Try this classic French recipe for mini baked croque monsieur featuring ham and cheese sandwiches topped with creamy béchamel sauce and melted Gruyère cheese; it makes a great snack or appetizer, and it goes so well with a green salad or a hot bowl of soup.
These mini croque monsieur sandwiches are baked to perfection, easy to make, and incredibly tasty - a French favorite you’ll surely enjoy! Unlike the original, which is typically a larger, single sandwich, this mini baked croque monsieur version is perfect for individual servings, making them great for snacks, appetizers, or a light lunch.
Try more delicious sandwiches fit for parties: Polish Zapienkanka, Choripan, or Danish Open-Faced Sandwiches.
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How did the croque monsieur, or "mister crunch," become so famous?
Found in many French cafes and small restaurants, it’s a popular lunch choice people love. No surprise - it’s delicious!
Its origins are unclear, as with many dishes. One story says workers accidentally invented it when their sandwiches melted near a radiator, toasting the bread and cheese. Others claim it was created in 1901 when a cafe cook, out of baguettes, baked brioche slices with ham and cheese.
The sandwich even appeared in Marcel Proust's 1918 novel In Search of Lost Time, where Madame de Villeparisis orders it at a hotel.
Try more classic French recipes like Orange Duck, Confit Duck, or Beef Stew with Olives.
Variations of croque monsieur
The most famous variation is the croque madame, which is the same sandwich topped with a fried egg.
Other versions include the Croque poulet, made with chicken instead of ham (a must-try soon!), and the Croque norvégien, featuring smoked salmon.
There’s also one with blue cheese, another with potato slices, and one with Andouille sausage. Honestly, they all sound worth trying! Check out another good sandwich with smoked salmon; you will love it!
Recipe ingredients
French baguette: I had about 20 thick slices of baguette, making 10 mini croques. You can use a larger bread if you prefer; my baguette slices were small and thick, just 3 or 4 bites per serving (See Good to Know section).
Gruyère cheese is used in croque monsieur for its excellent melting quality and rich taste. You can replace it with Comte cheese or Swiss cheese like Emmental. Cheddar works, too, though it has a sharper taste.
Thin cooked ham slices. You should cut or fold them to fit the size of the bread slices. Try these ham and cheese Stuffed Bread Rolls or Ham and Cheese Croissants, too.
Béchamel ingredients: Butter, flour, whole milk, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Check out this Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make mini croque monsieur?
Prepare the ingredients:
Step #1: Slice the baguette thickly.
Step #2: Cut or fold the ham into fitting slices and grate the cheese.
Make the béchamel sauce:
Step #3: Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Step #4: Sprinkle the flour and stir until the flour starts to color; it should be slightly golden.
Step #5: Slowly start adding the milk while whisking continuously.
Step #6: Add the mustard, garlic, and spices. Stir well and let bubble, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and becomes slightly elastic. Set aside.
Assemble the sandwiches
Step #7: Top the bread slices with béchamel sauce. Place them on the lined baking sheet.
Step #8: Sprinkle the bread with grated cheese. Top only half of the baguette slices with two slices of cooked ham each.
Step #9: Bake the mini croque monsieur pieces until bubbly and golden brown.
Tip: You can fully assemble the sandwiches before baking, placing the cheese-sprinkled pieces on top of the ones with ham. However, when doing this, I’ve found that some of the top pieces tend to slide off the bottom during baking. It's easier to bake the pieces separately and then assemble the sandwiches afterward. The sliding won’t happen if the slices of bread are larger.
Good to know!
Substitute the baguette with toasted sandwich bread. I often make this version when serving with soup, especially when I don’t want to go shopping just for a baguette. It works wonderfully.
- To make mini croques, you can either cut the slices of white bread into smaller pieces before adding the topping, or you can add the topping to whole slices and serve them as they are, or cut them into smaller pieces after baking. Just be sure to toast the bread before topping it; if you skip this step, the bread will be too soft after baking.
Make in advance
You can make the Béchamel sauce in advance and cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming. It can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.
The sandwiches can also be assembled in the morning, covered with foil, and baked in the evening. I did this for lunch with the kids, saved some for my husband, and baked them fresh for him later. There was absolutely no difference in taste or texture between the fresh ones and those baked later. They were so good; I was happy my husband couldn’t finish them all so that I could have another one!
What to serve with them?
I serve the mini baked croque monsieur either with a salad with Yogurt Dressing or vinaigrette, white cabbage salad, or with a nice soup. It goes perfectly with a glass of cold beer or with wine.
Do you like this recipe?
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Mini Baked Croque Monsieur
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Small saucepan
- Egg whisk
Ingredients
Sandwiches:
- 1 French baguette Notes 1, 2
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese freshly grated, 100 g/ 3.5 oz, Note 2
- 20 very thin slices of cooked ham
Béchamel sauce:
- scant ¼ cup butter 50 g
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 40 g
- 1 ½ cups whole milk 375 ml
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- a few gratings of nutmeg
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Preparations: Preheat the oven to 430°F/ 220°C. Slice the baguette into thick slices, about 0.5 inches/ 1 cm thick; I had 20 thick slices to make 10 mini sandwiches. Grate the cheese and cut or fold the ham slices to fit the bread pieces.1 French baguette + 1 cup Gruyère cheese/ 100 g + 20 very thin slices of cooked ham
Béchamel sauce:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it begins to turn slightly golden. Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously. Stir in the mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and grated garlic.scant ¼ cup butter/ 50 g + ⅓ cup all-purpose flour / 60 g + 1 ½ cups whole milk / 375 ml + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard + 1 garlic clove + a few gratings of nutmeg + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- Thicken bechamel: Continue stirring and let the sauce bubble, thickening and becoming slightly elastic. Once thickened, remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble the sandwiches:
- Top each slice of bread with a generous amount of béchamel sauce - about one tablespoon per slice, or more if the slices are larger.
- Sprinkle grated cheese over the sauce. On half of the slices, add two slices of cooked ham each. Cover the ham with the remaining cheese-covered slices, cheese side facing up.
- Bake mini croque monsieur in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown (Note 5). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Bread: I had about 20 thick slices of baguette, making 10 sandwiches. You can use a larger bread if you prefer; my baguette slices were small and thick, just 3 or 4 bites per sandwich.
- Type of bread: This recipe can also be made with slices of toasted white bread or any bread you prefer. Sourdough or multi-grain bread works well, too, but if you want to keep it as traditional as possible, white bread should be your first choice.
- Cheese: You can use another type of good-melting, tasty cheese like Emmental, Comte, or Cheddar.
- Assemble: You can fully assemble the sandwiches before baking, placing the cheese-sprinkled pieces on top of the ham-covered ones. However, I’ve found that some of the top pieces can slide off the bottom during baking, especially if the baguette slices are very small. It’s easier to bake the pieces separately and assemble the sandwiches afterward. The sliding won’t happen if the slices of bread are larger.
- Make in advance: The croque monsieur can be assembled a few hours in advance. Keep the sandwiches in the fridge until ready to bake.
mjskitchen says
Thank you for clearing up the myth about French people not getting fat. How can they not? 🙂 This is an exciting post for me because I had my first croque monsieur for breakfast the other morning. It was smothered in cheese and had an egg on top. Very yummy, but SO rich and filling. These little sandwiches look just the perfect size and with all the goodness. Thanks for sharing!
Louise says
You had a croque madame x