Panera Croissant Toast Sandwich
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This copycat Panera Croque Monsieur Croissant Toast Sandwich stacks Black Forest ham with melty provolone and asiago, plus a rich caramelized onion spread. All that cheesy goodness is nestled on warm, buttery Croissant Toast—just like the original, but homemade!
🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!
Panera Bread has two new menu items (as of May 2025) and they feature Croissant Toast. You can find Croissant Bread in the bakery section at your local grocery store. And Croque Monsieur is just a fancy word for ham & cheese! Breaking down this fancy sounding sandwich was easy peasy!
You can also get a Fromage Croissant Toast with melty provolone and American cheeses, caramelized onions, arugula and garlic aioli drizzle. These new croissant toast sandwiches are only available for a limited time on the menu – but you can make it anytime!
Panera Croque Monsieur Croissant Toast Ingredients
The Panera Bread Croque Monsieur is a revamped version of a fancy ham & cheese. The standout here is the caramelized onion spread. It’s really easy to make and the ingredients are simple. Here’s what you need:
- Sweet Onion – you want to use something like a Vidalia or the 1015 Y Texas Onion – anything labeled as a SWEET yellow onion
- Butter – I like to use salted butter for these recipes
- Greek Yogurt – I’m not sure we’re using this because it’s healthy but it does add a tangy flavor to the sauce
- Mayonnaise – I’m always a fan of Duke’s Mayo
- Sour Cream – You could double up on this or the yogurt if you want to trim an ingredient
- Croissant Bread – I found croissant bread at Kroger – so I think it’s fairly mainstream. It’s like a flaky croissant but in a slice of bread!
- Black Forest Ham is different than regular ham! It’s smoked & dry cured.
- Cheeses – you need Gruyere, Swiss, Provolone & Asiago cheeses for this one! I used a combination of sliced and grated.
Make it Quicker & Easier
I do my best to make these copycat recipes identical to the restaurant version – but there’s always ways to cut corners. Here’s a few ways to make these Croissant Toast sandwiches a little quicker and easier!
- Sauce – you could use sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of both
- Cheeses – there are a lot of cheeses on this – feel free to pare down to just a couple. Also – melting tip – grated cheese melts faster than sliced. I used sliced provolone but grated Gruyere, Swiss & Asiago.
- Sandwich Bread – the croissant toast is the real star but feel free to use a thick white bread for this as well.
- Make Extra – if you have an air fryer – these reheat REALLY WELL – so make all 4 and reheat them for lunch the next day!
- Extra Onion Spread – if you do have extra onion spread, you can add it to top of a chicken breast and roast in the oven at 375º for a delicious creamy onion chicken. Or make these caramelized onion tartlets!
How to make Panera Bread’s new Croissant Toast Sandwich
It’s all about the onions here! Caramelizing onions takes about 10 minutes but the flavor makes the effort all worth it! After that – it’s basically a grilled cheese. Let’s get cooking!
- Caramelize Onions – this is a low and slow cooking method! But you’ll start with a whole pile of thinly sliced onions and you’ll end with one cup of caramelized deliciousness.
- Mix Onion Sauce – stir together yogurt, mayo, sour cream and those caramelized onions
- Butter Bread – no oil in the pan – we’re going to butter all bread on one side
- Build Sandwiches – lay your bread butter side down and then add your onion spread, sliced cheese, grated cheeses, ham and the other slice of bread. Let the cheese melt.
- Flip & Serve – Flip your sandwich and brown the other side until golden brown and toasty. Then eat up!
Storing & Reheating
These reheat great – so its great for meal prep! Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass storage ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Or, slice in half, wrap in parchment and place in zipper bag in the fridge. You can freeze up to three months. Reheat in the air fryer at 250º for 6-7 minutes.
Get Heather’s NEW cookbook – Air Fryer Cooking for One today!
More Panera Sandwich Recipes
- Panera Bacon Avocado Melt
- Panera Southwest Chicken Melt
- Panera Chicken Bacon Rancher
- Panera Items no longer on the menu!
Panera Soup & Side Recipes
Panera Croque Monsieur Croissant Toast Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion peeled and THINLY sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp Reduced Fat Greek Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Sour Cream
- 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 8 slices Croissant Bread
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 12 slices Black Forest Ham
- 1/3 cup Gruyere cheese grated
- 4 slices Swiss sliced
- 4 slices Provolone sliced
- 1/4 cup Asiago cheese grated
Instructions
- In a cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat, add the butter and sliced onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Continue to cook over high heat until they start to brown, about 3-5 minutes.2 tbsp butter, 1 large sweet onion
- Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 10 minutes more until they become golden and caramel in color and soft. Stir occasionally through the cooking process scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. As the liquid dissipates, add 1 tbsp water so the onions don’t stick to the pan or burn. (I did this twice – fyi)
- In a medium bowl, mix together onions, yogurt, sour cream and mayonnaise until combined. Set aside.3 tbsp Reduced Fat Greek Yogurt, 2 tbsp Sour Cream, 2 tbsp Mayonnaise, 1 large sweet onion
- Butter all bread slices on one side with softened butter.4 tbsp butter, 8 slices Croissant Bread
- Spread onion mixture on four slices of bread opposite the butter side.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and once hot, lay in slices of bread that are topped with onion spread – butter side down.
- Add sliced and shredded cheeses to each slice of bread. Top with ham and other slice of bread butter side up.1/3 cup Gruyere cheese, 4 slices Swiss, 4 slices Provolone, 1/4 cup Asiago cheese
- Once cheeses are melting, press top slice of bread down into sandwich and flip. Be mindful that first side doesn’t get too brown.12 slices Black Forest Ham
- Brown for 1 minute. Remove from pan and serve!
