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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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 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!