A quiche can make for a delicious treat whether it be a hot savory dinner or a cold lunch. Quiches can be made in a number of different ways with different meats, vegetables, and any other fixings that you can think to add.
But as with any other dish, there may come a time where you have too much of it and need to decide between tossing it or throwing it away. This can become even more complicated when you want to prepare meals ahead of time and need to find a way to store it.
Can You Freeze a Quiche?
Absolutely! We will get into the details shortly but first we need to know how to tell if your quiche has gone bad, if it is rotten, or if it is spoiled. After all, you don’t want to put a rotten dish into your freezer, do you?
In addition to not wanting the nasty smells that are involved with spoiled food, it is basic food safety and proper hygiene that we are talking about. By keeping your food properly stored, you lessen the risk of potentially contracting a foodborne illness.
When your quiche is going bad, the egg used will begin to have a harder or firmer texture and start to look darker yellow in color. Not only that, but it will begin to separate and/or start to leak.
The crust will also begin to absorb the moisture that is in the filling. This will make your crust start to become soggy.
Of course, if you begin to smell rotten eggs, you can rest assured that your quiche is beyond salvageable and it needs to be tossed immediately. Don’t let food that you know has spoiled sit around as it can present potential risks for the other food in your fridge.
Be safe and be aware!
How Long Is Quiche Good for?
There are three different stages of storing a quiche and each of those stages offers a different shelf life/expiration date. How long your quiche is good for depends on how you are storing it and where you plan on storing it.
If you have made a quiche that has not been consumed yet, it can be stored on the counter for a couple of hours at most. Eggs are not meant to be exposed to room temperature for that long so just be aware that they can begin to turn if your quiche is left out for a few hours or more.
Should you be making a quiche and then storing it in the fridge for later consumption, you can keep it in the refrigerator for around three or four days at most. Anything longer than that can result in the eggs beginning to turn, the crust becoming soggy, and concerns about foodborne illnesses when your quiche spoils.
There is, of course, the method of preparing a quiche (or a few) for much later use. When you want to store your quiche for longer than a couple of days, the freezer makes for the best option.
If your quiche is properly stored in the freezer, you can leave it in there for three or four months before having to worry about it.
Keep in mind that this is if your quiche is stored properly. This means that you need to properly and securely cover your dish to ensure that air isn’t getting into the dish itself. The best way to do that is to make sure that it is in an airtight container.
Why would you want to store quiche so long? Well, if you wanted to cut down on food costs and eat a bit healthier, you can begin by prepping meals ahead of time.
Making everything at once and then storing it can mean pulling a meal out of the freezer and heating it up. That level of convenience is difficult to top.
Storing an Unbaked and Pre-Assembled Quiche
One way to store a quiche is to keep the components separate. Some people can be particularly picky about the moisture level of their crusts so separating the vegetables/filling from the rest of the quiche can be beneficial.
In order to store your quiche components properly, start by putting the filling or vegetables into an airtight plastic bag. If possible, don’t buy the pie crust until closer to the time of consumption or, if you have already bought it, freeze it separately.
Keeping your pie crust separate from the rest of the quiche can allow it to stay crisper and remain flakier when you heat it up. Again, if you are particularly picky about the quality of the crust, it is important that you freeze it separately from the rest of the ingredients.
If you do decide to freeze the components separately, be aware that the filling can be stored long-term for several months, but the quality of the crust can begin deteriorating after just a few days.
To begin, prepare your quiche filling according to your recipe’s instructions. You can always make tweaks to the recipe and make the filling your own; that is up to you. When you’ve finished making the filling, pour it into a plastic freezer bag.
Before you seal the bag, make sure that you get all of the excess air out of the bag first. Be certain to use a freezer-safe bag or container. You don’t ever want to use a glass container or a thin bag that won’t be able to hold up in the freezer.
Not only that, but a thinner bag will result in your quiche being stored less than properly too.
It is also a good idea to label your container or bag with the date that you filled it and what is in the bag. This takes away the guessing game aspect and you can be certain that your filling is good and safe to properly eat.
For the crust, it is always better to prepare your crust right before making the quiche but if you insist on freezing the crust, there is a way to do so. Make sure that you roll out the crust beforehand and place it into the pie dish.
When you have properly fitted your crush inside the dish, put the crust and the dish itself into a large freezer bag. As with your filling, label your plastic bag with the date that you placed it into the freezer so there is no question as to when it was prepared.
An unbaked quiche filling is able to stay in the freezer anywhere from one to three months. It is recommended that you not freeze the unbaked crust any longer than a day or two as it can seriously compromise the integrity of the crust.
When you are ready for it to thaw, place it in the fridge so that it can slowly thaw. Your crust will only need 15 minutes or so but the filling will need much longer. Make sure that you plan ahead so that your filling has ample time to thaw.
After your filling has thawed enough, simply assemble and bake it as the directions state. Keep in mind that there still may be ice crystals on the filling so consider adding five minutes to your cook time since the filling will need to be warmed up a bit more.
Freezing an Assembled but Unbaked Quiche
Perhaps you have assembled your quiche already but want to store it for the long term. After you have assembled your quiche, place it on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
The parchment paper isn’t absolutely necessary but it can make cleanup much easier if your filling spills out after transferring into the freezer.
After you have placed both the quiche and the sheet into the freezer, let it rest as flat as possible as you possibly can. Keep the quiche in the freezer for several hours or until the filling itself has become more solid.
You’ll want to make sure that the quiche is absolutely solid. If the surface of it is sticky, soft, or tacky, it can stick to your plastic wrap or get indented. This can make it more difficult to remove your plastic wrap or can just ruin the overall presentation of your quiche.
When the quiche becomes solid, it’s time to wrap with plastic wrap. Make sure that the entire quiche is covered and press the edges of the wrap to create an airtight seal.
Keep in mind that you absolutely have to put plastic wrap over the quiche before you put aluminum foil over the top of the quiche. That plastic will keep the foil from sticking to your quiche after it freezes.
Put the aluminum foil over top of the plastic wrap, making certain that the foil is airtight to keep a minimal amount of air from getting in. Keeping air out after the quiche freezes is essential.
If your quiche gets exposed to the air, there could be additional ice crystals that form on the surface and can make the crust soggy after thawing.
If you have a bag big enough, you can put your quiche into a plastic freezer bag instead of using wrap and foil. Remember to squeeze out the excess air first if you do use a plastic freezer bag to prevent those crystals from forming on your quiche.
Regardless of what you use, make certain that you label the outside of the container. You need to know when it was made and when it went into the freezer so you can be certain that it is safe for consumption.
Then simply keep it frozen until you want it, up to a month or so before the quality of the quiche begins to degrade.
This is where things differ. Don’t thaw your assembled quiche prior to baking it. Simply unwrap it and bake as directed, giving it an extra 10 to 20 minutes of extra bake time to compensate for it being frozen.
Thawing it first can mean that the crust becomes soggy, ruining your quiche.
Storing a Baked Quiche
Perhaps you’ve baked a quiche (or a few), eaten some and plan to freeze the rest of it plus the others that you baked.
If you plan to freeze any of it, bake the quiche on a baking sheet. This way, when you’re ready to move it over to the freezer, you can let it freeze until the soft center is hard.
Letting your quiche tray-freeze before it goes into the long-term freezer storage can keep the soft part of the filling from becoming damaged while in the freezer. Because you’ve already baked your quiche, you’ll also want to give it additional protection.
After the center has frozen solid, use a layer of plastic wrap and another layer of aluminum foil in order to wrap your frozen quiche up as tightly as possible. Make certain that the edges are sealed properly in order to keep excess air from getting in and compromising your quiche.
A baked quiche can be stored in a freezer for anywhere from two to three months without the quality of it becoming negatively affected. When the time comes to take it out of the freezer, do not thaw your quiche before baking it.
Simply pull it out and transfer it over to a preheated oven that is set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow it to bake for around 20 to 25 minutes; it could take a little longer to ensure that your quiche has completely warmed through.
You don’t want to thaw your quiche first because it can become soggy and ruin the overall texture of the quiche.
There are plenty of methods for storing your quiche. It is up to you to determine which method is best for you. In any event, you can keep your quiche stored properly for a long time and enjoy it whenever you feel like. That is convenience of the highest order.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.