As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some recipes may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

This is a classic French dish using a homemade gluten-free savoury shortcrust pastry and a traditional egg, cream and bacon custard filling. This quiche is perfect to serve either straight from the oven or chilled on a warm day with plenty of fresh salad and a side of Dijon mustard.
In French, quiche means tart and this savoury tart was named after the Lorraine region in north-eastern France.
Traditionally, the quiche is finished off with some extra crumbled butter, which is scattered over the top of the custard before it is baked. Legendary chef, Julia Child loved to add this to give the quiche a buttery and more golden touch. However, I have refrained from doing this in this recipe as I feel there is already quite a high proportion of butter in the pastry plus the custard is rich enough in flavour.

Cheese or no cheese?
Looking through many classic cookbooks, I notice that some Quiche Lorriane recipes ask for grated cheese. As it is not a traditional ingredient, I have left it out, but feel free to add some cheese if you prefer a cheesier quiche. I have suggested the amount and types needed in the recipe card below. When adding cheese, I recommend reheating any leftover quiche rather than eating it cold.

Gluten-Free Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
After several attempts, I found Australian chef, Stephanie Alexander’s recipe for shortcrust pastry the best. I switched the flour to my gluten-free plain flour blend and added xanthan gum and some plain cream cheese to the mixture to bind it together.
The dough is easy to make, providing you follow some of my tips. It is extremely manageable to roll out and assemble, but best of all, it tastes fantastic!
Tips for making the pastry:
- Pastry-making is best done on a cool day, but if you are living in the tropics or in the middle of a heatwave, the fridge and ice cubes will help you. First make sure everything is chilled – the butter, the bowl, the grater etc. Just before rolling, place a plastic bag filled with some ice or frozen peas on top of the countertop where you intend to roll the dough. Keep some ice in a small bowl to rub onto your hands when handling the dough. Also, if you are an early riser, making pastry first thing will be easier before the day heats up.
- Grate the chilled butter onto a plate before rubbing it into the flour. The butter will incorporate much faster and easier than as cut pieces.

- Once the dough ball is formed, chill it briefly before finally blending it on a lightly floured countertop with the heel of your hand (not the palm as it will be too warm). This technique is done to spread the butter out one final time and the French call this “frisage”.
- After this final “frisage”, it is essential to roll it out between two sheets of baking paper, otherwise, it will stick to your rolling pin and counter. It is best to avoid adding extra flour to unstick the dough, as the pastry will become brittle and taste floury once baked.

Pimp your quiche!
Naturally customising your quiche with popular ingredients like salmon or spinach will create a more wholesome and tastier quiche. There are endless additions to choose from. I often throw in some roasted vegetables and garlic mushrooms, using leftovers from a family roast.
Enjoy creating your own version with this basic recipe!


Gluten-Free Quiche Lorraine
Equipment
- Quiche tin 20 cm diameter, or
- Tart tin 20 cm diameter Add an extra 5cm when doubling the serves.
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
- 75 g rice flour
- 75 g tapioca flour
- 75 g cornflour Known as cornflour in the UK and corn or maize starch in the USA
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
- 180 g butter, cold
- 2 tbsp plain cream cheese, full or low fat
- 50 ml ice-cold water
Savoury Custard Filling
- 7 rashers back or streaky bacon, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 ml single cream (15-18% fat content)
- ¼ tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Pinch of salt (leave out if using cheese)
- 50 g grated strong cheese (e.g., Gruyère, Emmental, Comté) optional
Extras
- Tapioca flour, for final blend
- Dijon mustard, to serve
- Fresh parsley leaves, to decorate
Instructions
Gluten-Free Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
Preparing the dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flours, starches, xanthan gum and salt together.
- Grate the cold butter over a plate.
- Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it appears clumpy. Do not overdo this step, as the butter will be blended in more later.
- Add the cream cheese and half of the ice-cold water.
- Rub some ice cubes over your hands to cool them down and gently bring the dough together by rolling and squeezing the mixture together in the bowl.
- Add the rest of the water gradually, until the dough is soft, but not sticky nor crumbly.
- Cover and chill the dough for 15 mins.
- If it is a warm day, place a bag of ice or frozen peas on the countertop. Remove it after 5 mins.
- Sprinkle the cooled countertop with some tapioca flour and start with the final blending of the dough (*frisage) by pressing the dough away from you with the heel of one hand. Do this step several times.
- Mould the dough into a disc and place it between two sheets of baking paper to start rolling out.
- Roll out the dough into a circle large enough to fit the tin allowing for a 5 cm border.
- Grease a quiche or tart tin with some butter.
- Remove the top sheet of baking paper from the pastry. Flip it accurately over the tin and gently remove the bottom sheet of baking paper.
- Gently ease the pastry into the tin and press the sides. Any excess pastry can be removed by using a knife or rolling the rolling pin over the top. The latter will give an even finish.
Blind baking the pastry
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Add a portion of baking paper to the tin and fill it with some pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf.
- Remove the pie weights and paper. Prick the base with a fork several times.
- Return the tin to the oven to cook for a further 10 mins. Start preparing the filling during this time.
Savoury Custard Filling
- Lower the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F.
- Fry the bacon pieces gently until slightly crisp. Do not add any oil as the fat will slowly render out during this gentle fry.
- Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to remove any excess fat.
- Add the bacon pieces to the bottom of the cooked pastry shell.
- In a jug, whisk the cream and eggs together. Season the mixture with the nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
- If using cheese, leave the salt out and mix the cheese into the mixture.
- Pour the egg mixture gently over the bacon leaving a 1 cm gap from the top.
- Bake for 35-40 mins. It should appear golden and slightly puffed up.
Serving
- Cool the quiche either to lukewarm or room temperature before serving. Please note that as the quiche cools down, the puffiness will reduce slightly.
- If your quiche was made in advance, gently reheat it in a moderate oven for 10 mins.
- Serve the quiche with some Dijon mustard and fresh salad or vegetable sides.
Notes
- Keeps for 3 days chilled.
- Suitable to freeze once completely cooled down.
- Reheat in a moderate oven for 10 mins. Cover the top with some foil if you don’t want to deepen the colour of the filling.
* frisage:
This French technique is done to spread the butter out one final time in the pastry.