Chayote gratin, a vegetarian recipe

Name: Chayote gratin
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French Caribbean
Ingredients: 4 chayotes; 50 g butter; 40 g plain flour; 500 ml whole milk; 100 g grated gruyère; 40 g breadcrumbs; 1 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 sprigs thyme; ¼ nutmeg, grated; Salt and black pepper

Chayote gratin

Local name: Gratin de christophine

Also written: christophine gratin · mirliton gratin

French Caribbean chayote cooked then bound in a thyme béchamel, browned under gruyère and breadcrumbs.

Published on 23 April 2026

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Method

Halve the chayotes and boil them in salted water for 25 minutes, until a knife goes through.
Drain them, remove the flat seed, then scoop out the flesh and set the skins aside.
Mash the flesh with a fork and wring it in a tea towel to drive out the water.
Melt the butter, cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, then stir in the flour. Cook 2 minutes, stirring.
Whisk in the hot milk in three additions. Add the thyme and nutmeg, then cook 5 minutes until it thickens.
Fold the chayote flesh into the sauce with half the gruyère. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread in a dish, cover with the rest of the gruyère and the breadcrumbs, and bake at 200 °C for 20 minutes.

Chayote holds a lot of water, which washes out a gratin. Wring the cooked flesh in a tea towel before binding it, or dry it in a pan for 5 minutes. The flat seed at the centre is edible once boiled, so it goes to the cook.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

My gratin turns watery and the sauce thins out. Why?

Chayote holds a lot of water. After mashing it, wring it in a tea towel or dry it in a pan for five minutes before folding it into the bechamel. Otherwise that water comes out in the oven and slackens the sauce.

What do I do with the flat seed in the middle?

It is edible and tender once cooked, so keep it for the cook rather than binning it. It does not belong in the gratin itself, where its different texture would stand out.

How do I make this vegan?

Build the bechamel with oil or a margarine and unsweetened plant milk, and swap the gruyere for a plant alternative that melts. The breadcrumbs and thyme do much of the work on top, so the surface still browns without cheese.

Chayote gratin

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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