is necessary. When cooked according to our step by step directions, it comes out buttery soft every time.
However, if you are interested in blind baking the crust, you would spray a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan with olive oil cooking spray. Roll out the pie crust and press into the 9-inch pie plate.
Trim away any excess dough and flute or crimp the edges of the crust. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or pie weights to prevent the crust from puffing up or shrinking. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400-degree F oven for 10-12 minutes or just until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
Take the pie crust out of the oven and carefully remove the weights by grasping the corners of the parchment. Allow the crust to cool slightly before continuing with the recipe.
Can you freeze quiche?
Absolutely! Once baked and cooled completely, wrap it tightly in food safe plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through.
Can I make quiche without cream?
Yes! You can substitute heavy cream with half and half, additional milk, almond milk, or even oat milk — but keep in mind, as with any recipe substitutions, the texture and final product might change slightly.
What to serve with Sausage and Pepper Quiche?
For a complete meal, we love serving this sausage quiche with fresh fruit or a fruit salad, like this Creamy Grape Salad. A seasonal green salad, like this Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing is also a side dish for quiche.
If you like this recipe, then you will love these other brunch ideas:
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Sausage and Pepper Quiche
A hearty quiche filled sausage, caramelized onions, sweet bell peppers and sharp cheddar cheese, all nestled into a buttery, flaky crust.
Ingredients
- 1 store bought or batch of homemade dough for a 9-inch pie crust
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound regular or hot breakfast sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- ½ large red bell pepper, diced
- ½ large green bell, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 9-inch pie plate or tart pan with olive oil cooking spray.
- Roll out the pie crust and press into the 9-inch pie plate. Trim away any excess dough and flute or crimp the edges of the crust. Set aside.
- Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add remaining oil and butter to the skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are caramelized, approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Add bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove peppers and onions from heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and heavy cream; whisking until well combined. Stir in cooked sausage, vegetables, cheese, sage, salt and black pepper. Pour egg and sausage mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is set.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold garnished with fresh sage, if desired
Notes
- If the crust or the top of the quiche starts to become dark brown or burn on the edges, cover the quiche with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield.
- To test, insert a knife into the center of the quiche and there should be no visible liquid.
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We usually do a large family quiche on weekends and the mini ones during the week so we have something easy we can grab. With the yogurt cups, you have a perfect meal. #client