You’ve never had a Quiche as fluffy and decadent as this French quiche recipe! This Quiche is flavored with Ham, Cheese, and Scallions for a delightful breakfast you can’t wait to share.
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
Recipe Origins
History of Quiche
The first quiche may not have originated where you think…. Though we commonly think of quiche as a uniquely French food, it actually originated in Germany!
The medieval German kingdom responsible for today’s delicacy was called Lothringen. Eventually, the French began making the dish and changed the name of it to Lorraine.
To this day, the most popular quiche fillings are the ones used in Quiche Lorraine: Bacon and Cheese.
French Quiche Vs American Quiche
Growing up, I was never a huge fan of quiche. I always thought it was dry, kinda tasteless, and definitely super boring.
One day though, after a particularly long morning in Paris, I sat down for some lunch. I was starving and wanted something quick, so I ordered what I knew would already be prepared in the back: quiche!
When the waiter arrived and I took the first bite of true, French Quiche, the world changed. This quiche was fluffy, absolutely creamy, and all-around so indescribably better than the quiche I had in the USA.
I knew that if I was ever going to have quiche again, I needed to make it taste exactly like THIS. So, here you are friends!
If you’ve never had French Quiche, be prepared. This one is going to taste a little different than the health-blogger recipes you may have tried before. It’s certainly a recipe for special occasions because it’s filled to the brim with cream, cheese, and the most buttery, delicious crust.
But trust me when I tell you, it’ll be the most delicious, flavorful quiche you’ve ever had.
Why Make this Recipe
- Flavorful Filling: Adding the green onions into this recipe was a last minute decision (I just had them in my fridge) but something I’ll never NOT do again! The scallions add such a unique and desirable flavor component that you’ll love.
- Buttery Crust: I love the crust of this recipe! It’s sturdy and buttery, the perfect vessel for your custard filling!
- “Travel” to France: After trying the delightful quiche recipes in France, I was obsessed. I came home and searched high and low for quiche in the United States of America that could live up to what I had abroad. It was pretty difficult to find, so I made my own! If you want to know what a Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe in France would taste like, this is your recipe to try!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
- Ham: I bought a package of pre-cubed ham, as it made the process a lot quicker to prepare. If you must, you can also buy spiralized ham or even a ham steak and cut it up into small cubes.
- Green Onions: When preparing this recipe, I only use the green part of the green onions, and discard the whites. You can use the whites if you’d prefer. I cut the scallions into pieces about ½” long.
- Cream: Heavy Whipping Cream
- Chilled Water: The colder the ingredients are in the crust, the better. I filled a cup with about ½ cup of water, then added a few ice cubes to it. When preparing the crust, I used my tablespoon to get water from this bowl of extra cold water.
- Gruyere Cheese: 1 ½ cups of grated cheese is about 4 oz
- Other Ingredients: all purpose flour, unsalted butter, large eggs
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, nutmeg
Tools
- Food Processor: You can also cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or even 2 forks if necessary
- Saran Wrap
- Rolling Pin: Can substitute with a clean wine bottle if necessary
- Pie Pan/Tart Pan: 9 inches
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Beans
- Pastry Brush
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
How to Make this Recipe
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Step 1: Make the Pie Dough
In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and chilled, cubed butter. Pulse for about 30 seconds or until it is a crumbly butter and flour combination.
Combine the egg and chilled water, then add it into the food processor with the flour. Pulse again for another 30 seconds. The mixture should look crumbly but should form into a dough if pressed with your hands
Pour the crumbs onto a clean work surface and use your hand to press them into a ball. Wrap the ball in saran wrap and let chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until it is firm.
Once chilled, lightly flour a clean work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a circle, starting from the center and working outwards until the dough is large enough to fit in your pie/tart pan.
Transfer the crust dough into the pie/tart pan. Use your hands to gently press the bottom, making sure the dough reaches into the corners of the pan. Fold any hanging edges under, then use your thumb and forefinger to scallop the edge of the dough.
Chill the crust for about 15 minutes in the fridge and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2: Bake the Crust
After chilling the crust, use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust.
Lay parchment paper over the whole crust (even up the sides). Then, fill the crust with dry beans (I used black beans, but you can also use pie weights or other baking beans). Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment paper and beans/weights. In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the entire parbaked crust. Put the crust in the oven for another minute until the egg cooks.
Add a layer of gruyere cheese to the bottom of the crust. Put the crust in the oven again for another minute or until the cheese melts on the bottom of the crust.
Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Step 3: Make the Custard Filling
In a large bowl, crack the eggs and whisk to combine. Then add heavy whipping cream, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk again to combine. Set aside.
Step 4: Assemble and Bake the Quiche
In the crust, layer the cubed ham, then the chopped green onions. Pour the custard over the fillings, then sprinkle the remaining ½ cup gruyere cheese on top of the custard.
Place the custard in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center jiggles just a little.
When fully baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow the quiche to cool on the stovetop for at least 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
For some delicious suggestions of what to serve with quiche in the winter, check out my list of 20 drool worthy recipes!
Expert Tips
- If you’d like to save time, you can, of course, use a prepackaged crust and simply add the filling!
- If your dough starts to crack when you’re rolling it into a crust, it is too cold. Leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes, then try again.
- To transfer the dough into the baking pan, I like to roll the dough around my rolling pin, then roll it into the pan. This is easier than lifting the flat disk of dough, and prevents tears.
- Once you’ve rolled out the dough and are chilling for the final time before blind baking, you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days. This is great for prepping your breakfast ahead of time.
- The baked custard should look a bit like jello. You don’t want it to be watery, but you do want it to jiggle a little when the pan shakes.
- Serving this quiche is similar to serving lasagna. If you cut into it right away, it will ooze all over the plates and the pie tin and not retain its shape. It’s important to let the quiche cool and set for at least 20 minutes before serving.
- Do not put the quiche in the fridge to cool after baking. The top will crack.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Use Milk Instead of Cream in this Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe?
If you’re trying to get a quiche that tastes like traditional French food, I wouldn’t do any substitutions with the cream. It’s the presence of the heavy whipping cream that gives the quiche it’s light and fluffy texture.
If you want to lighten the recipe, you can try using half and half, though it will still have an impact on the texture of the final product.
How Can I Get my Quiche Really Fluffy?
In addition to using heavy cream, there are a few other things you can do to make sure that your Ham and Cheese Quiche is as fluffy as possible.
Use room temperature eggs to make the filling and make sure to whisk them very well. Use a whisk instead of a fork to mix the eggs, as the whisk adds even more air.
How Do You Make Quiche Without a Soggy Bottom?
The instructions built into this recipe should help you with that!
In this recipe, we first blind bake the crust with baking beans. This allows the crust to set up a bit before adding the soggy fillings.
Secondly, we add an egg wash over the bottom of the crust and bake for a minute for an extra layer of protection.
Finally, baking the cheese onto the bottom of the crust will help a lot as well, as it forms a protective barrier between the crust and the custard filling.
Did you enjoy this Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes that I picked out just for you:
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Easy Ratatouille Recipe
- Escargot Recipe from France
- Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
- Easy Crème Brûlée Recipe
Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Plastic Wrap
- Rolling Pin
- 9″ Pie Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Pie Weights
- Pastry Brush
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Whisk
- Oven Mitt
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, large
- 2 tbsp chilled water, may need up to ¼ cup
Filling Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup ham, diced
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 1 ½ cup gruyere cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the 1 ½ cups flour, ½ tsp salt, and ½ cup chilled, cubed butter. Pulse for about 30 seconds or until it is a crumbly butter and flour combination
- Combine 1 large egg and 2 tbsp chilled water, then add it into the food processor with the flour. Pulse again for another 30 seconds. The mixture should look crumbly but should form into a dough if pressed with your hands
- Pour the crumbs onto a clean work surface and use your hand to press them into a ball. Wrap the ball in saran wrap and let chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until it is firm.
- Once chilled, lightly flour a clean work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a circle, starting from the center and working outwards until the dough is large enough to fit in your pie/tart pan.
- Transfer the crust dough into the pie/tart pan. Use your hands to gently press the bottom, making sure the dough reaches into the corners of the pan. Fold any hanging edges under, then use your thumb and forefinger to scallop the edge of the dough.
- Chill the crust for about 15 minutes in the fridge and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- After chilling the crust, use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust.
- Lay parchment paper over the whole crust (even up the sides). Then, fill the crust with dry beans (I used black beans, but you can also use pie weights or other baking beans). Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the parchment paper and beans/weights. In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the entire parbaked crust. Put the crust in the oven for another minute until the egg cooks.
- Add a layer of gruyere cheese (about 1 cup) to the bottom of the crust. Put the crust in the oven again for another minute or until the cheese melts on the bottom of the crust.
- Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- In a large bowl, crack 4 large eggs and whisk to combine. Then add 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ⅛ tsp nutmeg. Whisk again to combine. Set aside.
- In the crust, layer 1 cup cubed ham, then 1 cup chopped green onions. Pour the custard over the fillings, then sprinkle the remaining ½ cup gruyere cheese on top of the custard.
- Place the custard in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center jiggles just a little.
- When fully baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow the quiche to cool on the stovetop for at least 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ham: I bought a package of pre-cubed ham, as it made the process a lot quicker to prepare. If you must, you can also buy spiralized ham or even a ham steak and cut it up into small cubes.
- Green Onions: When preparing this recipe, I only use the green part of the green onions, and discard the whites. You can use the whites if you’d prefer. I cut the scallions into pieces about ½” long.
- Cream: Heavy Whipping Cream
- Chilled Water: The colder the ingredients are in the crust, the better. I filled a cup with about ½ cup of water, then added a few ice cubes to it. When preparing the crust, I used my tablespoon to get water from this bowl of extra cold water.
- Gruyere Cheese: 1 ½ cups of grated cheese is about 4 oz
- If you’d like to save time, you can, of course, use a prepackaged crust and simply add the filling!
- If your dough starts to crack when you’re rolling it into a crust, it is too cold. Leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes, then try again.
- To transfer the dough into the baking pan, I like to roll the dough around my rolling pin, then roll it into the pan. This is easier than lifting the flat disk of dough, and prevents tears.
- Once you’ve rolled out the dough and are chilling for the final time before blind baking, you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days. This is great for prepping your breakfast ahead of time.
- The baked custard should look a bit like jello. You don’t want it to be watery, but you do want it to jiggle a little when the pan shakes.
- Serving this quiche is similar to serving lasagna. If you cut into it right away, it will ooze all over the plates and the pie tin and not retain its shape. It’s important to let the quiche cool and set for at least 20 minutes before serving.
- Do not put the quiche in the fridge to cool after baking. The top will crack.
Lisa says
Fabulous! Thank you! I made this lunch with friends today and it was a hit! My husband & I used to frequent a little cafe /bakery run by a French-trained chef & ALWAYS had his delicious quiche, wondering what was his secret. He sold & moved and we missed him & his great quiche & pastries. I felt like I had channeled Charles today. Friends said it was the best they’d ever had, & we’re all retired, so we’ve had experience! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Foreign Fork says
This makes me so happy Lisa! I’m so glad that you liked the quiche. My goal was to recreate my favorite quiche from Paris, so I am happy to hear that I did the same for you 🙂
Anna Rodriguez says
I’m a quiche lover. It’s my go to brunch order. But I’ve never tasted quiche like this before! I made it with a premade pie crust. Oh my goodness, it’s so creamy and delicious and a great way to use leftover ham. I will be using this technique for every quiche from now on.
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Anna, I’m so glad you like the quiche! I agree, I had never tasted anything quite like it until I visited France. Now I don’t want quiche any other way! I would love to hear about other additions you experiment with. Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
Cynthia says
Rating this recipe based on technique and filling alone (I blind baked a frozen crust for convenience) this is now my #1 go to quiche recipe! The flavor and creamy custardy texture of this quiche is superior to any other I’ve ever made.
Thank you kindly for sharing this. I am literally eating it now with tears of joy!
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Cynthia, what a kind comment, thank you!! I agree, I had never known a quiche could be so creamy until I tried it the French way. They really are geniuses when it comes to food 😉 So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for leaving a comment!