This vegan croque monsieur is utterly delicious. Made with a crusty sourdough bread, sandwiching layers of melted vegan cheese, vegan ham, with creamy grilled bechamel top.

This is definitely one of my favourite vegan sandwich recipes I have made recently. It is filling, comforting and just hits the spot.

Table of Contents

Vegan Croque Monsieur

What is a croque monsieur sandwich?

A croque monsieur is a classic French toasted sandwich, ordinarily containing layers of ham and gruyere cheese, with a simple bechamel sauce. Like much French cuisine, it is not by nature vegan friendly, as many French dishes contain meat or butter.

Luckily this vegan croque monsieur is so good, you really won’t miss out! The crux of the matter is, a croque monsieur is essentially a fancy ham and cheese toasted sandwich! With a few slight adjustments, it is worth trying out.

Croque means crunch in English, while Monsieur means sir.

What is the difference between croque Monsieur and croque madame?

A croque madame is essentially a croque monsieur, but with a fried egg on top. This is not something I have managed to veganise just yet, but it is on my list to do!

This reminds me of this delicious Vegan Shakshuka with tofu eggs we made some time ago.

What kind of sauce do you put on a croque monsieur?

A very simple veganised bechamel sauce is used to top the vegan croque monsieur. I simply whisked 1/4 cup dairy free butter, 1/4 cup of flour, 200mls of oat milk, a pinch of nutmeg, a 1/4 tsp of dijon mustard, 1 tbps of nutritional yeast and a pinch of tumeric for vibrancy.

I used the basic roux method to make this sauce and it was ready fairly quickly. It gave a beautiful bubbly and golden finish when toasted under the grill. It was deliciously creamy!

What is vegan croque monsieur made of?

I used a delicious sourdough bread to sandwich layers of vegan ham and cheese, with a homemade dairy-free bechamel sauce on top.

How to make a good croque Monsieur?

Sourcing a great quality sourdough bread is really the making of this sandwich. I really enjoy making this vegetarian croque monsieur with bâtard shaped bread (essentially the long oval shape).

Making sure you lather enough vegan cheese also makes sure this sandwich is extra tasty. I have tried a few different vegan hams and my favourite one always remains the smoky quorn ham.

How to make a vegan croque Monsieur?

1. Start by making the bechamel sauce, add the 1/4 cup of dairy free butter to a pan on a medium heat, stir in the 1/4 cup of plain flour

2. Slowly add the 250mls of dairy free milk, approx. 50mls at a time, stirring through on each addition, whisk until creamy.

3. Add the nutmeg, dijon, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir through, gently simmer until thickened

4. Lightly toast 4 sourdough bread under the grill or in the toaster then remove. Don’t overdo the toasting at this stage, because it will be going back in the grill with the fillings and toppings. This initial grill is to get a decent all over toasted effect.

5. On 2 slices of the toasted sourdough, layer on the vegan ham and vegan cheese, place this under the grill again until the cheese is melting

6. Top the bottom half of the sandwich with the other 2 slices of toasted bread, layering on the bechamel sauce on top. Add some extra grated cheese if you desire.

7. Place this under a medium grill for a couple of minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and golden.

8. Remove and sprinkle with fresh chives if desired. Chop in two on a wooden board, but be careful of the hot contents of the sandwich!

9. Serve and enjoy – it is so good! Bon au petite!

Ingredients Used for this Vegan Croque Monsieur

4 slices of sourdough bread
6-8 slices of vegan ham eg quorn, la vie
4 slices of vegan cheese or 1 cup of vegan grated cheese
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup plain flour
250mls non-dairy milk eg oat or soya
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper
Optional: Chives or fresh parsley to garnish

Yield: 2

Delicious Vegan Croque Monsieur Recipe

Name: Delicious Vegan Croque Monsieur Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 slices of sourdough bread; 6-8 slices of vegan ham eg quorn, la vie; 4 slices of vegan cheese or 1 cup vegan grated cheese; 1/4 cup vegan butter; 1/4 cup plain flour; 250mls non-dairy milk eg oat or soya; 1 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1/4 tsp dijon mustard; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 1/4 tsp turmeric; Salt and pepper; Optional: fresh chives or parsley to garnish

This vegan croque monsieur is a hearty, delicious toasted sandwich. I am in love with this recipe and make it regualrly, especially when I am looking for a comforting lunch. Layered with vegan ham and vegan cheese, sandwiched between crunchy sourdough bread and topped with a bubbling bechamel sauce, this is one vegan sandwich to add to the list!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices of sourdough bread
6-8 slices of vegan ham eg quorn, la vie
4 slices of vegan cheese or 1 cup vegan grated cheese
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup plain flour
250mls non-dairy milk eg oat or soya
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper
Optional: fresh chives or parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Start by making the bechamel sauce, add the 1/4 cup of dairy free butter to a pan on a medium heat, stir in the 1/4 cup of plain flour

2. Slowly add the 250mls of dairy free milk, approx. 50mls at a time, stirring through on each addition, whisk until creamy.
3. Add the nutmeg, dijon, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir through, gently simmer until thickened

4. Lightly toast 4 sourdough bread under the grill or in the toaster then remove. Don't overdo the toasting at this stage, because it will be going back in the grill with the fillings and toppings. This initial grill is to get a decent all over toasted effect.

5. On 2 slices of the toasted sourdough, layer on the vegan ham and vegan cheese, place this under the grill again until the cheese is melting

6. Top the bottom half of the sandwich with the other 2 slices of toasted bread, layering on the bechamel sauce on top. Add some extra grated cheese if you desire.

7. Place this under a medium grill for a couple of minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and golden.

8. Remove and sprinkle with fresh chives if desired. Chop in two on a wooden board, but be careful of the hot contents of the sandwich!

9. Serve and enjoy - it is so good! Bon au petite!