Easy Quiche Lorraine

This classic quiche lorraine recipe is an easy make-ahead breakfast, brunch, or lunch made of creamy egg custard, bacon and cheese filling.

Growing up, my dad’s usual weekend breakfast spread for the rest of us was bacon and eggs. A fancy dish like quiche was totally foreign to me, and I only knew of it because I loved the B-52’s and their quiche lorraine song. I thought quiche was only for chic occasions because it’s all fancy-French and must be finicky to make.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Quiche is basically the French version of my dad’s classic American breakfast of bacon and eggs but whisked into custard that’s baked in a buttery crust.

When visiting Paris earlier this year, quiche was served at every corner bistro at every time of day, and along with me and my daughter, my husband hungrily and happily proved that yes, real men do eat quiche.

Why Is it Called Quiche Lorraine?

Quiche doesn’t have to be limited to fancy brunches. In fact, a quiche for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even a simple dinner with a simple side salad (I’m so re-living our meals at our fave French bistro right now) is an incredibly easy way to whip up a one-pan dish with enough to serve the whole party, or make for meal prepping breakfast and take to work lunches.

This basic quiche recipe gets its name from the Lorraine region of France—not the B-52’s song. The region was previously German, and the word quiche actually comes from the German word “kuchen.” The combination of eggs and bacon quiche is served all over France and is a popular meal that’s served all through the day.

Once you’ve mastered my all-butter pie crust (although quiche lorraine can be made crustless too) it’s all about the delicious egg custard and filling. Quiche Lorraine is judged by its filling, which leads us into…

What’s in This Quiche Lorraine?

The traditional quiche lorraine recipe is made with a pâte brisée crust, eggs, custard, and lardons. Basically, its characteristic combo is a creamy egg custard center with melty white cheese (swiss, gruyere, etc.) and bacon (lardons), or the substitution of sliced ham for the bacon in quiche lorraine.

For this easy quiche recipe, I’m keeping it simple, and delicious, with ingredients you’ll likely have in your fridge and pantry:

• eggs
• bacon
• swiss cheese
• onion
• half and half  (or a combination of cream and whole milk)
• pinch of nutmeg
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• all-butter pie shell (or a great quality store-bought brand)

How to Blind Bake (Prebake) the Quiche Crust

Blind baking is simply pre-baking a single layer pie crust before filling it to ensure it’s flakey and cooked instead of soggy or underdone.

One of the casualties of blind baking an empty pie crust is sides that slump and slide into the middle of the pie tin so there’s no sides left to be had. I’ve tried blind-baking crusts with success at high heat that’s then lowered for short and longer times and everything in between.

For a pie that you will cook further, like a quiche, blind bake the crust at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.

How to Make Quiche Lorraine

One of the signatures of the best quiche is the creamy egg custard. To achieve that creamy texture, the secret is the right ratio of eggs to dairy, and not overfill it with fillings so the egg has space to set. How you layer the ingredients, and how much you add, helps keep the quiche creamy. This is a case where more isn’t necessarily better.

Quiche recipes abound with combinations of cream, whole milk, additional egg yolks, and more. But I’m keeping easy to make and easy to remember.

My quiche calls for half and half and whole eggs to make a tender egg filling that isn’t too filling but just the right amount of butterfat to make that velvety bite.

Blind bake the crust at 350°F for 40 minutes with the method explained in this post. Then, in the still-warm crust, layer the shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and sautéed onion.

Whisk the egg and half and half mixture then slowly pour over the bacon mixture, but do not stir or fold to mix. Also, don’t think adding more cheese to the top of the quiche makes it better. This is quiche, not lasagna.

I save a few big chunks of bacon to gently place on top of the quiche lorraine before baking for presentation. If they sink to the bottom, that’s okay too.

How Long to Bake Quiche

Plan on allowing 40 minutes for pre-baking or blind-baking the crust, then fill and bake the quiche for and additional 30-35 minutes.

While watching the time is important, also take visual cues lie the browning of the egg filling and crust to know when it is done. The quiche will still be somewhat soft in the center, but not runny, when pulled from the oven and will continue to set as it cools. The quiche will puff as it bakes and will fall and settle once it cools.

Cool the quiche on a cooling rack before cutting and serving, when it will be easiest to cut and not fall apart. Serve warm or at room temperature.

How to Reheat Quiche

You can reheat a whole quiche lorraine in the oven or single slices in the microwave. Here’s how I like to reheat quiche:

• Pull the quiche from the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to take off the chill.
• To reheat in the oven, tent the quiche with aluminum foil and place the quiche in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes. Test for temperature and warm longer if desired.
• To reheat in the microwave, set the power at 50% and microwave for 2 minutes, then in 30-second increments until you reach your desired temp.

Can I Freeze Quiche Lorraine?

Yes, very easily. You can freeze the entire quiche or freeze single slices. You can reheat this easy quiche recipe from frozen.

Can I Add Other Mix-Ins to the Filling?

Yes, but you don’t want to add too many additional mix-ins otherwise your quiche may overflow in the oven. Chopped asparagus, leek, and spinach would all be delicious additions, but you can add really any vegetables to a quiche.

Can I Use Turkey Bacon?

Yes, although regular pork bacon is traditionally used in this simple quiche recipe. If you use an alternate bacon like turkey bacon, leave me a comment below letting me know how your quiche lorraine turned out!

Can I Use a Store-Bought Pie Crust?

Of course! I prefer making my own pie crust for this easy quiche recipe, but a high-quality crust from the store will work too. Note that you’ll still need to blind bake the crust even if it’s store-bought.

Tips for Making the Best Quiche Lorraine

Because the ingredients for this quiche lorraine recipe are so simple, there really aren’t any substitutes that you can use. You could likely get away with using heavy cream or whole milk in place of the half and half, but I can’t say for certain.

If desired, you could use chopped ham in place of the bacon. (This would be a great recipe to whip up after Easter or Christmas!).

For the best texture and flavor, buy a block of Swiss or Gruyere and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheeses are often coated in cornstarch to prevent them from forming clumps, which can alter the texture of your quiche lorraine.

Easy Quiche Lorraine

A combination of half and half and whole eggs creates a tender custard for bacon, cheese and sautéed onions. Use a meltable, shredded, white cheese like swiss or gruyere for the best custard feel.

CourseBreakfast

CuisineFrench

Keywordquiche

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time35 minutes

Pre-bake Crust40 minutes

Total Time1 hour 45 minutes

Servings8 servings

Calories437kcal

Ingredients

• 1all-butter 9-inch single crust pie shell
• 2cups half and half
• 4eggs
• 1teaspoon white pepper
• 1cup swiss or gruyere cheese
• 12ounces bacon , sliced in half
• 1/3cup diced yellow onion

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pre-bake frozen pie shell for 40 minutes as directed in my all-butter pie crust recipe.
2. While pie shell is baking, whisk the half and half, eggs and white pepper in a bowl or 4-cup measuring cup and set aside.
3. Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain, then slice or break into 1/2-inch chunks. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the clear, rendered bacon fat, discard the rest, and carefully wipe out the warm skillet.
4. Add the bacon fat back to the skillet and cook the onion over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until tender, and set aside.
5. Once pie shell has pre-baked, remove from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F.
6. Scatter the cheese on the pre-baked pie shell then top with the bacon and onion. Slowly pour in the custard mixture over the bacon mixture.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the quiche puffs and begins to brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean while the center may still be somewhat jiggly.
8. Transfer to a cooking rack where the egg will continue to set. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature. If making ahead, bring to room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 1.2mg