Quiche Lorraine is made with flakey, buttery pie crust and a savory egg custard filling packed with bacon, caramelized shallots, and melted cheese. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner, hot or cold, the whole family is guaranteed to love this easy recipe!
Classic Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Quiche is one of my top five favorite breakfast, brunch, or lunch foods. A special kind of comfort food, you can enjoy quiche warm or cold, on-the-go, casually, or for special occasions.
This classic quiche Lorraine is one of my favorite quiche varieties.
Made with a flaky, buttery crust and filled with eggs, heavy cream, bacon, and cheese, everyone loves this divine and delicious egg recipe.
What is Quiche Lorraine?
Quiche is a savory pastry made of egg custard in a buttery, flaky crust. A French dish introduced to the US in the 1950s, Quiche Lorraine is considered the most well-known variety of quiche.
In traditional recipes, a pie crust was filled with a combination of eggs, heavy cream, lardons (pork fat), and either Swiss, Gruyere, or Emmental cheese. In this version, we’ve replaced lardons with bacon and added some shallots.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Ice water
- Bacon
- Shallot
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt & Black pepper
- Gruyere cheese
- Swiss cheese
Recipe Tips
- Quiche Lorraine can be made using homemade pie crust or pre-made store-bought frozen pie crust. Using pre-made pie crust is faster (about 2-3 hours faster) and therefore a whole lot easier.
- For the richest and silkiest custard filling possible, use heavy cream (not half and half and definitely not milk). Of course, half and half or milk will still taste delicious, but the texture and taste will not be the same.
How to Make Quiche Lorraine
If using a store-bought frozen pie crust, thaw for 10 minutes before using and follow the package’s instructions for blind-baking the crust.
If you plan to make your own homemade pie crust, here’s how you’ll do it: Add the flour and salt to a food processor, pulsing a few times to disperse the salt. Next, add the (cold) butter plus 3 tablespoons of ice water to the flour. Pulse until the dough comes together.
- TIP: If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time until the dough combines.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a one-inch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- TIP: If you’re short on time, you can roll the dough out to ⅛ inch thickness and place it in a 9-inch pie or tart pan. Place the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes before moving on to the next step.
Preheat the oven to 375℉. On a floured surface roll the disc to ⅛ inch thickness and place in a 9-inch pie pan, pressing firmly to the bottom and sides. Trim any excess dough hanging over the sides, leaving about 1/2-inch to fold under the pan. Pinch to secure in place. Use a fork to poke holes across the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Place parchment paper or aluminum foil on top of the crust and partially fill with pie weights or beans.
Bake for 15 minutes. This is known as blind baking. Blind baking the crust before any filling is added helps prevent a soggy bottom or undercooked crust. After 15 minutes, take the crust out of the oven and remove the weights and parchment paper. Bake the bare crust for an additional 5 minutes, until the bottom looks dry, not doughy.
Set the crust aside until ready to fill.
Cook the bacon over medium heat until fully cooked and crispy. Remove from the skillet to a clean plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and reserve or discard the excess. Chop the bacon into small ¼-½ inch strips.
Cook the shallot in the bacon fat until translucent. Once softened, remove from heat and set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees f. Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. To the bottom of your prepared crust, add the bacon, shallots, and half of the cheeses in an even layer. Pour in the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
Place your pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. The center should have a slight wiggle but be set. Allow it to cool on a wire rack.
Serve hot, at room temperature, or chilled.
How to Freeze Quiche Lorraine
This quiche Lorraine recipe freezes really well for up to 3-4 months.
To freeze, wait until your quiche has cooled completely before wrapping it in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. To reheat, remove from the freezer about 24 hours before serving. Remove from the plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil, and reheat in an oven set to 300 degrees F until the center is hot.
What to Serve with Quiche Lorraine
This Quiche Lorraine recipe would be perfect with a side of this arugula salad with shaved parmesan or a side of fruit salad. Hash browns, sliced tomatoes, and mimosas are also great additions.
Have you tried making this Quiche Lorraine Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Ingredients
For homemade crust (see notes)
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoon butter - cold
- 3 tablespoon ice water
For the Filling
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 large shallot - diced
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese - divided
- ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese - divided
Instructions
For the Crust
- Add the flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to disperse the salt.
- Add the butter and 3 tbsp of ice water. Pulse until the dough comes together. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until the dough combines.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a one-inch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (see notes).
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Roll the disc out onto a floured surface to ⅛ inch thickness and place in a 9-inch pie tin.
- Use a fork to poke holes across the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Place parchment paper inside the crust and partially fill with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the crust out to remove the weights and parchment paper. Bake the bare crust for an additional 5 minutes, until the bottom looks dry, not doughy. Note – If using store-bought frozen crust, follow the packaging’s instructions for blind-baking the crust.
- Set the crust aside until ready to fill.
For the Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy and remove from the skillet. Drain most of the fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon inside. Chop the bacon into small ¼-½ inch strips.
- Still on over medium heat, cook the shallot in the bacon fat until translucent. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Add the bacon, shallots, and half both the gruyere and swiss cheese to the bottom of the crust. Pour in the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes. The center should have a slight wiggle but be set. Allow it to cool on a wire rack.
Jessica’s Notes
- Time does not include crust prep. Add an additional 2 hours, 20 minutes.
- NOTE: If short on time, you can roll the dough out to ⅛ inch thickness and place in a 9-inch pie tin. Place the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- If you don’t plan to make your own homemade crust, use 1 9-inch pie crust, thawed (if frozen)
- Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until heated through. To reheat a whole quiche, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 300° oven for about 30 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Thanks for the Quiche Lorraine recipe.
Try it with jarlnerg cheese…my favorite
This is from my personal learned-the-hard-way file: When using a store-bought pie crust, look to see if it contains sugar or variations thereof. A sweet crust is o.k. for desserts, but not for savory dishes like a quiche. I once ruined a quiche by not paying attention to this. In my area, sugar-free crusts are hard to find, so I just make my own.
That is really good advice BTP, thanks for sharing 🙂