This Croissant Ham and Cheese Bake is an easy weekend breakfast made with buttery croissants, cheese, and ham, baked in a rich, eggy custard flavored with mustard and thyme, then drizzled with hot honey.
If you are curating a breakfast spread, add these Bacon Grease Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Pistachio Muffins to the menu!
Why This Croissant Ham & Cheese Bake Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole
- Ready in: 1hr 20 minutes
- Serves: 8 people
- Main ingredients: Croissants, eggs, cream, milk, onions, ham, cheese, and herbs.
- Perfect for: Serving a crowd for breakfast or brunch.
- Why I love it: This is my ultimate breakfast casserole with melty cheese and salty ham! The hot honey drizzle adds a touch of sweetness to this savoury bake.
- Calories: 536kcal
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This recipe would be the star of the show at any boozy breakfast brunch, so skip the mimosa and serve this alongside these Grapefruit Gin Spritzers to make this meal memorable!
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Key Ingredients
- Croissants - Choose plain flaky croissants from your favorite bakery for this recipe; cheese croissants will also work. Using day-old croissants is best because when they dry out slightly, they'll soak up the egg custard better.
- Cheese - I used a combination of white cheddar and gruyere cheese. Do the same, or use your favorite strong white cheese that melts when baked.
- Ham - I used gypsy ham; you can choose your favorite deli meat like smoked country ham, honey ham, parma ham, prosciutto, or even salami.
- Thyme - I used fresh thyme to flavor the onions; dried thyme will also work.
- Mustard - Using Dijon mustard and whole-grain mustard in this recipe gives the custard a delicious flavor. If you don't have either, you can also use mustard powder.
- Chives - finely chopped fresh chives are sprinkled over the top of this croissant bake. If you don't have any, you can leave them out or use green onions instead.
- Honey - Once baked, this recipe is drizzled with a delicious homemade hot honey sauce that's flavoured with red chilli flakes. You can skip this if you'd prefer, but I love the contrast of flavors between the sweet honey, the strong cheese, and the smoky ham.
- Apple cider vinegar - This is added to the hot honey to help cut the sweetness. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, you can also use red wine vinegar.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
If you are a vegetarian, you can choose to leave out the ham and add vegetables instead. This recipe would work well with peppers and mushrooms. If you are looking for a vegetarian breakfast, try this Tomato and Burrata Quiche.
How To Make Ham & Cheese Croissant Bake
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and brush an oven dish with melted butter. Add the butter to a frying pan set over medium heat, add the sliced onions and thyme, and fry until softened. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2: Add the milk, cream, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, and eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine-season with salt and pepper to your taste. Add the cooled onions and half of each cheese, stirring to combine. Cut each flaky croissant into thirds, dip each third into the custard mixture, and place them in a single layer in your prepared dish. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants.
- Step 3: Cut each slice of ham in half and roll it up before placing the ham between the croissant pieces. Tuck the ham under the croissants slightly so that just part of the ham slices are exposed. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the croissants.
- Step 4: Bake in a preheated oven for 45 - 50 minutes or until golden brown and the custard is set, the cheese is golden, and the ham is slightly crispy. Remove the dish from the oven and allow the bake to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle over the finely chopped chives.
- Step 5: While the breakfast bake is in the oven, make the hot honey. Add the honey, hot water, vinegar, and chili flakes to a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Step 6: Pour the hot honey into a glass jar and let the flavors infuse for about 15 minutes, then strain out the chili flakes. Slice the croissant bake into 8 equal portions, then drizzle hot honey over each portion. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
Store any leftover pieces of this croissant bake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes before serving. Leftover hot honey can be added to a clean, sterilized glass jar with a lid. Keep the jar in the fridge for a few weeks.
Expert tips
- Adjust to your taste; for all savory dishes, it is best to follow your taste buds when seasoning. Make sure the custard is seasoned to your liking before pouring it over the croissants.
- Egg-based dishes are temperature sensitive, so check the temperature of your oven with a thermometer to be sure it is set correctly.
- During baking, if the croissants are getting too brown but the custard isn't yet set, cover the dish with foil and continue baking.
Ham & Cheese Croissant Casserole FAQs
Yes, you can; however, you want a dish where the croissant pieces will lie in a single layer. The egg custard should sit close to halfway up the croissants.
Absolutely, just leave out the ham and follow the recipe as is. Otherwise, you could sauté other vegetables with the onions and add them to the egg custard.
Yes, choose any gooey cheese you like. Try combining different flavors, like Swiss and Parmesan, or mozzarella and cheddar.
This recipe can also be made a day ahead and covered with aluminum foil. Place it in the fridge before reheating it and serving it the next day.
This easy recipe is an absolute winner for breakfast and perfect for making for a crowd during weekend trips away with friends, for Christmas morning, or even for Easter brunch with the family. For more festive baking ideas, see my collection of Easy Christmas Baking Recipes and Easy Easter Baking Recipes.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at this Chocolate Nut Bundt Cake!
📖 Recipe
Croissant Ham and Cheese Bake
Equipment
- 1x oven dish
Ingredients
Croissant Bake
- 6 croissants large
- 1 onion finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 5 eggs extra-large
- 400 ml milk whole
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
- 100 g white cheddar cheese
- 60 g gruyere cheese
- salt & pepper
- 160 g Gypsy ham
- 1 tablespoon chives finely chopped
Hot Honey
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tablespoon hot water
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Croissant Bake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and brush an oven dish with melted butter.
- Add the butter to a frying pan set over medium heat, once melted add the sliced onions and thyme and fry until softened, set aside to cool.
- Add the milk, cream, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine-season with salt and pepper to your taste. Add the cooled onions and half of each cheese and stir to combine.
- Cut each flaky croissant into thirds and dip each third into the custard mixture before placing them in a single layer into your prepared dish.
- Pour the egg mixture over the croissants. Spoon out the onions and cheese, and distribute evenly.
- Cut each slice of ham in half and roll this up before placing the ham between the croissant pieces. Tuck the ham under the croissants slightly so that just part of the ham slices are exposed. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheeses over the top of the croissants.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 45 - 50 minutes or until golden brown and the custard is set, the cheese is golden and the ham is slightly crispy. Remove the dish from the oven and allow the bake to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle over the finely chopped chives.
Hot Honey
- While the breakfast bake is in the oven, make the hot honey. Add the honey, hot water, vinegar, and chili flakes to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Pour the hot honey into a glass jar and let the flavors infuse for about 15 minutes before straining out the chili flakes.
- Slice the croissant bake into 8 equal portions and drizzle the hot honey over each portion, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- I like using flaky croissants for this recipe, different types of croissants will soak up the custard differently so bear this in mind when choosing your croissants.
Julia says
Great breakfast recipe to make when you need to feed a few! So delicious as well