Bacon and Cheese Quiche: 21g Protein

By Annette

Bacon and Cheese Quiche: 21g Protein

There’s a version of quiche that exists just to be pretty at a brunch table. And then there’s this one.

This one has bacon, three kinds of cheese, and 21 grams of protein per slice.

It’s the kind of quiche that goes in the rotation because it actually keeps you full, not because it photographs well (though it does that too).

New here? Protein First Recipes leads every recipe with its protein number and honest macros. Subscribe free and a new one lands every week.

đź“Š The Macros

🥩 PROTEIN: 21g

Calories 441 · Carbs 17g · Fat 32g · Fiber 1g Protein density: 4.8g protein per 100 calories Serves 6 · ~55 min · weekend meal-prep

21 grams of protein in a quiche slice that includes bacon, three cheeses, and a flaky crust. That’s not a compromise. That’s just doing it right.

The original recipe lands at 17g per serving. Three more eggs and a switch from regular milk to ultra-filtered high-protein milk close the gap to 21g. Nothing else changes.

🍳 The Recipe

Bacon and Cheese Quiche. Serves 6. About 10 minutes of prep, 45 to 50 minutes in the oven.

The kind of recipe that comes out of the oven and makes the whole house smell like Saturday morning.

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 1 pie crust (store-bought, softened as directed)
  • 1 cup ultra-filtered high-protein milk (Fairlife or similar, in place of regular milk)
  • 7 eggs (up from 4, the key protein boost)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the softened pie crust in a shallow-sided 9-inch glass pie plate and crimp the edges.
  2. Scatter the crumbled bacon and all three cheeses evenly across the bottom of the crust.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, Fairlife, salt, and pepper until smooth.
  4. Pour the egg mixture over the bacon and cheese.
  5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let set for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into 6 portions.

Make-ahead: baked quiche keeps well in the refrigerator for 4 days. Cover tightly. Reheat in a 325°F oven for 12 minutes, or microwave individual slices for 60 to 75 seconds.

Made this? Reply and tell me how you served it. I read every reply.

🔄 The Swap

Use 7 eggs instead of 4, and swap regular milk for ultra-filtered high-protein milk like Fairlife. Those two changes add 23 grams of protein to the whole quiche, which is about 4 extra grams in every slice.

The egg yolks from the extra eggs make the custard noticeably richer and more golden. The Fairlife tastes like milk because it is milk, just filtered to concentrate the protein. Neither change asks you to compromise on anything.

Want to push to 23g? Add 2 slices of bacon (makes it 10 total). That’s another 6 grams across the quiche, which adds 1 gram per slice. Not dramatic, but it keeps the protein number climbing in the right direction.

🔬 The Science

Why do three cheeses in one dish deserve a closer look?

Cheese protein is often underestimated. Cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan all deliver around 7 to 10 grams of protein per ounce, making them meaningful protein contributors, not just fat-and-flavor additions. This quiche uses about 2 ounces of each, which adds up to roughly 42 grams of protein from cheese alone across the whole dish.

The egg protein benchmark. Seven eggs in one quiche deliver 42 grams of complete, high-leucine protein. Divided into 6 slices, that’s 7 grams per slice from eggs alone before you count the bacon or cheese. These numbers add up to something real.

Saturated fat and satiety. The combination of egg yolks, cheese, and bacon fat creates a meal that’s genuinely slow to digest. You won’t be back in the kitchen 90 minutes later because this is designed to hold you. Protein plus fat plus minimal carbs is one of the most reliable satiety combinations in the food supply.

Four eggs make a quiche. Seven eggs make a quiche that holds you to dinner. [QUOTABLE]

đź’ˇ The Takeaway

Three extra eggs and a Fairlife swap. That’s the distance between a 17-gram quiche and a 21-gram quiche that earns a permanent spot in your weekend rotation.

Make it Saturday, slice it six ways, and you’ve got breakfast handled for most of the week.

Send this to someone who has brunch every Sunday but never feels full until noon. This is her quiche now.

Want seven days of breakfast-through-dinner planned out at 120 grams of protein? I built it for you.

Download the free 7-Day 120g-Protein Meal Plan → Seven days of meals and snacks, every day hitting 120g of protein, with a full grocery list and honest macros on every plate.

Written by Annette. Real food, honest macros, not medical advice.

Back to all recipes