Active Time
40 minutes
Total Time
2 hours
Call it retro if you want—a good quiche Lorraine recipe is timeless. The French classic is buttery, bacon-y, and custardy, with a very tender, rich crust. And, while making one is a project, everything can be done ahead of time, so all you have to do before brunch is let it come to room temperature, make a green salad, and take the well-earned credit.
The crust uses butter and lard for superior savory flavor, plus all those flaky layers that a store-bought pie shell simply can’t match. Be sure to use a deep-dish pie pan, as the filling will overflow a standard dish. We prefer metal for its ability to heat quickly and evenly, but glass or ceramic also works. We also like to place the pie dish on a sheet pan so that it’s easier to transfer in and out of the oven.
If you’re baking this last-minute and don’t have any half-and-half, you can substitute with a mixture of heavy cream and milk in equal amounts; while Gruyère cheese is classic, feel free to swap in cheddar, Swiss cheese, or honestly, any combination of cheeses you have on hand, they’d all be delicious. No shallots? Reach into your stash of caramelized onions (you are keeping one, aren’t you?)
You can blind-bake the crust a day or two in advance and leave it on the counter, or freeze it, well-wrapped, for up to 3 months. Beware of overcooking your quiche, as it will continue to set as it cools. Pull it out while the center is still a bit wobbly but the edges are firm.
Ingredients
Makes one 9" quiche (8–10 servings)
Crust
1½
1
2
5
3
Filling and Assembly
8
3
3
2
1
3½
8
2
¼
2
Special Equipment
Preparation
Crust
Step 1
Pulse 1½ tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. sugar, and 2 cups all-purpose flour in a food processor until combined. Add 5 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces and 3 Tbsp. chilled lard or vegetable shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pieces of butter and lard visible, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With motor running, drizzle in 6–7 Tbsp. ice water and pulse until dough is still crumbly but just holds together when squeezed.
Step 2
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 1–2 times, pressing to incorporate any shaggy pieces. Press into a 6"-wide disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
Step 3
Place rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 375°. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 14" round. Transfer to pie dish. Pick up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish, letting excess dough hang over dish. Trim, leaving about a 1" overhang. Fold overhang under; pinch and crimp. Chill 30 minutes.
Step 4
Line dough with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving some overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is dry around the edges and just beginning to brown, 25–35 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights and reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake until crust is set and beginning to brown in the center, 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Do Ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled, or freeze up to 2 months.
Filling and Assembly
Step 5
Cook 8 ounces thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces, 3 large shallots, thinly sliced, 3 Tbsp. lard or unsalted butter, 2 sprigs thyme, and 1 bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lard begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low (mixture should still slowly bubble) and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon and shallots are very soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; pluck out thyme and bay leaf. Transfer bacon and shallots to a medium bowl; set aside.
Step 6
Meanwhile, heat 3½ cups half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium-high until it begins to bubble. Immediately remove from heat. Let cool 1 hour.
Step 7
Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Purée 8 large eggs, room temperature, in a blender on medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add half-and-half, 2 tsp. kosher salt, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, and a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. Blend on medium-low until egg mixture is smooth, about 15 seconds.
Step 8
Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle 2 oz. Gruyère, finely grated, evenly over bottom of crust. Top with bacon mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture into crust. Transfer quiche to oven, then carefully pour in remaining egg mixture. Bake quiche until edges are set but center slightly wobbles, 55–75 minutes (it will continue to set after baking). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 3 hours before slicing.
Do Ahead: Quiche can be baked 1 day ahead. Tightly wrap and chill. Serve warm or at room temperature. To reheat, cover lightly with foil and place in a 325° oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in April 2016 as part of BA’s Best, a collection of our essential recipes. It has been edited to emphasize the importance of using a deep-dish pie plate. Head this way for more of our favorite Mother’s Day brunch ideas →
Leave a Review
Reviews (35)
Back to TopI used a deep dish pan and still had enough filling left for a second quiche.
PDX
Portland, Oregon
12/16/2023
I also wish I had read the reviews before making this. I had twice as much custard as was needed. And, yes, way too many steps. How many hours does BA think we have to make a single quiche? Not necessary. The quiche did have a good taste though. I would make again, just significantly simplifying the ingredients and the process. Are these really tested or are we readers the testers?
Love to Bake
New York, NY
8/13/2023
First off there were way too many unnecessary steps involved. My God how many hours do they involve?! I made my pastry with 1 1/2 cups flour pinch of salt 3 tbs cold butter and 2 tbs duck fat, There is no need to heat the cream and then let it cool. Just put the eggs into the cream and beat it with a heavy wire whisk until they are frothy. And there is way too much custard half the amount. No need either to cool everything. When the pastry shell has been blind baked, you will have cooked your bacon and onion, whisked up your custard and be ready to assemble the quiche. And think about replacing gruyere with stilton cheese...for a really sophisticated touch.
Tessa
Santa Fe
7/14/2022
First of all this website is rigged, I clicked one star and it is giving it 5 and will not let me change it!! WTF. Anyway, this recipe is absolutely TERRIBLE. Yes it makes way too much filling for a normal pie dish but I anticipated that and made two crusts. My complaint is that after an hour in the oven it LOOKED done, was brown on top and not jiggly. Only when I went to cut into it for my family's dinner after cooling for 2 hours did I realize the middle was runny! 20 more minutes in the oven to fix it! I should have anticipated an epic fail, I was listening to the Reply All episodes about BA while I made it. Let me tell you there were so many shenanigins going on in that test kitchen it is no wonder this poorly designed recipe was published.
Anonymous
97211
5/4/2021
Love this recipe! It's my go-to quiche, and everyone that has it loves it. Some advice.... I have, like, maybe a 1/4 cup left over custard - but certainly not as much as people describe. A deep dish pie pan is a must, but also making sure your crust is as high as the top of the glass is essential to getting it all to fit. And when you go to pour the last bit of it in the pan once the pan is in the oven, trust surface tension to keep it in. You want the custard to come up to the top. Also, second tip, if you make an ice bath you can cool the 1/2 and 1/2 and the bacon mixture faster. Which I highly recommend if you're impatient like me!
Erika
4/18/2021
It makes like 4 times as much custard as you need but is delicious so it's worth it.
Jacob Friedman
Redhook NY
1/29/2021
I should have read some of the previous reviews. I was barely able to fit even half of the custard base into the 9 inch pie dish. I see absolutely no way you could make this work as per the recipe suggested above. I've made many BA recipes and this was just such a let down as it feels like this couldn't have been well tested. Such a waste after hours and hours of work.
Anonymous
San Francisco
12/6/2020
I use this to make mini quiches using a cupcake pan. made 20 cupcakes exactly. used sweet peppers instead of onion in the filling. making again I would double the bacon and onion/pepper component and do about half the half and half, so it would be eggier, it was too custardy in my opinion for breakfast.
dgrunsted
Appleton, WI
9/14/2020
I've made this quiche several times now, and it's a hit every time. If you're using a deep dish pie dish, you shouldn't have an issue with too much custard. Mine is just right every time. I use Carla's all-butter pie crust recipe, and since I struggle with slumping pie dough during the blind cake, I actually leave it in the oven with the foil and pie weights for the full time. I never take it out and remove the weights. When I do take the pie dough out, I do an egg wash and then bake it for 3 additional minutes to make sure the crust doesn't get soggy when the custard gets added. All this to say, the recipe works great for me everytime. And everyone who eats it says it's some of the best quiche they've ever had!
Anonymous
Grand Rapids, MI
4/19/2020
This is delicious, about to make it a second time. My husband really like quiche, so I have tried several different recipes, and this one is by far my favorite!
Katelic
Arizona
4/13/2020
I absolutely loved this recipe!!!! Of course I followed every step perfectly, otherwise I would not have even dared to Review it. Because if I had changed ANYTHING, it would not have been YOUR RECIPE I was reviewing but my own. And that would just be STUPID!!!! It was super tasty and I wouldn't change a thing!!!! I am definitely putting this recipe into rotation for my family. Thank You, You guys are THE BEST!!!!!
Desi Richert
East China, MI
10/1/2019
Overall this was totally delicious, though I didn't quite follow the recipe. I knew about chilling pie crust, particularly for a quiche, so I anticipated that hour. Some of the other recipe delays wouldn't work with the time I had...so I went ahead without the cooling steps. It was totally wonderful as I made it, and if it gets better with the various time-outs, great. So, be prepared to make this way inadvance or ignore a few steps and enjoy anyway. We ate it after one hour and it was perfect.
Anonymous
9/14/2019
This recipe is kind of bland, and the texture was pretty jiggly. The crust was good but kind of thick. I would not recommend this, but there is always a possibility that I made a mistake in its preparation!
Anonymous
Sacramento
5/29/2019
I slick a little Dijon on the bottom of my crust before pouring in the custard. For those who mention having too much filling - quiche is meant to be DEEP. Notice in the picture how the crust is folded over the edge and crimped upward from there, and the custard sits all the way up to what would be the top of the pie dish. I use a 3 inch ring and it's fine.
Anonymous
Vancouver, BC, Canada
4/18/2019
two teaspoons of salt is way too much for this recipe. It ruined my quiche. I should say quiches, because i was able to fill two shells with the recipe.
Anonymous
Washington DC suburbs
2/11/2019