Quiche Lorraine is the very embodiment of a French tart: a tender, crisp base, fried bacon and a soft egg custard with a hint of nutmeg. The dish comes from Lorraine in north-eastern France, and it became a classic far beyond the country’s borders long ago.
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Here I bake it in a small tart tin directly in the air fryer basket. The base is blind-baked first, so it stays crisp under the filling, and afterwards the quiche gets exactly the time it takes for the egg mixture to set. The result is a lunch dish with genuine bistro flavour that you make without turning on the big oven.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love quiche Lorraine in the air fryer
I’ve always had a soft spot for a good quiche, but a large oven-baked tart often leaves you with leftovers for days. The air fryer version in a tin of about 20 cm gives four servings. That’s just the right size for lunch or a weekend brunch.
Quiche Lorraine is also a dish where a few ingredients do all the work: butter, flour, eggs, cream, bacon and gruyère. A couple of simple techniques lift it from ordinary to really good.
Why the air fryer gives a crispier base
A quiche stands or falls with its base, and here the air fryer has a clear advantage. The hot air circulates closely around the small tin, so the base turns dry and firm during blind baking, before the wet egg mixture goes in. Combined with a cold shortcrust dough, this gives a base that still has bite, even under a creamy filling.
My kitchen test of Quiche Lorraine
I baked the quiche in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has one basket with heating elements both above and below. That suits a quiche well, because the base gets heat from below while the surface browns from above. First, I blind-bake the base for 15 minutes at 180 °C. Baking paper and baking beans hold the edge in place at first, and before the last few minutes I remove them and brush the base thinly with egg white. Then the quiche is baked to finish with bacon, gruyère and egg mixture at 160 °C for 22 minutes.
The lower temperature the second time round lets the filling set slowly, so it turns creamy instead of rubbery. I pour in the egg mixture while the tin is in the basket, so I don’t have to move a full tin, and stop about 0.5 cm below the rim. The quiche is ready when the surface is golden and the centre still wobbles slightly. It finishes setting during the 10 minutes of resting. With the dough’s time in the fridge and the resting after baking, the dish takes 102 minutes in total, but only 25 minutes of that is preparation.
Keep the butter and dough cold throughout, and never skip the blind baking. A thin brushing of egg white on the pre-baked base is the small trick that keeps it crisp under the filling.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is a soggy base, which happens when the butter gets warm, or when the blind baking is skipped. Keep the dough cold, even while the air fryer heats up, prick the base with a fork, and bake it with baking beans before the filling goes in. The second mistake is baking the quiche until the centre is completely firm, because then the egg mixture separates and the filling turns dry. Take it out while the centre still wobbles a little, and let the resting do the rest. The third mistake is laying foil loosely over the top if it browns too much. Instead, fold it snugly around the edge of the tin, otherwise the airflow can blow the foil up against the heating element.
How to serve Quiche Lorraine
Serve the quiche warm or at room temperature. The filling is rich and creamy, so fresh, tangy accompaniments make a big difference:
- A green salad with a fresh vinaigrette that balances the rich filling
- Pickled red onions or cornichons for a little extra tang
- Crisp radishes and cucumber in thin slices
- A piece of good sourdough bread on the brunch table
- Smaller pieces on a buffet or a tapas platter
Storage and reheating
Leftover quiche can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat it in the air fryer at 160 °C for 5-7 minutes, until heated through. That way the base turns crisp again, which a microwave can’t manage.
Quiche Lorraine in the air fryer shows that a classic French tart needs neither a large oven nor a lot of effort. With a cold dough, a blind-baked base and a little patience at the end, you get a quiche that’s crisp, creamy and full of flavour.
FAQ
The recipe fits a tart tin of about 20 cm, but the tin needs to fit in the basket with a little clearance all the way round. If you only have room for a smaller tin, don’t fill the egg mixture higher than 0.5 cm below the rim, and check the quiche a few minutes before time.
The surface should be golden, and the egg mixture should have just set. The centre can wobble slightly when you gently shake the basket, since the quiche finishes setting while it rests for 10 minutes before slicing.
No, the original quiche from Lorraine is made without cheese, so the filling consists only of bacon, eggs and cream. Gruyère is the most common variant today, but you can also use comté or emmental. If you want the classic version, just leave out the cheese.
Recipe
Quiche Lorraine in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Tart pan
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Brush
- 1 Whisk
Shopping list
Ingredients
Filling
- 150 g bacon (diced or in strips)
- 75 g gruyère (grated)
- 3 eggs
- 2.5 dl double cream
- 1 pinch nutmeg (freshly grated)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (freshly ground)
How to make it
Shortcrust pastry
- Rub the 75 g butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand. The butter should come straight from the fridge, so the base turns out short and crisp.
- Add the 1 egg yolk and 2 tbsp water, and quickly bring the dough together until it just holds. Knead it as little as possible, and save the egg white for later.
- Wrap the dough in cling film as a flat disc, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Filling
- Fry the 150 g bacon in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until golden and crisp. Do this while the dough rests, and let the bacon drain on kitchen paper.
- Whisk the 3 eggs, 2.5 dl double cream, 1 pinch nutmeg, 1 pinch salt and 1 pinch black pepper together in a mixing bowl until the egg mixture is even. Don’t whisk air into it, and keep it chilled until needed.
Blind baking in the air fryer
- Line a tart tin of about 20 cm with the dough: roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to about 3 mm thick, lay it in the tin, and press it firmly into the edge. Trim off any excess dough. The tin needs to fit in the basket with a little clearance all the way round.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C.
- Prick the base with a fork, and place the tin in the fridge while the air fryer heats up.
- Lay a sheet of baking paper in the pastry case, and fill it with ceramic baking beans or dried beans so the edge doesn’t collapse. Place the tin in the basket, and blind bake at 180 °C for 10 minutes.
- Bake the base for a further 5 minutes at 180 °C, until dry and lightly golden. The egg white seals the base, so it stays crisp under the filling.
Baking in the air fryer
- Scatter the bacon and 75 g gruyère evenly over the pre-baked base.
- Fill the base with the egg mixture until it reaches about 0.5 cm below the rim. Do this while the tin is in the basket, so you don’t have to move a full tin.
- Bake the quiche at 160 °C for 22 minutes, until the surface is golden and the egg mixture has just set. The centre can still wobble slightly when you gently shake the basket, as it will finish setting while it rests.
Serving
- Let the quiche cool in the tin for 10 minutes before slicing, so the filling sets and the pieces hold their shape.
- Serve the quiche warm or at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces, with a green salad on the side.
Our notes for the recipe
Keep the butter and dough cold throughout, so the base turns out short and crisp. The blind baking and the thin brushing with egg white stop the base going soggy, so don’t skip them. The egg mixture is only lightly salted, because the bacon and gruyère already add plenty of salt. If the top browns too much before the centre has set, lay a sheet of foil over the quiche and fold it snugly around the edge of the tin, so it can’t blow up against the heating element. Serving size:
This recipe fits a tart tin of about 20 cm. If your air fryer only has room for a smaller tin, fill the egg mixture to just 0.5 cm below the rim, and check the quiche a few minutes before time. Variation:
The original quiche from Lorraine in north-eastern France is made without any cheese at all, so leave out the gruyère if you want the classic version. You can also use comté or emmental instead of gruyère, or replace some of the cream with crème fraîche for a tangier filling. Serving:
Serve the quiche warm or at room temperature with a green salad and a fresh vinaigrette to balance the rich filling. It’s also great for brunch or cut into smaller pieces for a buffet.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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