This easy ham and cheese quiche is made with a pre-made pie crust and savory ham and cheese filling! It’s perfect for serving at breakfast, brunch, or holiday mornings.
Other breakfast egg recipes we love include eggs benedict, the perfect omelette, or this breakfast pie.
Table of Contents
Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe
Whenever we have leftover baked ham, honey baked ham, or crockpot spiral ham from the Easter, this simple recipe or a frittata is always our favorite way to use it. It is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and can be easily customized!
This ham and cheese quiche is always the showstopper at any holiday brunch and the first dish to go! It’s made with a delicious and flaky pie crust base, then filled with a creamy rich mixture of eggs, spinach, ham, and cheese.
Cheese Ham and Quiche Ingredients
Ham and cheese is my classic go-to combination, but feel free to customize this easy quiche recipe with your favorite veggies!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Pie crust: The quiche starts out with a store-bought pie crust as the base. I usually use a store-bought Pillsbury pie crust to save time.
- 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 leftover ham from the holidays. If you have a bunch to use up, you can make this frittata along with creamy ham and potato soup or cheesy ham and potato casserole.
- Eggs: Use large-sized eggs when making this recipe.
- Half and half: This gives the egg filling 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 quiche.
Variations
- Pie crust: You can definitely make a homemade pie crust or butter pie crust.
- Substitute milk. Substitute milk for half-and-half. If you want your easy breakfast quiche extra creamy use heavy cream like I do in quiche Lorraine.
- No crust. For a crustless version, check out my favorite crustless quiche recipe. It is super similar, just without the pie crust.
- Substitutions and add-ins: Gruyere cheese, Swiss cheese, green onion or broccoli could all be used.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Quiche
This dish can be assembled in only 15 minutes then bakes perfectly in a pie pan for 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.
- Saute onion, ham and bacon. Sauté the onions, ham, and bacon in a pan until the onions have caramelized.
- Assemble. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and half and half, then stir in cheese, parsley, pepper, spinach, and sautéed ham mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the pan on top of the pie crust.
- Bake. Bake in the oven until set and the top is golden. Test by sticking a toothpick in the center. When the toothpick comes out clean, that means it is ready.
Cooking Tips
- Prebake crust. Blind 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.
- 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 would like to thin it out a little, add more milk.
- Baking crust. To ensure the crust is flat when baking, you can add beans or pie weights to help bake a smooth pie crust. This is an option if needed.
- Type of pan. I prefer to use a tart pan over a pie dish for the crust because it’s easier to release the quiche from the pan.
- Cool down. Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it into slices. This gives it time to set, so the slices keep their shape.
Serving Suggestions
- Salad: Berry fruit salad or this rainbow honey lime fruit salad are both rich in flavor and refreshing.
- Potatoes: We love potatoes! Adding potatoes as a savory side dish like these hash browns or skillet breakfast potatoes gives a more depth meal altogether.
- Fruit: Rainbow fruit kabobs or slicing fresh fruit to make a fruit platter is the perfect side to any morning breakfast. It is light and tasty in every bite!
More breakfast recipes to try include this crescent roll breakfast casserole, Spanish omelette or breakfast sliders!
More Breakfast Favorites
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Ham and Cheese Quiche
Video
Equipment
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
- ⅔ cup half-and-half , or whole 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
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Parbake pie crust. 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 for 5 minutes and then remove from oven. Set aside.
- Saute. In a small frying pan, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup onions and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup ham and 1/4 cup bacon pieces and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the onions have caramelized. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Make egg filling. In a large bowl, whisk together 5 eggs and 2/3 cup half-and-half. Stir in 1 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 – 1 cup spinach, and the ham mixture. Pour into the tart pan.
- Bake. Bake for 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!
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!
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.
To make this the night before, pre-bake the pie crust for five 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.
Cool completely, then wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place in fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze the ham and cheese quiche for up to two months. To reheat, cover with foil and bake at 400°F until it is warm throughout.
Categorized as: American, Breakfast, Christmas, Easter, Eggs, Freezer-Friendly, Make Ahead, Nut-Free, Savory Breakfast
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
One of my favorite things to make! Seem so fancy, but EASY! THanks for the recipe.
LOVE this quiche. We add in some veggies and call it dinner!
We love this for dinner just as much as breakfast! Yum!
We love breakfast for dinner too! :)
This looks incredibly delicious!! Perfect for brunch!!
This quiche is packed with flavor and so easy! Love this breakfast so much.
So glad you enjoy this recipe! One of my favorites!
The quiche was a hit!!
Easy recipe/ directions to follow. Now I altered some of the ingredients. I used Creamy Melt Triple Cheddar by Kraft and I used a 1/4 cup of Creamy Mozzarella by Kraft and a 1/4 cup of Parmesan. These cheeses made all the difference to me and mixed great with everything.
I also used Mrs Smith’s Flaky Pie Crust. Now I followed the directions with the preheating but I brushed it prior with a little melted butter and it was delicious.
I’ll definitely make this again
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your substitutions and leaving a review Eric. :)
This recipe looks delicious and I love quiche. Would it be okay to leave out the pie crust and just make is a crust less quiche? Cooking would be the same?
Cooking time should be about the same, but you may need to add a few more minutes. It will be like a frittata or baked omelet! Yum! :)
Hello Jamielyn,
You mentioned store bought crust , should I use shortcrust or flaky pastry??
Thank you.
I just buy the pillsbury refrigerated pie crust. It usually comes with 2 in a pack. :)
Do u have good alternatives to using ham? My daughter doesn’t eat pork. I have a somewhat idea, but want ur opinion.
You could definitely leave out the meat and add in mushrooms or substitute with beef sausage.
I think I’m going to request this for Mother’s Day brunch! Looks delicious!
Can I use frozen spinach?
You definitely could! I would just make sure to thaw it and drain as much liquid out as you can since frozen spinach is full of water.
This looks perfect for weekend brunch!
I had quiche recipe once and i can say that is just awesome. The idea of ham cheese quiche is really exceptional and the taste would be definitely toothsome. Thanks for inspiring everyone with such an exquisite recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your comment and review! :)
Looks delicious and so easy to make! !
Have to have this at our weekend brunch!
I’d love to have this for brunch this weekend! YUM!
I love quiche and this looks fabulous!
Looks amazing!! Do you usually cook the spinach beforehand, or just chop raw and let cook in the quiche? Thanks for sharing, I love ALL of your recipes we have tried!!
I just chop it raw and let it cook in the quiche! Hope you enjoy! :)