Introducing my flaky and buttery Ham and Cheese Quiche recipe. This simple 8-ingredient quiche recipe features a flaky and buttery pie crust loaded with creamy and fluffy egg custard filled with ham, cheese. It’s rich, savory, and such a classic!
Quiche makes a lovely breakfast, brunch, or yes, even dinner! We love it and will make it as often as we can! It also reheats well and makes the best leftovers.
Looking for more brunch and breakfast favorites? Don’t forget to check out Biscuit and Gravy Casserole, Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole, Hawaiian Roll Breakfast Sliders, French Toast Muffin Cups, Hash Brown Egg Cups, English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich, and Strawberry Banana Bread!
Ham and Cheese Quiche
Think of this ham and cheese quiche as the quick and easy (yet very delicious) counterpart to its fancier cousin, quiche Lorraine, a classic in French cuisine.
Very traditional quiche Lorraine usually calls for eggs, cream and smoke bacon, while spices and aromatics such as nutmeg, shallots and onions are sometimes added. Gruyere cheese is also added to some of the variations.
This ham and cheese quiche recipe is a simpler, more straight forward version, making it perfect for busy cooks and those of us who wants the lovely taste of quiche Lorraine, just with simpler ingredients and much quicker methods.
While this is simpler and ‘less fancy’, it is nonetheless, incredibly tasty. We love to indulge in ham and cheese quiche. That flaky buttery crust provide such a nice contrast to the savory cheesy egg and ham filling.
I’ve made a lot of quiches – Asparagus and Ham Quiche, Bacon Spinach Quiche etc, and I love a quiche with a rich and creamy egg custard filling. Not watered down. Not too much ‘eggy’ taste. And the best way to get that incredible texture is by using heavy cream.
Heavy cream brings about such an amazing richness and a smooth texture to the custard. It is our secret ingredient to the most delicious, gourmet ham and cheese quiche ever. Half and half and milk can be used instead of heavy cream, but it’s just not the same.
What’s even better is that this recipe uses only 8 ingredients. It’s easy to make without having to use a ton of ingredients. Just use good quality ingredients and heavy cream for great flavors and textures.
This ham and cheese quiche recipe is a versatile dish that stores and reheats very well. We enjoy it for special occasions such as Easter and Christmas, but also for weekend brunch or when I want to meal prep for a busy week.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this ham and cheese quiche recipe:
- Pie crust: For a quick and easy quiche, use store-bought pie crust. You can get an unbaked frozen pie shell or pie dough that you’ll have to roll out. When using unbaked pie crust, be sure to thaw it completely in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to overnight before baking. If you have time and want something more gourmet, make your own homemade pie crust.
- Ham: use diced ham or strips of ham. These can be found in most grocery stores. Or, you can dice them from leftover ham.
- Green onions: Also called scallions, they will bring about great flavors to the ham and cheese quiche.
- Shredded cheese: For best results, shred a block of cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese. Swiss, cheddar, Gruyere are great choices.
- Eggs: a lot of eggs! This will be the bulk of your ham and cheese quiche filling.
- Heavy cream: an important ingredient to obtain a velvety and luscious filling. It is used to create rich and creamy texture. Half and half can be used instead of heavy cream, but your texture won’t be as rich and creamy.
- Salt: used to open up the flavors.
- Black pepper: used to season and enhance the flavors.
How to make Ham and Cheese Quiche
You’re going to find out really quickly this is SUCH an easy recipe!
Bring Together egg mixture
In a large bowl, bring together and whisk the egg mixture consisting of eggs, heavy cream, salt and black pepper.
If you don’t have heavy cream, a lighter dairy can be used, such as half and half, or even whole milk, but it won’t have the same level of creaminess and fluffiness as using heavy cream.
2. Assemble and Bake
Place an unbaked pie crust onto a pie dish. Feel free to add cute ridges along the sides by pressing into it with a fork or forming it with your fingers.
Spread diced ham, cheese, and green onion into that empty pie crust.
Pour the egg mixture onto the pie crust loaded with ham, cheese and green onions.
If you’d like, after pouring the egg mixture into the pie crust, be sure to gently shake the pan to distribute the egg mixture evenly.
At this point, ham and cheese quiche is now ready to be baked!
Bake quiche at 375ºF for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is completely set and no longer jiggles. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the quiche and if it comes out clean quiche is done.
4. Cool and serve!
Once ham and cheese quiche is done, remove from oven and let it sit for a few minutes.
Allow pie to cool slightly before slicing into it and serving it.
Ham and cheese quiche will be slightly fluffy, yet creamy and rich, flavored with delicious seasoned ham and melted cheese, with bites of freshness from the green onions.
The beauty of quiches is that it can also be served at room temperature. Quiches don’t need to be piping hot.
Feel free to serve a salad and fresh fruit on the side to accompany this delicious baked egg pie.
Variation and Substitution
Ways to jazz up this ham and cheese quiche!
- Cheeses to use – use any soft cheese such as Gruyere, Swiss, cheddar mozzarella…or a combination of a few cheeses!
- Adding more aromatic and spices – adding garlic, parsley, nutmeg, shallots and onions can bring some yummy flavors to the custard.
- Making a crustless quiche – you can definitely ditch the crust and make this a crustless quiche – be sure to generously grease the pie dish to avoid sticking, and check for doneness at the 30 minute mark to avoid overcooking.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store leftover ham and cheese quiche in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bring it to a complete defrost before reheating.
If storing a whole quiche, wrap bacon spinach quiche tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil.
Reheating: I like to reheat ham and cheese quiche in the oven (350℉ covered with aluminum foil for 20-25 minutes), but I also use the microwave (1-2 minutes) when I’m in a hurry and need something quick.
Tips and Tricks
- Use pre-made unbaked pie crust: Use a frozen or refrigerated pie crust dough for your ham and cheese quiche. It’s just quicker and easier and tastes just as good!
- Defrost pie crust: Allow the frozen pie crust to defrost completely before using so it is easy to handle. Leave frozen crust in the refrigerate overnight or for a few hours to defrost – do not use microwave to defrost. Pie crust should be cold (but not warm) when assembling – the butter in it should not be completely melted.
- Whisk thoroughly: Make sure the eggs and heavy cream are well combined. Whisking incorporates air and ensures a light, fluffy custard filling.
- Check for doneness: When quiche is done, the center should no longer be jiggly. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Allow quiche to cool: This helps keep your pie from falling apart when being sliced into!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use either half and half or whole milk instead of heavy cream. Keep in mind that the filling will no longer be as creamy and rich – and I personally don’t think it tastes as good. But it will be healthier!
Blind baking is typically bakers’ preference. It will produce a flakier crust, but it is also added effort. The good news is, you can still make a delicious quiche without blind baking. If you do want to blind bake/ pre-bake the crust, poke holes on the crust, then lay parchment paper on the pie crust and load them up with pie weights (feel free to use dry rice if you don’t have pie weights). Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 375℉, then remove the pie weights and add ham, cheddar, and green onions to the pie crust as described above.
Absolutely! Quiches can be made ahead. If you want your crust to be crispy, consider eating it cold or at room temperature so you don’t have to reheat it.
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More Yummy Breakfast and Brunch Ideas
- Breakfast Tacos
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole
- Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
- Easy Frittata
- Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Strawberry Banana Nutella Crepes
- Cinnamon Raisin Rolls
Ham and Cheese Quiche
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 1 cup ham diced
- ½ cup green onions diced
- 1 cup cheese Shredded Swiss, Cheddar, or Gruyere
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Line a pie pan with pie crust. Fold and crimp the edges.
- Place ham, cheese, and green onion into the pie crust.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper.
- Pour egg mixture into the pie crust.
- Bake in preheated oven for ~35 minutes or until the quiche is fully cooked and the center is no longer jiggly. Insert a toothpick into the center of the quiche to check for doneness. If toothpick comes out clean, quiche is done.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
