This ham and cheese croissant breakfast casserole is the ultimate breakfast! Buttery croissants layered with ham slices and cheese, soaked in a creamy egg mixture, then baked until crispy and cheesy.
Skip the casserole and make actual ham and cheese croissant sandwiches or my ham and cheese appetizer!
CROISSANT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Elevate any breakfast or brunch with this cheesy croissant breakfast bake! Croissant pieces soaked in a flavorful egg mixture and layered with savory ham slices and gooey melty cheese and drizzled with a sweet honey mustard sauce. This breakfast croissant is the perfect dish for holidays, brunch parties, or weekend mornings!
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Croissants– This recipe calls for large or small plain croissants. You can find them in the bakery or bread section of most grocery stores.
- Ham– For this recipe, I use thinly sliced black forest ham from the deli. You can also use leftover baked ham, just be sure to slice them into thin slices.
- Cheese– You can use either gruyere cheese, gouda cheese, or Swiss cheese. These are the cheeses that tend to go great with ham!
- Eggs– For the egg mixture, be sure to use fresh white or brown eggs!
- Milk– To make the egg mixture creamy this recipe calls for whole milk. You can also use 2% milk or even half and half creamer.
- Flavor– To season the egg mixture, this recipe calls for salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. A simple but flavorful mix of spices.
- Chives– Adding freshly chopped chives to the egg mixture and on top of the casserole adds so much additional flavor! You can totally leave out the chives or swap for green onion.
- Honey Mustard Sauce– Drizzling this breakfast casserole with honey mustard sauce brings this dish all together! Use my homemade honey mustard sauce that is so easy to make!
HOW TO MAKE CROISSANT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
With just a couple minutes of prep time this casserole dish is ready to bake!
- Preheat the oven and spray a casserole dish with baking spray. (I used a 10×7 casserole dish.)
- In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the egg mixture until well combined.
- Dip the croissant pieces in the egg mixture and add to the casserole dish. Continue until you have an even layer of croissant pieces.
- Tuck half of the ham throughout the croissant pieces and top with shredded cheese evenly over the croissants.
- Create a second layer of croissant, with the remaining croissants. Then pour the rest of the egg mixture over the top.
- Add the rest of the ham, by tucking in the crevasse throughout the casserole dish. Top with the rest of the shredded cheese.
- Bake until the top is lightly golden and egg mixture is set and no longer runny.
- Cool for a few minutes and then drizzle with honey mustard sauce if desired.
- Serve immediately while still warm.
CASSEROLE VARIATIONS
Elevate this breakfast casserole by adding veggies and different meats! You can skip the ham and layer the croissants with different types or meat and even sauteed veggies!
- Bacon– Skip the sliced ham and add cooked bacon bits instead along with the shredded cheese! Check out my post on how to cook bacon.
- Turkey– If you prefer turkey over ham, no worries! Swap the sliced ham for sliced honey roasted turkey breast or even chicken breast from the deli.
- Breakfast Sausage– Cook up some breakfast sausage and sprinkle it everywhere instead of ham!
- Turkey & Bacon– Make this breakfast casserole even heartier and do a mix of both bacon bits and sliced turkey!
- Meat & Veggies– If you want to add veggies to this dish along with your meat, you totally can! Sauté your favorite veggies (I like using sliced mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, and onions) and layer it along with your choice of meat.
- Chorizo– Another classic breakfast meat you can use instead of ham is cooked chorizo!
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
I use a smaller 10×7 casserole dish, which makes a layered dish. You can also use a 9×13 casserole dish and just make one layer! You can also use an 8×8 or 9×13 baking sheet instead of a casserole dish.
If you don’t have croissants on hand, you can totally swap different bread! Challah bread, brioche bread, baguettes, or even a classic French bread will work. You can either cut in large cubes or rip in large pieces!
You can make the egg mixture ahead of time and cut the croissants, but I don’t recommend soaking the croissants until right before baking or you will get overly soggy.
No, this dish is baked uncovered.
You can check toward the end of the bake time by taking a spoon and pushing the bread aside to see the bottom of the dish if the eggs are still runny. Be sure to check in the center of the dish, since the edges cook faster.
You can cover the dish with foil to allow the center to finish baking and to avoid a burnt top!
Once the casserole dish is completely cooled, cover and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven and enjoy!
OTHER BREAKFAST RECIPES-
Start the day off right with a hearty and delicious breakfast! Here are some other delicious breakfast recipes to try:
Ham & Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 large croissants quartered
- 6 oz thinly sliced ham
- 2 cup shredded cheese gruyere or white cheddar
- honey mustard sauce optional drizzle
Egg mixture-
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives or greens
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray your casserole dish with baking spray. (I used a 10×7 casserole dish.)
- Cut all the croissants into four equal-sized pieces and cut the ham slices in half.8 large croissants, quartered
- In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the egg mixture until fully combined.6 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives or greens
- Take the croissant pieces and dip them briefly into the egg mixture so they are coated and place them into the casserole dish. Repeat until you have one even layer covering the bottom of the dish. (If you are using a larger casserole dish, you will have only 1 layer.)
- Tuck half of the ham slices between and around the croissant pieces, then sprinkle half of the shredded cheese evenly over the top.6 oz thinly sliced ham, 2 cup shredded cheese, gruyere or white cheddar
- Repeat with another layer of dipped croissant pieces, arranging them evenly over the top. Pour any remaining egg mixture evenly over the entire dish.
- Add the remaining slices of ham between the croissants, then sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, until the tip is lightly golden and the egg mixture is fully set (not runny).
- Remove from the oven and let the casserole cool for a couple minutes.
- Drizzle with honey mustard sauce, if desired, and immediately while still hot.honey mustard sauce, optional drizzle
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