There are few dishes that capture the heart of French country cooking quite like an authentic Quiche Lorraine. Originating in the Lorraine region of northeastern France, this classic recipe is a beautiful example of how a handful of simple, high-quality ingredients can become something truly extraordinary.

Unlike many American versions loaded with vegetables and multiple cheeses, a traditional Quiche Lorraine is wonderfully restrained. Rich homemade pâte brisée is filled with silky custard, caramelized onions, Gruyère cheese, and savory lardons before baking until the center is just set and the top is beautifully golden.

Before we get started, I should mention that this recipe isn’t for the faint of heart. If you choose to follow every traditional step—including making homemade pastry and curing your own pork belly for authentic lardons—you’ll spend several hours in the kitchen. But I believe some recipes are as much about the experience as they are the final dish.

That said, I also know life gets busy. Throughout the recipe, I’ll share simple shortcuts and substitutions that dramatically reduce the prep time without sacrificing the character of this beautiful French classic. Whether you decide to make everything from scratch or take a few well-earned shortcuts, you’ll still end up with an exceptional quiche that’s worthy of sharing.

For this recipe, I chose the full journey, curing fresh pork belly to make my own lardons—a step that isn’t required but adds incredible depth of flavor. The result is a quiche that’s rich, elegant, and equally at home on a brunch table, a leisurely lunch, or paired with a simple green salad and a glass of crisp white wine for dinner.

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones that leave the greatest impression.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• PIE CRUST (Pâte Brisée): A buttery French pastry creates the perfect foundation—flaky, tender, and sturdy enough to hold the rich custard. If you’re short on time, don’t hesitate to use refrigerated pie crust sheets from the dairy section of your grocery store. I recommend using the sheets that come rolled in a box rather than a preformed frozen pie shell so you can line your own deep-dish pie pan for the best results.
• PORK BELL LARDONS: Traditional Quiche Lorraine is made with lardons rather than bacon. I cured fresh pork belly overnight before slowly rendering it, creating deep, savory flavor without the smoky notes of American bacon. If you’d like to save time, simply dice fresh pork belly into small batons and render it slowly, or substitute thick-cut bacon if that’s what you have on hand.
• YELLOW ONIONS: Slowly caramelized until sweet and golden, they add subtle richness without overpowering the delicate custard. If you’re pressed for time, you can simply sauté them until softened.
• GRUYÈRE CHEESE: Nutty, creamy, and beautifully melty, authentic Gruyère is the classic choice for Quiche Lorraine. Freshly grate it yourself for the best texture and flavor
• HEAVY CREAM & CRÈME FRAÎCHE: Heavy cream and crème fraîche create an exceptionally silky custard with just the right amount of richness and a subtle tang. If you can’t find crème fraîche, simply replace it with an equal amount of additional heavy cream. While you’ll lose a touch of that classic French tanginess, you’ll still end up with a wonderfully rich and delicious quiche.
• NUTMEG: A hallmark of classic French custards, nutmeg adds warmth and depth without standing out as a distinct flavor.
• SALT & FRESH GROUND PEPPER: Season lightly. The lardons and Gruyère naturally contribute plenty of savory flavor.

Jump to printable recipe for precise measurements

👩‍🍳 Baker’s Note:

Traditional French quiches are often baked in deep springform pans rather than the shallow pie or tart pans commonly used in the United States. The extra depth creates the signature tall slices and allows for a generous layer of silky custard, making each bite rich, creamy, and beautifully balanced.

Because a springform pan requires both a bottom crust and tall sides, you’ll need two batches of my homemade pâte brisée to line the pan properly. If you’re using refrigerated pie crust, plan on purchasing two boxes (four crusts total). You’ll likely have a little dough left over, but it’s much easier to trim away the excess than to come up short while lining the sides.

If you prefer, you can certainly bake this recipe in a traditional 9-inch pie plate or tart pan. Simply prepare one batch of the crust, reduce the filling slightly if needed, and begin checking for doneness a bit earlier since the quiche won’t be as deep.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 – For the Crust: Lightly grease a 9 inch Springform Pan with 3 inch sides. Set aside.

Make the two batches of Pie Crust (Pâte Brisée) , one after the other. When the first one is done, dump it on a floured working surface, and make the second batch right away. Dump it over the first batch, then, using your hands, gather the whole thing into a loose, flattened ball. Sprinkle the dough with flour, then roll out to a 16-in circle. (Sprinkle with more flour as needed to prevent sticking.) The pastry should be about ¼ inch thick.

Carefully fold the dough in half, then drape it over one half of the prepared springform pan. Unfold it, then gently ease the dough into the pan, pressing it onto the bottom and creasing the dough to flatten it against the sides of the pan. Using a fork, prick the bottom pastry all over.

Why Blind Bake the Crust?

One of the secrets to a truly exceptional quiche is blind baking the crust before adding the filling. This extra step helps set the pastry, preventing the buttery crust from becoming soggy once the rich custard is poured in.

To blind bake, line the chilled pastry with a sheet of parchment paper, gently pressing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Fill the parchment with pie weights or dried beans, making sure they reach all the way to the edges. The weight keeps the pastry from puffing up or shrinking as it bakes.

Bake until the edges are lightly golden, then carefully lift out the parchment and weights. Return the crust to the oven for a few more minutes to allow the bottom to dry before adding the filling.

👩‍🍳 Baker’s Tip

No pie weights? No problem. A bag of dried beans works just as well and can be reused over and over again for blind baking. Just be sure to label them for baking only, as they won’t be suitable for cooking afterward.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut out a large piece of parchment paper and ease it into the pastry to line it. Fill the pan with pie weights or dry peas. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Carefully lift the parchment with the weights or peas out of the pan (transfer these into a large bowl to let cool completely before storing), then lower the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and return the pan to the oven. Bake the crust for an additional 15 minutes, or until it looks dry and light golden brown. Set aside on a cooling rack.

🇫🇷 Traditional French Method: Curing Your Own Pork Belly

Authentic French lardons are made from cured, unsmoked pork belly, not fresh pork belly or smoked bacon. While this step isn’t required, curing your own pork belly adds incredible depth of flavor and is one of the details that makes this Quiche Lorraine so special.

Pat the pork belly dry and season it generously on all sides with kosher salt. Place it on a wire rack set over a sheet pan or shallow dish and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight (12–24 hours). The salt will draw out excess moisture while lightly curing the meat.

The next day, rinse the pork belly under cold water to remove the excess salt and pat it completely dry with paper towels. Slice it into traditional lardons—small batons about ¼ inch thick—and render them slowly over medium-low heat until lightly golden and the fat has rendered.

⏱️ Kitchen Shortcut

If you’d rather skip the curing process, simply dice fresh pork belly into lardons and render it slowly, or substitute thick-cut bacon or pancetta. Your quiche will still be absolutely delicious.

Step 3 : Render the cured pork belly lardons over medium-low heat until lightly golden and the fat has rendered. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat to caramelize the onions.

Step 4: Using the same pan, return it to medium-low heat and add the sliced onions. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and stir to coat them in the flavorful pork drippings.

Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, allowing the onions to soften and release their natural moisture. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, and continue cooking uncovered for 15–25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the onions are tender, sweet, and beautifully golden.

Transfer the caramelized onions to a large bowl and allow them to cool completely before adding them to the custard.

👩‍🍳 Baker’s Tip

The rendered pork fat is full of incredible flavor, so don’t wipe out the pan. Cooking the onions in those drippings creates a richer, more authentic Quiche Lorraine and is one of those small details that makes a noticeable difference.

Step 5: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the milk, crème fraîche, heavy cream, eggs, remaining kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Whisk on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth, light, and very frothy.

👩‍🍳 Baker’s Tip

Don’t rush this step. Whisking plenty of air into the custard not only creates a lighter, silkier texture, but it also helps keep the cheese, onions, and lardons evenly suspended throughout the quiche instead of settling to the bottom as it bakes.

Don’t have a stand mixer? A large mixing bowl and a hand mixer work just as well. Whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes, until the custard is smooth, well combined, and noticeably frothy.

Step 6 – Assemble the Quiche: Preheat the oven to 325°F. With the blind-baked crust ready, it’s time to build the quiche in layers. This is my favorite method because it ensures every slice is filled with perfectly balanced bites of silky custard, caramelized onions, savory lardons, and Gruyère.

Begin by scattering one-third of the rendered lardons and one-third of the caramelized onions over the bottom of the crust. Pour about one-third of the custard over the filling, then finish with one-third of the freshly grated Gruyère.

Repeat this process two more times, creating three even layers of lardons, onions, custard, and cheese.

Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet and carefully transfer it to the oven.

👩‍🍳 Baker’s Tip

Layering the ingredients instead of adding them all at once keeps the filling evenly distributed throughout the quiche. Every slice is filled with rich custard, sweet onions, savory lardons, and Gruyère from top to bottom—no digging through the center to find the good stuff.

Step 7: Bake for about 90 minutes, or until the top of the quiche is golden brown and the edges are set, while the center still has a slight jiggle. The quiche will fully set as it cools.

Transfer the Quiche Lorraine to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours.

Refrigerate until the quiche is fully chilled, at least 2 more hours, or ideally overnight. Refrigerating the quiche will allow it to fully set and slice more cleanly. You can keep the quiche refrigerated for up to 3 days.

TO SERVE:

To unmold the Quiche Lorraine, slide a sharp knife along the inside edge of the springform pan to loosen the quiche, then release the springform and remove the outer ring.

Slice the Quiche Lorraine into portions, then serve cold or room temperature. You can also reheat portions in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes. Serve the quiche with a lightly dressed green salad.

WINE PAIRING:

White Burgundy (Chardonnay) from Burgundy, France. Its bright acidity and subtle minerality are a classic match for this iconic French dish.

If I’m serving Quiche Lorraine for a leisurely weekend brunch or a light dinner with friends, you’ll almost always find a well-chilled Chablis on my table. It’s effortlessly elegant and lets the rich custard, Gruyère, and savory lardons remain the stars of the meal.