Quiche Lorraine
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Quiche Lorraine is a classic for a reason—richly flavored with nutty Gruyère and smoky bacon, it’s one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.
During my college years, I spent a semester studying abroad in Tours, France, a charming university town about an hour from Paris. One of my daily rituals was stopping by a local boulangerie for lunch, where I’d treat myself to a mini quiche Lorraine—rich, savory, and still warm from the oven. I’d savor every bite while strolling back to class through the winding, cobbled streets. While I can’t remember much about my courses, that simple pleasure has stayed with me ever since.
Named after the region of France where it originated, quiche Lorraine is one of the most iconic—and most satisfying—French quiches. Made with smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère cheese, and shallots baked into a silky custard, it’s ideal for brunch, lunch, or dinner, especially when paired with a green salad and a crisp glass of white wine.
“This is hands down, the BEST quiche Lorraine recipe ever! As a personal chef, I am asked to make dishes that reheat well—this one does, but it’s also exceptional when served fresh out of the oven…People always tell me it’s the best quiche they’ve ever tasted!”
What You’ll Need To Make Quiche Lorraine
- Frozen pie crust: Serves as the base for the quiche. I recommend using frozen crusts over rolled refrigerated crusts—they are ready to cook and won’t shrink during par-baking. Ensure it’s a deep-dish variety to accommodate all the filling.
- Thick-cut bacon: Adds smoky, savory flavor and meaty texture that is quintessential to the flavor profile of quiche Lorraine. To make it easier to work with, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so before cutting.
- Shallots: Offer a mild, slightly sweet flavor that complements the richness of the other ingredients without overpowering them.
- Eggs: Act as the foundation of the custard filling, binding the ingredients together and giving the quiche its signature texture and structure.
- Heavy cream: Contributes to the luxurious, creamy consistency of the filling. When making quiche, I always use heavy cream over milk or half-and-half.
- Salt, cayenne pepper, ground nutmeg: These seasonings flavor of the quiche, with salt balancing the flavors, cayenne pepper adding a slight heat, and ground nutmeg providing a warm, nutty undertone.
- Gruyère: This cheese lends a rich, nutty flavor that is essential to quiche Lorraine. Use an authentic Swiss-made Gruyère with the AOP seal for the best flavor and quality, and be sure it’s finely shredded so that it melts easily. It’s a bit pricey, but you only need 4 ounces. Plus, any leftover cheese can be used for making delicious grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step instructions
Step 1: Blind bake the crust. Remove the pie crust from the freezer and let it thaw for about 10 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork, then bake until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it—if the crust puffs up as it bakes, just gently prick it with a fork so it deflates.
Step 2: Fry the bacon. While the crust cooks, dice the bacon and add it to a medium nonstick sauté pan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Drain the bacon. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and let it drain; this removes excess grease so the finished dish isn’t oily.
Step 4: Cook the shallots. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan, then add the shallots. Cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes—don’t let them brown. Set aside.
Step 5: Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk until everything is evenly combined.
Step 6: Layer the fillings. Spread the shallots evenly over the bottom of the baked crust, then sprinkle on half of the bacon. Add all of the Gruyère, followed by the remaining bacon.
Step 7: Add the custard. Carefully pour the egg and cream mixture over the fillings, stopping just below the top of the crust. If you have a little extra custard, discard it—overfilling can cause the quiche to spill over.
Step 8: Bake. Slide the quiche (still on the baking sheet) into the oven and bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and lightly golden. Baking quiche at a lower temperature is a technique I learned in culinary school and while working in a French restaurant—it prevents the eggs from scrambling (a common issue at higher heat) and helps the custard set up silky smooth. It really does make a difference. Serve the quiche hot or at room temperature.
Video Tutorial
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Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
- One 9-inch (23-cm) deep-dish frozen pie crust
- 8 oz thick-cut bacon about 6 slices, diced
- ½ cup chopped shallots from 2 medium shallots
- 4 large eggs
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 4 oz Gruyère finely shredded (about 1¼ cups)
Instructions
- Blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork, about 10 minutes. (If there are any cracks in the crust, see note below on how to patch them up.) Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork. Place the crust on a baking sheet to make it easy to move in and out of the oven. Bake on until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it; if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate. (If it cracks while baking, see note below for instructions on how to patch it up.) Set aside and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (170°C).
- In a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg; whisk until evenly combined.
- Spread the shallots evenly over the bottom of the cooked crust. Top with half of the bacon, all of the Gruyère, and then the remaining bacon. Pour the egg/cream mixture over top.
- Slide the quiche (still on the baking sheet) into the oven and bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- Don't panic if your crust has cracks—you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then proceed with the recipe. If the crust cracks while blind baking, patch it afterwards and place it back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: This quiche can be baked up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat, cover the quiche with aluminum foil and heat in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center. The cooked quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. After baking and cooling the quiche, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating. Remove the plastic wrap and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made it for New Years Eve. Great way to start the year.
This is the 1st time to ever make a quiche and boy was it a hit!! Made it for Christmas Morning and my husband and I polished off half of it by ourselves. So Good!!
Made this on Thanksgiving morning and it was a huge hit. Honestly the best quiche I think I’ve ever had. Great instructions, amazing flavor and relatively easy to make. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I followed the whole recipe but I decided to give it a pizza base instead of a pastry base and it turned out more delicious than a pastry base!
This recipe is the best quiche Lorraine I have ever tasted in my life and I highly recommend following the instructions 😍😍😍
Made this almost as written. Had to make a couple of mods as I was using frozen GF pie crust, and I make 2 at a time. I’ve made many variants of quiche, and this is the best one so far. Yes, you can use GF pie crusts (these are typically standard sized depth pie crusts.. not deep pies, already formed in an alum pie pan). For par-baking the crust, I bake them slightly thawed on a cookie sheet at 400F for 5 mins, prick crust with a fork, sprinkle with Gruyere (med flavor) cheese, and bake for another 5 mins. I then lower to 325F & fill the pies as noted in recipe.. baking for about 55 mins. Since I was making 2 pies, I used 7 eggs + 1.5c half & half (because that’s all I had on hand). I do not over-whip the egg mixture as I don’t want to introduce a lot of air & make the quiche spongy. I divided the egg mixture evenly between 2 pans.. perfect amount. Gentle with those eggs! You can’t hurry the baking process if you want a creamy quiche. It was divine. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I made this for dinner tinight, and my 4th grade son turned to me and said “Wow! This is really good!”. That’s never happened before, definitely a winner!
Make as recipe dictates. Perfect! Do not substitute and it will come out amazing! True custard. Rich and yummy! I have made this 3 times. Every time flawless and the compliments keep coming!
I made this into mini quiches (using a muffin tin) and I will say it was tough to keep my homemade pie crust in shape (ended up putting pie weights in half way through). Agree completely that these were the best tasting quiches I have ever eaten. Will definitely make this again.
This was, hands down, the best Quiche Lorraine I’ve ever made! I appreciated the detailed step-by-step instructions, and closely followed them. When it gets toward the end of the baking time with quiches, I pull out the shelf and inspect them every few minutes. I like to leave the center just a very little jiggly, as they tend to continue firming up even after taking out of the oven. I’d ever only used regular Swiss cheese. Using the AOS (purchased at my local Walmart) Gruyere put it over the top. Oh, I also thought I had shallots but they’d all dried up. I substituted about half as much of very finely chopped and sauteed Vidalia onion instead. My guest and I thoroughly enjoyed this, both of us had seconds. This is definitely my go-to Quiche Lorraine recipe from now on; no more searching for ‘the Great One’!
Hi! Just wanted to say that Quiche Lorraine doesn’t contain cheese as an ingredient. I grew up in this region and it is a misconception that cheese is one of the ingredients. Only cream, eggs and bacon.
I made this quiche this morning and it was great! For the pie crust I used a Wholly Wholesome 9in frozen crust and it was the perfect size to fit all the ingredients. I used Comte instead of Gruyere because it’s all I had and it went nicely with the bacon and spices. Baked for a total of 55 mins. Will definitely make again!