Served Warm or Cold, This Bacon-Cheese Quiche Is a Delicious Recipe Any Time of Day (2024)

If you've been searching for a quiche recipe, look no further. Our bacon and cheese quiche is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. It can be made ahead and served cold or at room temperature. All it needs is a simple leafy green salad for a complete meal that everyone will love.

This quiche is pretty simple, the custard filling has bacon, Gruyère cheese, and onions. These ingredients combine to create a lot of rich flavor. For the crust, we take a shortcut and use store-bought pie dough. This saves time, but if you want to use a homemade crust, our pate brisée recipe is perfect for quiche.

What Is Quiche?

Quiche is a savory dish similar to a custard pie. A flaky golden brown crust is baked with a hearty custard made with two primary ingredients—eggs and dairy. Some cooks like to use eggs and egg yolks so you get a really rich quiche. Some recipes use heavy cream, while others opt for milk. We think using whole eggs and heavy cream makes the texture and flavor of quiche perfect. This combination creates a perfectly rich and silky quiche that you can enjoy for any meal of the day.

The Difference Between Quiche and Frittata

These two dishes are sometimes confused. The main differences between quiche and frittata are the crust and the dairy content. In quiche, the custard is lined with pie crust; a frittata does not have a crust. Quiche also has more fat from the dairy. Quiche is usually made with heavy cream, but frittatas have little to no dairy added.

Tips for Making a Perfect Quiche

For quiche success every time, follow our bacon-cheese quiche recipe and keep these tips in mind:

1. Pre-bake the crust before adding the filling. This will keep the crust nice and flaky and help prevent it from becoming soggy.
2. Cook the mix-ins for the filling before adding them to the eggs. Make sure to extract as much moisture as possible before adding ingredients like onions and vegetables to the filling. If you add raw ingredients to the filling, the moisture from these ingredients will leak out and create a soggy, watery filling.
3. Cool the mix-ins before adding them to the custard mixture. You don't want to start cooking the eggs before they hit the oven.
4. Whisk the eggs just until combined. Do not overwhip them: If you beat them too aggressively, it will make them rise up in the oven—and they will eventually sink, much like a soufflé.
5. Opt for low-moisture cheese. Creamy cheeses like cream cheese, ricotta, and goat cheese will add moisture to the filling. If you opt for one of these cheeses, use a little less.
6. Use beaten egg white to bind the pre-baked crust. It will create a seal on top of the crust and keep the custard mixture from seeping and making the crust soggy.
7. Bake the quiche at a lower temperature. It may be slightly jiggly in the center when removed from the oven, but it should still be set and not at all runny.
   

1. Roll out pie crust:

   Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch round.

   

2. Fit into pie plate and crimp:

   Place in a 9-inch pie plate, fold overhang under, and crimp edge.

   

3. Blind bake crust:

   Place a sheet of parchment paper over dough and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edge is dry and light golden, about 20 minutes.

   

4. Remove parchment:

   Remove parchment and weights.

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5. Sauté onion:

   Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
   

   

6. Combine eggs and cream:

   In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and cream.

   

7. Add onion, bacon, and cheese:

   Add onion, bacon, and cheese and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

   

8. Add filling to crust and bake:

   Whisk to combine, pour into crust, and bake until center of quiche is just set, 40 to 45 minutes.

   

9. Serve:

   Serve warm or at room temperature.

   

Ingredient Substitutes

• Aromatics: We keep it simple by sautéeing yellow onion in butter for this quiche recipe, but you can use whatever alliums you like: Red onions, sweet onions, and shallots are all perfect substitutes. You can also add minced garlic, dried herbs, and all kinds of vegetables.
• Meat: Cooked and crumbled bacon adds a salty bite to this quiche. Tasty alternatives are the same amount of chopped ham, pancetta, or even leftover cooked chicken or turkey.
• Cheese: Any low-moisture cheese will work here. Aside from Gruyère, you can use the likes of Parmesan, manchego, and cheddar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use milk instead of cream for quiche?

Milk can be used in a pinch, but heavy cream adds richness and fat to the quiche. Milk will change the texture a bit, but make sure to use whole milk if you do.

Why isn't my quiche creamy?

Fat makes a quiche creamy. We like the combination of whole eggs and heavy cream and think it makes a rich, creamy quiche. If you want to make it even more creamy, you can substitute some of the whole eggs for egg yolks. 2 yolks = 1 whole egg.

Can I freeze leftover quiche?

You can freeze quiche for up to three months. Slice the baked and cooled quiche into portions, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store them in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight, then cover with foil and reheat in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

More Quiche Recipes to Try:

• Quiche Lorraine
• Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche
• Spinach and Gruyère Quiche
• Bacon and Scallion Quiche
• Cherry Tomatoes and Pecorino Quiche
• Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyère Quiche
• Ham-and-Swiss Quiche