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Baking on the grill adds amazing flavor dimensions to any recipe you would typically bake in the oven. This Grilled Ham and Cheese Quiche is grilled using leftover smoked ham, gruyere cheese, and caramelized onions, for an incredibly flavorful grilled quiche recipe. I have no doubt you will obsess over this as much as we do!
If you want to up your brunch recipes on the grill, then this grilled ham and cheese quiche recipe is it. Use your leftover smoked ham or double smoked ham as the base for the ingredients. If its not the holidays, you can use store-bought ham as well. But we love this as a use for any leftover holiday ham.
Table of Contents
Quiche vs. Frittata
A quiche has a crust and a frittata has no crust. In this grilled ham and cheese quiche recipe we like the texture a buttery crust offers. And to make this an easy quiche we use a store-bought crust. I won’t tell if you wont!
If you want to make this into a frittata, then follow the same instructions without the crust. Just use a good cast iron pan as the base. It will also take much less time to bake.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Pie Crust – We use a store bought pie crust. You can also make your own. But the point is to make this easy.
- Eggs – We use large eggs.
- Milk – See chef’s note for more details, we combine equal parts heavy cream and whole milk for our preferred texture.
- Cheese – Use a good melting cheese with great flavor for this quiche recipes. We like Gruyere for its slight tangy flavor and melting ability. Other cheese options include Swiss, or Comté. You can also combine cheeses. Use 1/4 cup of cheese for every egg you use if scaling up.
- Caramelized Onions – The caramelized flavor is amazing in the quiche and a better texture than simply softening or adding in raw to bake with the quiche.
- Ham – We used cubed ham from our leftover smoked ham recipe. You can also buy ham, if you do be sure it’s a thicker in order to cut into cubes (versus deli slices). It’s a better texture and helps the egg fill out the pie tin more. If buying the ham, purchase Black Forest ham for the best flavor.
- Dijon – We always love the flavor of Dijon mustard for acidity and that extra flavor element. Don’t skip this. If you don’t like Dijon you can use yellow mustard.
- Fresh Thyme – We love any egg recipe with a touch of fresh thyme. You can use any of your favorite fresh herbs that you like.
- Salt and Pepper – A touch of kosher salt and coarse black pepper round out the recipe.
- Garnish – We always add roughly chopped chives or green onions (the green end).
Ingredient Tip
The milk combination matters in terms of the density and ultimately the fluffiness of the quiche. If you use just heavy cream it will result in a much denser and richer texture. If you use just whole milk it will be slightly lighter. We combine equal parts whole milk and heavy cream for a more balanced texture.
If you scale up the recipe the general rule is to add 1/4 cup of milk for every egg you use.
Preparation – Caramelize The Onions
The richer flavor of caramelized onions really elevates this grilled quiche recipe. It’s worth taking the time to do this.
In a cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat add olive oil and butter. When butter melts add the thinly sliced onions to the pan. Stir every 10 minutes to caramelize. If the onions are browning too quickly slightly lower the heat. It should take roughly 20 – 25 minutes for the onions to become browned and caramelized.
Key Tip: Par Baking Crust vs. Not Par Baking
Par baking is to start the cooking process to help speed up cooking or add texture, but not finish the cooking process completely. We do this with our perfectly roasted potatoes.
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Many recipes will recommend par baking the pie crust using pie weights to set the pie dough. We do not recommend this on the grill. After recipe testing it was clear that the heat from the grill combined with the length of time it cooks sets the crust. It is not necessary to par bake the crust for this recipe. Bonus, it’s one less step! Hooray!
How to Grill Quiche
- Prepare Grill: Set grill up for two-zone or indirect grilling. Target 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the grill. Do not grill over 375 degrees or the crust will burn.
- Whisk: In a large bowl whisk together eggs, heavy cream, milk, Dijon, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Layer Pie Crust: In the pie crust layer the cheese at the bottom, then the caramelized onions, and cubes of ham. Distribute evenly. Then pour the egg mixture carefully into the pie crust. It will come very close to the top of the crust. Don’t let it pour over the sides.
- Grill: Gently place the quiche on the grill, and grill indirect for up to 45 minutes or until the center of the quiche is firm and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean with no liquid. You will notice the egg has swelled up, this will reside when it rests.
- Rest: Remove the quiche from the grill and let rest for at least 10-15 minutes. Top with some chopped chives. This will allow the quiche to settle and finish cooking. It also helps the crust stay firm as it slightly cools versus being served fresh from the grill.
Frequently Asked Questions
You do not need to par bake the crust. There is enough time in the grill to allow the crust to firm up and not overcook.
We use equal parts whole milk and heavy cream for a balanced texture. If you use all heavy cream, it will be much thicker.
We use the microwave. Put a slice of the quiche on a microwave safe plate and then microwave for one minute. It will be warm to the touch and still fluffy.
If you can’t or don’t want to use the grill then you can follow the same directions in your oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit using convection heat. Place the quiche on a cookie sheet and then place into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for the same amount of time, about 45 minutes.
If you don’t have convection heat then plan to rotate the quiche halfway through the cooking process.
What to Serve with Grilled Ham and Cheese Quiche
If you are using this quiche recipe over a holiday weekend, consider making it a brunch experience. Our mimosa bar idea is the perfect drink accompaniment or our smoked bloody mary.
Great side dishes include:
- Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes
- Perfect Roasted Potatoes
- Smoked Maple Glazed Bacon on the side
- Grilled Asparagus
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About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
Grilled Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 inch pie crust, (You can make your own or use a store-bought crust)
- 1 cup shredded gruyere
- 1 cup leftover smoked ham, cut into cubes
- ½ cup caramelized onions
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 tablespoon roughly cut chives, for garnish, (You can also use green onions)
Caramelized Onions
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Prepare Grill: Set grill up for two-zone or indirect grilling. Target 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the grill. Do not grill over 375 degrees or the crust will burn.
- Whisk: In a large bowl whisk together eggs, heavy cream, milk, Dijon, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Layer Pie Crust: In the pie crust layer the cheese, caramelized onions, and the cubes of ham. Then pour the egg mixture carefully into the pie crust. It will come very close to the top of the crust. Don't let it pour over the sides.
- Grill: Gently place on the grill, and gill indirect for up to 45 minutes or until the center of the quiche is firm and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean with no liquid. You will notice the egg has swelled up, this will reside when it rests.
- Rest: Remove the quiche from the grill and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Top with some chopped chives. Serve.
For Caramelized Onions
- Caramelize: In a cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat add olive oil and butter. When butter melts add the thinly sliced onions to the pan. Stir every 10 minutes to caramelize. If the onions are browning too quickly slightly lower the heat. It should take 20 – 25 minutes for the onions to become browned and caramelized. This can be done in advance.
Notes
If you don’t have convection heat then plan to rotate the quiche halfway through the cooking process.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
