Skip to main content

Mini Tofu Quiche - Vegan Quiche Muffins

These crustless mini tofu quiches are the most perfect "eggy" bites ever! They're golden, tender, firm enough to hold their shape but still jiggly and silky inside, and they're packed with all kinds of veggies, making these not only a nourishing snack but also a complete meal.


Trust me, you do not need commercial vegan egg products for this! While I'm more than happy to see more and more vegan alternatives, I prefer natural whole food ingredients in my own diet. And two of my favorite natural egg replacements are tofu, and chickpeas/chickpea flour. They can both achieve a wonderful eggy texture and are high in plant protein.


For these mini quiches, I used two types of tofu, extra-frim and silken and that's because I find combining the two firmnesses of tofu gives you the best firm yet still jiggly result. Also to reflect the current summer vibe, I garnished them with a watermelon design made of tomato, zucchini, and black sesame.

But not to worry, these quiche muffins are jiggle and "eggy" yet still sturdy enough to hold its shape proudly throughout baking, serving, and until your very last bite - all you need is a little bit of flour.


In order to make them gluten-free and also to add a little more fiber and protein, I used oat flour and I made my own using the organic sprouted rolled oats from One Degree Organics. All of their products are certified organic and Glyphosate Residue Free, you can even meet the farmers who grew your oats with just a scan of the QR code on your bag! A special thanks to One Degree Organics for sponsoring this recipe. 

See the video below for a visual guide on how I made these mini quiches or come find me on Instagram and Tiktok.


INGREDIENTS:

*makes 12 mini quiches, standard cupcake size

For the "egg" mixture -
14 oz extra-firm tofu, about 1 block
6 oz silken tofu, about 1/2 block
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoon organic rolled oats, ground to flour
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoon soy milk

For the vegetables -
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 medium carrot, chopped
4 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon coconut amino
Pinch of salt and black pepper
Olive oil for cooking

For garnish -
2 - 3 small tomatoes
1 zucchini
Black sesame seeds

TO MAKE:

- Preheat the oven to 400°F;
- In a sauté pan, fry off the onions with a drizzle of olive oil until soft and slightly caramelized, about 4 - 5 minutes, then add in the garlic, cook till aromatic;
- Add in the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, cook till soft, add in the mushrooms, cook till they let out moisture, then season with the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and coconut amino;
- Stir in the baby spinach, cook till just wilted, add a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste, remove from heat and set aside;
- In a big mixing bowl, blend together all the "egg" mixture ingredients until very smooth;
- Fold in the sautéed vegetables, stir to combine evenly;
- Slice the zucchini and tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick rounds, then half the rounds;
- Carve out the white part of the zucchini, use only the green crescent part, and fit the tomato halves into the zucchini greens;
- Put one parchment paper cupcake liner into each cupcake pan space, and fill each cup with the quiche mixture till it's level with the rim, you can use an ice cream scooper to make this part neater;
- Smooth out the top of each cup, place one "watermelon" slice onto the top of each quiche;
- Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, check halfway, if the tops of the quiches are browning too quickly then tent the entire pan with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time;
- Garnish the "watermelon" tops with sesame seeds, serve hot or cold, they're just as delicious or even better the next day too! Enjoy!

Popular posts from this blog

Rice Paper Sushi Rolls with Teriyaki Tofu and Veggies

When crispy rice paper rolls and sushi rolls have a baby - then we have something that has the best of both worlds. These rice paper sushi rolls are a perfect combination of earth and ocean, crispy chewy rice paper brings the aroma of the earth, seaweed brings the taste of the ocean, then filled with umami teriyaki tofu, homemade vegan mayo, and fresh veggies. If you ever feel "bored" with your food or cooking, try combining a few things you love and creating something new! These rolls are the kind of magic where 1 plus 1 is greater than 2! They are naturally gluten-free, very well balanced in nutrition with loads protein, carbs, vitamins, and fiber... packed full of flavors and layers of texture. When it comes to rice paper, a very common complaint is "why is my rice paper roll soggy/not crispy/leaking". Well rice paper is a wonderfully versatile ingredient to work with and once you get the hang of it it's super easy to get that golden crispy crust every single

Vegan Napa Cabbage Rolls with Tofu Stuffings

These napa cabbage rolls are almost like vegan dumplings but without having to make any dough. The stuffings are hearty, savory, and "meaty", wrapped in sweet and juicy napa cabbage leaves that are pan-seared to give them a little golden color and charred flavor, and finally dressed in a shiny, umami, garlicky sauce. Cabbage rolls are widely loved in many parts of the world - Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe and much of Asia, as well as parts of North Africa. But of course, they're made differently from region to region. In China, in particular, cabbage rolls are usually made with napa cabbage, as opposed to cannonball cabbage, commonly known as green cabbage. They're then stuffed with minced pork and vegetables and finished by steaming or pan-fring. To make a vegan version, I used tofu, brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, and scallions but the combination is highly adaptable. This is a perfect chance to use up any scraps of veggies in your fri

Vegan Tofu Salmon Rice Bowl with Homemade Vegan Mayo

This mind-blowing tofu "salmon bowl" is my favorite lunch bowl ever and I myself make it at least once a week. Perfectly seasoned and slightly charred tofu "salmon", broken apart and mixed into a bowl of steamy rice, topped with sweet chili sauce and creamy homemade vegan kewpie mayo, and finally all wrapped in a piece of crispy seaweed - it's land and ocean, nutrition and flavor, all in one bite. You might know this bowl as an internet "trend" but for me and I believe many other Eastern Asian kids, it's a childhood memory. I grew up in a coastal city right on the beach and crispy seaweed is a snack our household always had in abundance, they're just so delicious, available, cheap, and actually healthy. And before anyone even had to teach me, I started using crispy seaweed to pick up steamed rice, I’d even skip the chopsticks and just use my fingers to pinch up the rice and whatever I mixed in it for that meal with the seaweed. I love the feeli

Miso Glazed Eggplants - Umami and Addicting

These miso eggplants are seared, glazed, and finally baked to perfection. They're literally bursting with umami, juicy, savory, tenderer than a baby's cheek, and just melt in your mouth. They're definitely a rice-killer - meaning so much rice is gonna be devoured up with this flavorful and addicting dish. But they're also lovely just on their own. Eggplant is one of my absolute favorite vegetables growing up, even during my fussy eating teenager years I never ever turned my back on eggplants. And rightfully so. They have such an amazing texture plus a unique aroma. Scoring the eggplant really helps release the yummy potential of them, the texture will get cooked tender and soft easier and the scored patterns will soak up the sauce and glaze all the way from top to the skin. And if being downright delicious is not enough, eggplant is also a very humble and easy ingredient to use, I can't even imagine how eggplants can ever go wrong. When I was little, sometimes my mo

Chinese Cucumber Salad - Suo Yi Cucumber

The most fabulous way to cut and present cucumber, ever! This cucumber salad is made of ONE SINGLE cucumber, sliced into a spring shape and dressed in a sweet, sour, and umami sauce, and finally topped with some aromatic and spicy chili oil. Let's please call this dish by its proper name - Suo Yi cucumber, or Suo Yi Huang Gua 蓑衣黄瓜. Suo Yi, means the traditional Chinese raincoat which was made of overlapping layers of straw and sometimes leaves, think a Hawaiian grass skirt but for the whole body. And the "scales" of the cucumber created by a special slicing technique and stretching resemble the layers of straws in Suo Yi, hence the name. And this special way of slicing is not just for presentation's sake! Because of all the incredibly thin, translucent, and flexible slices that this method creates, the seemingly ordinary cucumber is transformed into a form of magic and art! The texture is crunchy yet tender, every single thin "scale" of the cucumber picks up

Pan Fried Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings with Vegan Fillings

Happy year of the tiger! Dumplings are a must for me on the Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year and these rice dumplings are the ultimate lazy and easy version. They're stuffed with a savory and "meaty" tofu veggie filling and then pan-fried till golden crispy. And to make the experience even more satisfying, serve them with some sizzling scallion chili oil! Rice papers are such a perfect "cheat" to make easy dumplings. No need to mix flour, knead the dough, then roll out the wrappers, simply dip rice papers in some warm water, cut them into shapes, and start wrapping. The texture is more like the "crystal dumplings" you would get at a dim sum restaurant - the skins would be translucent and chewy and if pan-fried, super crispy! For the fillings, I used a mixture of tofu and vegetables but this is highly adaptable! You can use up any scraps of veggies in your fridge and use any protein base you like - tofu, mashed lentils, or even crumbled tempeh. And i

Teriyaki Tofu with Seaweed Belt (Vegan Teriyaki "Eel")

This easy teriyaki seaweed-wrapped tofu takes little time or effort to make but packs so much depth and flavor! The tofu is cooked to the perfect texture - golden crispy on the outside and tender on the inside then coated in a luscious sauce. You can never go wrong with a good teriyaki sauce and trust me you don't need to buy those premade teriyaki sauces that always contain so much sugar and whatever else. It's so simple to make your own and you can customize your homemade sauce blend to be exactly how you like it. I like mine umami, savory, with a subtle sweetness. This sauce can be used in so many dishes, simple vegetable stir fries, chow mein noodles, or of course, tofu! Whenever I'm using a rich sauce that will get sticky after cooking like this, I always love to coat the tofu in starch and get a crispy crust on them first because they will pick up the sauce so much better and as well as create an amazing contrast between the sticky coat and crispy bite. I also wrapped

Shanghai Style Vegan Wontons in Peanut Butter and Chili Oil Sauce

This, is the GOAT of all wontons - sorry to all the other wonton varieties out there I love them all but nothing tops these Shanghai street food style wontons! They are stuffed with umami tofu and colorful vegetables, cooked then chilled, and doused in a luscious peanut butter and chili oil sauce. I hold this recipe especially dear to my heart, as it embodies some of the best memories from my years in Shanghai. Throughout all the ups and downs, growth and growth pains, the street food in Shanghai was the one consistent thing that gave me so much comfort and joy. Scallion pancakes, scallion oil noodles, turnip cakes, soup dumplings, siu mai... but most of all, wontons! Hot steamy wonton soups in the winter and chilled peanut butter chili oil wontons in the spring and summer. The peanut butter and chili oil sauce is without a doubt the soul of this dish. I highly recommend making your own chili oil following this recipe ! It's sooo much more aromatic and flavorful than storebought an

Vegan Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savory Pancake with Veggies)

My absolute favorite Japanese street food, EVER!  Okonomiyaki is like a big savory pancake that is thick, a bit chewy, fluffy and soft on the inside and golden crispy on the outside, topped off with a generous amount of umami and sweet sauce and mayo. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake made of vegetables, sometimes meat and seafood, in a wheat flour batter. It's as adaptable as an omelet, if not more, as the word  okonomi  literally means "how you like" or "what you like".You can pretty much stuff it with whatever ingredients you prefer but for this vegan version, I used a variety of vegetables. This is also a great fridge clearing recipe to use up all the scraps of veggies you have on your hand. For the batter, the traditional okonomiyaki recipe calls for grated nagaimo to add fluffiness to the texture. Nagaimo, or mountain yam, is a type of root vegetable that's long and hairy, it's creamy and slimy when grated. However, it's not easy to find

Easy Vegan Mayonnaise with Silken Tofu

This super easy vegan mayonnaise is silky, creamy, and tastes like Kewpie mayo! It's made of 100% whole food plant ingredients, high in protein, without any excessive amount of fat or oil,  and would be ready literally within minutes. To be honest, I never liked the idea of raw eggs in traditional mayonnaise, I mean raw eggs whipped with an insane amount of oil... yuck. However, I did like its rich, creamy texture, which could be critical in many dishes. The good news is this easy vegan version comes with all the familiar yumminess with no sanitary problems. This mayo can keep in the fridge for up to one week, use an airtight container and only use clean utensils to take the sauce out if needed. I recommend making this recipe in small batches. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 pacakge (8 oz) silken tofu 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon white miso paste 1 lemon, juiced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoon maple syrup, adjust to your preferred sweetness Pinch of salt TO MAKE: - Gently drain the tofu