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 Lorraine, then savor every bite while strolling back to class through the winding, cobbled streets. While I can’t remember much about my courses, the memory of that simple pleasure still lingers.
Named after the region of France where it originated, quiche Lorraine 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.
Table of Contents
“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
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. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can prepare this recipe a day ahead of time and refrigerate. 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.
Yes, quiche Lorraine 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.
Baking quiche at 325°F is a technique I learned in French culinary school and while working in a French restaurant. This lower temperature prevents the eggs from scrambling, a common issue at higher heats, and ensures the custard sets to a silky smooth consistency. It makes a difference!
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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This is the first quiche I ever made and it was outstanding. I think I was intimidated by quiche recipes that all called for homemade crusts, but Jenn’s suggestion of using store-bought pie crusts gave me the incentive to try making this dish. It was so good that I’m going to try making Jenn’s other recipes for quiche as well.
This is the first quiche I’ve ever made (and the first time I made a pie crust) and it was so easy to create. My family loved it. I highly recommend this recipe.
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. It’s rich and decadent tasting, yet doesn’t make you feel overly full. It’s the perfect mixture of creamy, cheesy, and salty. People always tell me it’s the best quiche they’ve ever tasted! I’ve made it dozens of times and it always turns out perfectly!
You need try make the Quiche Lorraine! I made it for my BFF for dinner one evening and she loved it too and she doesn’t even like bacon. (Hard to imagine anyone not liking bacon, but I guess it happens.) It was simple and delicious….my kind of dish!
I really enjoy your cooking website and this quiche lorraine is delicious, thank you
I love quiche Lorraine and have been making it at home using Craig Claiborne’s NYT cook book recipe for more than 30 years. I decided to give this recipe a try given how happy I’ve been with results of your other recipes.
I’m so glad I did—this is the recipe I will be using for the next 30 years (I hope)! Loved the custard texture of the eggs from cream only and using just Gruyere (versus Gruyere and parmigiana in NYT recipe) really lets the subtle flavor of the shallots shine through. Thank you for this.
Really looking forward to your next cookbook.
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it about 6 times! I often substitute leftover ham for the bacon. I really appreciate the reality of using a frozen pie crust–it makes it so easy! The gruyere cheese gives it such a good flavor. This was the first recipe of Jenn’s that I made, and since then I’ve made so many more. Thank you!
This is delicious. I made two and froze one and it was still fabulous weeks later. I used frozen pie crust and may have been too aggressive in pricking it with a fork. The filling leakEd under the crust and stuck to the metal pan, making it difficult to get slices out.
When I think of preparing a quiche always go to this site, already try all of the quiches here, they are easy to make and always come out perfect, but this is our favorite, the flavor and texture can not be better.
I was a bit intimidated to try to make your fancy sounding Quiche Lorraine. But was I wrong! You make it so easy with the photos. I’ve made this for so many brunches and everyone loves it. It comes out perfectly every time. No need to adjust any ingredients. Thank you from someone who is not comfortable in the kitchen!
Best quiche you will ever make! It is a 5 star recipe. The filling turns out perfect every time – smooth and silky. This also reheats really well and the leftovers are just as good the next day. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
This is my go to quiche recipe. I have made many quiches over the years but I found that this one has the perfect selection of ingredients and amounts to make this the perfect quiche. So easy to make.
I made this last weekend for my husband and he kept raving about how wonderful it was! This is certainly a go-to for a brunch recipe! I’ve made the spinach quiche as well, which is wonderful, but this one is also great if you have a bacon craving! I made the recipe exactly as written, no adjustments were needed.
This is our go to Quiche recipe. It’s easy, no fail and so delicious. We pair it with a light arugula salad. Also warms up well the next day!
Jenn,
Have tried several of your recipes and was so excited to see this one. Have become a fan of quiche and you knocked outta the park.
Thanks so much, was delicious!!!
I regularly make frittatas and quiches for breakfast/brunch at home. This recipe was outstanding for its simplicity, superb taste and texture and adherence to classical standards.
Visual and written instructions were clear and unambiguous. Following instructions guaranteed great results. Many thanks for what you do for aspiring cooks/chefs.
Absolutely the best Quiche ever. Thank you Jen, you’ve done it again!
Oh my, delicious perfection. I followed the recipe exactly. Accompanied with a lovely mixed green salad, baguette and glass of champagne, I’m reminded of the wonderful times enjoyed at bistros in France. 🥂
The best quiche recipe EVER!!! It always comes out perfect, it tastes delicious and the texture is smooth. I make it every holiday and when we have friends over for brunch (often as it is my favorite way to entertain). It is expected that I make this quiche and I am not allowed to change it up. Thanks for another winner!!!!
Made the quiche lorraine and used your, “my favorite pie crust recipe” . I didn’t have Crisco for crust so just used butter. It did cause a bit of smoke in oven while cooking as the butter melts differently than Crisco does. Recipe was awesome and my husband also enjoyed the Quiche. He is not as big of a fan of Quiche as I am but the bacon drew him in ! Thanks for always inspiring me!
I love to make this recipe when we have house guests and I’m always asked for the recipe. Since I can never decide between spinach quiche or quiche lorraine, I buy the package of 2 frozen deep dish crusts and make one of each. The gruyere and shallots are what make it so good, and who doesn’t love bacon!
So yummy, no one will guess how easy it was to make. I added some sauted onion and diced Black Forest ham for a different twist. This recipe is a keeper!
This quiche is so delicious. It is the only quiche lorraine recipe I use now, we make it at least once a month and it comes out perfect every time.
Great recipe. Taste is spot on. FYI, you can use fat free half and half instead of the cream to cut calories. Taste and texture are the same.
So yummy, no one will guess how easy it was to make. I added some sauted onion and diced Black Forest ham for a different twist. This recipe is a keeper!
This recipe is the bomb! I love the guyere cheese/bacon combo. I had some cooked broccoli (1/2 cup or so) left over and added it as well. Yum!
I love this quiche! It is perfect for a simple supper with a salad or especially tasty for breakfast with fresh fruit. It’s a go-to recipe.
This quiche recipe is so good. Perfect as is. It is quick and easy to prepare. I often make two at a time and freeze one as it freezes perfectly. For a quick meal I just take a frozen quiche out of the freezer and serve with a salad. Yum.
This recipe made me hungry just looking at it. I made it and the only addition I added was 1/4 t paprika. Next time I think I will add some chopped fresh basil. It is delicious!
This is the BEST, most authentic Quiche Lorraine recipe you will ever make. I make it about once a month and only changed things a couple of times due to not having exactly the right things. I have tried onion for shallot, swiss for gruyere and pancetta for bacon….okay, but not nearly as great as the original recipe. Do not substitute anything! You won’t be disappointed, I promise❤️
Best Quiche recipe! That’s for the guilt free frozen crust tip!
This quiche recipe was fantastic!! I was getting tired of the same old egg casserole I’ve been making for years and decided to try this instead. It was a big hit with my family…my husband and teenage kids LOVED it! I also made a veggie one and just substituted spinach for the bacon and it turned out just as good! It was so tasty with the Gruyere cheese. Don’t think I’ll ever make my egg casserole again!
This is the best Quiche Lorraine recipe and definitely worth 5 stars. It was easy with a great combo of ingredients – and it freezes well to make ahead. The addition of gruyere was the perfect cheese and the first time I had used it in a quiche. This is our go-to recipe since it turns out perfectly each time.
I really enjoy this Quiche. I have made it several times. I always make two so I have one for the freezer “ICE”. The Spinach Quiche in your recipe book is also Great.
Thank You.
My favorite quiche recipe! The filling is silky and turns out perfectly every time.
My husband loves this as well. Great for brunch or dinner.
Love this recipe
Seems to be simple enough for me
However, I am having trouble finding Gruyere cheese
Hi Catherine, you could use Cheddar or fontina in place of the gruyere (fontina will be more mild tasting). And glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Hi Jen,
This is my go to brunch dish when I have my girl friends over. Everyone loves it.
thanks,..Claudia
This is the BEST quiche ever. Pair with a sliced avocado-orange composed salad and lightly dress salad with a sweet-tart vinaigrette. It also freezes well. I make it all the time.
This Quiche is UNBELIEVABLE! I wish I had made more because it was the hit of the party. I did end up using grated cheddar in place of gruyere because that’s all I had but I can’t wait to try it with gruyere too! You can’t go wrong. Make this quiche if you are looking to impress, and make extra!
I have made this recipe many times. Best Quiche Lorraine recipe out there! My go to for friends and family brunch.
This quiche is delicious. I have made it several times.
This dish never fails. It’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Very creamy.
This recipe is a favorite of mine. I make two at a time and freeze one for easy leftovers. Reheated in the toaster oven, with some foil over the crust it doesn’t burn and it’s still tasty.
My all time favorite quiche recipe! My family thinks this is better than any quiche they have had at a restaurant. I use the pillsbury frozen deep dish pie crust to save time and make two at a time to freeze one to use on a night I need something quick for dinner. Tip: gruyere cheese can be expensive in grocery store but you can by a block at Costco and get 4 quiches from one block:)
I’ve made this multiple times. It’s quite delicious. My kids aren’t big fans of eggs, but my husband is. He said, “Real men don’t eat quiche,” but he gobbles this one up! I’ve used different pie crusts. Also I love using Horizon organic whipping cream and pasteurized eggs from the Farmers Market.
This has the best flavor of any quiche I have made.I used Julia Child recipe before but this is my go to recipe now.
This was my first time really successfully making a quiche, and it went very well. Be careful not to overfill your pie crust with the cream mixture, which had a little too much volume after the other fillings were layered. I also made this with home-made pie crust and it went very well – just put the pie crust in the over for ~5 minutes before adding the fillings.
I have made Quiche Lorraine several times over the years, but this recipe… THIS recipe has topped them all. As I say to my family, this ain’t diet food, y’all! But it is soooo good. If you’re looking to impress your mama-in-law or your book club (when we get back to doing this sort of thing IRL), this’ll be your winner.
I love this quiche recipe bc it’s so easy and can be done in a pinch when you’re out of ideas! It’s also easy to substitute any variation of vegetables or meat. Cooking it at the low temp is key! Thanks!
This is a wonderful quiche recipe. Very rich and full of flavor but not heavy or overwhelming. Knowing the portions of fat to egg and cheese is helpful in any quiche recipe and can be adapted to other ingredients once you get that part. We usually pair it with soup for a great winter family meal or salad in the spring or summer.
The use of shallots instead of onion as well as the addition of nutmeg and cayenne are what set this recipe above others I have used. This is absolutely delicious! I love your recipes and have your cookbook too. I can’t wait for the new cookbook to come out!