Breakfast Quiche is a decadent dish of custardy, cheesy eggs, tender leeks and smoky bacon baked in a flaky crust! Think of this as a basic quiche recipe, one that's amenable to endless creativity. Don't hesitate to swap in your favorite meat or cheese or skip the meat altogether for a vegetarian version.
I love to make substantial dishes that are both elegant and simple. The kind that perch comfortably on the plate next to a leafy salad or mound of steamed vegetables to make a meal. This Breakfast Quiche recipe is the perfect example. It's ideal for breakfast or brunch and makes a welcome main course at dinner time too. Even a little wedge feels decadent and satisfying.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Breakfast Quiche
- Pie Crust: ideally unbaked Lard Pie Crust or store-bought deep dish unbaked pie crust
- Bacon: or breakfast sausage, which you would need to brown in a skillet separately (discarding the fat before adding to the recipe)
- Leeks: or ~1 cup of chopped green onion
- Heavy Cream: or ½ and ½ for a lighter quiche
- Milk: ideally whole milk
- Eggs: large or extra large eggs
- Thyme: dried thyme or fresh thyme leaves
- Cheese: Gruyère cheese, cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese are all good choices.
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
FAQ
Quiche is a savory French tart made from eggs, milk, cheese, and seasonings baked in a pastry crust served hot, warm or cold.
Yes, it freezes beautifully! See instructions for reheating from frozen below.
Yes, you should blind-bake your crust until it's partially cooked before adding the filling. See step by step instructions and photos below.
The best way to avoid a soggy bottom crust is to partially bake the crust before adding the filling and baking completely.
A note on leeks and how to clean them.
If you haven't cooked with leeks before, you're in for a treat. In a skillet, they melt down becoming soft and buttery with subtle onion flavor. They're mild and tender in the spring and firmer, but deeply flavorful in the late fall. In the later months, they take a bit longer to soften, but are equally delicious. Don't worry if you can't find them though, an ample amount of green onions stand in well for this bacon and cheese quiche.
Do note that fine grit often hides between a leek's tender layers. To wash it away, submerge the thinly sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water and swoosh them around with your hands to allow any dirt or grit sink to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the rinsed leeks out with a slotted spoon or your hands and transfer to a clean bowl. (Don’t make the mistake of draining them in a colander as you’ll end up pouring the dirt that has drifted to the bottom right over the clean leeks.)
Recipe Options:
- Swap in a different Swiss cheese. Jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, or parmesan cheese would also be delicious.
- If you can't find leeks, swap in a large bunch of green onions.
- Use half and half in place of the heavy cream and milk mixture if that's what you have on hand.
More of My favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Frittata (Think of it as crustless quiche!)
- Breakfast Potatoes (An unusual method makes these extra crispy outside and buttery smooth on the inside!)
- Sweet Potato Hash Browns (Quick, easy and delicious - a breakfast trifecta!)
- Baked Eggs (You're less than 15 minutes away from enjoying these. Fantastic holiday breakfast!
How to Reheat Quiche
You can reheat leftover quiche from the refrigerator, either in the pie pan it was cooked in or as individual slices on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover with foil and warm in a preheated 350˚F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. To reheat frozen quiche (do not thaw before reheating), follow the same directions, but increase the reheating time to 30 to 45 minutes or when the internal temperature reaches 160˚F to 165˚F.
How to Make Breakfast Quiche
Make and blind bake pie crust at 375˚F for 12 minutes - ideally this Lard Pie Crust or other homemade pie crust. (A store bought unbaked, deep dish pie crust also works.)
Cook leeks and bacon until leeks are tender and bacon is lightly crisp. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs, cream and milk together and season with salt and pepper. Stir in shredded cheese and bacon and leek mixture.
Pour egg mixture into partially baked pie crust (see blind baking instructions above). Bake until golden in a 375°F oven (cover edges with foil or pie crust shield if they're getting too brown. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.
Recipe Video
Breakfast Quiche
Ingredients
- 9 inch unbaked Lard Pie Crust or store-bought deep dish unbaked pie crust
- ½ pound bacon cut crosswise into thin strips (lardons)
- 2 large leeks cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half rounds
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup whole milk or 2%
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or ½ teaspoon fresh minced thyme
- 4 ounces Gruyère cheese shredded, or cheddar
Instructions
- Place unbaked pie crust in deep dish pie plate; flute edges if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 375˚F. Line pie crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 12 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights and prick bottom and sides of crust all over with a fork. Return to oven and bake 8 minutes more. Remove and set aside; leave oven on.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon and leeks in a large skillet until bacon is lightly crisp and leeks are tender. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cream, milk, eggs, salt, pepper and thyme until smooth. Stir in cheese and bacon and leek mixture.
- Pour egg mixture into partially baked pie crust and bake 40 minutes, or until the center is just set (cover pie crust edges with foil or a pie crust shield in the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking if crust is getting too brown). Let stand at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve quiche warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To reheat leftover quiche from the refrigerator; cover with foil and warm in a preheated 350˚F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. To reheat frozen quiche (do not thaw before reheating), follow the same directions, but increase the reheating time to 30 to 45 minutes or when the internal temperature reaches 160˚F to 165˚F.
I have the perfect pan to make this! Love the addition of the leeks.
Thank you, Mimi! I love how leeks get so buttery as they cook down.
I haven't made a quiche in months, and now I'm craving one! This breakfast version looks fantastic, Marissa. Don't you love how quiches are a blank canvas for all sorts of other ingredients/flavors? I need to make this recipe soon! (It would be great for the holidays, right??)
Absolutely! Thanks, David.
I have baked my quiche for breakfast tomorrow morning. Do I let it cool completely before putting in the frig? How long do I warm it coming out of the frig in the morning? 375 degrees?
It is beautiful ❤️
Hi Susie! So glad your quiche turned out well. You should let it cool before covering and refrigerating. Have a look at the section above titled "How to Reheat Quiche" for detailed instructions on reheating chilled or frozen quiche.
Absolutely wonderful quiche - i could eat the whole thing alone in one sitting. May I ask, is it possible to perhaps cut the amount of leaks by half? I loved it, but i think the leek flavor may be strong for some of the picky eaters i will be making this for. Would i need to substitute with anything? Thanks so much!
Sorry one other silly question - if i freeze this, do i have to thaw it out before i bake to reheat?
So glad you enjoyed this! Yes, you can reduce the leeks by half, no need to substitute with anything. Not a silly question at all! You should reheat the quiche from frozen (don't thaw first) - I've made a note of that in the post as well. Thank you for asking.
Could this be prepared the night before and then baked in the morning? Looking for something easy Christmas morning.
Hi there, Lisa. You can make the egg mixture the night before, but you'll want to pour it into the partially baked crust and bake the day of (otherwise your crust will get soggy in the refrigerator overnight). Alternatively, you can bake the quiche a day ahead and reheat the next day. I hope that helps!
Marissa, this is a beautiful quiche. My mom loved making quiches like this only she didn't make her own crust. She would have loved your crust! Such a comforting breakfast or brunch dish for this time of year. I love it. ~Valentina
What a sweet comment, Valentina. Thank you!
Guess what's happening? This! Looks so so good, Marissa! Perfect for a weekend brunch. Heck, I'd even have this for dinner and call it a day! Big yum!
We literally had this for dinner last night! I honestly love it for any meal. So excited for you to give it a try, Dawn.
Now there's a piece of quiche! All the heart eyes for this one! I can very easily see this one on our Christmas Brunch menu! Thanks for sharing, my friend!!
Thank you, Annie. My pleasure!
Ah, I really do love a good breakfast quiche! Laura isn't a fan of eggy things, so quiches are usually a no-go for her. That means I have to eat the whole thing when I make one. I mean that's not a bad thing, of course! I'm thinking it might be fun to make a quiche sometime during the holidays. Great idea!!
Thanks, David! More for you, right? 😉
I love quiche and this would be perfect for any meal of the day! I never made a lard pie crust, something new for me to try
It's so flaky, Rahul! I hope you'll give this one a try.
This was dinner tonight, Marissa and my family of 3 nearly ate the whole quiche in one sitting! I have one nice piece left that my son has spoken for his breakfast in the morning. I’m going to make it again and take it to my mom later in the week. I had to leave out the bacon and worried it would be lacking in flavor with that omission. I was wrong, it was fabulous. Thanks for sharing. This will be another Pinch and Swirl recipe I’ll be making again and again. xo
That is so wonderful to hear, Sally! I'm so glad that you and your family enjoyed it!
This is my kind of spring comfort food, too! This looks absolutely mouth-watering, my friend!
Thank you so much, Annie! xo
Mmm...eggs, cheese, bacon, and leeks make the perfect spring savory quiche. Wondering, if I can make a vegetable based crust (not that I'm against a regular crust, but thinning that would be amazing too)
I think that would be delicious, Ben!
With bacon in here, this would be a definite hit at our house!! I never think to make quiche, but whenever I do it's always delicious. I'll have to try yours soon!!
I'm so excited for you to try this, Katherine! I hope it's a hit with your family! 🙂
This quiche looks absolutely perfect. And the combination of leeks and bacon is incredible!
Don't you love that combo!? One of my favorites! Thanks, Kevin.
My mom made a quiche for Christmas breakfast and I'm still dreaming about it--this one looks even better than hers though. I loooove leeks! This sounds perfect for breakfast this weekend 🙂
wow, thanks, Kelsie! It's really the perfect weekend breakfast / brunch dish...
Hi Marisssa. I love the flavors of Spring! Leeks are one of my favorites and then you add in the bacon Gruyere cheese. OMG this would be perfect for any meal in my opinion.
Thank you, Dorothy! I completely agree - so many wonderful flavors this time of year!
When I'm looking to spoil myself for breakfast I love to treat myself to quiche! This looks absolutely delicious. I'd enjoy it for any meal of the day!
I'm the same, Mary Ann. A slice of quiche and a little green salad are perfect morning, noon and night! 😉
That quiche looks incredible, Marissa! I love breakfast foods, so the idea of a quiche is really calling to me right now. And I totally agree with you about springtime flavors. Looks like you guys have been eating well out there lately! 🙂 Now if only spring would hurry up and actually get here...haha!
I know what you mean about spring, David! We had a little snow shower yesterday! 🙂
This looks PERFECT, Marissa! With the weekend soon here, I'm thinking about all things brunch and this would fit the bill! Love how fluffy it is! That, tons of coffee and I'm set 😉
Yes! Perfect with coffee... Thanks, Dawn.