Quiche Lorraine

By Craig Claiborne

Updated April 15, 2026

Quiche Lorraine
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
5(4,931)
Comments
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The first quiche to come to the attention of the American public was the quiche Lorraine in the 1950s. Craig Claiborne, who started as food editor of The Times in 1957, created this classic recipe with bacon, onion and cheese to fill a pie dish. If you use a tart pan, expect to have extra custard.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 10 servings
  • Pastry for a one-crust 9-inch pie (see pastry recipe)
  • 4strips bacon
  • 1onion, thinly sliced
  • 1cup Gruyère or Swiss cheese, cubed
  • ¼cup grated Parmesan
  • 4eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2cups heavy cream or 1 cup each milk and cream
  • ¼teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½teaspoon salt
  • ¼teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • Tabasco sauce to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

380 calories; 35 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 317 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Line a nine-inch pie plate with the pastry. By all means build a rim with the pastry and flute it. This is essential for the amount of custard indicated in this recipe.

    Image of pie dough being fit into a pie plate before baking.
  3. Step 3

    Cover the bottom of the pastry with a round of parchment paper and add enough dried beans or peas to partly fill the shell. Bake 10 minutes.

    Image of a pie crust weighed down with parchment and dried beans, prepared to be par baked.
  4. Step 4

    Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Remove and discard the beans and parchment paper and set the pastry-lined pie plate aside.

    Image of a par-baked crust for making a quiche Lorraine.
  5. Step 5

    Cook the bacon until crisp and remove it from skillet. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the fat remaining in the skillet. Cook the onion in the remaining fat until the onion is transparent.

  6. Step 6

    Combine the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle the bacon, onion and cheeses over the inside of the partly baked pastry.

    Image of bacon, onions and cheese being place in a par-baked pie crust for making a quiche Lorraine.
  7. Step 7

    Strain the cream mixture over the onion-cheese mixture. Slide the pie onto a baking sheet.

  8. Step 8

    Bake the pie until a knife inserted one inch from the pastry edge comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove to a wire rack. Let stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

    Image of baked quiche with a slice taken out and placed on a plate for making a Quiche Lorraine.

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FAQS

  1. In its most traditional French form, a quiche is composed of a buttery crust filled with a savory egg custard. The pastry is known as pâte brisée. Fillings can include any combination of cheese, herbs, vegetables and smoked meat or fish.

Ratings

5 out of 5
4,931 user ratings
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Comments

Travis Creston

Something that really helps prevent soggy bottoms: after taking any pie crust out of the oven once you blind bake it, remove the beans or pie weights & parchment, paint the bottom with egg white & place back in the oven for a good five minutes or so. The EW will crisp up & create a nice barrier to prevent a soggy bottom! Works every time.

Mike Haller

FYI I'm a real greenhorn but my experience on my second try w this:
1. Used a prefab 9" frozen crust.
2. Cut up a large onion used about 3/4 of it.
3. Cut gruyere into very small cubes.
4. Used 3 eggs and 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
5. Put extra leftover cooked onions on top of custard before baking.
6. Baked for 35 min at 400 (elec oven)
I'd love to post a pic. Wish I could.
NYT Cooking is helping me learn cooking at age 71. THANKS.

Kristin PC

Flavors were great, but I had a few baking issues. I'd make it again with these adjustments:

ISSUE: The bottom of the finished quiche was VERY soggy. A good bit of liquid actually seeped through the crust onto the baking sheet.
FIX: After the 10 minute par-bake, remove weights and parchment. Continue to par-bake for 6-8 more minutes. Before adding ingredients and egg mix, protect the edge of the crust with foil strips.

ISSUE: Under baked.
FIX: Cook for 28-30 minutes.

Eliana

A couple of advices, Make the crust as referenced. It consists of far less sugar and therefore is more nutritious. Instead of pre-baking the crust, simply brush over some cornstarch after placing the pie dough on the baking dish. This will save you time and provide the same, or even better results as the cornstarch provides a moisture barrier. Lastly, I used regular milk and Muenster cheese, as these are the only ingredients I had available at the time. Because I used less dense milk, I used 1/2 cup less than instructed. I also suggest lowering the temp to about 350. 400 is too high for such long baking time! This quiche was the BEST I have ever made AND tasted! Well done!

Nora

I'm so delighted to see this is the most reviewed and liked recipe here. This is the mothership of quiche recipes, I've been using it since the '70s. It is endlessly versatile, make the custard and add whatever is in your fridge, or, follow it to the letter. It never disappoints.

Nora

Made this for Easter and while it was delicious, have some notes: 1) Par bake crust with weights for 10 minutes, brush egg white on bottom then bake another 5 minutes 2) Recommend smaller cubes of cheese than video 3) Check in middle of quiche for doneness (or internal temp 165°F), not the side (brought a soggy quiche to Easter with that one - luckily tossed in a warm oven and it firmed up) Will make again with these modifications.

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