MAKE AHEAD QUICHE — Mix up this Make Ahead Quiche, then put it in the freezer so it’s ready to go whenever you need something for brunch or a light dinner.
This Make Ahead Quiche is absolutely, hands-down, my favorite freezer meal ever!
Every time I make a ham and have leftovers (which is pretty much every time I make a ham), I put together two or three of these quiches and keep them in the freezer for those times I just don’t feel like cooking.
This is hands down one of my most go to recipes. Perfect every time and I can put all kinds of combinations together as long as I keep the egg base the same. I keep 2-3 in the freezer all the time. ~ Alexandria
I love that this quiche can go straight from the freezer to the oven! Of course, you have to be careful transferring the unbaked quiche to the freezer not to slosh around the egg filling too much.
But once you get it in the freezer, you’ve got a wonderful freezer meal ready to go!
And this quiche really does bake up beautifully! People are always skeptical–I know I was–but this recipe hasn’t failed me yet.
I’ve also given this quiche to friends and neighbors who were getting ready to have a baby, or surgery, to keep in their freezer. It always gets rave reviews!
This quiche is wonderful for breakfast or brunch, but I usually serve it as a light dinner with a fresh fruit salad. I’ve also used cooked bacon in place of the ham.
I’ve made this quiche countless times. I always make it ahead of the day I need it, freeze it, bake it directly from the freezer to the oven. Perfect and so, so good! ~ Minnie
Fully cooked sausage is another great option, and you can always go vegetarian!
You can make your own pie crust, but I usually resort to a pre-made frozen crust. It’s a great, basic recipe that I think would do well with all kind of additions and variations.
My whole family loves this Make Ahead Quiche! And I love knowing I have a delicious ready-to-bake meal on hand for those nights (or mornings) when I’m just not in the mood to cook.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT MAKE AHEAD QUICHE
I made one of these as part of my pre-baby freezer cooking. Freezer meals that don’t have to be defrosted first are the best! It turned out perfectly. The texture was lovely, the filling was evenly set, and done in 1 hour. Will definitely be making again and passing the recipe on to friends! Thank you! ~ Emma
This recipe is my new go-to! For my first time, I doubled the recipe, made and cooked one right away, and froze the other. About a month later, I baked the frozen quiche according to the instructions here. I was skeptical, but oh my goodness, I think it tasted better than the first one I made right away (not frozen). I’m so thankful for your post! The family raved about it! Thank you! ~ Erin
This was wonderful and so easy! Thanks for a great recipe! ~ Kat
Be sure to save this Make Ahead Quiche recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Make Ahead Quiche
- Pie crust
- Cheddar cheese
- Monterrey Jack cheese
- Flour
- Ham
- Eggs
- Half and Half
- Green onions
- Spices: mustard powder, salt and peper
Make Ahead Quiche
Mix up this Make Ahead Quiche, then put it in the freezer so it's ready to go whenever you need something for brunch or a light dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
- Dash of pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss the flour with the grated cheese. Evenly spread the cheese over the bottom of the pie crust. Top the cheese with the diced ham.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and dry mustard. Stir in the green onions. Pour the egg mixture over the ham and cheese.
- Cover the unbaked quiche with plastic wrap, then with foil, sealing the edges well. Place the prepared quiche in the freezer.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Do not thaw the quiche!
- Remove the foil and plastic wrap. Place the foil around the edges of the crust to prevent burning.
- Place the frozen quiche in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.
- To cook the quiche immediately (without freezing first), preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 512mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 14g
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from allrecipes.com.
Cindy
I have some ham I need to use–this looks like the perfect dish. I’ve never met a quiche I didn’t love and to have one in the freezer would be awesome. Great post. It’s pinned.
Gina @ Kleinworth & Co.
Ohhhhh- awesome. Hubs was just saying how he wanted to make some. Thanks Danelle!
Shannon
I love quiche and I usually get up extra early to fix it. I can’t wait to try these. Sleeping in is always a plus!! 🙂
Amy
What a great idea! I am going to use up some of the leftover easter ham and try this out!
Jennifer Lee
I made this tonight and it was a huge success! I just baked it immediately, but now I plan to make a few more and freeze them for later. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Linda
I made this tonight for my husband-test run- he loved it. So easy to make. Plan to make more and freeze for our family get-together. Thanks for the recipe.
Janet K.
Hi, I was curious…..why cook the frozen one at a higher temp than the fresh (unfrozen one)? Thanks!
Danelle
The higher temp just helps the frozen one get past that frozen state a bit quicker. I suppose you could cook it at the same temp as the unfrozen one, but you’d have to cook it longer.
Patricia @ ButterYum
I love that this quiche can be frozen before baking – great idea for dinner on busy weeknights.
Eleanor
Hi – I;m a bit curious – are you using a glass pie plate? Thanks:)
bridget
I am also wondering what dish do you freeze and bake it in? Also on step 7 it says remove the pastic wrap and foil but then says cover the crust with the foil. So are you just removing the plastic wrap and then recovering it with the foil?
Danelle
I use a premade pie crust (Marie Callender brand) and just bake it in the pan it comes in. But any similar pie pan would work. And you do remove both the plastic wrap and foil, and then just put foil over the edge of the crust so it doesn’t burn, but you don’t cover the whole quiche. You can use the same foil if you want though and tear it into long strips to go around the edge. Or if you have a pie crust shield to put around the edge of the crust, that does the same thing.
Tracy
I just realized I only needed to cover the crust with foil…so it’s been baking for well over an hour now and not set. I found it a little difficult to keep the foil just on the edges – can you post a picture of what yours looks like when you put it in the oven?
Helen
What on earth do you mean by 1 cup half and half? Half and half of what??!!
Cass
You can find half and half in your dairy case. It will be near the heavy cream. It is often used for coffee and is lighter than cream. It usually comes in pints.
Mike
Bravo. That was a tough question!
Kristina
Half and half is literally just half cream half milk. It comes premixed in cartons for convenience but you can absolutely mix it yourself.
Kathy
How long can these be kept in the freezer?
Danelle
I’ve baked them after 2-3 months in the freezer and they still tasted good.
Connie Wheeler
can I substitute tortillas for the pie crust?
Danelle
I’ve never tried it that way, but if you do, I would love to hear how it turns out.
Jennifer
Hi! Have you tried baking two at a time in the same oven? If so, what adjustments did you make? I just made two of these and froze them to use for a party. It would be convenient if I can cook both quiches at the same time.
Danelle
The only adjustment I think you would possibly need is to add a some cooking time. Maybe 5-10 minutes. But you may not even need to do that. They should both fit on the same oven rack, so it shouldn’t be a problem to cook both at once.
Jennifer
Thank you! I did increase the time but it was probably because I added veggies to the quiche (fresh mushrooms and spinach that I sauteed). I think the veggies released some extra liquid so the center still looked soggy at 1 hour. I sliced the quiche and left it in the oven for a few more minutes. It was a big hit at the party! Thanks!
Amy
Do you precook the pie crust of just load it with all theningredients while its frozen?
Danelle
I just put everything into the frozen crust. If you were going to cook the quiche right away you could pre-cook it though.
theresa benedick
i want to use my Emile Henry pie dishes width i always use for my quiche but I’m wondering if I can get a good product freezer to oven with these dishes.. what do you think? gotta make about 8 ….thanks t nenedick
Danelle
I think the recipe would turn out fine. You would just need make sure that your pie dishes are capable of going from the freezer to the oven without being damaged. And if you don’t need to make ahead, you can skip the freezing step and cook the quiche the day it’s made, which shouldn’t be a problem at all for your dishes.
barbara
can you freeze the liquid quiche (without the pie crust) in a container for future use? when you want to make you bake the crust and pour the defrosted quiche liquid into the shells or pie crust to bake?
Danelle
I have honestly never tried that, but I’d love to know how it works if you do!
Mary Moody
I would say that would work. You use to be able to buy a product called Pour a Quiche. It was in a carton in the frozen food section. You had to let it thaw, then poured into a raw crust & bake. It was really good. Had about 3 different varieties.
Karen
Hello,
I wanted to use Swiss cheese and bacon (pre cooked and crumbled) instead of the cheeses and ham listed in your recipe. Can swiss cheese be substituted and should it also be 2 cups? And 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon? Thanks!
Danelle
Yes, you should be able to make those substitutions, using the same amount of cheese.
Maria
I want to add leeks instead of green onions, do you think I should saute them first?
Danelle
Hmmm….that’s a good question. My first thought is to say yes, but it does cook for a long time, so you might be able to get away without it, if you chopped the leeks finely enough.
Alexandria Gilbert
This is hands down on of my most go to recipes.Perfect every time and I can put all kinds of combinations together as long as i keep the egg base the same. It is perfect for my husbands work week or when we have weekend company. I keep 2-3 in the freezer all the time.
Danelle
Wonderful! Thank you!
E.
I made one of these as part of my pre-baby freezer cooking… Freezer meals that don’t have to be defrosted first are the best! It turned out perfectly… The texture was lovely, the filling was evenly set, and done in 1 hour. Will definitely be making again and passing the recipe on to friends! Thank you!
Beatriz Cruz
How do you prevent the plastic wrap from touching the top of the quiche when you prepare to freeze? Or does this not matter?
Danelle
It doesn’t matter. It should peel right off the frozen quiche when you go to bake it.
Samantha
My pie crusts were very full when I put the plastic wrap over the top before freezing. Some of the egg mixture even leaked out. Do I have to worry about them running over once I get them in the oven? Or since they are frozen will I be ok?
Danelle
They sound a little more full than mine usually are, but the egg puffs up like an omelet when you bake it, so I think it will be fine. I usually bake mine on a sheet pan anyway, just in case.
Mona
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe!
Would I be able to use precooked sausage In the Quiche instead if ham?
Thank you!
Danelle
Yes, that should be fine.
Mona
Could I use 2%. Milk i stead if half and half?
Thank you.
Mona
Could I use 2% milk instead of half and half?
Thank you.
Danelle
Yes.
Jean
I want to make this for a luncheon at work. I won’t be able to watch it while it cooks. Have you ever cooked it, then rewarmed either part or all of it?
Danelle
I have rewarmed slices in the microwave, and that worked well.
Minnie
I’ve made this quiche countless times. I always make it ahead of the day I need it, freeze it, bake it directly from the freezer to the oven. Perfect and so, so good!
Danelle
Thank you so much!
Dianne
I need 2 quiche for a luncheon in a couple of weeks. I also use MC frozen crusts. Worried about a soggy crust. Should I freeze unbaked for a week then bake or bake then freeze and bake frozen? Or bake 3 days ahead, refrigerate and reheat when I need?
Danelle
I would do it the way it is suggested in the recipe. Freeze unbaked, then bake the day before or day of your luncheon as outlined in the instructions. I don’t think the crust will be any more or less soggy using any other method, or more soggy than a traditional quiche that is baked immediately. I don’t find the crust in this recipe soggy either the day it’s baked, or the next day as leftovers, reheated.
Domenique
I’d like to use this recipe but make my own pie crust. I think the recipe says to put the egg mixture in a frozen crust. Do you think the crust would be too soggy if I used fresh pie dough and then froze?
Danelle
I honestly don’t know. Sogginess isn’t a problem with a frozen crust, so maybe the safest bet would be to make your fresh dough, freeze it in the pie pan, and then go from there. But if you try it with unfrozen crust and it works well, I’d love to know!
Margie
I did it with a Betty Crocker refrigerated pie crust, and it did fine.
Beverly L Ager
I would like to make this recipe weeks ahead, using frozen broccoli and no crust. Do you forsee problems?
Thank you.
Danelle
I haven’t tried it without a crust or with frozen veggies, but I think it should work.
Kaara King
I’ve made this twice now and it’s so good I practically eat the whole thing in one day it’s just so yummy! Thanks for the recipe! Today I used 6 eggs instead of 4 and added broccoli. I have omitted the ham both times, and I don’t really miss it. It’s just so good with the green onions and cheese on it’s own! Yum!
Ann
I’d like to make two of these quiche for a family breakfast that we have planned. I’d like to make one just as your recipe is written and the other with just vegetables, what vegetables would you suggest and should the vegetables be sautéed before adding them to the quiche, I would imagine that using fresh would be better than frozen, any other help or suggestion you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much
Danelle
I have never made it with just vegetables, but I think peppers, broccoli, onions, etc. would be good. I think if you chop them small, you would not need to saute them first. And yes, I think fresh would be best.
Carla
Thank you so much for the recipe. Do you think I could make it just one day ahead and refrigerate it, or do you think it has to be frozen?
Danelle
It doesn’t have to be frozen. The cooking time for that is in the recipe–it’s just slightly shorter.
Lori
I have been doing this for years. However, I don’t wrap the quiche until after it’s frozen. Makes it much easier and a lot less messy. Just sit the quiche on a baking sheet, sit it in the freezer for a couple of hours (or overnight) and then wrap well.
Debbie
I have made this several times, it is wonderful and every time I make it someone wants the recipe. I make my own crust, do not freeze the crust, add the filling then freeze, the crust does not need to be frozen first it does not get soggy. I have added mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, broccoli and red peppers in varying combinations. I saute them first as I’ve been afraid of the extra moisture they may add. It turns our perfectly every time. Also, almost any combination of grated cheese has worked. Great recipe. Thank you.
Lindsey
The Saran Wrap froze/stuck to the mixture . Is there a trick to that???
Danelle
I usually just pull it off without any issues. You could always let it sit for 10 minutes or so, then it should come off fine.
Nicole
Wow! First of all, I had no idea you could freeze an unbaked quiche. I was pretty skeptical, but I took a risk and made one because we were hosting a get together right after hosting Thanksgiving and I just wasn’t going to have the time or energy to make anything in the morning. I used your instructions and keep all the proportions the same except I subbed bacon and leeks for ham and green onion becuase it’s what I had. I also only used 1 cup of cheese (gruyere for mine) I took it strait out of the freezer and panicked a bit because the plastic wrap ripped and stuck to the center of the quiche, but by the time the oven had preheatd the rest of the plactic wrap came. It cooked for 50 mins and thank god you mentioned to cover the curst. I could not believe how perfect it looked and tasted and the texture was perfection!! I am so grateful for your post.
Danelle
Thank you SO much!!! 🙂
R & J
Have you ever blind baked the frozen crust–then refrozen it to use later in makeing this quiche?
Lisa
I made this the other day and it was in the oven for over an hour at 400° with just the crust covered and the middle was still not set. am i doing something wrong? It went straight from the freezer to the oven.
Melissa
Can I use heavy whipping cream in this recipe and it still freeze well?
Danelle
Should be fine.
Susan Puckett
Hi! I am making this for Christmas breakfast…tomorrow! I want to make ahead though tonight. What is the best way? My dish is glass (Anchor brand – ok in microwave or oven) but I am using a premade (Pillsbury) refrigerated pie crust. Should I make and bake tonight and just reheat tomorrow with my grand kids…or…. can I “build it tonight and put it in the fridge and just bake it in the morning…or… should I build it tonight and freeze it and then bake it in the morning?
Also…if I refrigerate it or freeze it tonight how long should it sit out before I bake it so as to avoid breaking the glass dish?
Thanks so much!!!
kat
This was wonderful and so easy! thanks for a great recipe and all of the replies to the comments – it helped me a lot!
kat
meant to add – I substituted plain greek yogurt for half and half and just made sure to incorporate it in to the eggs and it cooked beautifully – still right at an hour!
E
This had a lovely flavor and I’m glad I have another in the freezer. I had it at 400 for an hour and it wasn’t close to being done. I upped the temp to 425 and put it on convection and it still needed another 40 minutes! I will make the next one at 425 on convection and check it after an hour and a half.
Thanks for the recipe!
Lori
Hosting a baby shower soon so I was looking fir a recipe I could make ahead! Very excited. I think my only question that wasn’t answered was using pillsbury all ready pie crusts so I can use glass pie plates. It will look better for my party. Thoughts? Tips? Freeze first then follow your instructions? Thank you for sharing!!
Danelle
You can definitely use Pillsbury crusts. The only issue with glass pie plates is that they may shatter going directly from the freezer to the oven.
Lori Garcia
Thank you! I was thinking I would set out of freezer for short period of time. I am going to make ahead and test before party. ONE More question please. If my pie dish is 9.5 instead of 9 inch should I increase anything a bit? I appreciate your help and I will absolutely post reviews and comments on these changes.
Margie
I’ve done 2 with glass pie plates, and haven’t had a problem
Jodi
Has anyone baked theirs and then froze it?
Sara
Looks delicious! I want to make a crust less 9 x 13 version for family gathering (several GF members). Should I make a double recipe or recipe and 1/2?
Thanks much!
Sara
Erin
This recipe is my new go-to! For my first time, I doubled the recipe, made and cooked one right away, and froze the other. About a month later, I baked the frozen quiche according to the instructions here. I was skeptical, but oh my goodness, I think it tasted better than the first one I made right away (not frozen). I’m so thankful for your post! The family raved about it! Thank you!
Karen Wiseman
Very good recipe, but at 400 degrees even, took much longer than 1 hr and half to solidfy in the middle from raw frozen. About an 1″ to 1.5″ f quiche and crust cooked, but not center set.