Quiche is a classic dish in various cultures around the world. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also a versatile pie you can cook for nearly any occasion. There’s an easy quiche recipe for every taste or cuisine.
What’s best about quiche is that it makes excellent leftovers. You can prep leftover quiche ahead of time and have dinner for a few nights, or even keep it in the freezer.
However, you’re probably wondering, if you can prep quiche ahead of time, how long is quiche good for? And what’s the best way to store and reheat quiche?
Quiche is a savory French pie dough based dish that’s a common dinner food. It typically consists of a mix of custard, cheese, meat, and vegetables baked in a pie crust. Then, it's served in slices.
Quiche comes in all sizes, from whole pies to mini quiches that are the perfect finger foods at a party or brunch. A few common quiches are:
There are a lot of quiche variations, which is why it’s so popular. You can change the type of pastry crust you use, substituting phyllo for regular pie crust.
Or, you can make a completely crustless quiche if you want to avoid carbs or need a gluten-free option.
The two most common ways to store cooked quiche are in the refrigerator or the freezer. This is true for store-bought and homemade quiches.
However, no matter what ingredients you include in your quiche, it’ll last for three months in the freezer, three days in the fridge, and three hours on the counter.
If you just baked quiche and plan to store it in the fridge, you should use it within three days. For best results, keep it toward the back to prevent exposure to frequent temperature changes.
As you open and close your fridge door, you allow for small temperature changes that can encourage mold growth.
If you’re meal-prepping and throwing together some freezer meals, you can store quiche in the freezer after baking for up to three months before your frozen quiche starts to degrade and lose quality.
Unfortunately, your freezer can also negatively impact your quiche’s flavor. Always take steps to prevent freezer burn if you freeze your quiche.
If you’re leaving your quiche on the counter for guests, it can only sit out at room temperature for two hours before it starts to turn. This is a two hour rule that is promoted by the USDA and FDA for all perishable foods.
Fat and protein-rich foods like dairy and meat are magnets for bacteria, making leftover quiche the perfect host for microbes that can make you sick.
You always want to focus on food safety when cooking any food - especially a dairy based food like quiche. Every quiche recipe comes with a long list of ingredients known to spoil quickly.
For best results, use the freshest ingredients possible to extend your quiche’s shelf life.
Eggs are typically usable until they’re not. However, the egg mixture within quiche will spoil quickly once cooked, which is why cooked quiche doesn’t have a long fridge life.
Dairy has a relatively short shelf life and won’t go more than two or three days past its use-by date. Even cooked, it’ll spoil within a few days.
The worst smell in a kitchen might be rancid meat. It’s unmistakable in a dish. However, of the things that spoil in your quiche, the meat will likely take the longest.
Fresh vegetables often seem to go bad overnight. Cooked veggies might buy you a day or two, but they won’t last long in your quiche.
Like any other egg, meat, or dairy-based food, it’s pretty easy to tell when quiche has gone bad. Not only can the dairy products turn sour, but the meat can go rancid quite quickly.
So it’s generally best to follow the rule of thumb for foods: when in doubt, throw it out.
Keep an eye out for the following things when assessing your quiche’s quality.
Perhaps the best indicator of expired food is its appearance. Mold or discoloration are easy signs to spot. Likewise, if your dairy products separate or curdle, you can assume the quiche has spoiled.
There’s no mistaking the smell of sour dairy or rancid meat. So when you unwrap your quiche, give it a good sniff.
If you notice the unmistakable odors of rotten food, it’s time to toss it. Double-check for any odors after cutting into it, too.
If you cooked your quiche correctly, it should have a firm texture. So, press the top of your quiche. If there’s too much give, or it feels mushy, it’s likely expired. Don’t forget to check the bottom, too, as spoilage can sometimes start there.
When your quiche looks, smells, and feels safe, the taste is the only other way to determine if it’s good. It might taste rotten, foul, or simply off. In either case, if it doesn’t taste quite right, throw it out.
An important thing to remember about leftover quiche is that it needs to be refrigerated or frozen to ensure it lasts. Keeping it at room temperature is fine for an hour or two for serving, but keep it covered to prevent air exposure.
On average, quiche won’t last more than three days in the refrigerator and three months in the freezer. So to get the most out of your meal, follow these steps:
Steam will continue to release from your quiche as long as it’s warm. So, the first step to proper storage is to allow your quiche to cool completely. Cooling it will help prevent condensation from forming while it’s stored.
Keep your quiche covered with a cloth or paper towel to avoid exposing it to air or bacteria. A towel will absorb moisture but prevent airborne bacteria from landing on your food.
Portioning out your quiche is entirely optional. However, doing so will make it easier to heat up in the future, especially if you plan to freeze it.
Having to defrost and reheat an entire quiche will extend how long your quiche is exposed to bacteria in the air, which can lead to foodborne illnesses.
Not only that, but having to refreeze sections you don’t eat can affect your quiche’s flavor. Portioning out your quiche will also allow you to reheat only the amount you need.
Heating small sections of frozen quiche at a time will help maintain the ingredients’ integrity.
Next, wrap your quiche securely with plastic wrap. If you’re storing it in the fridge, you can simply cover the dish you cooked it in or put it on a plate.
However, if you’re storing it in the freezer, you want to package it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
A plastic freezer bag will work if you don’t have a plastic or glass container with an airtight lid. After you wrap it in plastic wrap, lay it flat to freeze so it doesn’t break or become misshapen, which can affect your defrosting time.
These factors can affect long the quiche is good for.
Quiche is a popular dish due to its flavor and versatility, and also because it’s easy to reheat. You can reheat quiche in the microwave, air fryer, toaster oven, or standard oven.
A great thing about frozen quiche is that you don’t need to thaw it to reheat it in the standard or toaster oven. Instead, cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then let sit for fifteen minutes before uncovering to serve.
To reheat a refrigerated quiche, cover it with aluminum foil, then bake it at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it’ll be all set.
You can also reheat quiche in the microwave. However, you should let it come to room temperature first.
Place your quiche on a microwave-safe dish, then heat for two to three minutes, checking the internal temperature after one minute before continuing.
To reheat quiche in the air fryer, start by letting your quiche come to room temperature. Then, heat in a 300-degree air fryer for five to seven minutes.
If your quiche is still cold when you plan to reheat it, add a minute or two to the cooking time to compensate.
If you’re curious what the maximum time that a quiche can cool outside of the fridge - it is a maximum of two hours at room temperature. This is called the “two hour rule” and you can find out more at this United States Department of Agriculture Website.
Foods should be refrigerated within two hours of being cooked to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria on your food.
No. Unfortunately, this isn’t a negotiation. It isn’t worth it to hope that the food you’re going to eat isn’t going to make you sick. Quiche lasts at most around 3 days in the refrigerator. If you eat quiche past that point you’re greatly increasing your risk of food poisoning.
Quiche Lorraine is a quiche that hails from the Lorraine region of France. It can be eaten for just about any mail - even breakfast - as bacon is one of the key ingredients in a quiche Lorraine.
