This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This Christmas Quiche is filled with sausage, cranberries, and cheese. It makes a perfect Christmas morning breakfast or brunch.
Featured with this recipe
Christmas morning breakfast is a tradition that we love to have! This Christmas breakfast quiche is always one that we love to make. It is light but filling and gives you that warm and comforting feel while enjoying the holiday spirit. This quiche has all the flavors of the holidays. The quiche filling is rich with flavor using eggs, sausage, cranberries, and cheese. It makes the house smell amazing as everyone is waking up to start the day!
We usually have company during the holidays, and this is an easy breakfast to prepare. It is especially easy if the pie shell is made or bought, and the sausage is cooked the night before. I serve it with fresh fruit and muffins for a holiday brunch. It is hearty and filling, so it doesn’t require a lot of extras. To make it an even quicker meal, you can use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust or a frozen deep dish pie crust. Just leave it out on the counter to thaw before cooking.
What is a Quiche?
A quiche is a French dish made with a pastry crust filled with eggs and cream combined with different types of cheese, meats, and/or vegetables. It looks similar to a tart or a pie and is usually cut in slices like a pie.
People serve quiche hot or cold, but I prefer it hot. The consistency is similar to a breakfast casserole. You make this Christmas Quiche with sausage and dried cranberries in the filling. You will love the savory flavor with just a touch of sweetness.
Breakfast Quiche Ingredients
The ingredients for this homemade Christmas breakfast quiche are simple and overly delicious! The combination of sweet and savory flavors gives a comforting and warm feeling during the holiday season!
- Pie dish – Use a 9-inch deep dish pie shell. You will be filling it full of delicious ingredients. Make it easy with a store-bought pie crust or make a homemade crust that takes a few extra minutes.
- Sausage – Ground breakfast sausage is cooked and cut into smaller bite-sized pieces. You can also use diced ham or bacon too!
- Dried cranberries – Craisins work great! These have a sweet and chewy texture that combines well with sausage.
- Cheese – Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, Mozzarella, or Swiss Cheese give this quiche the perfect melty cheese effect!
- Eggs – Lightly beat the large eggs before adding them to the quiche.
- Half and half – You can also use half heavy cream and half whole milk depending on how thick and rich you would like the quiche to be.
How to Make Christmas Breakfast Quiche
In a few simple steps, you will be enjoying the best Christmas breakfast quiche with your friends and family gathered around! It is the perfect way to start your morning together. It is perfect for feeding a crowd and making it right away in the morning!
- Bake pie crust – Bake pie dough for 7 minutes. If using a frozen pie shell, let it stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before baking. Let cool.
- Cook – Brown sausage in a large skillet and drain excess grease. Stir in dried cranberries.
- Combine – Whisk eggs and half-and-half in a medium bowl until well blended.
- Layer – Sprinkle cheese on the bottom of the pie shell. Add sausage and cranberries. Pour egg mixture into the pie shell over sausage, cranberries, and cheese.
- Bake quiche – Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes or until the knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Tips for Making the Best Christmas Breakfast Quiche
Follow these quick and easy tips to make the perfect homemade Christmas breakfast quiche! Add in your favorite veggies, make sure the crust is cooked properly, and add the perfect side dishes for a complete meal. It is a great holiday breakfast that everyone loves!
- Prepare ahead – Quiches make a great breakfast that you can always prepare ahead of time. Simply prepare your crust then add your ingredients and store in the refrigerator for the next morning.
- Veggies – Create the best combination with more vegetables. Slice and dice mushrooms, chopped green or red bell pepper, asparagus, broccoli, or even add spinach to this Christmas breakfast quiche.
- Soggy crust – To prevent a soggy crust make sure to pre-bake it before adding in the liquid filling mixture. Brush the inside of the pre-baked crust with butter the pie crust to give it an extra crispy outside. You can also use pie weights in the pie pan when baking the pie crust to help avoid any bubbles forming.
- Overcooking – Try not to overcook your Christmas breakfast quiche in the oven.
- Side dishes – Try this with sides of fruit or fruit salad, yogurt, hash browns, diced potatoes, or even a green salad if it is brunch or lunchtime after opening gifts.
“Made this for Christmas morning to serve with cranberry and pomegranate mimosas. It was a hit. Everyone had a second helping. Will make it again.”
– Renee
Frequently Asked Questions
If sausage or cranberries aren’t your favorite, there are plenty of options for you to replace within your quiche. Some common ingredients include green onion, spinach, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, beans, bacon and more.
The Monterey Jack works best with this recipe, but some other options could be pepper jack, sharp cheddar cheese, Swiss, gruyere cheese, feta, or blue cheese.
Yes, parchment paper would work great for the pan but don’t use aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Cover the quiche with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator.
To make a butter pie crust you need to butter the outside of the crust for that flaky texture and buttery flavor.
Yes! A crustless quiche recipe is a great way to have a low-carb or gluten-free alternative. Simply grease the pie pan and then add in the quiche liquid mixture to bake!
READ NEXT: 33+ Breakfast Ideas
Storing and Making Ahead
This Christmas breakfast quiche is the star of the show when added to the table! It is festive and flavorful with all the colors and beauty of it. Perfect to make ahead and store for a snack later on. This breakfast quiche is balanced and hearty with a rich and creamy texture and a flaky crust!
- Storing leftovers – Allow the breakfast Christmas quiche to cool before storing it in the refrigerator. Wrap the quiche with plastic wrap or place slices in an airtight container. This will be stored in the fridge for three to four days.
- Freezing quiche – Wrap and freeze the quiche tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and store in a freezer bag.
- Thawing and reheating – When ready to enjoy, remove the quiche from the freezer and let thaw in the refrigerator. Once it is thawed, heat in the oven or microwave until it is warmed through.
More Delicious Breakfast Ideas for the Holidays
The holidays are a time for gathering, and that is what we do in our family, we gather and we eat! I love it when family and friends come to visit or spend the night. I always try to have something special prepared for breakfast, like this Easy Breakfast Quiche Recipe or our favorite Christmas Charcuterie for appetizers. These are some of my other favorite breakfasts to prepare, especially during the holidays.
How to Make Christmas Quiche
Christmas Breakfast Quiche
Video
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish pie shell 9", frozen or homemade
- 1/2 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pie shell for 7 minutes. If using a frozen pie shell, let it stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before baking. Let cool.
- Brown sausage in a large skillet and drain excess grease. Stir in dried cranberries.
- Whisk eggs and half-and-half in a medium bowl until well blended.
- Sprinkle cheese on the bottom of the pie shell. Add sausage and cranberries.
- Pour egg mixture into pie shell over sausage, cranberries, and cheese.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes or until the knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
To make this recipe easy to whip up Christmas morning, you can do some of the prep ahead of time!- Cook the sausage and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Whisk the eggs and half and half ahead of time and store in the fridge.
- Grate the cheese ahead of time.
Do you use the whole 1 1/2 cups of half and half?
Yes! It makes the eggs so nice and fluffy!
Everyone says they made it, but the recipe doesn’t say how long to bake it?
“…Bake for minutes…”
Thanks for catching that! It must have gotten deleted – it bakes for 45 minutes!
I made this today, eliminated the crust. I also used turkey sausage. This is a five star recipe. So good.
Made this for Christmas morning to serve with cranberry and pomegranate mimosas. It was a hit. Everyone had a second helping. Will make it again.
I used Gruyère instead of Monterey Jack and loved it! Our house tends to prefer savory to sweet so I’d probably go a little lighter on the cranberries next time. But overall this was a hit I will make again! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for rating the recipe!
I made two . One as the recipe reads. The second I followed the recipe adding mild diced green chilis instead of the cranberries and also added diced fried cooked potatoes , About two cups . Both were amazing , My new Christmas Favorite 😋
This quiche was our breakfast this Christmas and it was very good. This will be a keeper.
I happen to have everything I need in the house to make this! So excited to try it!
This quiche has been added to my Christmas brunch menu. I can’t wait to taste the deliciousness that is this!
I love quiche, and anything with eggs really! Sausage and cranberry are definitely giving me the holiday vibes!
Oh wow! What a beautiful breakfast idea for Christmas morning! The flavors sound wonderful and I love the stars around the crust.
With a smaller Christmas, we won’t need a couple of casseroles—so this is the recipe I’m making! So yummy!!!
This sounds like the perfect breakfast for the festive season – so delicious and full of Christmassy flavours!
Can I make the quiche the day before I want to serve it & reheat?
I don’t see why not!
Okay ladies… I make quiche every year and I’m going to try this one! Sounds so yummy… I’ll let you know how it goes!
Our entire family loves this quiche! We will be making it again for Christmas for sure. Thanks for the great recipe!
The perfect breakfast for Christmas morning for sure!
Is there some way to keep the quiche from getting too soggy? I really want to make a really good quiche. Also, do I need to soak cranberries before I start cooking them?
You should be using dried cranberries – like Craisins – and no, they do not need to be soaked. To ensure a non-soggy quiche, make sure to drain the sausage really well, and cook the pie shell exactly per the instructions.
Love getting new recipes.