Easy Quiche Lorraine
You’re going to love this silky, savory, and ridiculously Easy Quiche Lorraine! The puff pastry crust makes it absolutely effortless! Chock full of bacon and swiss cheese, this creamy custard baked in a pastry crust can be served hot or cold for breakfast, lunch, or brunch. Serve it with a side dish to make it a filling dinner. I love that you can prepare it a day ahead and that it takes almost no time to assemble. Just cook the bacon and aromatics, mix the custard ingredients, and go!
What is Quiche Lorraine?
Quiche Lorraine is what my kid calls an egg pie. It’s a custard set in a pastry crust that gets its name from the Lorraine region in France. Traditionally it’s made with eggs, cream, bacon, and swiss cheese. But feel free to use the ingredients you have. It’s your kitchen!
What You’ll Need
The best part of making this Quiche Lorraine recipe is its versatility. If you’re not intent on keeping things traditional, you can substitute almost all ingredients to better fit your preferences.
- Eggs – these create the custard necessary to bind all of the ingredients together. You can substitute eggs with a vegan egg alternative, like Just Egg.
- Cream Cheese, Heavy Cream, and Milk– the fat in the cream cheese, heavy cream, and milk helps create a silky custard texture. You can substitute the heavy cream with all milk and two tablespoons of butter. Use plant-based cream cheese, heavy cream, and milk alternatives if you don’t do dairy.
- Bacon– adds a big hit of smoky, salty savoriness. You can substitute it with ham, pancetta, salami, or your favorite meatless bacon alternative. If you don’t do pork, use diced roasted chicken or turkey.
- Swiss Cheese – is the traditional choice for Quiche Lorraine, but use whatever cheese you have handy. Gouda, provolone, cheddar, and mozzarella are all excellent substitutions.
- Puff Pastry – is the vehicle that holds the filling. Par-baking the puff pastry helps keep it from getting soggy as the liquid custard bakes. Pie crust is the traditional choice for quiche, and makes a great substitute for puff pastry. Of course, you can always make my Easy 3-Ingredient Pie Crust.
- Onion and Garlic – these aromatics help flavor the custard. You can substitute them with leeks, green onions, or shallots. You can also replace the onion with one teaspoon of onion powder or one tablespoon of dried onion flakes and the garlic with one-eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder. Add them to the custard when you add the nutmeg to prevent scorching.
- Nutmeg– just a pinch helps enhance the creamy flavor of the custard. If you don’t have nutmeg, skip it.
What To Serve With Quiche Lorraine
You can take Quiche Lorraine from a light breakfast or lunch to a full-on dinner by pairing it with a soup, salad, or a veggie-based side dish. Try some of these Budget Bytes favorites!
How To Store Quiche Lorraine
Allow your quiche to cool completely before storing it in the fridge. If leaving it in the pie pan, cover leftovers with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to four days. You can also slice what’s left of the quiche and store the slices in an airtight container. To freeze leftovers, portion and wrap the pieces in aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer-safe container. They will remain fresh for up to a month.
How To Reheat Leftovers
Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature while you preheat your oven to 350°F. Thaw frozen slices overnight in the fridge. Then, cover the crust with aluminum foil or a pie shield and reheat for fifteen minutes or until steaming. In a pinch, you can reheat leftovers in your microwave, but be warned, the texture will become slightly rubbery.
Easy Quiche Lorraine
You’re going to love this silky, savory, and ridiculously Easy Quiche Lorraine! The puff pastry crust makes it absolutely effortless!
- 1 sheet puff pastry ($3.25)
- 4 strips bacon ($1.00)
- 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.41)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese ($2.15)
- 4 oz cream cheese ($1.10)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing crust edges ($0.42)
- 1/4 cup milk ($0.17)
- 5 eggs, lightly beaten ($1.33)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish (optional) ($0.06)
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Set a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to 425°F. Next, roll the puff pastry into an 11-inch square and transfer it to a 9-inch diameter pie plate. Then puncture the bottom of the puff pastry a few times with a fork and trim the edges.
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Cover the puff pastry with a sheet of parchment paper and add a pound of dry beans or pie weights. Then, cover the edges of the pastry with a pie shield or ring made of aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. Bake for fifteen minutes.
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While the puff pastry par-bakes set a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon strips and cook until crispy. Next, chop the bacon into bits. Set aside the chopped bacon and reserve the drippings.
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Remove the puff pastry from the oven. Carefully remove the pie shield. Then carefully remove the parchment paper with the beans or pie weights.*
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Cook the onion in the bacon drippings until translucent (about 2 minutes). Next, add the garlic clove and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
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In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, heavy cream, and milk until smooth.
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Add the eggs, nutmeg, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Finally, set aside 2 tablespoons of chopped bacon for garnish and add the rest to the filling.
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Pour the filling into the prebaked crust. Brush the crust with 1 teaspoon of heavy cream.
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Cover the edges of the quiche with a pie shield or aluminum foil ring. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling sets, about 25 minutes. Remove the pie shield and cool the quiche for 10 minutes before serving. Finally, garnish with remaining bacon bits and chopped Italian parsley.*
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
*You will know the quiche has set when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 16gFat: 35gSodium: 434mgFiber: 1g
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How to Make Quiche Lorraine – Step by Step Photos
Cover the puff pastry with a sheet of parchment paper and add a pound of dry beans or pie weights. Next, cover the edges of the pastry with a pie shield or ring made of aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. Bake for fifteen minutes.
While the puff pastry par-bakes set a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the 4 strips of bacon and cook until crispy. Next, chop the bacon into bits. Set aside the chopped bacon and reserve the drippings.
Remove the puff pastry from the oven and carefully remove the pie shield and the parchment paper with the dry beans/pie weights. The beans can be cooled, stored in an airtight container, and reused for future preparations.
Next, cook 1 diced yellow onion in the bacon drippings until translucent (about 2 minutes). Then, add 1 minced garlic clove and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
In a large bowl, beat 4 ounces of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and 1/4 cup of milk until smooth.
Add the 5 eggs, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Next, set aside 2 tablespoons of bacon for garnish and add the rest of the chopped bacon into the filling.
