Classic Quiche Lorraine
Try a traditional French dish for breakfast and bake a classic quiche lorraine. This authentic recipe uses eggs, heavy cream, Gruyere cheese, onion and bacon to make a delightfully rich and flavorful meal.

I don’t tend to gloat, but I have yet to have a quiche as good as the one I make from scratch. The crust is perfectly flaky while the filling is creamy and flavorful. It’s also my husband’s favorite dish I make! I bet you’ll love this recipe as much as we do.
What is quiche lorraine?
Quiche Lorraine is a French pastry originating from the Lorraine region of France. It consists of a buttery, flaky tart shell that is filled with a custard filling, gruyere cheese and lardons (or bacon). These are the authentic ingredients of quiche lorraine, however, over the years people have created variations using various combinations of vegetables, cheeses, meats and seafood.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Serve it any time of day. Quiche isn’t just for breakfast, it’s also a delicious lunch or dinner! Serve it with soup and salad to round out the meal.
- Easy to bake ahead of time. This dish reheats easily and freezes well.
- Perfect texture. The flaky, buttery crust is sturdy enough to hold the creamy, yet robust egg filling.
- Versatile recipe. Get creative with the filling by using ham instead of bacon or adding vegetables, like I do in my spinach and mushroom quiche.
Ingredient Notes

- Pie crust: You can use homemade pie crust or store-bought (I like Trader Joe’s). Press it into a dish and freeze before partially baking.
- Heavy cream: For a rich flavor and creamy texture, use heavy cream.
- Whole milk: This cuts the heaviness of the cream while still providing good texture and taste. You can also use low-fat milk.
- Eggs: Whole eggs help bind the ingredients together, while the yolks add richness and flavor.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, nutmeg and an optional dash of cayenne for extra flavor.
- Lardons: Strips of fatty bacon, or pork fat, is what’s traditionally seen in quiche lorraine.
- Gruyรจre cheese: This French cheese is a must for an authentic quiche lorraine. However, a good quality Swiss cheese can be used as a substitute.
Refer to recipe card for full list of ingredient and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Use a different cheese. A good-quality Swiss or sharp white cheddar cheese are easy substitutions. Emmental, Jarlsberg and Comtรฉ are also good options.
Add some vegetables. Some chopped bell pepper, fresh spinach or sautรฉed mushrooms are easy to add into the filling. Be careful not to go overboard or the filling may not fit in the dish.
Try a different meat. Pork lardons is the best choice, but pancetta or some crumbled sausage would also make a good substitution!
Make mini quiches. Use this filling for my mini quiche recipe using a muffin tin.
How to Make Quiche Lorraine

- Prepare the pie crust: Line a quiche dish with pie dough (either homemade pie dough or store-bought). Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 40 minutes, then freeze for 20 minutes.
- Partially bake the pie crust: Preheat oven to 375 F. Line the pie dough with aluminum foil and add pie weights. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes.
- Cook the bacon pieces in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- Whisk together heavy cream, milk, eggs and egg yolks. Add salt, pepper and dash of nutmeg. Whisk once more to combine.

- Sprinkle bacon pieces and gruyรจre cheese across the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell. Carefully pour custard mixture over the bacon and cheese.
- Bake at 375ยฐ F for 32 to 35 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
Partially bake the crust before adding the filling. This step guarantees a sturdy, flaky crust. I highly suggest chilling the crust before baking to prevent it from shrinking.
Shred the cheese yourself. Use a box grater to shred the cheese from the block (it will melt more easily). Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevents it from melting as easily.
Cover the quiche loosely with aluminum foil halfway through baking. This will help prevent the crust from getting too brown.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the crust and store covered in the freezer for up to 1 month before pre-baking. A pre-baked crust will last in refrigerator for up to 2 days. The filling will also last 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The filling must be kept separate from the crust so it doesn’t get soggy.
Store quiche covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze for up to 3 months. After it’s cooled completely, place the quiche in the freezer for 2 hours or until firm. Wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Alternatively, you can wrap individual slices before freezing.
Reheat quiche at 350 F for 15 minutes or until heated through. I suggest loosely tenting the quiche with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning the crust. If reheating from frozen, let the quiche sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.
Recipe FAQ
Quiche is done when the filling is set, but the center is soft like gelatin. The top will be light golden brown and a butter knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.
Quiche is typically served at breakfast or brunch with coffee and tea. It goes well with a simple mixed green salad or fresh fruit salad to cut the richness of the dish. It may also be served at lunch with a cup of soup.

Related recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, try these breakfast dishes next!
Did you love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ๐๐๐๐๐ rating in the recipe card below and if you REALLY loved it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.

Get the Recipe: Classic Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
Quiche Lorraine
- 1 pie dough (either homemade or store-bought)
- 8 slices bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces, (or 1 cup firmly packed lardons)
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- ยพ cup (180 ml)whole milk, (low-fat works too)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- ยผ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Dash of cayenne, optional
- 1 cup (4 oz or 113 g) shredded Gruyรจre cheese
Instructions
Partially Baked Crust
- Press pastry dough into a 9-inch quiche dish with a rim height of 1 1/4-inches (I love thisย quiche dish). Press the dough all the way up the sides, folding any overhanging dough in on itself.
- Place dough-lined tart pan in the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 40 minutes. Transfer tart pan to the freezer until very cold, about 20 minutes.
- While the tart pan is in the freezer, preheat your oven to 375ยฐ F. Remove tart pan from the freezer and double line it with aluminum foil. Place pie weights on top of the foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden in color. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Keep oven on and prepare filling.
Quiche Filling
- While the tart shell is baking, cut the bacon into 1/2-inch slices and cook in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together heavy cream, milk, eggs and egg yolks. Add salt, pepper and dash of nutmeg. Whisk once more to combine.
- Sprinkle bacon pieces and gruyere cheese across the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell. Carefully pour custard mixture over the bacon and cheese (you can do this step with the tart sitting on the oven rack if you like). The filling should come almost to the edges of the crust.
- Bake at 375ยฐ F for 32 to 35 minutes. Quiche is done when the filling is set, but the center is soft like gelatin. The top will be light golden brown and a butter knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Transfer quiche to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Inspired by Baking Illustrated.(one of my 7 favorite baking cookbooks)