If you’re a fan of quiche and you’re anything like me, you’ve probably tried just about every variation of this French masterpiece. From homemade to store bought, crustless to bite-sized, there’s not a quiche I’ve tried that I haven’t adored.
However, as much as I might love quiche, it’s hard to keep it fresh for long periods of time because of the high amounts of perishable ingredients it contains.
That can make dealing with leftovers a pain, since refrigeration won’t extend the shelf life by more than a handful of days. Additionally, if you’re planning on making enough for a party, you’ll have to get everything prepped and ready on the same day.
Since neither of those situations is convenient, you’re really only left with one option – freezing the quiche.
But should you freeze it?
Can you?
Yes, quiche can be frozen whether or not it’s been previously baked. If not already baked, you can freeze the quiche and filling together or you can freeze the crust and filling separately. For obvious reasons, each of these situations will require slight modifications to the prep and storage needed, but in all three cases, you can expect quiche to freeze for up to several months.
We’ll dig a little deeper into each of those scenarios so that you can make the best decision for freezing your quiche depending on your needs.
How Long Can You Freeze Quiche?
How long you can freeze quiche will depend on whether it’s been previously baked (or cooked) or not.
Previously baked (or cooked) quiche will last in the freezer for approximately one to two months.
For unbaked (or uncooked) quiche, you can expect the individual ingredients to last for up to three months.
| Type of Quiche | Freezer Life |
|---|---|
| Previously Baked/Cooked | 1-2 months |
| Unbaked/Uncooked | 3 months |
Can You Freeze Cooked Quiche?
As previously mentioned, it’s perfectly fine to freeze cooked quiche. If stored properly, you should expect it to last for about thirty to sixty days.
There are two situations where you’d be likely to freeze cooked quiche – as leftovers or to serve in its entirety at a later date. If it’s the latter, you might want to consider freezing the ingredients uncooked unless you’ve got a specific reason for freezing it cooked.
We’ll assume that you do so for whichever reason you’re freezing a cooked quiche, you’ll just have to perform a little prep to make sure things go smoothly once the time comes to defrost it.
After it’s cooked, you’ll want to give the quiche time to cool, preferably reaching room temperature, if possible, before placing it into the freezer. Once it has cooled, and leaving the quiche uncovered, place the entire baking sheet in the freezer, if possible.
This method is known as tray freezing. Freezing the quiche on the tray like this will help it firm up quickly so you can handle it well enough for proper storage, which can be plastic wrap, aluminum foil, freezer bags, or a combination of all three.
For maximum protection, you can wrap the entire quiche (or individual slices) in plastic wrap first, followed by a second layer of aluminum foil and finally, a resealable freezer bag. You should take care at each step along the way to remove as much air as you can from each layer.
This will help to reduce the possibility of your quiche getting freezer burn and also prevent it from absorbing any unwanted odors that might be present.
Do You Freeze a Quiche Before or After Baking?
You can do either, but uncooked quiche will last longer in the freezer than cooked quiche. That’s the case if you’ve frozen the uncooked filling and crust together or separately.
Uncooked quiche can last several months in the freezer, whereas previously baked quiche will only be good for about a month.
Can You Make Quiche Ahead of Time and Freeze It?
Yes, you can fully bake a quiche ahead of time and freeze it, or you can prepare the ingredients for the quiche (crust and filling) and freeze those as well. Since we discussed freezing cooked quiche earlier, we’ll be talking about freezing the ingredients in this section.
When freezing the ingredients first, you have two options – freeze all ingredients together (crust and filling) or freeze all ingredients separately.
Keep in mind that the ingredients, whether combined or separate, are not cooked prior to freezing – simply prepare everything as if you were going to bake it, but don’t plan on putting anything in the oven for now.
We’ll cover each option in more detail below.
Option 1 – Combine Ingredients, Freeze Crust With Filling
Of the two options, combining everything will be the most time efficient in the prep stage, in terms of storage space in the freezer and later on when the time comes to bake your quiche.
The downside is that by combining the filling with the crust; the chances are good that your crust won’t be as flaky as if it were frozen separately.
If a slightly less flaky crust is not as important to you as saving time and space, then let’s get started.
Prepare all of your ingredients, including the crust, for your quiche as if you were going to bake it when fully assembled.
Once everything is done, you’re going to be tray freezing the quiche so that you can store it properly.
Tray freezing, as discussed in the previous section, is simply the process of placing your assembled quiche on the baking tray and sliding it into the freezer. The goal is to allow the quiche to firm up, which can take a number of hours.
You’ll know that the quiche has frozen sufficiently when the filling is no longer sticky to the touch. Once fully hardened, remove the quiche from the freezer.
Transfer the quiche from the tray and seal it in a layer of plastic wrap, taking care to ensure that any pockets of air present are fully removed. After sealing the plastic wrap, it’s a good idea to add a layer of protection by covering the plastic layer with a layer of aluminum foil.
Combined, these layers will help to prevent freezer burn and also minimize the risk of other odors that might be present in the freezer from affecting the quiche ingredients.
Option 2 – Separate Ingredients, Freeze Crust and Filling Independently
Separating the ingredients will require a little more prep work from you, but unlike the method of combining ingredients, tray freezing won’t be needed.
You’ll need to prepare the crust and the filling independently.
Once the crust has been rolled and placed in a suitable freezer safe pie dish, you’ll need to fully wrap it. This can be done starting with a layer of plastic wrap. Be sure that you encircle the dish as carefully as possible, making sure that you eliminate as much trapped air as you can.
Next, find a suitable container for the filling – even a large freezer bag will work just fine.
As with wrapping up the crust, be sure to remove as much air as you can from the freezer bag containing the filling prior to sealing it.
| Option | Ingredients | Freezing Method | Crust Quality | Time Efficiency | Space Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Combined | Tray freezing + Plastic wrap + Aluminum foil | Less flaky | High | High |
| 2 | Separated | Plastic wrap + Freezer bag | Flakier | Low | Low |
Which Option Is Better?
If you prefer the crust of your quiche to be as crispy as possible, then the best option would be to prepare and freeze the ingredients separately.
However, if your priority is saving time (and freezer space), then combining all the ingredients prior to freezing will be the best choice for you.
Remember that by freezing the crust separately, it will be the flakiest of the two once it’s finally baked, but the downside is that you’ll need to wait for the filling to thaw enough so that it can be portioned into the crust prior to baking.
That’s why it’s important to think ahead and make your decision based on what you think will be best for your situation to get the maximum enjoyment out of your quiche when the time comes to eat it or serve it at a party.
The good news is that whether you choose to combine everything or keep things separate, they will each last about the same amount of time once frozen – around three months.
| Option | Crust Quality | Time Efficiency | Space Efficiency | Freezer Life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Less flaky | High | High | 3 months |
| 2 | Flakier | Low | Low | 3 months |
Can You Freeze Crustless Quiche?
Absolutely, you can freeze crustless quiche!
If you plan on baking your crustless quiche first, the process for freezing it is identical to a version with crust.
After baking your crustless quiche, allow it sufficient time to cool until such time that it reaches room temperature.
Using the same method discussed earlier in this article, known as tray freezing, you’ll simply place the entire tray containing your quiche in the freezer. The goal is to harden it up enough so that you can safely store it in the freezer until you are ready to eat it in the future.
Once the quiche hardens, you can use any freezer safe option you like, so long as they allow a minimum amount of air and moisture inside and guard against freezer burn.
Some good choices for this include aluminum foil, plastic wrap or sealable plastic containers.
If you plan on simply freezing the ingredients for your crustless quiche, the most important thing is to make sure that they’re adequately protected from freezer burn or odors while being frozen.
As with previously baked quiche, you can accomplish this in any number of ways by using freezer safe resealable bags or airtight plastic containers. If you’ve taken care to remove as much air as possible from them prior to freezing, you can expect the ingredients for your uncooked crustless quiche to last for several months.
| Freezing method | Steps | Recommended containers/wrappings |
|---|---|---|
| Baked crustless quiche | 1. Bake quiche and let it cool to room temperature. 2. Use tray freezing method to harden quiche. 3. Store in freezer safe options such as aluminum foil, plastic wrap or sealable plastic containers. |
Aluminum foil, plastic wrap or sealable plastic containers |
| Uncooked crustless quiche ingredients | 1. Make sure ingredients are protected from freezer burn and odors. 2. Use freezer safe resealable bags or airtight plastic containers. 3. Remove as much air as possible before freezing. |
Freezer safe resealable bags or airtight plastic containers |
Hiya! I’m Kimberly, a contributing writer here at Miss Buttercup. I was born and raised in the UP, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for those who don’t know, the land of beautiful, beach-filled sunny summer days and bone-chilling long winters. Growing up there made me appreciate all the little things about life, especially the way a delicious meal can bring people closer together. I try and put that same feeling into each article I write and I hope it comes across that way!
