Croque Madame

Name: Croque Madame
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 slice White bread; 100 g Ham, thinly sliced; 100 g Gruyere cheese, grated; 120 g Bechamel sauce, warm; 2 Fried egg, runny yolk; 20 g Butter, divided; 2 tsp Mustard; ⅓ tsp Salt; ½ tsp Black pepper, freshly ground

Croque Madame · ready in 25 min · 2 servings · 649 kcal per serving · easy · 9 ingredients

A Paris café classic where crisp white bread, ham, Gruyere, and bechamel meet a glossy fried egg that turns each bite rich and savory.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 2
kcal: 649
Difficulty: easy

French Main dishes Quick (30 min or less)High-protein (25 g+)

A QiMeal recipe · Updated 3 October 2026

Ingredients · 2 servings

4 sliceWhite bread
100 gHam, thinly sliced
100 gGruyere cheese, grated
120 gBechamel sauce, warm
2Fried egg, runny yolk
20 gButter, divided
2 tspMustard
⅓ tspSalt
½ tspBlack pepper, freshly ground

Equipment

oven, stovetop, baking sheet, skillet, spatula, knife, spoon, grater, measuring spoons, oven mitts, serving plates, bowl

Instructions

Prepare station
Gather and measure all ingredients, then set out a baking sheet, skillet, spatula, knife, spoon, grater, and measuring spoons. · 5 min
What to look for: All ingredients are measured and tools are within reach.
Heat oven
Heat the oven to 204°C / 400°F with a rack in the upper third; grate the Gruyere and keep the bread, ham, and sauce ready. · 3 min
What to look for: The oven is hot and the cheese is finely grated.
Build sandwiches
Spread mustard on 2 bread slices, layer ham and half the Gruyere, close with bread, then spoon bechamel over the tops. · 5 min
What to look for: The sandwiches are closed and capped with an even blanket of sauce.
Bake until golden
Dot the tops with 10 g butter, scatter remaining Gruyere over bechamel, and bake until bubbling and golden, about 10 minutes. · 10 min
What to look for: The cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned at the edges.
Fry eggs
Melt remaining butter in the skillet, fry 2 eggs until whites set and yolks stay runny, then season with salt and black pepper. · 5 min
What to look for: The whites are opaque and the yolks are still glossy.
Serve hot
Place 1 fried egg on each hot sandwich and serve at once while the cheese is bubbling and the yolk is glossy. · 2 min
What to look for: Each sandwich is crowned with a shiny fried egg.

Nutrition (per serving)

kcal	649
Protein	40 g
Carbohydrates	36 g
of which sugars	6 g
Fat	38 g
of which saturated	20 g
Fibre	2 g
Sodium	1981 mg

Nutri-ScoreD

Allergens

Contains: gluten, milk, eggs, mustard

Storage and reheating

Fridge: up to 2 days
Freezer: not recommended
Warm gently until hot and the cheese melts; fry a fresh egg if possible for best texture.

Ingredient substitutions

White bread

Pain de mie: A soft square loaf gives a very traditional French texture.

Ham

Jambon de Paris: This mild cooked ham is the classic choice for a French croque.

Gruyere cheese

Comte cheese: Comte melts well and keeps the nutty Alpine character.

Bechamel sauce

Mornay sauce: A cheese enriched bechamel is also common in croque preparations.

Fried egg

Chicken egg: Fry just before serving so the yolk stays glossy.

Butter

Olive oil: Use only for frying the egg if avoiding extra butter flavor.