Quiche Lorraine
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Bacon, Gruyère, and a rich egg custard baked in a flaky crust—there’s a reason this quiche Lorraine recipe is a French classic.
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 walking to a local boulangerie for lunch, where I’d get a mini quiche Lorraine, still warm from the oven. I’d savor every bite while walking back to class through the cobbled streets. This quiche Lorraine recipe takes me right back.
Named after the region of France where it originated, quiche Lorraine is one of the most iconic—and 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 paired with a green salad and a crisp glass of white wine.
“Hands down, the BEST quiche Lorraine recipe ever…People always tell me it’s the best quiche they’ve ever tasted!”
What You’ll Need To Make Quiche Lorraine
- Frozen pie crust: I prefer a frozen deep-dish crust to refrigerated rolled dough—it’s convenient, holds all the filling, and is less prone to shrinking during par-baking. You can also use homemade pie crust.
- Thick-cut bacon: Gives the quiche its smoky, savory flavor and meaty texture. Pop it in the freezer briefly before cutting to make it easier to dice.
- Shallots: Milder and sweeter than onions, they complement the bacon and Gruyère without overpowering the custard.
- Eggs & heavy cream: Form the custard. I always use heavy cream rather than milk or half-and-half for the richest, silkiest texture.
- Gruyère: Its nutty flavor is a classic match for bacon and eggs. I recommend authentic Swiss Gruyère with the AOP seal; shred it finely so it melts evenly.
- Salt, cayenne & nutmeg: Season the custard. Cayenne adds just a hint of warmth, while nutmeg is a classic addition to creamy French egg dishes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Quiche Lorraine
Blind bake the crust: Par-bake the crust until lightly golden. This gives the crust a head start so it stays crisp once the custard filling goes in. If it puffs as it bakes, gently prick it with a fork to deflate it.
Cook the bacon and shallots: Cook the bacon until crisp, then drain it well so the quiche doesn’t become greasy. Sauté the shallots in a little of the bacon fat until soft and translucent, taking care not to brown them.
Make the custard. Whisk the eggs to break them up, then add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until evenly combined.
Assemble the quiche: Layer the shallots, bacon, and Gruyère in the par-baked crust, then pour the custard over top.
Bake: Bake until the filling is just set and lightly golden. Baking quiche at a relatively low temperature is a technique I learned in culinary school and while working in a French restaurant—it cooks the eggs gently so the custard sets up silky and tender rather than firm or rubbery. It really does make a difference. Serve 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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Sorry it’s taken so long for me to review this, but here it is.
I love quiche, but this one most of all.
There’s a restaurant nearby that is locally famous for its quiche. Unfortunately, it’s in a touristy little town and I don’t people. After yet another night of craving quiche, but unable to stomach the crowds, I went on a quest for a good recipe. It normally takes several recipes before finding one I like, but I hit the ball out of the park when I made this one first. I’ve shared it with so many people and every one of them love it as much as I do.
The only thing I changed ( I’m incapable of NOT making at least one change per recipe) is to use Swiss instead of Gruyère. I grew up with quiche made with Swiss and don’t particularly care for Gruyère.
After making it for 2+ years, I have some tips/shortcuts that I’ve come up with.
+Shred your own cheese. I bought one of those rotary shredders a couple years ago and haven’t looked back.
+Make “quiche kits” when you have the time to meal prep. There are a lot of steps and dishes with this recipe, which can make you decide it’s too much work sometimes. NEVER deprive yourself of this wonderful quiche. I shred a pound of cheese, chop and saute shallots, and cook and chop bacon ahead of time. Each ingredient goes in its own bag (enough for one quiche), then the three bags get vacuum sealed in a freezer bag and frozen. I can then make 4 quiches, but only wash the knife, cutting board and skillet one time.
+Make more than one at a time. I made 2 tonight. Since there are only 2 people here, I will cut the extra into single meal portions, wrap well and then freeze. It makes a wonderfully quick meal for busy nights or one where I forgot to defrost anything.
+Back to meal prepping. If you use it a lot, prep ahead. Bacon is served every day here, so I cook 6lbs at a time in the oven and freeze the surplus. 30 second in the microwave in the morning and breakfast is ready.
I use a food chopper (search on Amazon – they have a ton) to chop 6-9 lbs of onions at a time, then freeze in gallon bags. I do the same with a couple bunches of celery and a bag or two of carrots. The 6 lbs of onions take less than 10 minutes and save TONS of time energy later.
This was amazing. We always use the same type of frozen pie crust, but the pre-baking made it so flaky! Am going to always pre-bake for other recipes. Custard filling was perfect.
This was excellent. Because I had cooked a large ham the day before, i used chopped ham rather than bacon. It does make a large pie so I would suggest cutting it 25% if you are using a frozen pie crust. I had made my own pastry and have a big pie pan and the recipe filled it to the brim!
Best quiche I ever tasted and best quiche I ever made. Thank you Jenn Segal
I didn’t have a deep dish crust so reduced everything by 25%, and subbed deli ham for bacon and Gouda for the Gruyere and then messed up the steps and it *still* was absolutely delicious. Thank you for making recipes that are so great they can tolerate my lack of cooking skills!
Wow! That was truly amazing and easy to make. With a side salad, and a nice white wine, we had a perfect gourmet evening. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Jennifer! I have made this quiche – actually, I have made ALL of your quiche recipes and they are all amazing! I always get so many compliments! SO DELICIOUS! In fact, because of your recipes, my family loves my quiche and has asked me to make individual sized quiches for my nieces wedding shower. I have bought 4 inch quiche pans (12 of them) and want to know how to proceed. I need to make around 24 individual quiches. I’m willing to make a home made crust if you think that would be the way to go. Any suggestions? The easier the better! LOL
Hi Georgia, so glad the quiches have been enough of a hit that you’ve been asked to make mini ones for your niece’s shower! I think making your own crust is the way to go as I don’t recommend the store-bought refrigerated kind. The bake time will be less for these, but I’m not sure by how much, so just keep a close eye on them. Hope everyone enjoys!
THANK YOU! I will be a busy little baker tonight! Have a great weekend –
Hi, Georgia. What was the cook time on your 4-inch quiches? My plan is to bake some up later this week.
I made this over the holiday and it was fantastic! I was wondering if you could offer tips for adding asparagus? Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! To add asparagus, I’d season and sauté it or boil and then season it and add it as a layer. Keep in mind that it will be tight and you may have some of the egg batter left over.
Hi Jen – I don’t have bacon and was thinking of using some Xmas ham instead. Need to use it up. Will that work? Thanks.
Definitely – enjoy!
Thanks! Worked a treat
Jenn, this Quiche recipe could not be better! The flavor is absolutely outstanding!! Perfect ingredients, perfect amounts, perfect directions!! I Rate it 10
Stars and more.
It is so delicious it rivals an incredible Quiche my husband and I enjoyed in a Bistro we dined in Metz, adjacent to the Metz Cathedral, on a rainy evening last May. It isn’t surprising, knowing you trained in France.
Thank you for sharing this delectable recipe. It will be the only Quiche recipe included in my “preferred recipe” box. My husband nearly inhaled it!
I know you have many, many fans & followers and I’m happy to be one of them! I’ve written to you in the past because just reading your recipes made it evident you’re an outstanding chef and home cook. I look forward to every email from you to see what you’re sharing next. So happy to “follow” you.
Thank you!
Sharon H.
Las Vegas, Nv. .
❤️