The Crispiest Rice Paper Croque Madame Pockets
Crispy Rice Paper Croque Madame Pockets filled with ham, cheese, Dijon, and topped with a jammy baked egg and everything bagel crust.
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Croque Madame is already one of the best sandwiches ever invented.
Ham. Cheese. Dijon. Toasted bread. What’s not to love?
But if you’ve been following along here, you know how much I absolutely love Rice Paper Recipes. Once you realize how crispy rice paper gets in the oven or air fryer, it opens up a whole new category of recipes.
So, I started wondering what would happen if I turned a croque madame into a rice paper pocket.
The result is kind of ridiculous.
Like my Ham and Cheese Rice Paper Spiral, the outside of this Croque Madame turns shatteringly crisp and the center stays soft and cheesy. The difference though, is the egg on top bakes until the white is set and the yolk stays jammy...which takes it totally over the top.
And the everything bagel seasoned crust? That part might be my favorite. I use it in my Bacon, Egg and Cheese Rice Paper Bagels and it hits a total home run here too.
If you’ve tried my Pepperoni Pizza Rice Paper Spiral or any of my favorite crispy rice paper recipes, this is the breakfast version of that same crispy magic.
Why this Crispy Rice Paper Croque Madame works
Double-layered rice paper creates structure and crunch. Egg wash softens the rice paper and helps seasoning stick. High heat crisps the rice paper quickly before the filling overcooks. The open center lets the egg cook directly into the parcel.
"Ok, this is my new favorite of his rice paper recipes. Whoah."
Carrie (email subscriber)
Recipe
Crispy Rice Paper Croque Madame Pockets with Jammy Egg
Video
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat: Preheat oven or air fryer to 425°F with convection or fan if possible.
- Season base: Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning in a square slightly larger than a rice paper sheet.
- Dip: Dip 1 rice paper sheet into the whisked eggs for 2 to 3 seconds and place it directly onto the seasoning.
- Stack: Dip a second rice paper sheet and place it directly on top of the first.
- Spread Dijon: Spread about 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard in the center, leaving space around the edges.
- Add cheese: Place 1 slice of white cheese on the Dijon.
- Add ham: Add 3 ham slices on top of the cheese.
- Fold parcel: Fold the four corners inward about ¾ inch toward the center to form a neat square parcel. Do not fully overlap.
- Add egg: Transfer to oiled parchment or an air fryer basket and crack 1 whole egg directly on top of the ham in the center.
- Season: Sprinkle extra everything bagel seasoning and a small pinch of salt and pepper.
- Repeat: Build the second pocket the same way.
- Cook: Bake or air fry for 10 - 14 minutes until the rice paper is deeply golden and crisp and the egg whites are set.
Notes
- High heat is key. Rice paper crisps best above 400°F.
- Convection or an air fryer dramatically improves crunch.
- If your egg spreads too much, lightly nest it into the ham before baking.
- For extra crisp edges, lightly spray the rice paper with oil before cooking.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Frequently Asked Questions for the Crispy Rice Paper Croque Madame Parcels
Yes. An air fryer works beautifully and often makes the rice paper even crispier. Cook at 425°F for about 10 to 12 minutes.
Absolutely. You can skip the egg and close the pocket fully for a more traditional ham and cheese pocket.
Once you get the method down, you can experiment with all kinds of fillings. Ham and cheese works beautifully here, but vegetables, chicken, or different cheeses all crisp up well inside the rice paper.I have a whole page dedicated to my favorite rice paper recipes!
If you like how delicious these are, you ain't seen nothin yet. I love rice paper and use it in so many ways! Try my Pepperoni Pizza Rice Paper Spiral, or my Big Mac Rice Paper Spirals. Of course, there's also my Rice Paper Spanakopita, and the Blueberry & Ricotta Rice Paper Danish too.
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This was very good in the air fryer but my egg did not come out jammy. The yolk was well done.
I'm glad you liked it! I baked at 425 for 10 minutes, with full fan/convection on. If you notice your egg cooking too fast, you can put a little piece of aluminum foil over the egg to keep it from getting overcooked.
There is a step missing from the instructions (putting the ham on the cheese). Are the macros for one parcel or two?
Great flag! Just updated, thanks Randy. The macros are for one parcel.
I made this and it was freaking delish! I always find cooking eggs in the oven is tricky (you have to watch carefully in the last few minutes. One second the whites are soft, next second the yolks are hard. it takes practice) so I won't rate based on my yolks. I will be making and perfecting this recipe with joy! Can't wait to try other fillings!!
So glad you loved, Jayelle. Let me know what you try next!
Can I add cooked mushrooms or should they cool down first and not be wet?
Definitely, mushrooms would be delicious here! I would drain them on a towel so they're not wet.
so I made this recipe It’s pretty good and it doesn’t take that much effort plus it is VERY fulling 2 is more than enough. Some substitutions and things I would change firstly I used feta instead of sliced white cheese and turkey bacon instead of ham because it was what i had and it worked well as substitutes. Also, I do not like running eggs, so I repurpose some of the wisked eggs used to dip the rice paper into added some milk and I poured just a little bit of that on top, but because I was using scrambled eggs, I baked the Rice Paper Croque Madame Pockets for eight minutes with the other ingredients before adding the eggs and then I put it back in the oven for five minutes. It came out really good. Now here is the substitute and the things I would add as caution firstly it is extremely salty. It’s really important to know that everything bagel seasoning most likely has salt in it so do not add salt your eggs, and next time I will probably use like a low sodium option and to be fair I did use fat, which is like salty but yeah, I just wanted to give a heads up. Next, I would say the next time we make us, I will add a little bit of mayo and water to the Dijon mustard before putting it on the right paper and then spread it more throughout the rice paper so like spread it evenly across versus just putting a dollop of Dijon mustard in the middle because that makes the flavour just very concentrated and it was OK, but it wasn’t great to be honest so next time I would definitely make it just more spread out so like I’m not just like once I get to the middle of getting a big taste of mustard. I also next time I prepare, this will be adding a thin mince of green onions, bell peppers, and sun dried tomatoes I made a salad on the side and honestly, I do think that these vegetables with salad of flavour more because right now it’s not as balanced as I would like. also, I will say what the substitutions that I’ve done on this particular version I was able to take the calories down from 501 cals for 1 pocket to about 229cals per pocket. so all and all it’s a solid recipe with some tweeks that would make it great.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review, Brit!
I love hearing how people make these recipes work with what they have on hand. The feta and turkey bacon sound like great swaps, and your scrambled egg version is a clever solution for anyone who isn't a fan of runny eggs.
Good call on the salt too. Feta and everything bagel seasoning can definitely bring a lot of salt to the party, so that's a helpful heads-up for others. I also like your idea of spreading the Dijon more evenly. That makes total sense if you prefer a more balanced mustard flavour throughout.
The green onions, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes sound like they would fit right in as well.
Really appreciate you sharing your experience and modifications. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Can this be cooked ahead and refrigerated or frozen for meal preps? If so, what would the best method for reheating be?
Hi Kelly, you'll have to try it and let me know! I would opt for the fridge, and I would re-heat in the oven/air fryer.