Quiche Lorraine
Meet your new favorite breakfast (or brunch… or lunch!), Quiche Lorraine! Crispy bacon, sweet caramelized shallots, savory egg custard, and melty cheese all baked in a buttery, flaky crust. Fluffy, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
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A Note from Kim
The Star of Any Brunch Spread
There’s so much to love about this Quiche Lorraine! It’s packed with flavor, can be made ahead, and keeps well for leftovers. It’s such a family favorite that I often make it for dinner. It also makes a classy addition to any brunch spread, perfect for hosting guests, and is a go-to for Easter, Mother’s Day and Christmas brunch. For the ultimate spread, pair it with my cinnamon roll casserole, easy coffee cake, or these carrot muffins.
With love (and lots of good eats), 
This was easy and tasty! Husband and son ate it all and said they would eat it again! Thanks for all your recipes!
— Andrea
What are the ingredients in Quiche Lorraine?
Because this Quiche Lorraine recipe is made with simple ingredients, be sure to use the freshest ingredients you can find. Here’s everything you’ll need:
You can find all the measurements in the recipe card below.
- Pie crust. You can use this flaky, delicious homemade pie crust, or this simple oil-based crust that’s also very flaky. Or, if you prefer, a store-bought crust works perfectly too.
- Bacon. You will need 8 slices of chopped bacon for the quiche filling. We like to use thick cut bacon.
- Shallot. It’s an extra step to caramelize the finely diced shallot, but well worth it to awaken the entire flavor profile. Sub with onion, if you’d like.
- Eggs. Use 3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks to make the custard. Using the extra yolks guarantees the richest, most luxurious filling.
- Heavy cream. For a silky custard use heavy whipping cream. You can substitute with half and half, but the filling won’t be as rich.
- Flavor makers. A blend of fresh thyme, salt and black pepper add amazing taste without overwhelming the flavor. Feel free to mix in a dash of nutmeg and other herbs, if you’d like.
- Cheese. You can use any Swiss cheese, but I highly recommend freshly grated Gruyère cheese. It melts beautifully and has a buttery, nutty flavor.
How to Make Quiche Lorraine
I usually stick with a frozen store-bought pie crust for convenience, just make sure to grab the deep-dish kind. Let it thaw a bit, poke the bottom with a fork, and blind bake for 12 minutes at 425°F before lowering the oven to 350°F for the filling. No weights needed with the frozen crust!
Full, printable quiche recipe at the bottom of the page in the recipe card.
Step 1: Cook bacon. Either cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces before cooking or cook whole slices and crumble them afterward. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel–lined plate.
Step 2: Sauté shallots. Remove (or drain) most of the bacon grease from pan using a paper towel or discard into a dish and save for a later recipe. Add diced shallot to pan and cook low and slow to caramelize them (about 15 minutes).
Step 3: Make egg custard. Crack eggs and yolks into a medium bowl and whisk just until combined. Whisk in half & half, thyme, salt and pepper.
Step 4: Assemble. In bottom of pie crust, layer half of the bacon, shallots, and cheese. Gently pour or ladle in egg mixture over top. I like to place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet.
Step 5: Add cheese. Sprinkle the remaining bacon, shallots and cheese over the top.
Step 6: Bake. Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees f for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. You will want to bake this until the edges are set and the center jiggles just a little when the pan is moved. The center will continue to cook and firm up once removed from the oven, so you don’t want it completely done.
Step 7: Cool & serve. Allow to cool about 10 minutes on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Kim’s Recipe Tips
- Blind baking crust. Whether you choose to use homemade or store-bought crust, this recipe uses the technique of “par-baking” which simply means partially baking the pie crust before adding the filling. This ensures the crust stays buttery and flaky even on the bottom, no soggy crust here!
- Gluten free. Use a homemade gluten-free pie crust (or store-bought) to make this quiche gluten free.
- Milk. For best results, use only heavy cream or half & half for the custard. I do NOT recommend the use of whole milk or any other milk variety or you may have trouble with your quiche setting.
- Keep an eye on the crust. Be sure to watch the crust as it bakes. If it is becoming too dark, cover the outside ring of the crust with foil or use a pie shield.
- Don’t overbake. For the creamiest texture, watch it closely in the last few minutes of baking. The edges should be set, and the center should jiggle slightly when you move the pan. Don’t worry if it seems a little underdone, the center will continue to firm up as it cools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quiche Lorraine is a savory tart filled with a rich custard filling made of eggs, cream, Swiss cheese and smoky bacon, and baked in a buttery, flaky crust. Modern adaptations, like this recipe, also often include caramelized onions or shallots and sometimes even spinach.
A classic Quiche Lorraine is simply made with eggs, heavy cream, bacon, and Swiss cheese in a flaky pie crust. If you omit any of these ingredients or add others such as ham, sausage, vegetables, etc. it would be considered a different type of quiche.
Contrary to popular belief, France did not invent Quiche Lorraine, but they did improve upon it. The word ‘quiche’ comes from the German word kuchen, meaning cake. Thus quiche is a savory cake, and Lorraine is a rather new name for a region that, under Germanic rule, was called the Kingdom of Lothringen.
Yes, you should blind bake the crust to prevent it from getting soggy. For homemade pie dough, use parchment paper and pie weights, rice or beans; for frozen crust, weights aren’t needed. Bake at 425°F for 12 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F before adding the filling.
What to Serve with Quiche
Quiche Lorraine is typically served as a main dish for breakfast or brunch. It’s pretty hearty as-is, so I like to keep the sides simple. It can be served warm or at room temperature, I prefer it warm. Here are a few serving ideas:
- Fruit. If I’m enjoying this for breakfast or brunch, I’ll pair it with some fruit, like sliced oranges, bananas, cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple, strawberries and/or blueberries. It would also go great with a simple fruit salad.
- Bread. It would be delicious with a piece of toast and jam, a blueberry muffin, slice of lemon bread or zucchini bread.
- Salad. When I serve this for lunch or dinner, I like a simple green salad on the side. To make a fresh side salad, toss mixed greens with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, then add your favorite toppings like red onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, or croutons. No time to prep? A bagged salad from the store works great too!
How to Store Quiche
- Storing leftovers. Place any leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze. Make sure the quiche is cooled completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a freezer safe, airtight container. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and place it in the oven at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat individual servings in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes or in the microwave for about 1 minute until heated through.
More Savory Brunch Recipes
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Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
- 1 homemade or frozen pie crust
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 large finely diced shallot
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream , (half & half may be used)
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated Gruyère cheese or any other Swiss cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Make pie crust according to recipe and place in a deep dish pie pan. If using frozen, pull out of freezer and let thaw for about 10 minutes.
- Poke holes all around inside edges and bottom of pie crust with a fork. Place pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transport. If you make a homemade crust, you’ll need to cover the bottom crust with parchment paper and then pie weights or dried beans, but when using a frozen pre-made pie crust, it’s fine to bake without the weights. Blind bake (pre-bake) pie crust for 12 minutes. Once removed, reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
- Meanwhile, with a pair of scissors, cut 8 slices bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry in a large skillet until crispy. Alternatively, you can fry the whole slices and crumble once cooled (this is what I usually do.) Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and place on paper towel lined plate.
- Remove most of the bacon grease from pan using a paper towel or discard into a dish and save for a later recipe. Add 1 large finely diced shallot to pan and cook low and slow to caramelize them (about 15 minutes).
- Crack 3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks into a medium to large bowl and whisk just until combined. Whisk in 1 ½ cups heavy cream , 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- In bottom of pie crust, layer half of the bacon, shallots, and ½ cup freshly grated Gruyère cheese or any other Swiss cheese. Gently pour or ladle in egg mixture over top. Then, add remaining bacon, shallots and other ½ cup cheese.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. You will want to bake this until the edges are set and the center jiggles just a little when the pan is moved. The center will continue to cook and firm up once removed from the oven, so you don’t want it completely done.
- Allow to cool about 10 minutes on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Storing leftovers. Place any leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze. Make sure the quiche is cooled completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a freezer safe, airtight container. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and place it in the oven at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat individual servings in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes or in the microwave for about 1 minute until heated through.
Did you make this recipe?
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I will never make any other quiche lorraine recipe. It was super delicious!
Easy to assemble quiche. I did not pre-bake my crust. I thawed a frozen store bought crust & poured quiche batter directly into it before baking it. I put pieces of foil around crust edge to prevent over browning. Baked as directed. Delicious result!!
You can’t ever go wrong with a delicious quiche! We love this recipe!
This was easy and tasty! Husband and son ate it all and said they would eat it again! Thanks for all your recipes!
Thank you! Super easy and delicious. My fourth time. Always a hit!
I made this today and it was a hit with everyone. I omitted the shallot. It cooked perfectly in 45 minutes and the recipe made 1 quiche in the store bought crust without overflowing.
I made this recipe and it was the best quiche I have ever tasted! I am going to make this quiche often. My family are very picky eaters and they devoured the pie.
My family loved it! Such a huge hit at my house!
I love a good breakfast quiche! This one is amazing, and super easy to make. Such a great recipe, Kim!
Absolutely Delicious! this is the 2nd time i have made it and it is a WINNER. i think it tasted better the next day!
I always love quiche and this recipe was great, will be saving to make again soon!