Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine

Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine is a classic bacon, cheese and egg flan baked in your air fryer. A crisp cheese pastry shell is filled with eggs and cream with little bites of smoky bacon throughout. Serve it warm or at room temperature for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Why should I make Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine?

Homemade Quiche Lorraine is so much more delicious than anything that you can buy. And making it in your air fryer means you don’t need to heat up your oven for one dish. This recipe makes a modest sized quiche that will serve four people with side dishes or a substantial salad.

What is a Quiche Lorraine?

Quiche Lorraine comes from the region of Lorraine which is a region in the Eastern part of France. However, this border region has been both part of France and also of Germany. The original quiche was a basic farmer’s pie created from from basic ingredients readily available in the countryside: eggs, cream, bacon, and pastry. The popularity of quiche spread and it has become a standard dish across the Western world.

What is an air fryer?

An air fryer is a bit like a mini oven. However, the element is only at the top of the air fryer and it uses a powerful fan to circulate the heat. This combination of intense heat and circulation means that food crisps up quickly.

Air fryers were originally sold for their ability to create ‘fried’ food with less fat. However, the air fryer has developed and more people are recognising the potential to cook and bake all kinds of foods in this way.

What kind of air fryer can I use to bake Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine?

You will need the kind of air fryer that has temperature control as well as a timer and no paddle. Otherwise, any air fryer brand should do the job very well.

I have two air fryers, one is the type with a pull-out square drawer and the other an oven type. Both need to be pre-heated before use and the quiche bakes well in both air fryers. If you have a different kind of air fryer you may need to adjust the timing or temperature by a minute or two either way.

What ingredients do I need to make Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine?

The ingredients for Quiche Lorraine are widely available and you may already have many of them in your larder or fridge. Here is what you need:

• flour
• butter
• salt
• cheese
• eggs
• milk
• cream
• mustard
• bacon

A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.

Why do I have to chill the pastry?

I recommend that you chill the pastry before lining the tart tin, and again after lining the tin. If you don’t do this then the pastry will shrink when it bakes and won’t be big enough to hold all the filling.

How long do I have to chill the pastry?

I usually chill the pastry dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes. After I have lined the tin I pop it into the freezer for about 10 minutes, but if you don’t have room in your freezer then another 20 minutes in the fridge should do the trick.

Can I use ready-made pastry?

If you don’t want to make your own pastry, then you can use ready-made shortcrust pastry. You won’t get the extra cheesy hit from the cheese pastry, but it will still be a good quiche.

You can also use a ‘ready to fill’ savoury baked pastry case which will save you time although it really doesn’t taste as good as something you bake yourself.

What is blind baking and why do I have to do this?

Blind baking simply means baking the pastry shell before filling it. If you put a wet filling into an unbaked pastry case the base is unlikely to cook properly and you will get a ‘soggy bottom’ rather than a crisp bite of buttery crust.

What kind of bacon should I use?

Any kind of bacon will work for this dish. I like to use smoked bacon lardons or pancetta, these are small pieces of fatty bacon that you can buy ready cut. If you can’t find those then use smoked streaky bacon and cut it into small pieces.

What kind of cheese should I use to make Quiche Lorraine?

I use Cheddar cheese in the pastry and Gruyere cheese in the filling for this Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine. However, you can use any hard cheese that you can grate. Choose a cheese that has a good strong flavour to cut through the creamy egg custard.

I don’t have any Dijon mustard what else can I use?

Mustard enhances the flavour of the cheese in the quiche and I use Dijon mustard because it has a good flavour and a medium heat. If you don’t have Dijon mustard you can use a 1/4 teapoon of the much stronger English mustard or mustard powder. Or you can use 2 teaspoons of American mustard which is much milder.

Can I do any preparation ahead of time?

You can prepare the pastry case to the stage where you line the flan tin and then cover and keep in the fridge for up to two days before baking blind and then filling and baking. And you can also freeze the unbaked pastry case for up to 3 months.

Keep the baked pastry case in an airtight container for up to two days, then continue with the recipe.

How should I store the baked Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine?

You can keep the baked tart in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in your air fryer at 160C/300F for 10 minutes. If you plan to serve the quiche cold, make sure you take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving so it can come to room temperature. If the tart is too cold you won’t taste the full flavours.

Vegetarian

Quiche Lorraine contains bacon and is not suitable for a vegetarian diet. You can leave out the bacon or use a vegetarian bacon alternative.

Gluten Free

The pastry case uses wheat flour and is not suitable for a GF diet. However, you can make your own gluten free shortcrust pastry or you can buy ready made gluten free shortcrust pastry.

How should I serve Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine?

Quiche Lorraine is a very versatile dish that can be served in many different ways. Here are some ways you can try:

• Bacon and eggs is a classic breakfast combination and Air Fryer Quiche Lorraine is basically bacon and eggs in a pastry case! It’s ideal for a brunch buffet with grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, Kedgeree and pancakes.
• Quiche makes a great lunch or casual supper dish. It’s filling and tasty served with salad and coleslaw.
• Serve your quiche warm with an Air Fryer Baked Potato and vegetables such as French beans or sugarsnap peas.
• Pack a cold Quiche Lorraine for a picnic or a single slice makes a great packed lunch.

More Quiche and Savoury Tart Recipes

Are you looking for more Air Fryer recipes?

All my air fryer recipes are tried and tested. You can find them in the Air Fryer category in recipe index at the top of this page.