Quiche Lorraine
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Richly flavored with Gruyère cheese and smoky bacon, quiche Lorraine is one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.
During my college years, I spent a semester studying abroad in Tours, France, a charming university town located an hour away from Paris. One of my daily rituals was visiting a local boulangerie for lunch. I’d treat myself to a mini quiche, then savor every bite while strolling back to class through winding, cobbled streets. While I can’t remember much about my courses, the memory of that simple pleasure still lingers. Quiche Lorraine, named after the region of France where it originated, is is one of the most iconic French quiches and also one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable. Richly flavored with smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère cheese, and shallots, it’s ideal for brunch, lunch, or dinner, especially paired with a green salad and crisp white wine.
To make life easy, I recommend using a store-bought frozen crust. A homemade crust is delicious but time-consuming to make, and with a good-quality frozen crust, you can whip up an amazingly delicious quiche with almost no effort.
What You’ll Need To Make Quiche Lorraine
- For the richest, creamiest custard, I recommend using heavy cream rather than milk or half & half (you’ll also notice that I bake quiche at 325°F rather than 350°F, as higher temperatures can cause the eggs to scramble. Baking quiches at a lower temperature makes the custard incredibly silky.)
- Be sure to use a deep-dish pie crust; a regular 9-inch crust is not deep enough to hold all of the filling. I prefer the frozen variety, as it’s ready to cook.
- For the cheese, 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 4 ounces (and any that you have leftover makes wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches).
Step-by-Step instructions
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, and then 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.
Video Tutorial
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Quiche Lorraine
Richly flavored with Gruyère cheese and smoky bacon, quiche Lorraine is one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.
Ingredients
- One 9-inch 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 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 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 heat 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. 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
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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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Hello, an advice you should try with “pâte feuilletée” (i think it’s puff pastry in english?) To me it’s much better and make it lighter when you eat but that’s just my personal taste. Also i put bacon into the bowl of eggs and cream once they are cooked , it will give more taste to it. 😊
Fantastic recipe, my family loves it. I make it for dinner. I always make two. It’s nice to have leftover for lunch. I did change one thing the first time I made it. I didn’t have heavy cream I used half and half, and I don’t love cayenne pepper, I used freshly ground black pepper mix. We love it this way and continue to make it with the half and half. Also a great hit for Mother’s Day everyone loves it. Thank you Jenn for another fantastic recipe.
I used refrigerated crust and baked for 10 minutes. The sides slid down and it was hard to get the crust side edges re-established. Any suggestions?
Hi Julia, did you use pie weights or beans when baking the crust? If not, that would definitely help!
This is such a good Quiche Lorraine recipe. Using the heavy cream and Gruyere cheese made it so rich and creamy. I did add another egg, but that was the only change I made. (Well, I didn’t have shallots so I used 1/2 of a small Vidalia onion.) This will definitely be my go to quiche recipe.
This is delicious! I made the quiche Wednesday eve to serve for lunch on Thursday and it was fabulous! I reheated it (straight from the fridge) in 300 F oven as directed but found it needed an extra 15 minutes to get it to lightly warmed. Perfect! I plan on making it again next week.
Followed your directions exactly and made this for a friend who’s recovering from surgery. I used farm fresh eggs and a good quality Gruyère cheese. As you suggested, I made a simple green salad to compliment the quiche for a full meal. She and her family agreed it’s the best quiche that ever tasted! My friend, who had just watched a video of Julia Child making quiche, asked for your recipe. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Hi Jenn,
I am excited to try your delicious recipe, BUT all I have is a 10×2 inch tart pan. Can you kindly share how I can adjust the recipe to fill a pan this size? Thank you SO sooo much! 🙂
Hi Sally, this should work and you can follow the recipe as is but the crust will only come about 1-inch up the side of the pan. Enjoy!
A question: can I use soured whipping cream for this recipe? Thanks
Hi Daphne, I’m not sure what soured whipping cream is, but whipping cream will work here.
Hi, Jenn. I would love to try this quiche filling, using puff pastry set into a muffin tin (to make 12 individual quiches). Any advice on how to do so? Specifically, would I need to parbake the puff pastry??
Hi Janice, I think that would work and I would parbake the puff pastry. The bake time for the quiches will obviously be shorter but I’m not sure by how much, so keep a close eye on them. I’d love to hear how they come out!
Thank you. I will definitely let you know how they turn out. I’m thinking I may put cupcake liners filled with beans in order to prevent the puff pastry from puffing up too much during the par ake. Fingers crossed. Lol
Yes I made your Quiche Loraine and it was perfection. I wasn’t able to get shallots because of where I was so I used spring onions. Obviously I used less onion and sautéed them in garlic butter. I also used smoked Gruy’ere cheese to get a smokier flavor. Everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
This quiche is AMAZING! I’ve made it several times and it’s absolutely delicious! I’m planning on making two of them ahead and freezing for an upcoming family vacation. When the instructions say to remove from the freezer 24 hours prior to eating, does that mean move it to the refrigerator? About how long will they take to heat up in the morning?
So glad you like it! Yes, you should transfer the quiche from the freezer to the fridge to thaw it. And I’d reheat it for about 45 minutes (covered with foil) or until hot in the center. Enjoy your vacation!
I made this tonight, and my husband and I loved it. We are sensitive to spicy dishes but I used the recommended amount of cayenne since it was only 1/8 tsp. The quiche was not at all hot, just delicious! The mix of flavors was perfect. I couldn’t bring myself to use 100% cream, so I switched out 1/2 cup of the cream with 2% milk. I used a frozen pie crust for the first time ever for the convenience. It was a good thing that there were two crusts in the package, because the first one I baked shrank too much and wouldn’t have held all the liquid. I rolled out the second one a little before I put it in the pan and it turned out much better.
I would always defer to Jenn’s baking experience , but in her recipe for quiche Lorraine she has made a serious error! There were six of us, and knowing my families appetite for wonderful food, I made two quiches….good thing! Only a sliver left! My advice is to make two…they will disappear before your eyes, it’s THAT GOOD!
Wonderful flavor as written. The only area of confusion i had was the (homemade) crust/ bake, wasn’t totally sure if the crust needed to be completely baked or still somewhat soft to the touch as it continued to be in the process, therefore I ended up baking it somewhat golden, 3/4 done & it held up very well for the quiche. My family was pleased with the results and asked for it to be made again.
I followed Jenn’s directions to a T. The thick-cut bacon and shallots were in perfect proportion to the custard, which was rich and pillowy (Jenn’s pro-tip: Baking the quiche at 325 F for 45 minutes). I used a pre-made pie crust (Mrs. Smith’s) to save time — it was a tad sweet for a savory quiche; a homemade pie crust next time. I paired it with a spring salad (baby spinach and mixed greens with strawberries, blueberries, English cucumber and honey mustard yogurt dressing).
I made the quiche for a post-Tai Chi class brunch. My classmates and I loved it, and threw calorie-consciousness to the wind.
Fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, even needing to use the pie crust crack hack – it worked! I made it for Mother’s Day and was Mom approved.
I made this today for Mother’s Day brunch. Absolutely delicious!
Thanks!
Does the cayenne pepper make this hot or spicy?
No, it really doesn’t, but feel free to omit it if you choose. Enjoy!
How can I adapt this to be crustless?
BTW, we recently got 9 hens and I am furiously trying to use the eggs. LOL! Last night I made your fabulous crustless broccoli quiche. Over the weekend I made the spinach frittata – also excellent.
Hi Tonya, You’re gonna have a lot of eggs on your hands!! To make this one crustless, I’d adjust the ingredient amounts to this:
10 oz thick-cut bacon (about 8 slices), diced
3/4 cup chopped shallots, from 1 large shallot
6 large eggs
1-3/4 cups heavy cream
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
5 oz Gruyère, finely shredded (about 1-1/2 cups)
Enjoy!
Can I use Turkey bacon ? Only issue Is I can’t find thick cut in Turkey bacon only pork . Is it ok if it’s regular cut Turkey bacon ?
Sure, Asra — just keep in mind that it will cook faster than the thick-cut pork bacon. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen, I want to make it for a friend who cannot eat any onions, garlic or shallots. What would you recommend replacing the shallots on this recipe?
Thanks,
Hi Medea, There’s not a great substitute, so I’d just omit them. It will still be tasty. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
How long would it take to bake if using tart shells, would they also have to be blind baked?
Hi Marie, what size are your tart shells?
They are Tenderflake 12 regular tart shells
Yes, I would blind-bake them and then bake them with the filling in a 325-degree oven. I’d start checking them for doneness at 25 minutes, but they may take a little longer.
Thank you Jenn, baking them next weekend!
Easy recipe and delicous. I did not have enough Shallot and used a yellow onion thinly sliced. Also delicous.
I made this amazing recipe for Easter morning, I followed the recipe exactly. It was fantastic- my family loved it. I will make it again. Jenn, I love your recipes. Thank you for the best recipes.
I make this quiche all the time. It is delicious!
this turned out great for Easter brunch. Thank you so much for tip on repairing cracks!
It was the best quiche I have ever made! Will definitely be making it again.
This was the best quiche I ever made. Had Easter brunch everyone loved it.
I enjoy the pie crust recipe and make your quiche but in this recipe it states to blind bake at 400 degrees however in the instructions of your favorite crust, you suggest 375 degrees.
Hi Charlie, I suggest the higher temperature for the quiche because it’s a store-bought crust and I’ve found the higher temp to work better. Hope that clarifies!
I’m confused by cup measurement for cream how many fluid ounces or millilitres is that ? So want to try this recipe .
Hi Rowena, You’ll need 295 ml of heavy cream. And the great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
This is a great recipe! So easy and everyone loves it.
Thank you,
Jo
Lovely quiche. Is the salad shown in the photo your Large Italian Salad ?
Glad you liked the quiche! No, that salad is just something I threw together (no recipe).
Really delicious! Thank you for the fabulous recipe and the extremely clear accurate instructions. Made one with a whole meal rye flour crust for our diabetic guest, and substituting lacto free mature cheddar for the Gruyère for another of us. Delicious use of cayenne and nutmeg. I very much appreciated the “pro tips” about which cream, about cooking at a lower temperature. Love the whole blog btw, it’s stylish, refined and incredibly useful!
You are my go to chef. I have both of your books and have followed you for quite a while. Can I add either sliced tomatoes on top or chopped tomatoes mixed in?
I’m so glad you like the recipes and flattered that they are your go-to’s! If you want to use tomatoes, I’d go with thinly sliced ones on top. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I used your exact ingredients. After frying the bacon I sauteed the onions in the bacon fat. I also wilted fresh spinach in the bacon grease. Drained both the onions & spinach on paper towels. I wanted the flavor of bacon but not all that grease. Then followed your instructions on building the quiche. This was delicious. I think it’s the best Quiche Lorraine recipe I’ve ever eaten. I made two more quiches after dinner to put into the freezer for future dinners. Thanks for an easy, quick delicious recipe.
can I use cheddar cheese as I wanted to switch it out a bit. thank you
Definitely! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This is a great go to recipe! I could serve this to anyone and be proud. I do it exactly as it is written most of the time but occasionally microwave the bacon and use some drippings for the shallots. I put it in a French tart pan just for looks. Wow.!!!
This quiche is a go to favorite. I always keep one on hand frozen for last minute guests or to send home with the kids when they visit. I make with a gluten free pie shell (I have Celiac’s so gluten free is a must) and I add in some fresh asperagus as well.
I love this recipe, but a family member has just been diagnosed with a wheat/gluten allergy. Is there an alternative flour that you can recommend or have had some success with for the crust? She also has a dairy allergy, but some of the vegan cheeses turn out to be super tasty!
Hi Paulain, I would just look for a gluten-free crust or make a homemade crust with gluten-free flour (I like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill).
I’ve made this delicious quiche so frequently in the last six months my quiche pans have started to lose their teflon finish (not the added ingredient I want to promote). We usually add Mimosa’s and my favorite love song playlist which gets our creative juices flowing and brain synapses firing!
Hello. Thank you for the recipe. How many days ahead of time have you made this? I would like to prepare it on Thursday and deliver to a friend on Sunday…
Hi Marci, That should be fine, but I wouldn’t push it any longer than that. Hope your friend enjoys!
Loved this recipe!! I chopped everything extra small – and it was fabulous
Hello!
I am super excited to make this since my mother often made a crustless version (she’s French). I want to also make a crustless version to capture those childhood memories for my little sister’s birthday, and was wondering if I need to alter the amounts for a regular 9″ pyrex pie dish about 1.5″ high?
My mother has no idea for amounts since she would do it in a huge rectangular baking dish so we had lots of breakfasts throughout the week. She did most everything ‘by eye’.
Thank you for any tips!
I’m sure you’re sister will be happy! A deep dish pie plate is 9 x 1.5 inches deep so you don’t need to make any modifications. Hope she enjoys!
I went to the grocery with a list of ingredients to make this, yet was truly hoping to find a ready made or frozen quiche. No luck so made this recipe—and it was delicious! A real hit with picky eaters and easy to make….will never consider a ready made one again! Thanks
Once all of the ingredients are prepped, this recipe is so easy to make! It’s a great dinner choice and everyone likes it. Thank you!
JanetO’Connor
Loved it and so did my husband. He said it was the best quiche he has ever had. And he is picky. Thanks!
absolutely delicious!!! fluffy, creamy….i dont think i will make any other quiche besides this. i was worried because i didnt have eggs but had eggbeaters. still came out wonderful!
Love the easy / step-by-step pics of making this quiche. Turned out great.
Great recipe! Followed it precisely and it turned out perfectly. Thanks for sharing.
I make your quiches exclusively! I’ve never had a failure with any of your recipes…you’re my “go to!” Can I make these as tartlets? Any recommendations?
So glad you like the quiches! I think these will work as tartlets. Depending on how small you’d like them, you could use a standard or mini muffin tin (unless you’ve got tartlet pans which will make the job of removing them easier). Small versions of this will less time in the oven so you’ll need to keep a close eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try them!
This was just delicious! I used half n half to minimize a little of the calories. The taste was superb. Even my husband liked it.
Hi Jen! Merry Christmas! Can ham be substituted for bacon? If so, how much? Best wishes for a wonderful 2023!!
Beth
Sure, Beth, that will work, and I’d use 8 ounces. Please LMK how it turns out!
it was delicious with 8 oz of ham. I also switched to an all butter pastry crust and used a spring form pan. It all worked great! thanks for your help and keep the recipes coming!!
Happy new year!!
So glad it came out well — thanks for taking the time to report back!
I made this for Christmas dinner. It was so good. My picky husband loved it! He want me to make it again.