The absolute best Quiche Lorraine Recipe is perfect for brunch, dinner, and anytime in between. Made with a flaky, buttery pie crust filled with loads of bacon, cooked shallots, melted cheese, eggs, and cream, the whole family will love this easy recipe!
Raise your hand if you love quiche!
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 meal-in-itself.
What is Quiche Lorraine?
Quiche is a savory pastry made with a buttery dough filled with a rich custard mixture made from eggs and cream.
Considered a French dish, quiche Lorraine is considered the most well-known variety of quiche.
Traditionally, quiche Lorraine was an open pie filled with a combination of eggs, heavy cream, lardons (pork fat), and either Swiss, Gruyere, or Emmental cheese.
Quiche Lorraine Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Ice water
- Bacon
- Shallot
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt & Black pepper
- Gruyere cheese
- Swiss cheese
Before Getting Started
You may make this recipe using homemade pie crust or frozen crust. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a pre-made pie crust, it’s faster (much faster) and therefore a whole lot easier. Should you plan on making your own pie crust, plan to add an additional 2-3 hours to the overall time.
Second, for the richest, 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 you’ll miss out on the silky custard filling that we have come to expect from our favorite quiche Lorraine recipes.
How to Make Quiche Lorraine
1. Homemade or frozen crust?
Will you be making your own homemade crust or using pre-made frozen pie crust? Once you have this figured out, you can get to work.
To make homemade crust:
Add the flour and salt to a food processor, pulsing a few times to disperse the salt.
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 2 hours to overnight.
- NOTE: Chilling in the refrigerator is why it takes significantly longer to make this, or any quiche, with homemade pie crust.
- 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.
Meanwhile, 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 aka 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 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 a store-bought crust, thaw for 10 minutes before using and follow the packaging’s instructions for blind-baking the crust.
Set the crust aside until ready to fill.
2. Cook the bacon
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.
Meanwhile, chop the bacon into small ¼-½ inch strips.
3. Cook the shallot
Working over medium heat, cook the shallot in the bacon fat until translucent. Once softened, remove from heat and set aside.
4. Assemble and bake
In a large bowl, 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.
Try these other breakfast recipes,
Autumn Granola Breakfast Cookies
Creamy Baked Eggs with Spinach and Prosciutto
Acai Bowl Recipe; How to Make Your Own Acai Bowl
If you try making your own Quiche Lorraine Recipe please leave a comment below! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!
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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
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (divided)
- 1/2 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 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 a store-bought 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 mixing 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)
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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 🙂