Keto Quiche
Published March 14, 2022 • Updated March 15, 2026
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I make this keto quiche for every holiday brunch and most Sunday mornings in between. Flaky low carb almond flour crust, silky egg custard, bacon, gruyere, and only 3 carbs per slice.
I started making this for Mother’s Day brunch years ago and it became the recipe I reach for every time I need to feed a crowd without spending my whole morning in the kitchen. The crust is the reason it works so well. I use almond flour with a small amount of coconut flour and xanthan gum, and that combination is what keeps slices intact in the fridge for five days straight. Readers keep telling me the crust doesn’t go soggy when they microwave leftovers, and I can confirm: the xanthan gum is doing the work there.
The filling is a custard made from whole eggs, extra yolks, and a mix of nut milk and heavy cream. I tested this with all heavy cream first and it was rich but dense. Cutting it with nut milk gives you the same silky texture without the calorie overload, and the custard still sets up perfectly. That’s a deliberate formula I landed on after multiple batches, not a random swap.
I load mine with bacon and gruyere because that’s what my family wants on repeat, but this recipe handles whatever filling you add. Sausage, spinach, mushrooms, smoked salmon. I brought a smoked salmon and chive version to a bridal shower once and people still bring it up. The custard ratio is forgiving. I’ve gone heavy on the fillings and it still sets. The gruyere gets golden and bubbly on top, which is half the reason I keep coming back to it.
If you don’t want a crust at all, you’re making a frittata, and that’s a fine option. But the crust is what makes this feel like a real brunch centerpiece. Bridal showers, Easter, Christmas morning, potlucks. I bring this one every time. It works hot or cold, slices clean after cooling for 10 minutes, and it holds together on a paper plate at a backyard party. I know because I’ve tested that more times than I can count. One reader told me she has “murdered every crust” she’s ever attempted, and even she pulled this off on her first try.
For keto meal prep, this is one of my most reliable recipes. I bake it on Sunday and pull slices out every morning through Thursday. Pair it with a breakfast bowl, almond flour pancakes, or breakfast quesadillas if you want to mix up your mornings. The almond flour crust actually improves in the fridge. I don’t say that about most baked things, but this one gets slightly crispier edges after a day or two.
How to make this quiche
- Make the almond flour pastry crust in a food processor. Pulse just until the dough comes together. (Check below for my crustless version if you want to skip this step.)
- Bake the crust at 350 for 8-9 minutes.
- Cook your bacon or sausage.
- Layer the meat and cheese into the baked crust.
- Whisk eggs, egg yolks, nut milk, and cream.
- Pour over the filling and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Key ingredients
- Eggs and extra yolks – The whole eggs give structure and the extra yolks are what make this custard velvety. I tried it without the extra yolks once and the texture was noticeably less smooth.
- Bacon or sausage – Bacon makes it a classic Lorraine. I’ve also done crumbled sausage, diced ham, and smoked salmon. The custard ratio handles any protein you add.
- Cheese – Gruyere is my go-to for this recipe. Sharp cheddar is tangier (a reader asked and I’ve since tested it). Pepper jack, fontina, and colby jack all set up the same way.
- Nut milk and heavy cream – I use both. All heavy cream makes the custard rich but dense. The combination hits the same silky texture with less calorie load.
- Vegetables – Spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, bell pepper, onion. I sautee them first so they don’t release water into the custard during baking.
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Keto Pastry Crust Ingredients
1 cup almond flour -
3 tablespoons coconut flour
-
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
-
1 ounce cream cheese, softened
-
1 egg
-
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Keto Quiche Filling Ingredients
-
8 oz bacon, cooked and diced
-
4 oz gruyere cheese, grated
-
2 eggs
-
2 egg yolks
-
1 cup nut milk
-
1 cup heavy whipping cream
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare pastry crust
To a food processor, add almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum and salt. Pulse until combined. Add cold, cubed butter, cream cheese, egg and rice vinegar. Pulse until dough comes together. Don’t over mix or crust will not be flaky.
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Xanthan gum
- Salt
- Butter (chilled and cubed)
- Cream cheese (softened)
- Egg
- Vinegar
Roll pastry crust
Roll pastry crust in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to a 1/8-1/4 inch thickness and to circle about 1-2 inches larger than your quiche dish, tarte pan or pie plate. Remove the top layer of parchment paper. Place quiche pan upside down on top of the center of the crust. Slide a hand underneath the crust and flip over so that the crust falls into the dish. Remove the top layer of parchment paper. Mold crust into place. Cut off excess dough.
Bake pastry crust
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Add bacon and cheese
To the prepared pastry crust, sprinkle in cooked and crumbled bacon and shredded cheese. Set aside.
- Bacon (cooked & crumbled)
- Gruyere cheese (shredded)
Make custard filling
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolks using an electric mixer. Pour in nut milk, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Pour into crust.
- Eggs
- Egg yolks
- Nut milk (macadamia, almond, coconut)
- Heavy Cream
- Salt & pepper
Bake quiche
Bake quiche at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute coconut flour for almond flour in the crust?
I haven't done a full swap, but based on how coconut flour behaves in my other recipes, I'd start with about 1/3 cup coconut flour in place of the 1 cup almond flour (keep the 3 tablespoons coconut flour already in the recipe). Coconut flour absorbs way more liquid, so add a splash of water if the dough won't come together. If you have a tree nut allergy, I'd try the crustless version first because that's a guaranteed win.
What size quiche dish or tart pan should I use?
I use a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. A standard 9-inch pie plate works too. I've made this in a 10-inch dish and the custard layer was thinner but still set perfectly. Deeper pans will need a few extra minutes of bake time.
Can I make this in a muffin tin for mini quiches?
I've done this for parties and it works well. Press small rounds of the crust dough into each cup of a greased muffin tin (you'll get about 12). Par-bake for 5-6 minutes at 350, then fill with the custard and your toppings. Bake 15-18 minutes total. They come out clean if you grease the tin well. My mini frittatas use the same concept without the crust.
I live at high altitude. Do I need to adjust the bake time?
Yes. I've walked a few readers through this one. At 3,600 feet, bump the oven up 25 degrees and watch the center closely. Pull the quiche when the edges are set but the center still looks slightly underdone. It finishes setting as it cools on the counter. If it looks fully done in the oven, it's already overbaked.
What cheese works best if I don't have gruyere?
I've tested sharp cheddar, pepper jack, fontina, and mozzarella in this recipe. They all work. The custard sets from the eggs and cream, not the cheese, so the swap won't affect the texture. Sharp cheddar gives a tangier bite that goes well with bacon. Pepper jack adds heat. Fontina is nuttier and closest to gruyere if that's the flavor profile you want.
How many carbs are in a slice?
This recipe comes in at about 3 net carbs per slice with the almond flour crust. Without the crust, it drops to about 1 net carb. I've been eating this on keto since 2018 and it fits easily into my daily macros. The filling is mostly eggs, cream, cheese, and bacon.
What is quiche Lorraine?
Quiche Lorraine is the classic French version: pastry crust, egg custard, and bacon. Some recipes add caramelized onion or a pinch of nutmeg. My recipe is basically a Lorraine with gruyere added. I keep the custard simple and let the bacon and cheese carry the flavor.
Do I have to blind bake the crust first?
I always do. The crust needs that initial 8-9 minutes in the oven on its own to get flaky. If you skip it, the bottom stays soft and doughy under all that custard. I've tried it both ways and the difference is obvious. Blind bake, every time.
Vinegar in the crust felt wrong the first time. Now I won't make it without. The dough pulls together so much cleaner with it, and it holds the blind bake without shrinking back at the edges the way most almond flour crusts do. Been making this on Sunday mornings for about a year, and the bacon and gruyere version is still the one I keep coming back to even when I experiment with other cheeses. The extra egg yolks in the custard are doing real work. It sets with that slight wobble and firms up after it cools to something genuinely silky, not the rubbery texture you get from whole-egg only versions. Worth the extra step of separating.
Pre-shredded gruyere has an anti-caking coating that stops it melting clean into the custard. Grate it off the block and the texture is completely different. Worth the extra two minutes.
Noticed that years ago. Block gruyere, every time.
I kept putting this off because I've been burned by almond flour crusts that crumble the second you try to cut a clean slice. Finally made it Sunday and whatever the xanthan gum is doing in there, it works. The crust held an actual edge, had real flake to it, not that grainy, press-together texture I was bracing for. Four stars because I overcooked the bacon and the custard was slightly underdone in the center, but both of those are my fault, not the recipe's.
Xanthan gum changed how I think about almond flour crusts. And yeah, pull it when the center still wobbles, looks wrong but the pan finishes it. Overcooked bacon is the easier fix next time.
I have made regular quiche plenty of times but had never tried a keto crust, and the xanthan gum in the ingredient list gave me pause. Rolling it between parchment sheets helped the dough come together cleanly, and the gruyere and bacon filling is genuinely good. Do you think Swiss would hold up the same way if I can't find gruyere near me?
Swiss works fine. Same flavor family as gruyere, a touch milder but the custard doesn't care what cheese you use. Sets from the eggs and cream regardless.
My mom made quiche every Easter Sunday, and when I went keto I figured that was just gone from my life. Made this for the first time last weekend and that first bite, the gruyere and that flaky almond flour crust, it just hit me. I actually teared up a little (embarrassing to admit). Making it for Mother's Day brunch next week as a nod to her.
Not embarrassing at all. I make this every Easter and Christmas brunch for the same reason (it still feels like the real thing). Hope Mother's Day is a good one.
Made this for Sunday brunch and my husband, who's been skeptical of every almond flour crust I've put in front of him, quietly cut himself another slice. Didn't say a word. The gruyere and bacon custard got him.
The quiet second slice is better than any compliment. My husband does the same thing, pretends he doesn't care about the keto version and then I turn around and half the quiche is gone.
I've tried probably six different keto quiche recipes over the last two years and the crust always ends up rubbery or crumbles the second you cut into it. This one sliced clean. The xanthan gum actually gives the crust some structure, not just that dense almond flour texture I've come to expect. Gruyere instead of cheddar made a real difference in the custard too, way more depth. This is the one.
Gruyere was a late swap for me too. I kept reaching for cheddar because that's what every other recipe uses, and it just never tasted right. Gruyere has that nuttiness that holds up to the eggs.
Brought this to a Mother's Day brunch without mentioning it was keto. The gruyere and bacon had people going back for seconds before I could say anything, and someone asked if the crust was store-bought. That part was satisfying. I'd add a bit more salt to the custard next time, but it held up on the table for a couple hours without getting soggy or falling apart.
The store-bought question is the best kind of compliment.
Subbed fontina for the gruyere (store was out) and the custard came out SO much silkier than I expected. Like, genuinely different. Not sure I'm going back.
Fontina melts way creamier. I've made it with both and fontina basically dissolves into the custard where gruyere holds more texture. Different quiche.
Brought this to an Easter brunch and my aunt, who famously hates 'healthy baking,' scraped the last piece off the pan. The gruyere does something to the custard that makes it taste richer than it has any right to.
Gruyere melts different from most hard cheeses. Higher fat, nuttier. Makes the custard taste like it has more going on without adding more cream. Your aunt didn't stand a chance.
My 10-year-old said it tasted 'like a real pie crust' and got annoyed when I told her what was in it. Highest compliment she gives.
Ha. The annoyance is the real review. Took me years to get an almond flour crust flaky enough to pull that off.
I'd written off low carb pie crusts after too many crumble disasters. But the xanthan gum here actually does something. Mine held together clean when I sliced it, gruyere and bacon spilling out like a real quiche. Four stars only because I overfilled it on the first try and the custard bubbled over, but that's on me.
The fill level gets people. I leave about a quarter inch from the rim - it expands more than you'd expect as it bakes.
Wasn't convinced almond flour crust could hold up, but it's sturdier than most regular quiches I've tried.
Xanthan gum in the crust. Most almond flour recipes skip it and then wonder why it falls apart.
First time making any quiche and I wasn't sure the almond flour crust was going to hold together at all. It did, and the custard set up way cleaner than I expected. Is it supposed to get that flaky or did I just get lucky with the rolling?
Not luck. Chilled butter and the vinegar. Keep the dough cold when you're pressing it in and it'll do that every time.
The crust is where this one shines. I've made a handful of keto quiches over the years, and the almond and coconut flour combo here holds together better than most. My one note: the custard took closer to 45 minutes in my oven before it set cleanly in the center (it was still quite wobbly at the suggested time), so worth testing with your oven before serving at a brunch. The gruyere was the right call, though. That slightly nutty flavor against the bacon is exactly what makes this feel like the real thing.
45 minutes is normal. I go by the jiggle anyway. Edges set, center still wobbles, pull it.