Croque monsieur is the French classic that’s on the menu at practically every Parisian café: crisp, butter-toasted sandwich bread with cooked ham and Gruyère inside and a thick layer of béchamel with gratinéed cheese on top. If you make croque monsieur in the air fryer, you get both the golden crust and the bubbling cheese topping without turning on the oven.
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With 15 minutes of preparation and 12 minutes at 180 °C, it’s ready in 27 minutes. It’s equal parts sandwich and hot meal, and it works just as well for a weekend lunch as for an easy dinner with a green salad on the side.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Why I love croque monsieur in the air fryer
I associate croque monsieur with long lunches at a pavement café, but at home it has always been a bit fiddly to make. The classic version is often pan-fried and then gratinéed under the grill in the oven, and suddenly you have two things to keep an eye on at once.
The air fryer handles both in the same basket. With butter on the outside, the bread turns into a golden, crisp crust in the hot air, and when the béchamel and cheese go on at the end, the top browns quickly and evenly. The result is a sandwich that crunches on the outside and is creamy and juicy inside – just like at the cafés in Paris.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
In a regular oven you first have to wait for it to heat up, and under the grill the heat comes mostly from above, so the bottom easily turns soft. In the air fryer the hot air circulates around the whole sandwich, so both sides turn crisp with just one flip along the way, and the top browns in a few minutes without the bread drying out.
Testing croque monsieur in my kitchen
I tested the recipe in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below the basket, so the bread takes on colour evenly from both sides. At 180 °C the sandwiches got 4 minutes, were turned over and got 3 minutes more, before the béchamel and grated Gruyère went on for the last 5 minutes. That makes 12 minutes in the air fryer and 27 minutes in total with the 15 minutes of preparation. I still turn them along the way, as the recipe says, because it gives the most even crispness.
The biggest difference between a good result and a mediocre one was the consistency of the béchamel. When it was thick enough to stay put on a spoon, it sat neatly on the bread and got golden spots. In my Philips XXL there is plenty of room for several sandwiches in a single layer, while most smaller air fryers have room for two at a time – so you simply bake in two batches.
Let the béchamel cool for about 5 minutes before it goes on the sandwiches. It thickens as it cools and stays on the bread instead of running down into the basket.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is a béchamel that is too thin and runs down to the bottom of the basket instead of browning on top. Let it simmer until it stays put on a spoon, and give it time to cool a little. The next mistake is putting the béchamel and cheese on from the start, because then the bread never gets a chance to turn crisp, and the top can get too dark. So toast the bread on both sides first, and let the topping have the last few minutes to itself. The third mistake is placing the sandwiches loosely assembled and close together in the basket. The fan can lift the top slice, and where they overlap the bread stays pale, so press them together lightly, place them on air fryer baking paper and keep them in a single layer.
How to serve croque monsieur
Let the sandwiches rest for 1-2 minutes so the béchamel sets, and feel free to cut them in half diagonally. Here are a few things that go well on the side:
- A green salad tossed in a fresh vinaigrette
- A few crisp cornichons
- French fries from the air fryer, if you want a bigger meal
- Extra Dijon mustard for those who like a bit of a kick
Storing and reheating
Croque monsieur is best eaten the same day, while the bread is crisp and the cheese is still bubbling. Leftovers keep for 1-2 days in the fridge, covered, and you reheat them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 3-5 minutes so the bread regains its crispness. If you want to have some on hand, the sandwiches can be frozen without the topping – that is, without the béchamel and grated cheese – for up to 2 months.
Croque monsieur in the air fryer is one of those dishes that feels like a little trip to Paris, even on a perfectly ordinary weekday. Keep the béchamel thick and toast the bread crisp before the topping goes on – then it turns out right every time.
FAQ
Croque monsieur needs 12 minutes in the air fryer at 180 °C: 4 minutes first, then you turn it over and give it 3 more minutes, and finally 5 minutes with béchamel and grated cheese on top. With the preparation, it is ready in 27 minutes in total.
Croque monsieur is made without egg. If you put a fried egg on top of the finished sandwich, it becomes a croque madame.
Comté and Emmental are good alternatives. They melt well and have a mild, nutty flavour that goes nicely with ham and béchamel.
Recipe
Croque monsieur in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Step 1:
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Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Turner
- 1 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
Shopping list
Ingredients
Béchamel
Topping
- 75 g Gruyère (Grated)
How to make it
Béchamel
- Melt 35 g butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk in 35 g plain flour and cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring, without letting it take on any colour.
- Pour in 3 dl whole milk a little at a time, whisking all the while, so the sauce turns out smooth and free of lumps.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and let the béchamel cool for about 5 minutes while you assemble the sandwiches. It thickens further as it cools, so it does not run down the bread in the air fryer.
Preparation
- Butter one side of 8 slices white sandwich bread with 30 g butter. The buttered side should face outwards on the finished sandwich.
- Place 4 of the slices buttered side down on a chopping board and spread 1 tbsp Dijon mustard thinly over the top. Arrange 200 g cooked ham and 100 g Gruyère on top.
- Place the remaining 4 slices on top, buttered side up, and press the sandwiches together lightly with the palm of your hand so the top slice sits firmly in place.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C fan.
- Place the sandwiches in the basket on a piece of air fryer baking paper in a single layer – most air fryers have room for two at a time. Bake them for 4 minutes at 180 °C.
- Turn the sandwiches over with a spatula and bake them for 3 more minutes at 180 °C, until the bread is golden and crisp on both sides.
- Spread the béchamel in a thick layer over the top of the sandwiches, right out to the edges, and sprinkle 75 g Gruyère on top.
- Bake for a further 5 minutes at 180 °C, until the cheese has melted, is bubbling and has golden spots.
- Repeat with the remaining sandwiches if your air fryer only has room for two at a time.
Serving
- Let the sandwiches rest for 1-2 minutes so the béchamel sets, before you lift them out with the spatula. Serve the croque monsieur hot, ideally cut in half diagonally.
Our notes for the recipe
The béchamel needs to be thick – so thick that it stays put on a spoon. If it is too thin, it runs down into the basket instead of staying on the bread and turning golden. Press the sandwiches together lightly before they go into the basket, so the fan in the air fryer doesn’t lift the top slice. Variation:
Gruyère can be replaced with Comté or Emmental. Croque monsieur is made without egg – if you put a fried egg on top, the dish becomes a croque madame. Serving:
Serve croque monsieur as they do in the Parisian cafés, with a green salad tossed in vinaigrette and a few cornichons on the side. Portion size:
The recipe makes 4 croque monsieurs, one per person. If your air fryer can’t fit all four in a single layer, make the dish in two batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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