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Quiche Lorraine
With smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère, and shallots, this classic quiche Lorraine is ideal for brunch, dinner, or anytime in between.
Isn’t it amazing how, just like an old song, a taste can instantly bring you back to a special time and place? When I was 20 years old, I studied abroad in Tours, France, a university town in the Loire Valley. Every day for lunch, I walked to the bakery near my university and treated myself to a warm individual quiche. With my quiche in hand, I’d stroll back to class through the maze of cobbled streets and sidewalk cafes, relishing every bite while soaking up the atmosphere. I don’t recall a single course I took at that school, but the simple pleasure of eating that quiche is seared into my memory.
The classic quiche Lorraine with smoky bacon, Gruyère and shallots has always been one of my favorites. You can serve it for brunch, dinner, or anytime in between — and it’s especially good paired with a green salad and crisp white wine.
What You’ll Need To Make Quiche Lorraine
Before we get to the instructions, a few tips on making a good quiche: First, for the richest, silkiest custard, use heavy cream instead of milk or half & half — and always bake your quiche at 325°F, as higher temperatures can cause the eggs to scramble. Second, never feel guilty using a store-bought crust. Making a homemade crust is time-consuming and, with a good-quality frozen crust, you can whip up a quiche with almost no effort at all.
Finally, be sure to use an authentic Swiss-made Gruyère that bears the AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) seal, which shows that the cheese is made according to strict government-mandated rules and quality standards. It’s pricey but you only need three ounces (and any that you have leftover makes amazing grilled cheese).
How To Make Quiche Lorraine
To begin, remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw for about 10 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork.
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.) Don’t panic if your crust cracks in the oven. You can easily fix it by making a smooth paste from 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of water. Using your fingers, patch up and fill any cracks with the paste, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
While the crust cooks, dice the bacon. To make it easier to work with, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so beforehand.
Place the diced bacon in a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.
Cook, 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 and add the shallots.
Cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown. 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.
Then all of the Gruyère.
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 the quiche hot or at room temperature.
How To Freeze Quiche Lorraine
This quiche freezes beautifully for up to three 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 until hot in the center.
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Quiche Lorraine
With smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère, and shallots, this classic quiche Lorraine is ideal for brunch, dinner, or anytime in between.
Ingredients
- One 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust
- 8 oz thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices), diced
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots, from 1 large shallot
- 4 large eggs
- 1-1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 3 oz Gruyère, finely shredded (about 1-1/4 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F 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 (this makes 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. Set aside and turn the oven down to 325°F.
- 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. 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.
- Note: 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 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 Instructions: This quiche can be fully prepared up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 616
- Fat: 51 g
- Saturated fat: 24 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Sodium: 575 mg
- Cholesterol: 232 mg
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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Best Quiche I have ever had! I didn’t have shallots, so I used white onion. Making it this weekend with shallots. I also added a little parmesan cheese. Loved the tip of freezing bacon for 10 minutes before chopping. This is my last quiche recipe to ever look for!
I made this quiche yesterday with a couple of substitutions – pancetta instead of bacon, leeks instead of shallots, and my homemade crust made with sprouted grain flour. It was the best quiche I’ve ever made! This was my first time substituting sprouted grain flour in a pie crust, and the nutty flavor was amazing. The heavy cream is a must, and the cayenne and nutmeg add wonderful flavor. Thank you for this recipe!
Best quiche ever! I love to quiche since I was a teenager in the 70s. I have tried hundreds of recipes for quiche. When I found this recipe the search ended! It even serves well as just your basic recipe and you can do your thing with it.
I made this quiche last night and it was FANTASTIC! Hands down the best quiche I have ever had/made. It was fluffy, cheesy and simply delicious. I made two and I’m glad I did, the first one was gone within minutes. Even my 4 year old asked for seconds!
Hi there!
Can I use pancetta instead of bacon?
Sure!
My mother always used evaporated milk instead of cream. A lot less fat—will the quality be compromised much? What about fat free half and half?
Hi Theresa, If you want an alternative to the cream, I’d go with the half and half. It won’t be quite as rich but will still be good. Enjoy!
Jenn I plan on making these in regular sized muffin tins with store bought dough. Do I need to alter the cooking time or recipe?
Hi Cathy, I believe the only change would be the cooking time; I’d cook them for 25 – 30 minutes or until the eggs are set. Please LMK how they turn out!
This recipe looks wonderful! So looking forward to trying. Is there a particular brand of bacon that you recommend using?
Hi Marie, I usually use Smithfield. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent! Made this and the blueberry muffins for friends over for NFL brunch. Everyone loved both 😋
Will definitely be making again.
Absolutely fabulous recipe. I have tried several quiche recipes and have never had results like this! Thank you!
Went to a friends cabin and we offered to provide brunch. I made this quiche exactly as written in the recipe and it was WONDERFUL! TASTED DELICIOUS!
Will definitely make again!
This was spectacular! I adore Quiche Lorraine but this was my first time making it. And it did not disappoint — far from it. The recipe was easy to follow and the results were absolutely delicious. I’ll definitely be making this again (and again and again and again). Thanks!
🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Jen,
I just made your recipe for Quiche Lorraine and it was absolutely delicious!
I think it’s the best tasting quiche I’ve ever had. As always, your recipes work out perfectly. Kudos to you for testing them so thoroughly!
I was also very impressed with the flavor of the Wholly Wholesome crusts.
I’m very grateful for your recommendation.
Many thanks and kind regards,
Sydney
Hi Jenn! Thank you for the lovely recipe as always – your recipes are my favorite!
A few quick questions for you as I refine my technique, as mine have been turning out slightly differently each time (I’m not sure if it’s an oven issue or something I’m doing): Is there a reason why you layer in the fillings, cheese, and dairy in this and the spinach quiche recipe, but mix the cheese with the dairy in the Parmesan & Leek Quiche? After baking, should the custard portion of these quiches have air bubbles at all?
For context, I’ve had one try come out super smooth (like jello), and others have more holes throughout (like steamed egg custards in Asian cuisine). Both taste great, but I prefer the former as it reminds me of a memorable quiche from a local bakery. I haven’t been to France so I wasn’t sure what the “right” answer is, and the internet doesn’t seem to know either.
Hi SY, Glad you enjoy the recipes! The reason the cheese is mixed in with the Parmesan and Leek quiche is that the cheese is finely grated and easier to incorporate. (That wouldn’t work with finely shredded Gruyere; it would clump up and sink to the bottom of the bowl.) The custard shouldn’t have air bubbles. Are you using full-fat cream? If so, it may be that your oven is too hot.
Ah, that makes sense.
On the dairy, I’ve been using half-and-half, so I wonder if that’s it? Though to be fair, I’ve gotten both the silky custard and the air bubbles one from half-and-half. Could it be a whisking thing?
Hi SY, The fact that you’ve used half-and-half as well as heavy cream makes me suspect that that’s not the problem. My guess is that you could be over whisking the mixture (but for the best results I’d stick with the heavy cream).
Makes sense – thanks, Jenn!
Hi,
I made a batch of Creme Fraiche to go with dessert tomorrow. I’ll have plenty leftover. Can I can use it in you recipe for Quiche Lorraine in lieu of the heavy cream?
By the way, I keep making your blueberry/strawberry muffins any chance I get. We are addicted!
Thank you 😊
Hi Gergana, I’ve never tried this recipe with crème fraîche, but I think it should work. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it. 🙂
Phenomenal. Like Jenn suggests, thoroughly wring out the spinach in a dish towel. Don’t try to be clever and put it in the oven. The spinach will float to the top of the quiche and get crusty.
Hi Jenn,
I made my first quiche last night and I used your recipe because yours always turn out beautifully. I only made two changes. I used Emmental for the cheese and paprika as I had no cayenne. It was delicious and so simple and everybody loved it. This will be another one of my go-to recipes.
I just went to my local market and they had wholly wholesome crusts. But none said “deep dish”. I bought the 2-pack and came home. Looked online and nothing on their site mentions deep dish. So I am hoping their regular crust is deep dish. What do you think? And thanks. Love your recipes.
Hi Lexi, I believe they are deep dish, but if not, just pour the filling in until it reaches right below the rim.
A classic and the best although I’ve made many other vegetable quiches. If you don’t have heavy cream, Canned evaporated (not sweetened condensed!) milk works well. I’ve also subbed ham for bacon and leeks for shallots with good results.
Made this last night for the first time. Very easy and delicious! I will definitely be making it again.
Second time making this quiche. Turned out great!
Delicious! SO much better than my old standby quiche recipe. Will definitely make this again!
Hello Jenn, I have made this quiche more than five times now, and my husband (who is French) loves it… he actually said that it’s the best he has ever had! My family LOVES your recipes: finding recipes to try out has become a new hobby for us during this challenging time and eating your delicious food a treat for the whole family. Thank you!
❤️
I love quiche Lorraine but I decided to follow Jen’s recipe with leftover Easter ham and cheese I had in the fridge. Luckily I had the eggs and cream! It turned out absolutely delicious and my entire family loved it (my kids are 13 and 10). It was the perfect consistency and set up nicely to the rim of the crust.
I follow Jen religiously and her recipes never disappoint!
Made the quiche this morning for our Easter brunch. It turned out just perfect! Followed the recipe exactly as written. I even managed to buy the same crust in our local organic store. So I felt very comfortable serving it based on all the reviews and your words. Thank you! It’s definitely a keeper. Happy Easter!
I made this quiche yesterday – it’s easy enough to put together. Since this was my first time cooking this recipe, it took me a bit longer than the suggested time to prepare. However, it was worth the time.
At first looking at my 3 oz chunk of cheese, I wasn’t sure if it would be enough but once shredded, it was plenty. Super creamy and flavorful – the 325 degree oven is definitely the trick! I had it for dinner last nite and will be enjoying for a few other meals too. I have one more crust frozen in freezer and will be trying another variation of this quiche. Delicious!
Can I substitute red onion for the shallots? Thank you in advance Chef!
Sure – hope you enjoy!
All your quiche recipes re amazingly good. Simple and tasty. Never disappointed.
I made this today. I followed the directions exactly except I halved the salt. It came out perfect. It was bursting with flavor. It was light and airy. Definitely saving this recipe.
I made the Quiche Lorraine on Saturday for me and my husband it was Amazing! Thank you for another Great Quiche.
Tamara
Birmingham Al
Hey Jenn, my husband loves the quiche but he is really sensitive to any kind of dairy can i use something else or do it without dairy? thank you
That’s a tough one is this has a lot of dairy. You could For a non-dairy option for the heavy cream, some readers have mentioned that they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen) and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. For the cheese, you could go with a non-dairy version. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with either of these, but I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it with these tweaks!)
I made this quiche using a prepared crust. While the recipe was certainly easier and faster this way, I can see that the crust really makes or breaks this quiche. The filling of the quiches was delicious but my store bought crust didn’t deserve this deliciousness. I will say the Gruyere made this a pricey dish to make. All in all tasty and easy to make. Next time I would labor over my own crust though.
This quiche is absolutely delicious! I made it exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing. I heated up the leftovers in the oven the next day and it was just as good on day two!
Another fine recipe from your wonderful site. A great recipe for family or special events, like a brunch. This was probably the finest looking quiche I have ever made. I received so many nice comments on the taste and appearance. Thank you again for an awesome cooking site. I use it so often. New York cheesecake with berry sauce is next on my “try” list. Happy New Year!
I made this today for myself and my family. We absolutely LOVED it. I plan to make it again very soon.
Excited to make this quiche tonight. One question, when I pre-bake the crust, temp is 325?
Thankssss
Hi Jane, The temp for pre-baking the crust is 400°F, then reduce to 325°F when you bake the full quiche. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi. I just at my local Wholefood Store and I found the pie crust you recommended but it doesn’t say Deep Dish. It’s a 2 pack of Traditional 9″ shells. Can I still use that?
Thanks
It will work, Rose – you may have just a bit of custard leftover; just fill the shell as high as possible.
Excellent, though I deviated a bit by making it more of a regular quiche.
Used 18% coffee cream and found that more than rich enough.
Replaced salt with some caraway.
No gruyere available, so substituted with Italian Grana Padano which worked well.
Added half a tomato and some lightly steamed broccoli for color and balance and voila. Did not get to try the reheating or freezing suggestions as there was nothing left 🙂
Excellent recipe! I blind baked my crust first. I also sautéed shallot first which made it in my opinion very delicious.
All in all, easy and very good!
Hi Jenn,
I’m making this (again) for dinner tonight. It is fabulous and my husband and son can never get enough of it.
I am already planning for Thanksgiving and wondered if this recipe could be used for mini quiches and what modifications would be necessary. I would love to serve this as an appetizer for our guests.
Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
Katy
Glad this is a hit in your house! I mini versions of this would work, they’d just be really delicate. I’d suggest a mini muffin pan and would start checking them at about 15 minutes, but I’m not certain how long they’ll take, so keep a close eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
This quiche is delicious. I’ve made it multiple times. My husband always say, “Real men don’t eat quiche!” But guess what? He gobbles it up every time I make it. Even my 10 year old son likes it even though he’s not a big fan of eggs. I like to use the wholly wholesome pie crust, Nueskes apple smoked bacon and Horizons organic cream and farmers market eggs.
What a fantastic quiche – rich, flavorful, tender. Per suggestion, used a Harris Teeter deep fish frozen pie crust, and it worked out beautifully. Paired it with a simple green salad (arugula, few cherry tomatoes, olive oil & balsamic vinegar). A wonderful reminder of France, but fresher. 🙂
I love a good quiche and have made them in the past, but this recipe was the best I’ve tried. I was a little worried about attempting it, but the instructions and photos made everything so clear, it truly was a no brainer. I made it for breakfast for some friends traveling through town, along with the strawberry and orange segment fruit salad on this site. Our friends are gourmet chefs and they were very complimentary.
I want to make a few of these for a bridal shower. Any suggestion on how to remove the quiche from the foil pan before or after it’s cooked for presentation purposes.
Hi Julia, In my experience, the quiche is pretty easy to pop out of the pan. You could also cut slices and then rearrange them in your pie pan; this will make it easier to serve, too.
I’ve used the mini filo shells for my sons bday party. You have to move fast because the crust gets soggy fast. It turned out beautiful and delicious!
I recently returned from spending 6 weeks in France and I could really relate to your memory of buying individual quiches for lunch! This is an excellent classic recipe. I followed it to the letter and the results were outstanding. And it’s so easy! The leftovers are perfect for lunch and it also freezes well.
Made this for brunch yesterday, and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I made this for my quiche-loving husband who has missed his Whole Foods quiches since we moved over two hours from the closest WF. He LOVED it and then I made this and the leek quiche for an Easter potluck. Both were a hit but this recipe is my hands-down favorite. I found a really nice two-pack of Marie Callender’s frozen crusts in my small-town grocery store that tasted great and looked beautiful. This is so easy! You must make it!