5 Star Reader Comment
My family lives this! I’ve made it 3 times already! It’s so easy and perfect for a special brunch. We drizzle with warm preserves and sprinkle with powdered sugar…yum!
Lynn
Why You’ll Love This One
There’s a reason this shows up on my table every Christmas morning and just about every time we have a house full of people. It’s the breakfast that looks like you got up at dawn and fussed — golden and puffed, buttery croissants soaking up a rich custard, ham and cheese melting into every corner — when the truth is you did the work the night before in about ten minutes.
I’ve leaned on this casserole for years: sleepy holiday mornings, overnight guests, the mornings when I want to sip my coffee instead of stand at the stove. You pull it out of the fridge, slide it in the oven, and it takes care of itself while everybody wanders in following the smell.
If you’ve ever felt like hosting breakfast is more than you can pull off — this is the recipe that proves it isn’t.
Enjoy!
Donya’s Tips and Things to Know
- Bakery croissants, every time. They hold their shape and soak beautifully.
- Don’t skip the soak. It’s the difference between custardy and crumbly.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded is coated to keep it from clumping, and it never melts quite as dreamy.
- Let it rest before you cut in, so it sets up and slices clean.
Breakfast lovers add crock pot Southern grits and fruit salad. Your family will love you even more for it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Nothing fancy here, and that’s the beauty of it. A few good things, doing a lot of work:
- Croissants — grab real ones from the bakery section, not the kind in a tube. Day-old is even better; they drink up the custard without going to mush.
- Eggs and half-and-half — the backbone of that rich, custardy middle. Whole milk works if that’s what you’ve got.
- Dijon mustard — my little secret. Just enough to wake everything up without tasting like mustard.
- Ham — deli ham or last night’s leftovers both shine here.
- Swiss or Gruyère — nutty, melty, and worth shredding yourself off the block.
- A dusting of powdered sugar — trust me on the sweet-and-savory finish.
How To Make Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Tear the croissants and tuck them into your dish with the ham and cheese scattered all through — not just on top, but down in the layers where every bite gets some. Whisk your eggs, half-and-half, Dijon, and a pinch of salt, and pour it evenly over the top so every piece gets a soak. Cover it, chill it, then bake until it’s golden and puffed and the middle is set. Rest it a few minutes, dust with powdered sugar, and carry it to the table.
Make It the Night Before
This is the part I love most. Assemble everything tonight, cover it, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. That long soak is what gives you that soft, custardy center instead of dry bread — so an overnight rest isn’t just convenient, it actually makes it better. In the morning, all that’s left to do is bake. (Short on time? Even 30 minutes of chilling will do.)
More From My Kitchen To Yours
Ingredients
- 6-8 medium-sized croissants
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- pinch of salt
- 8 ounces deli or leftover ham (about 6 thin slices)
- 6 ounces shredded swiss or gruyere cheese
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 9×6 deep baking dish with cooking spray. **A 9×11 baking dish can also be used.**
- Tear croissants in half and place in prepared pan. Cut ham into thirds and nestle around the croissants. Sprinkle on shredded cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, Dijon mustard, and salt. Pour over croissants. Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place covered breakfast casserole in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until hot and bubbly with a golden top.
- Remove casserole from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Easy Variations
Make it yours — this recipe is forgiving:
- No croissants? Buttery brioche or challah stand in beautifully.
- Swap the ham for cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage or crispy bacon.
- Trade Swiss for sharp cheddar or pepper jack if you like a little bite.
- Fold in sautéed spinach, mushrooms, or caramelized onions for something a little more brunchy.
How to Store, Freeze & Reheat
Leftovers keep well, covered, in the fridge for 3 to 4 days — reheat individual squares in the microwave, or warm the whole pan in a low oven so the edges crisp back up. To freeze, cool it completely, wrap it tight, and it’ll keep up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
FAQ with Answers
A few easy wins:
Use croissants that are a little stale (or let torn croissants sit out 30–60 minutes).
Give it chill time so the custard absorbs evenly.
Bake until the center is set (no wet jiggle in the middle), then let it rest before slicing.
Thin-sliced deli ham layers in beautifully and makes this extra easy. Leftover holiday ham works too—just slice or chop it into bite-size pieces so it distributes well.
Yes. Whole milk works fine. For an even richer bake, you can use a mix of milk + a splash of heavy cream. I don’t love using low-fat milk here—it can bake up a little less creamy.
Oven is best: cover loosely with foil and warm at a low temperature until heated through. The microwave works, but it softens the croissant texture more.
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I imagine this recipe is delicious as written, but I made adjustments this morning based on what I had. I used your ratio of milk and eggs and added a splash of vanilla to cubed stale croissants and baked as you directed. Delicious!!
Hey there Sarah!
I am so happy to hear that you found your way to this recipe, it makes for a great breakfast or brunch! Personally, I’m a big fan of the ‘use what you have’ style of cooking, so I’m really glad you were able to make this recipe work for you, putting in vanilla sounds like a delicious addition. Thank you so much for your kind words and your fabulous rating, I really appreciate your support! Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’m always happy to help!
~Donya
Love your posts. Easy to follow
Hey there Cathy!
I am so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying my posts! My goal is to always create recipes that are simple to follow and super delicious, so I’m really glad that you found this recipe to be just that. Thank you so much for your kind words of support and your fantastic rating, let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’d be happy to help!
~Donya
Delicious! I will be making this for future get togethers! This would be delicious with green chili.
Hey there Shana!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, for your kind words, and for your fantastic rating! I am so happy to hear that you’re giving this recipe a try, it is simple to make and you can even prepare it ahead of time for special occasions, holidays or family get-togethers, I think you’re really going to love this dish! Let me know how ev3erything turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
I love your recipes and always look forward to finding a new one from you! I’d like to try this one and I’m wondering if the size of the pan changes the time for baking? I’m considering either the 9×11 or I have an 8×8. Thank you in advance!
Hey there Barbara!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! So with recipes like this one, the length and width of the pan won’t impact the cook time as much as the depth does, the deeper the pan the longer it needs to cook. For this breakfast casserole, I usually use a 9×13″ baking dish, so I would recommend you use your 9×11″ baking dish. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out, I really appreciate your support!
~Donya
Hi,
Can you add more eggs to this to add more protein?
Hey there Rachel!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a terrific question! I wouldn’t necessarily add more eggs to this recipe because the ratio of egg to add-ons in this casserole is what gives the dish it’s great texture, adding more eggs would likely change the cook time as well as the texture of the dish. If you’re looking to add more protein, I would recommend adding extra ham or cheese instead of extra egg, it’ll give you that bump in protein without changing the cook time. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out!
~Donya
To make this breakfast more portable (think grandson eating on the way to school) could I somehow spread the jam inside the crouissant so that it doesn’t have to be served on the side?
Hey there Barbara!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! You can totally add the jam into the casserole before you bake it to lessen the mess. Spreading the jam inside the croissants, like you suggested, would be perfect. If you’re looking for other easy grab-and-go breakfasts to eat in the car, you should check out my ‘Sausage Egg and Cheese Breakfast Cupcakes,’ they’re super easy to make and are great to eat in the car on the way to school. I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any other questions, I really hope you enjoy the recipes!
~Donya
YUM!! 👍👍 I used 3 1/2 lg croissants & cheddar. Added a little yellow mustard to egg & milk. Baked in clear glass 9×12 pan. DELISH!
Hey there!
Wow! I am so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, it sounds like you made a delicious meal! I highly recommend keeping this recipe in your back pocket to use when you have Ham leftovers, you can slice the ham thinly and then use the leftovers in this recipe, it’s delicious! Thank you so much for your kind words and this fantastic rating, I am so happy you liked this dish, I appreciate your support!
~Donya
This is hands down the best breakfast casserole I’ve had in 20 years! So different and easy to prep I took it to a girls weekend and we had 5 stars from five people and I gave the recipe to the others. Love Love Love
Hey there Natalie!
My goodness! Thank you so very much for your kind words and this fantastic rating! I am thrilled to hear that you and the girls enjoyed this recipe, I completely agree with you it’s so easy to make, you can make it ahead and freeze it or keep it in the fridge and reheat for weekday breakfasts. If you liked this recipe you should check out my French Toast Bread Pudding recipe, it’s a super easy make-ahead casserole with all the flavors of French toast. Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate you sharing my recipe! I hope you have a happy holidays!
~Donya
Might be a silly question, but if you’re letting the eggs soak into the croissant overnight, do I need to bring the dish to room temperature before putting it in the oven? Worried about the glass shattering going from cold to hot or does that not actually happen, lol I’m probably being paranoid, apologies but I am new to cooking, the recipe looks amazing though, I really want to try it. Thanks in advance
Hey Jessica!
That’s actually a really great question! You can do one of two things to make sure the glass doesn’t shatter in the oven; you can either allow your dish to come to room temperature after removing it from the fridge, or you can put it in the oven as the oven preheats and then cook it covered in foil for 15-18 minutes instead of 20 minutes. I hope this helps, let me know what you think about the dish if you end up trying it, I hope you enjoy! Thank you for your support!
~Donya
Delicious! Made it this morning for brunch. Thanks so much for sharing another amazing recipe!!!
Hey there Cheri!
Thank you so much for this fantastic rating and your sweet comment! I am so happy to hear you liked this Casserole, honestly it’s one of my absolute favorite breakfasts! Thank you for your support, hope you have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Trying this on Sunday I am a little confused, you say to tuck ham around the halved croissant so are you not assembling it like a sandwich where do the top halves go Assuming the go on top of the ham and cheese and bottom half, then with egg mixture poured over the whole thing? Do I have that right
Hey there Liz!
That’s a great question! Honestly, you can really arrange it any way you’d like. I generally place ham around the torn croissants, tucking them in only in some places, but if you would like to assemble it more like a sandwich and then pour the egg over, that would work as well. Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I hope you enjoy!
~Donya
Thanks so much for clarifying I am anxious to try this on Sunday, I was looking for something different and this definitely fits the bill, I have also found a white sauce that I will try topping with
Hey there!
Yeah, my pleasure, always happy to help out with any questions. This dish is definitely something tasty most people haven’t tried, it’s one of my favorite Brunch recipes. I hope y’all enjoy, let me know how it turns out!
~Donya