Classic Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Quiche Lorraine is a combination of a delicious flaky Pie Crust that is filled with savory egg custard. Bacon, cheese, caramelized onions, and other fillings can take this quiche recipe from ordinary to extraordinary. Whether you serve it for breakfast or brunch, hot or cold you’re bound to fall in love with this classic quiche recipe.
We love simple and elegant dishes for entertaining like Cheese Crepes, homemade Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel French Toast. This classic quiche recipe is among our all-time favorites. Make it for your next gathering and you will get recipe requests.
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Hello, Marina from Let the Baking Begin here! Today I’m sharing one of the most delicious brunch tarts that will be perfect to serve on a lazy Saturday for breakfast, or as you host brunch this upcoming holiday season. I hope you love this quiche recipe as much as we do.
What is Quiche Lorraine?
Quiche Lorraine is a French dish that was introduced to the US in the 1950’s. Quiche Lorraine is THE reason why America fell in love with quiche. It is the gold standard for quiche; essentially a savory tart with an egg, cheese and bacon custard baked in a pie crust. You can use a pie pan, but a quiche mold with a removable base makes it easy to transfer this to a cake stand.
The Best Quiche Recipe
Quiches come in all kinds of different flavors, but a classic quiche Lorraine must include a pastry base and the filling of savory egg custard made with eggs and cream. Adding cheeses, meats, vegetables, and herbs to a basic quiche recipe is what is going to take it to the next level and make it the best quiche recipe.
I love adding bacon, sharp cheddar, and some caramelized onion to my Classic Quiche Lorraine, but you’re welcome to add any other meats (ham, sausage, or shredded chicken are all good meat choices) or vegetables (how does spinach, asparagus, baby tomatoes or roasted pepper sound?).
What Other Fillings Can be Added to Quiche?
Changing up the quiche filling means that you can make as many times as you want and never get bored since it never tastes the same. Here are some suggestions for what else you can add to the quiche filling.
- Protein: ham, chopped sausage, shredded chicken, pork or beef.
- Vegetables: fresh baby tomatoes, wilted and drained spinach, arugula, diced fresh peppers or roasted peppers.
- Cheeses: Gruyere and sharp cheddar are the most popular choices.
How to Pre-Bake the Crust:
For this classic quiche, you’ll need a refrigerated pie crust. You can use a single chilled disk of homemade pie crust or a store-bought pie crust for an even easier quiche. To pre-bake or ‘blind bake’ the pie crust:
- Roll the pie crust, transfer to the quiche mold and press in with your fingers. Place in the freezer. Then, remove and poke with a fork. Line with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights.
- Remove from the fridge and bake for about 40 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden in color. Then remove the foil with the pie weights and set the quiche base aside.
How to Make the Quiche Lorraine Filling:
- To prep the classic quiche filling first you need to render the fat from the chopped bacon by cooking it over medium-high heat in a large skillet, stirring often, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
- Add the diced onions to the bacon grease and cook on medium heat, stirring often until the onions are well caramelized. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and add them to the bacon. Discard the bacon fat or save for use in another recipe.
- Whip up the eggs in a large bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together.
- If using a tart pan with removable bottom set it into a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the inside with egg white then pour filling into the prebaked quiche base and bake for about 55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Sprinkle with parsley, cut into wedges and serve. Or cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
What Can I Serve With Quiche Lorraine?
A basic quiche is typically served with a side of green salad. This makes it the perfect brunch menu item as the quiche is both filling and delicious, and the greens balance out the rich breakfast tart wonderfully.
Breakfast potatoes are another favorite around here. Make them the night before and reheat them in the air fryer to save some time in the morning.
Can Quiche be Made Ahead?
You can prebake the crust, cook the bacon, caramelize the onions, whisk the egg custard together with everything but the cheese ahead of time and refrigerate. Then, assemble it right before baking.
Or, you can completely bake and cool the whole quiche, then refrigerate until 1 hour before serving. This quiche recipe is best served at room temperature so make sure to remove it from the fridge about 1 hour ahead
If you wish to serve it warm, preheat the oven to 200˚F, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Can I Freeze Quiche Lorraine?
Quiche Loraine can be frozen for up to three months. Once the pie is baked, cool completely to room temperature then wrap in a couple layers of plastic wrap and finally cover with foil to prevent freezer burn. To reheat, fully thaw quiche in the refrigerator for 24 hours then remove plastic wrap, cover with foil and bake at 200˚F for 30 minutes or until hot in the center.
Bon appetite!
More Crowd-Pleasing Breakfast Recipes:
- Nutella Crepes – elegant and delicious
- Blueberry Scones – loaded with blueberries
- Breakfast Burritos – freezer friendly
- Egg Muffins – baked in a muffin tin
Classic Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Classic Quiche Lorraine recipe consists of a flaky pastry crust that's filled with delicious savory egg custard, bacon, and cheese. This bacon quiche recipe is very versatile as you can serve it for both breakfast or brunch and it can be eaten hot, or cold.
Ingredients
Classic Quiche Lorraine Tart Ingredients
- 1 pie crust (1 frozen crust, or 1/2 recipe for double pie crust)
- 1/2 lb thin strips of bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp white cheddar, but gruyere is classic)
- 1 3/4 cup half and half (or equal parts whole milk and heavy cream)
- 4 eggs large
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper finely ground
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
For brushing the inside of the tart
- 1 egg white
Instructions
Prepare the Pie Crust:
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Prepare the homemade pie crust and chill, or use store-bought pie crust. Roll out 1 pie crust to 12" on a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of parchment paper, then transfer to the tart pan*. Press the pastry dough into the pan with your fingers to mold to the pan. Freeze for about 30 minutes, meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350˚F with the rack in the middle.
Pre-Bake the Crust:
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If using a store-bought crust, follow the package instructions for pre-baking. Otherwise, remove the prepared pastry tart from the freezer and blind bake it by first poking the bottom with a fork about every inch or so. Next, line the tart with parchment paper or foil allowing the ends to stick out a couple of inches above the tart edges.
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If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, place it on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill the inside with pie weights** 3/4 full and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the tart is mostly baked through and light golden color. Remove from the oven, remove the pie weights and parchment. Brush the inside of the baked tart with a whisked egg white - this will prevent the crust from becoming soggy from the filling.
Make the Savory Egg Filling:
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While pie is pre-baking, preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add chopped bacon. Cook, stirring often until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a separate dish. Add the diced onions to the bacon fat and cook stirring often until the onions are golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to the dish with the bacon.
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In a large bowl whisk 4 eggs, then add 1 3/4 cups half and half, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika and 1/8 tsp of nutmeg and whisk together for about a minutes to incorporate a little bit of air into the custard. Stir in the cheese, prepared bacon and onion then pour the filling into the prebaked crust.
Bake the Quiche Lorraine:
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Bake the quiche Lorraine in a preheated 350˚F oven for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean and the center jiggles slightly. The quiche will continue cooking after it is removed from the oven. Cool slightly before serving and garnish with parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes
*You can use an 8" x 1 3/4" tart pan with a removable bottom, or an 8" inch round, 1 3/4" tall pie pan.
**If you don't have ceramic pie weights, you can also use dried beans, dried peas or rice.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Marina | Let the Baking Begin!
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha, That is my favorite quiche. Do you have any tips for dairy substitutions? Thank you.
I Judy, I haven’t experimented with any dairy-free substitutions. If you test anything out that works well, I’d love to hear about it since others may have the same question. Thanks in advance!
Hello Natasha. I cooked this quiche for my mother in law 82th birthday last Sunday and served it with green salad…absolutely fantastic as all your recipes. I used your pie crust recipe…beautiful also! The cook time for the crust and quiche are just perfect. Regards from Costa Rica.
Hi Valentin, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi Natasha, I’m a very big fan of yours and have tried few recipes of yours which actually turned out amazing. I would like to share pics of yours tried goodies but have no idea how to upload it. Really appreciate if you will guide. Happy new year
Hi Saima! Thank you for that amazing feedback! You’re so nice. The best way to share photos with me is to upload them to Instagram or Facebook and tag natashaskitchen.com or hashtag #natashaskitchen
Just pointing out a typo in the descriptions above. Step 4 says to bake, then says to “remove from the fridge”….. I think it means remove from the oven…. As usual, you always have exceptional recipes, and this another one. Thank you so much.
Hi Kenton, thank you so much for pointing that out. The “oven” definitely makes more sense. We have corrected that.
Dear Natasha,
It’s 3:30 in the morning here in Bucharest, and I just finished baking this fabulous quiche.
I said to myself… OK… Maybe just a taste, cause it’s so late.
The thing is almost half gone LOL.
I would like to wish you and your family a blessed new year.
Cheers,
Adrian
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Adrian! Thank you for the wonderful review!
dans la recette c est inscrit 1 tasse et 3/4 et demi ……… La je comprends pas Merci
Great question, Marlene! Half & Half is a 50/50 mixture or milk and cream. You need to use 1 &3/4 cups of ‘Half & Half’ I hope that helps. Copied from the recipe: “1 3/4 cup Half and Half (or equal parts whole milk and heavy cream)”
How would you recommend incorporating the shredded chicken to replace the bacon?
Hi Dina, I would add it during the same step since both are already cooked. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I am a beginning cook. How many minutes should I whisk to incorporate air?
In a large bowl whisk 4 eggs, then add 1 3/4 cups half and half, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika and 1/8 tsp of nutmeg and whisk together for about a minutes to incorporate a little bit of air into the custard. Stir in the cheese, prepared bacon and onion then pour the filling into the prebaked crust.
Hi John, whisking for 1 minute is ample. I hope you love the quiche recipe!
Thank you for sharing! Did you mean 1 1/3 cup sugar (it says 11/3) Thanks again and I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!
Thank you for sharing!
I have always had trouble making quiche but this recipe made a really nice one – my first! Thank you Natasha
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Edna!
great recipe usually I hate quiche but this is the best thing yet. thank you, Natasha,
p.s out of curiosity when is the next giveaway?
Thank you again Natasha
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Kathy! Thank you for the awesome review!
Natasha! In the “print” instructions, you omitted the cheese. You did include in the step by step with pictures, though.
Hi Zina, thank you so much for pointing that out. I have updated the recipe card. I hope you love the quiche and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I’m 6 months pregnant and have been craving this since I saw it. Let me just say: cravings satisfied!
I’m so glad you tried this recipe!
My husband is gluten intolerant. Can this be made crustless?
Hi Maria, I have not tested that crustless to advise. If you make this crustless it will be more of a Frittata but it should still work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Just the recipe I was looking for since we will be hosting some house guests during the holidays
I’m so glad you discovered this recipe! I hope you love it & we look forward to your feedback.
We filled ours full of meats and it was fantastic! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for that awesome review!
Can you make this without the pie crust?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tested that without the crust. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Quiche Lorraine is my absolute favorite! This is such an easy and delicious recipe.
Isn’t it the best! Thank you for that great review, I hope you give this recipe a try soon!
Oh wow, this Quiche Lorraine looks incredibly delicious!! Perfect for brunch!
That it is, Katerina! Thank you for that awesome feedback!
What a beautiful & delicious quiche!! Love serving this for guests & brunches. Everyone always loves it!
Best dish to make when hosting! Thank you for stopping by our page, Kristyn!