Can You Freeze Quiche? The Complete Guide

In this guide, we will be exploring whether you can freeze quiche. Quiche is a favorite lunch of many people, and it is so versatile that you can pack it with whatever fillings you wish.

Thanks to its egg-laden recipe, many people assume that it cannot be frozen - but is that truly the case? We will be exploring whether quiche can safely be frozen, and if so, how. We will also be looking at how you can safely thaw and cook it after it has been frozen.

So, if you have some leftover quiche there, or you want to make some quiche ready for the week ahead and wondered if it could be frozen, this is the article for you. 

Can You Freeze Quiche Easily?

Contrary to popular belief, quiche can in fact be frozen. The reason many people think it cannot be frozen is that it is made primarily from eggs.

Eggs do not have the best reputation for freezing well. This is because they have a tendency to go a little rubbery after being frozen, and when thawed they can get weepy, and don’t hold their shape very well.

However, eggs within a recipe are a different story, hence why foods like cake and quiche do so well in the freezer.

Quiche can freeze for up to 3 months in your freezer (although we are sure you will have gobbled it all up by then!).

Whether your quiche is homemade, shop-bought, crustless, already cooked, or made with lashings of cream, there will always be a way to save it for another day in your freezer.

This is particularly good news for those food preppers who like to make a huge vat of quiche at the weekend and pop it in the freezer for lunches and snacks throughout the week.

The best way to freeze a quiche is to do so before you cook it. As weird as that sounds, this is the best way to get results that taste as good as they would if you made it fresh that day.

It is even better if you can freeze the crust and the filling separately! Don’t worry though, because we will be going over all of these quiche scenarios in this article.

For now, suffice to say that you can freeze your leftover quiche, and you can even freeze a freshly made, uncut, and uncooked quiche if you really want to!

Keep on reading to find out more.

Can You Freeze the Quiche Crust and Quiche Filing Separately?

Yes! You can definitely freeze both the quiche crust and quiche filling separately. In fact, this is one of the best ways to freeze quiche as both parts of the quiche will freeze differently and have slightly different requirements.

That isn’t to say that they shouldn’t be frozen together - they definitely can, but this is a foolproof way to get freshly baked results each time!

We will be exploring the freezing of them together in the next section so head down there if that’s what you are looking for, or keep on reading this one to learn how to freeze them separately.

The benefit of freezing your filling and crust separately is that you will get a crisper, more flaky pastry crust than if you were to freeze them both together. This is because the filling can make the pastry soggy, especially when frozen.

Freezing the Filling

All you need to do is make your filling, following the recipe from your chosen quiche. As soon as you have made your filling you can pop it into a freezer back (one that is zip lock and has plenty of space) or some freezer safe Tupperware.

If you have had to use heat in the process so far, such as cooking bacon bits or frying mushrooms for the quiche filling then you should ensure that they have cooled completely first.

Write the date you have frozen it clearly on the outside of the bag or container and you can pop it in the freezer. It will safely keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Freezing the Crust

Freezing the crust is as easy as pie (no pun intended). First, you should prepare your pastry following whatever recipe you choose. Roll the pastry into a flat shape and then press it into your chosen pie dish or tin.

You can actually freeze the whole crust inside the tin or dish if you want. All you need to do is pop the whole thing into a large zip lock freezer bag and squeeze out all of the air. Label it with the date and freeze.

You can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months, but please bear in mind that the longer it is left, the less crisp it will be upon cooking it. For best results use within 1 month.

Can You Freeze the Crust and Filling Together?

So, as much as freezing the crust and filling separately will yield the best results, it is no secret that it can be a little more time consuming. It also takes up more space in your freezer and requires you to freeze them both uncooked.

When you freeze a whole quiche you can do it cooked or uncooked, whatever you prefer is fine. In this section, we will be exploring the freezing of a whole uncooked quiche, and in the next section, we will look at how to freeze a cooked quiche.

The first thing to bear in mind is that, whilst the quiche will safely keep for 3 months in the freezer because the filling is touching the pastry, the pastry will not be as crisp or flaky. For this reason, you may only want to keep it frozen for a few weeks for the best results.

All you need to do is follow your quiche recipe like in the previous section, but instead of keeping them separate you put the filling into the pie crust.

We recommend that you put the pie crust onto a sheet of baking paper or greaseproof paper before preparing it for the freezer to ensure that you can safely remove it at a later date. You may even want to freeze the whole quiche in a pie crust dish.

Now for the tricky part! You will be freezing it twice - sort of! Whilst it is on the baking paper or in the pie dish, freeze it as it is until the filling is firm to touch.

This may take a few hours. Check it regularly and when it is firm enough, take it out and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap (like Saran wrap), ensuring no air stays inside.

You can then put it into a large freezer bag and label it with the date. If you have no Saran wrap you can use foil as this will protect it from freezer burn.

As we said at the start, it can keep for up to 3 months but for best results use it within 1 month. The best part is you can bake it straight from frozen, provided you add on 15 minutes to the normal cooking time.

Freezing a Cooked Quiche

We’ve all been there...making one too many quiches and not having the space for it in our bellies or refrigerators.

When this happens, you may worry that your hard work has gone to waste and that you’ll have to toss your quiche in the trash. However, we are happy to tell you that you can safely freeze your cooked quiche.

It is best to freeze a freshly baked quiche, rather than one that has already been stored in the fridge for a few days. This will ensure that the quality remains as good as possible. Freezing a cooked quiche is super easy. All you need to do is make your quiche as normal, following your favorite quiche recipe.

When it has cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before you proceed. When it has cooled you should place the quiche in the freezer on top of a sheet of baking paper.

You will notice that the filling is slightly soft (as is normal for a quiche), and the aim will be to freeze it until it has become firm to the touch. When it has reached this level of firmness (this should take a few hours), you can remove it from the freezer and prepare to wrap it for storage.

When you wrap your cooked quiche it is absolutely vital that you have protection at the forefront of your mind. This is because your cooked quiche will be prone to freezer burn. For this reason, we recommend using at least two layers of wrapping.

First, use some plastic wrap such as Saran wrap around it. Use one layer, wrapping it tightly and ensuring there is no air inside the wrap. After this you can wrap it again with a layer of aluminum foil - this is what will keep out the freezer burn.

After the foil has been applied you can pop the whole quiche into a large bag that is safe for your freezer, such as a ziplock bag. Label it with the date and contents.

You can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months, but bear in mind that the filling is likely to make the crust go soggy, and so, for best results we recommend using it within 1 month.

Like the uncooked quiche in the previous section, you can put this straight in the oven from frozen. We recommend placing it in a preheated oven and leaving it for around 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Freezing Crustless Quiche

Crustless quiche is very popular with those who cannot eat gluten or those who are cutting carbs. It is a lighter way of getting your quiche fix if you don’t like pastry crust!

That being said, freezing crustless quiche presents people with a bit of a conundrum, since there is no crust holding it together. However, the good news is that a crustless quiche can be frozen, and it is easier than you may think.

If you want to freeze an uncooked crustless quiche, all you need to do is follow the steps from earlier in the article where you make up your quiche filling, and instead of baking it, you pop it into a freezer bag, squeezing out the air.

You can then label it with the date and contents if you wish, and freeze it for up to 3 months. To bake, simply defrost it in your refrigerator for 24 hours, and then bake it as you usually would.

If you want to freeze a cooked crustless quiche, it is also super easy! Simply make your crustless quiche as you usually would, following your favorite recipe. After cooking let it cool and set. You could even pop it in the fridge overnight to ensure it has been set fully.

When the quiche is firm enough you can remove it from the fridge and wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap (such as Saran wrap), carefully ensuring that there is no air left in it. Then top this layer with a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.

You can then pop the quiche into a zip lock bag that is safe for use in the freezer and label it with the date.

Crustless quiche can be kept for up to 3 months in the freezer and cooked in a preheated oven to reheat it without needing to defrost it! Easy as pie...or should we say quiche? Just make sure to remove all the wrapping first and use an oven safe dish to reheat it!

Quiche with Cream in It: Can You Freeze It?

Freezing an egg laden recipe is one thing, but add cream into the mix and it is even more confusing. It has long been stated that cream should not be frozen as it can separate resulting in a gloopy inedible mess. For this reason, if you can avoid using cream in any quiche that you plan to freeze, then do so!

However, there are some recipes that call for it, and so it is only fair that we are transparent and show you how you can freeze a quiche that uses cream.

Now, the first thing to note is that cooked cream may freeze slightly better than uncooked cream. When you use cream in a quiche the idea is that it gets mixed in and baked along with the rest of the filling.

With this in mind, freezing a cooked quiche should, in theory, present no real problems. This is because the cream is well-mixed with the eggs and any other ingredients and will have less chance to separate and curdle.

However, if you are planning to freeze an uncooked quiche with cream in it, just ensure you are prepared for separation city! The cram can separate and can curdle with the eggs. This will result in a finished product that is gooey and weepy - not how a quiche should be at all!

With all this in mind, our advice is this:

If you really must use cream in your quiche before freezing it, we recommend that you bake it first and then follow our instructions above on baking your cooked quiche.

However, if you plan to freeze it uncooked, leave the cream out of it this time!

If you can avoid cream altogether then that is even better as there will be no risk of separation and you will have a firm, crisp quiche, whether baked or unbaked!

How to Safely Thaw Quiche

The safest way to thaw a quiche involves patience. Many impatient peppers will use the defrost setting on their microwave to speed up the defrosting process of leftovers.

However, for quiche, we highly recommend that you leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you eat it. This will ensure that it is safe to eat, that it keeps its shape, and that it remains crisp and tasty.

The good news is that most of the methods above allow you to bake the quiches straight from the freezer without the need for a long defrost time. However, the exception comes when you are planning to eat your uncooked quiches that have been frozen in separate parts.

If the filling of the quiche was frozen separately to the crust then you should defrost them both for 24 hours first, before putting the defrosted filling into the crust before baking.

Likewise, an uncooked crustless quiche (this is basically just quiche filling) should be defrosted thoroughly before baking to ensure that it gets a more even and firm bake.

How Do You Reheat a Frozen Quiche?

Reheating any leftovers always brings up the debate of microwave versus an oven. However, in the case of the quiche, there is always one clear winner - the oven.

As tempted as the microwave may seem (hey, we all know that we want food as quickly as possible), this is the one time where you should let convenience go and be patient instead.

Reheating a quiche should always be done in the oven. Don’t forget, your quiche is full of eggs and sometimes cream! These two ingredients are prone to curdling and need to be properly reheated to make them safe for consumption.

Not only that but quiche, whether crustless or otherwise, is notorious for losing its shape. Putting your quiche in the microwave is a recipe for a puddle of eggy, cheese, soft pastry.

If you reheat it properly in an oven as per our instructions, you will have a far firmer and crisper quiche that will (hopefully) taste as good as it did on the first day you made it!

Summary

There you have it! The Ultimate Guide on freezing your quiche, as well as some very handy information on how to reheat it, thaw it, and the different ways you can freeze your quiche creations, too.

We hope this has proved useful and that you now feel confident that you never need to toss out leftover quiche again!