Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/26/22
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Headshot of Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana earned her B.A. in Fine Art at Queens College and her culinary certification from the Institute of Culinary Education. Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer, and product tester at Food Network.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Total: 16 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
978 Calories
57g Fat
44g Carbs
72g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 978
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 57g 74%
Saturated Fat 29g 147%
Cholesterol 262mg 87%
Sodium 3089mg 134%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 16%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 72g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 800mg 62%
Iron 5mg 25%
Potassium 992mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The croque-monsieur is a classic French grilled cheese sandwich that's a mainstay of Parisian cafes, bars, and bistros, not to mention innumerable take-out counters. Served with a side of French fries and a little pile of salad greens, a Croque-Monsieur is everything that's great about eating in Paris—even their snacks are somehow sublime and otherworldly.

Combining a creamy béchamel sauce with nutty Gruyère cheese, the croque-monsieur is grilled cheese perfection. Keep in mind that most places that serve Croque-Monsieurs have stacks of the things made ahead of time, and they'll warm one up for you when you order it. And yet they're still delicious.

The recipe that follows will make one sandwich, but you can double it to make two. You can substitute Jarlsberg or even Monterey Jack for the Gruyère. In case you were wondering, croque-monsieur translates literally to "Mr. Crunch." Best name for a sandwich ever.

1:30

Click Play to See This Croque-Monsieur Recipe Come Together

"I don't think there's a much better sandwich than a Croque-Monsieur, unless you top it with an egg, in which case it becomes a Croque-Madam. This was an authentically delicious recipe. I left the crust on since it's my favorite part of the bread and I served it with a lemony salad. Great meal!" —Diana Andrews

Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese/tester image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 slices white bread

  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter, or softened unsalted butter, more to taste

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, more to taste

  • 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese, or a combination of Gruyère and Emmental

  • 1/2 cup béchamel sauce

  • 2 to 3 slices ham

  • Cooking spray

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Position a rack 6 to 8 inches from the broiler and set the oven to broil.

    Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Trim the crusts off of the bread, making the slices as square as possible.

    Trim the crusts off of the bread

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Spread both slices of bread with butter.

    Spread both slices of bread with butter

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Flip bread over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard.

    Flip bread over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. In a bowl, combine the cheese and half of the béchamel sauce, and mix until the cheese is fully coated.

    In a bowl, combine the cheese and half of the béchamel sauce

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Spread half the cheese mixture evenly onto one slice of bread (on the mustard side, not the butter side). Lay the sliced ham atop the other slice.

    ham and cheese on top of slices of bread

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Press both halves of the sandwich together.

    Press both halves of the sandwich together

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Spray a bit of cooking spray onto the surface of a nonstick pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until the oil is hot and glistening but not quite smoking.

    greased pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Place the sandwich into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is a nice shade of golden-brown.

    sandwich in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Use a nonstick spatula to flip the croque-monsieur over. Lower the heat a bit and cover the pan. Cook for another minute or two, or until the second slice of bread is also golden brown, and the cheese inside the croque-monsieur is fully melted.

    sandwich cooking in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board. Top with the remaining cheese mixture, then spoon the other half of the béchamel over the top.

    Top the sandwich with the remaining cheese mixture, then spoon the other half of the béchamel over the top

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  12. Place sandwich on a sheet tray and broil the sandwich, béchamel-side up, until the top of the sandwich is nicely browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve right away.

    Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

Recipe Variations

  • Muenster, Gouda, Fontina, and Comté are good to use instead of or in combination with the Gruyère.
  • Substitute sliced cooked chicken breast for ham.
  • Instead of white bread, use sourdough. Leave crusts on.
  • Top finished sandwich with a fried egg to make a croque madame, possibly named because the egg resembles a ladies' hat.