Bacon Cheese Croissant Toasts

When an easy crowd-pleaser is needed, make Bacon Cheese Croissant Toasts. They are halved croissants topped with cheese, banana peppers, and bacon then broiled until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve as an appetizer, party food, and game day eats.

For a tasty treat that takes a little effort, these croissant toasts fit the bill. They are perfect finger food for any occasion: dinner guests, potluck, game day, and holidays. The croissants are nicely toasted, buttery, and flaky. The topping has a kick and zestiness from pickled banana peppers, the salty chewiness of bacon, and the goodness of cheese. By the way, if you don’t like heat, use mild banana peppers!

They’re incredibly easy to assemble when using precooked bacon. Even with uncooked bacon, it’s a cinch. You can microwave, bake, or skillet cook the bacon. My preference is to chop the bacon into small pieces then brown in a deep sided skillet. It’s quick, easy, and does not produce the amount of grease splash as cooking whole strips. 

Ingredients needed:

• Croissants—mini croissants are perfect size for party finger food, but you can use large croissants as well. Obviously, the number of croissant toasts yield will be reduced if using large.
• Bacon—get precooked bacon (not bacon bits) for convenience and ease. You can also cook your own. Cook to medium doneness…you want the bacon to have some flexibility, because it will continue to cook with the croissants.
• Cheese—packaged pre-shredded cheese is fine. Cheese blend such as pizza or Italian are great for flavor as well as gooeyness. I have used just shaved Parmesan and it was delicious! On the other hand, Asiago, which is what I used in these photos, tasted a little dry. I would combine it with mild cheddar or mozzarella next time for the gooey factor.
• Pickled banana peppers—be sure to pat dry. I recommend hot, but use mild if you’re not a fan of heat.

Recipe highlights:

• Preheat oven to high broil.
• Combine bacon, cheese, and banana peppers for the topping.
• Sliced croissants in half horizontally.
• Divide topping equally amongst the croissants
• Place on a baking sheet. Broil at least 6-inches below the heat source. Remove once the cheese bubbles and develops golden brown spots.
• Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

View the how-to video or save for later with this Pinterest Pin.

Can these be made vegetarian?

Of course! Simply omit the bacon or use a vegan/ vegetarian bacon substitute.

Can these be frozen before baking?

Yes, you can freeze the croissants once the topping is added. Make sure to gently pat down on the topping to enable the components to easily bond to each other during freezing. Then simply place on a baking sheet and freeze about 2 hours or until harden. Wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Next, transfer to an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to two months.

If you’re using a hard cheese, like shaved parmesan, the topping may not adhere well when frozen. As a safeguard, you might want wrap each croissant snuggly in plastic wrap before freezing. In this case, you can then place each wrapped croissant in a freezer safe container.

To cook, bake frozen croissants on the middle rack at 375° F for 5-6 minutes, or until just heated through. Then broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Keep a close eye on the croissant toasts as they burn quickly.

How to store and reheat leftovers:

The croissants are so good you won’t have any leftovers! But if you need to store, place in an airtight  container and refrigerate for up to five days.

To reheat, oven bake at 350° F, loosely covered 5-8 minutes, or until heated through. Keep in mind the reheated croissants are never as good as fresh made.

Make variations:

There are so many variations you can make on these croissant toasts. Experiment with various meat and cheeses—pepperoni, cooked sausage, cheddar, or Swiss are some options. And if you are not a fan of banana peppers, try olives, pickled jalapeno, or what makes your tastebuds happy!

The quantity of ingredients provided in the recipe card is a guideline, feel free to increase or decrease ingredients to suit your preference!

Recommended supply:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• Baking sheet—I have this baking sheet. It’s extra large and allows you to broil the entire batch at once. It also comes with a cooling rack, which is great to have but not needed for this recipe.

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