Can the quiche be frozen? - The complete guide
If you are looking for a way to keep your quiche fresh for longer, the first thing that would come to mind would be to freeze it.
Freezing food is the best way to preserve its shelf life, but not all food freezes the same. If you were to take a look at foods that should not be frozen, you would see eggs on this list.
This is because cooked egg whites tend to get rubbery when frozen, and egg-thickened foods can runny when thawed. Quiche is predominantly made up of eggs, so you may be wondering if it holds up well in the freezer.
Can the quiche be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the quiche for 1-3 months. The crust and filling can be frozen together or separately, and the quiche can be frozen before or after cooking. All types of quiche can be frozen, but the process will vary slightly depending on the type.
So you can freeze quiche to keep it longer, and quiche is also often sold frozen in stores.
Quiche, even though it’s a savory custard in a pie crust, usually holds up well when frozen, but there are a few things to keep in mind when freezing quiche, such as whether to freeze it unbaked or cooked.
Knowing if you can freeze homemade quiche, crustless quiche, cooked quiche, and even cream quiche can help you savor any leftover quiche, and ensure none goes to waste!
Can homemade quiche be frozen?
Many people choose to make the quiche ahead of time and freeze it, saving it for a quick lunch or dinner during the week.
Making a homemade quiche without cooking it and putting it in the freezer is possibly the best way to ensure that the quiche maintains its great quality.
When you freeze a quiche, you’re freezing both the crust and the filling, two types of food that require different preparation and different storage when frozen.
So it’s best to prepare both the filling and the crust, and then you can decide whether to freeze the filling and crust together or freeze them separately.
Freeze the crust and filling separately
If you want the crust to be crispier and more flaky once frozen and thawed, you should freeze the crust and filling separately. It makes sense to do it this way, as it prevents the crust from getting soggy from the filling.
Prepare the filling - First, you will need to prepare the filling for the quiche. This will include the eggs and other ingredients, whatever the recipe.
Pour into a plastic bag - Once the filling is done, do not cook it. Pour the filling into a freezer-safe plastic bag (like these from Amazon), leaving some headroom near the top.
Remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag before sealing it. Label the freezer bag with the name of the contents and the date of freezing.
Prepare the dough - It is recommended to roll out and prepare the dough a few days before cooking the quiche, but you can prepare it ahead of time and freeze it if you want to store it long term. Extend the dough and place it in a suitable mold.
Place in a freezer bag - Once you have rolled out the dough and placed it in the intended pan, place both the mold and the dough in a freezer bag and squeeze out as much air and moisture as possible.
Seal the plastic freezer bag and label it with the name of the contents and the date of freezing.
Freeze - Place the plastic freezer bag with the filling and the plastic freezer bag with the crust in the freezer and make sure they are kept at a constant 0 degrees Fahrenheit until you are ready to assemble the quiche and cook it.
An uncooked quiche frozen in this way can be kept in the freezer for up to three months. Just keep in mind that the longer you freeze the crust, the less likely it is to be crispy and flaky.
When it’s time to use the crust and filling, place the bag of filling and crust in the fridge to thaw; the filling will take longer to thaw than the crust.
Pour the filling into the crust and bake it for the allotted time. It is very simple!
Freeze the crust and filling together
If you don’t want to go through the trouble of freezing the no-bake crust and filling separately, you can freeze them together.
This will save space in the freezer and allow you to defrost the entire quiche when it’s time to eat it. Just keep in mind that the crust won’t be very flaky or crunchy if frozen with the filling.
Assemble the quiche - Prepare the filling and crust as you normally would, following a recipe. Pour the filling into the crust, but do not bake it.
Prepare the frosting - Once the filling and crust are done, place the quiche on a baking sheet. Make sure the baking sheet is lined with parchment paper, as this helps clean up if the filling spills.
Freeze until firm - Place the baking sheet with the quiche in the freezer, and let it lay flat.
Wait for the quiche to freeze until firm, which will take several hours. Make sure the filling has frozen well, as if it’s soft or sticky, it could stick to the plastic wrap you’re wrapping it in.
Wrap it up - Once the quiche is completely frozen, take it out of the freezer and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Push the edges of the plastic wrap down so that an airtight seal is created. After wrapping the quiche in plastic, you can cover it with aluminum foil.
The aluminum foil protects the quiche from freezer burn, and the plastic wrap prevents the foil from sticking to the quiche when frozen.
Alternatively, if you don’t have plastic wrap or aluminum foil, you can place the entire quiche in a large freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing it, and label the bag.
Unbaked and assembled quiche can be kept in the freezer for up to a month without losing much quality. After this time it can be eaten, but the quality will not be the best.
When it’s time to eat the quiche, you can bake it from the freezer, allowing an additional 10 to 20 minutes of baking time to accommodate defrosting. This saves you leaving the quiche in the fridge to thaw overnight.
Can you freeze cooked quiche?
If you have leftover filling and crust to make another quiche, or if you want to bake a quiche to store in the freezer for later, you can freeze the cooked quiche.
You’ll just cook the quiche as normal, but instead of eating it, you’ll be preparing it to store in the freezer.
Bake the quiche - When you bake the quiche, place it on a cookie sheet. When it’s done baking and has cooled, place it in the freezer on the tray. The filling, even if it is cooked, will still be slightly soft, so it will need to be frozen hard so that it does not stick to the plastic.
Wrap the quiche - It is best to wrap the quiche in two protective layers, to properly keep it safe from freezer damage. First, wrap the quiche in plastic wrap, sealing it as much as possible. Next, wrap the quiche in a layer of aluminum foil.
This helps to avoid excessive exposure to air, which reduces quality loss. You can also place the quiche in a large freezer bag for further protection, or to easily label the quiche with the name and freeze date for easy identification.
The baked tart can be kept in the freezer for up to three months, without losing much of its quality.
When you’re ready to eat the quiche, take it out of the freezer and pop it right into the preheated oven. Let it bake for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through . There’s no need to defrost the quiche first, which saves you time!
Can quiche be frozen without the crust?
When you freeze a quiche, whether baked or no-bake, you freeze the crust and filling. However, if you’re making a crustless quiche, you may not know how to keep the quiche together in the freezer.
But crustless quiche freezes really well, and the advantage of freezing crustless quiche is that there’s no risk of it breaking down in the freezer. You can also freeze the quiche for a longer time, since the crust cannot be frozen for as long as the filling.
To freeze a crustless quiche, follow these steps
- Make the quiche the night before freezing it, and leave it in the fridge to further set.
- When the quiche has been left in the fridge overnight, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Use a permanent marker to write the contents and the freeze date on top of the foil wrapper.
- The crustless quiche can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months, preserving its texture, flavor and quality.
- When you’re ready to eat the crustless quiche, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the quiche from the freezer and place directly in the oven after removing the wrapper. This saves you having to thaw the quiche in the fridge overnight.
Crustless quiche is not only healthier than a regular quiche, but by freezing crustless quiche there is less chance of breaking the crust and spoiling the quiche in the freezer.
Can you freeze a quiche with cream?
Adding cream to a quiche that needs to be frozen is not ideal, but many quiche recipes call for cream, and you can get away with freezing the quiche with cream.
In this case, it would be best to cook the quiche beforehand, as if the cream is left uncooked, there is a chance that it will separate while frozen, and it can be quite difficult to get the ingredients back together before re-baking.
Baking the quiche before freezing helps prevent this to some extent.
Quiches, if done right, have the right balance of cream and egg to keep them from weeping and separating when frozen and then thawed.
5 tips for freezing a quiche
Tip #1: Let the cooked quiche cool completely before putting it in the freezer. This allows you to be able to wrap the quiche in plastic wrap without condensation forming, which could cause ice crystals and a decrease in quality.
It also prevents the hot quiche from heating up the inside of the freezer, which could endanger the other frozen foods.
You can freeze the quiche in a tin if you prefer it to be better protected this way.
Tip #2: Cooked quiches can be reheated from the freezer, just allow extra cooking time to defrost the quiche.
Tip #3: If you’re not going to eat a whole quiche, you can cut up a cooked quiche and freeze individual portions. You can cut the quiche into slices and place them on a baking tray. Place them in the freezer and wait for them to freeze.
Once frozen, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place in a large freezer bag. This way you can remove one slice at a time to defrost without defrosting an entire quiche and most of it going to waste.
Tip #4: You can also make some mini quiches, the same way you would freeze baked quiches, only on a smaller scale. They are great for kids and for parties.
Tip #5: Keep in mind that if your quiche contains a lot of vegetables, there is a chance that they will be soggy once reheated. Therefore, it is better to freeze the filling uncooked, so that the vegetables are still quite firm and not too soggy.
Related questions
We hope this guide on freezing quiche has been helpful. To be even more helpful, we’ve included this related questions section, so none of your quiche questions go unanswered.
Can frozen quiche be heated in the microwave?
You can heat the frozen quiche in the microwave, although the results are better if you use the oven.
Take the quiche out of the freezer, remove it from the pan if it has one, and place it on a microwave-safe plate. It should take 15-20 minutes for the quiche to reach the right serving temperature.
How do you defrost quiche quickly?
To quickly defrost the quiche, you can put it in the microwave on the defrost function. Try not to leave it too long, and be sure to remove the quiche before it gets hot.
Once it’s thawed a bit, take the quiche out of the microwave and return it to its pan, then pop it into a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.
However, if the quiche is cooked when frozen, it’s best to place the frozen quiche in the oven and keep it a little longer to make up for the time it takes to thaw.
Freeze the quiche successfully
You can freeze the quiche whether you want to freeze it unbaked, baked, crustless, or with the filling and crust separated.
With a little care and planning, you can freeze a quiche, or pieces of quiche, to store in the freezer to enjoy later for an easy dinner or lunch.
Just remember to protect the quiche in the freezer with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a plastic freezer bag to ensure it maintains its best quality and tastes great when it’s time to enjoy it.