This ham and cheese quiche is made with a pie crust base, eggs, spinach, ham, and cheese in the filling. Only takes 10 minutes to prep and is perfect for Sunday brunch or holiday mornings!
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Favorite Breakfast Quiche
Whenever we have leftover baked ham, honey baked ham or crockpot spiral ham from the holidays, this recipe or a frittata is always our favorite way to use it up. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and can be easily customized based on what you have on hand. And it’s super delicious!
This ham and cheese quiche is always the showstopper at any brunch and the first dish to go! It’s made with a delicious and flaky pie crust base, then filled with a mixture of eggs, spinach, ham, and cheese.
This quiche is simple to make and perfect for Sunday brunch or holiday mornings like Christmas and Easter. The best part about this recipe is that you can customize it with any type of vegetable. Some of my favorites are peppers and mushrooms.
Pie Crust Base
The quiche starts out with a pie crust as the base. I usually use a store-bought crust (Pillsbury is my go-to) to save time, but you can definitely make a homemade pie crust too. I prefer to use a tart pan over a pie dish for the crust because it’s a lot easier to release the quiche from the pan.
You do need to bake the crust first before adding the filling, however only for about 5 minutes. This helps to harden the crust a tad so that it doesn’t get soggy when you add the egg mixture.
Quiche Ingredients
You can easily customize this recipe with your favorite veggies or what you have in the fridge. Below is my go-to combination (amounts included in the printable recipe below), but feel free to make some swaps if you’d like!
- Butter: This is used to help caramelize the onions before you add them to the quiche.
- Onions: Yellow onions are my favorite type to use. Make sure to cut the onions into small pieces first before sautéing.
- Ham: I love using spiral ham or leftover baked ham from the holidays. If you have a bunch to use up, you can make this frittata along with my favorite creamy ham and potato soup.
- Eggs: Use large-sized eggs when making this recipe.
- Half and half: This gives the quiche a rich flavor. You may also use milk if you prefer.
- Cheese: I love using a mix of sharp or mild cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Spinach: This recipe is a great way to pack in more greens without an overpowering taste. Make sure to chop your spinach before adding it.
- Parsley: Dried parsley flakes (or fresh parsley if preferred) adds a great flavor.
- Black pepper: Add a small dash of freshly ground black pepper.
- Bacon: Crispy cooked bacon adds another layer of deliciousness to this dish. You could always swap the bacon with more diced ham, but trust me, it makes the quiche extra delicious.
Ratio of Eggs to Milk
The ratio that I like to use is 1/2 cup of milk for every 5 large eggs. I like my quiche on the thicker side (similar to a frittata), but if you’d like to thin it out a little, add some more milk.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Quiche
The crust is a flakey, soft, and buttery crust that holds together the delicious filling. Double up on protein with bacon and ham in the egg mixture. All together this ham and cheese quiche bakes perfectly in a pie pan and makes the best breakfast!
- Crust. Press the pie dough into the pan and pierce it a few times with a fork. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes.
- Filling. Sauté the onions, ham, and bacon in a pan until the onions have caramelized. Whisk together the eggs and half and half, then stir in cheese, parsley, pepper, spinach, and sautéed ham mixture. Pour the filling into the pan on top of the pie crust.
- Bake. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes, or until the quiche has set and the top is golden. Test by sticking a toothpick in the center. When the toothpick comes out clean, that means it’s ready.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just like in the tips, you can use milk instead of half-in-half or heavy cream. The thicker and creamier the cream is adding richness and soft texture to the quiche.
It is best to prebake the crust before adding in your egg-filling mixture. If not, there may be filling that soaks into the crust leaving it soggy.
You can use the process of blind baking. This is when you pre-bake the crust using covered parchment or foil to help weigh down the pie to prevent the crust from bubbling up. It holds it down keeping it crisp.
Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating
This breakfast is perfect for making ahead, storing, and leftovers! You will love how simple these are to accomplish. Enjoy your quiche the day you need it and have it still taste amazing!
- Make ahead: To make the night before, pre-bake the pie crust for 5 minutes. You can still mix together the filling ingredients, however, don’t add to the crust yet. The next day, add the filling to the pie crust and bake according to the directions.
- Storing and freezing: Let cool completely, then wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place in fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the quiche for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Cover with foil and bake at 400°F until it’s warm throughout.
5 star review
“Made this today for our family Christmas breakfast. It was phenomenal!!! Everyone said it was the best dish there. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing!”
– Kay
Cooking Tips
Here are some extra tips and ideas to help you make this ham and cheese quiche even better! Find out what to substitute, how to bake the crust, and even when to serve. These helpful tips will come in handy when making this easy breakfast quiche!
- Pre-bake the crust so that the quiche doesn’t get soggy. It only needs to be baked for about 5 minutes before adding the filling. Just enough for the crust to harden a little.
- You can substitute milk if you don’t have any half-and-half on hand. I prefer half and half because it makes the quiche extra creamy and delicious.
- Let the quiche rest for a few minutes before cutting it into slices. This gives it time to set, so the slices keep their shape.
- For a crustless version, check out my favorite crustless quiche recipe. It’s super similar, just without the pie crust.
What to Serve with Ham Quiche
Make this a complete meal with fresh fruit, a breakfast salad, and even some potatoes for the side. We love serving this ham quiche with any of the below recipes!
- Berry fruit salad
- Hash browns
- Rainbow fruit kabobs
- Skillet breakfast potatoes
- Rainbow honey lime fruit salad
Are you wondering about more crust ideas?! We love this butter pie crust or this easy homemade pie crust to choose from.
More Breakfast Favorites
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Ham and Cheese Quiche
Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan
Ingredients
- 1 10-inch uncooked pie crust
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- ½ cup yellow onion , chopped
- 1 cup ham , cubed (use a ham steak or leftover ham)
- ¼ cup cooked bacon , cut into pieces (optional)
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup half-and-half , or milk
- 1 cup finely shredded sharp or mild cheddar cheese
- ½ cup finely shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2-1 cup spinach , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Press the dough around the edges of a 9-inch tart pan or pie dish. Place on a baking sheet. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Bake 5 minutes and then remove from oven. Set aside.
- In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in ham and bacon pieces and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the onions have caramelized. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half. Stir in cheddar, mozzarella, parsley flakes, pepper, spinach, and the ham mixture. Pour into the tart pan.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Enjoy while warm!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
It was delicious and quick to make!
Can I use cottage cheese along with shredded swiss cheese for a less dense quiche?
I haven’t tested this, but let us know if you do!
I made a crustless quiche with half a cup bisquick. 4 egge 2 cup milk 2 tablsp butter salt/pepper was excellent.
Gosh this is tasty ! I added peppers yum
Super easy and tastes amazing!
Thanks Tina! So glad you enjoyed the ham and cheese quiche!