Homemade Croutons
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Make homemade croutons to top your favorite salads and soups with this easy recipe! Never buy croutons at the store again! Learn how to make crunchy, flavorful seasoned croutons at home in just 15 minutes using this simple step-by-step guide.
Table of contents
Did you grow up eating a bag of store-bought croutons as a snack, like it was a bag of chips? No, just me? Well, let’s just say I’ve loved croutons since I was a little girl!
Crunchy, seasoned croutons on a big Italian salad, atop a bowl of tomato soup or just straight out of the bag, I’m always in! Whenever I have a day old leftover baguette, or go crazy and buy the 2-pack of baguettes at Costco, I always turn one of the baguettes into homemade croutons.
The great thing about making your own croutons is that it’s totally customizable. Huge garlic fan? Add extra garlic powder! Love the taste of Italian herbs? Add more Italian seasoning. Want little croutons, or really big croutons? You can make these whatever size you want!
Making a fresh batch of croutons is so easy and it’s a great way to level up your favorite salads at home!
Ingredients
- Cubed bread – this can be from a sourdough baguette, a loaf of french bread, focaccia bread, ciabatta bread, or really any leftover bread that you have available. A crusty loaf of bread is my favorite for making homemade croutons. Feel free to cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, like you see pictured in this post, or ½ inch cubes for smaller croutons.
- Olive oil – tossed with the cubed bread, the oil will help the croutons get browned and crispy in the oven.
- Italian seasoning – click the link for my homemade seasoning blend that’s easy to mix up in less than 5 minutes. It combines delicious dried herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme. Or purchase pre-made Italian seasoning on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Salt + black pepper + garlic powder – to season the croutons, in addition to the Italian seasoning. For this recipe I recommend garlic powder, instead of fresh minced garlic, because the fresh garlic will burn in the oven.
Instructions
- Toss cubed bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning, then toss again until the bread cubes are coated in the seasoning.
- Spread the seasoned cubes of bread out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Toss and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Easy as that, in 3 steps you have perfectly seasoned croutons ready to top your favorite soup or salad!
Recipe notes
- Always keep an eye on the croutons in the oven during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time. All ovens vary, and depending on the size of the croutons it may only take 8-9 minutes to cook. Larger croutons will probably take 10-12 minutes to cook.
- Feel free to use any type of bread. Even pre-sliced bread can be diced into small cubes to make small croutons. And there’s no need to cut the crusts off of the bread. Actually, I don’t recommend it! The crust will make the croutons extra hearty, crunchy and delicious.
- Make sure the bread cubes are always cut to the same size. You can cut them into 1 inch, ¾ inch or ½ inch cubes, just make sure whichever size cubes you pick, the bread is all cut to the same size so that they cook evenly in the oven.
- Always make sure the bread cubes are in an even layer on the baking sheet. If they’re overlapping or piled up on top of each other, they won’t cook evenly, or get brown and crispy on the outside.
- You always have the option to adjust the seasonings to your liking. That’s the great thing about making croutons from scratch! I usually add extra Italian seasoning to add more of the herb flavor that I love so much.
- Homemade croutons are a great way to use up stale bread! If you have bread that’s 1-2 days old and gotten a little hard, don’t throw it out, instead, make croutons! If the bread is so hard that you can’t slice it into cubes, spritz it with water and place it in the oven at 400°F for 1-2 minutes. This will soften it enough to slice it into cubes.
- Making homemade croutons is also a great way to make gluten-free croutons. Use your favorite loaf of gluten-free bread to make this crouton recipe gluten free.
- Want to give your croutons a buttery flavor? Toss the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons melted butter, instead of ¼ cup olive oil.
Storage tips
Store the croutons in an airtight container at room temperature, in a cool, dry place, like the pantry, for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze homemade croutons for up to 2 months. Store them in a freezer-safe container so they don’t get freezer burn. Thaw them on the counter for at least 30 minutes, then add them back to a 400°F oven for 3-5 minutes to toast them back up before using them in a recipe.
Ways to use the croutons
Croutons are a delicious topping for salads and soups, or even just a tasty snack! Try adding them to any of these salad or soup recipes.
- Italian Salad (pictured above)
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Pesto Chicken Avocado Spinach Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Steak Salad
- Blue Cheese Salad
- Acorn Squash Soup
- Tomato Soup
- Creamy Corn Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Potato Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Lasagna Soup
You can also use them as the base for this tasty panzanella salad. Or replace the bag of stuffing mix in this bundt pan stuffing recipe with small cubes of these croutons.
More recipe basics
Keep your fridge and pantry filled with these easy homemade recipes!
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed bread, approximately ½ pound or 8 ounce loaf of bread
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, click link for homemade recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Slice a loaf of bread into 1 inch, ¾ inch or ½ inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil until coated.
- Add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to the bowl, and toss until the bread cubes are coated in the seasoning.
- Arrange the bread cubes in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, toss and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- Always keep an eye on the croutons in the oven during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time. All ovens vary, and depending on the size of the croutons it may only take 8-9 minutes to cook. Larger croutons will probably take 10-12 minutes to cook.
- Feel free to use any type of bread. A crusty loaf of bread is my favorite, like a sourdough baguette, a loaf of french bread, focaccia bread, or ciabatta bread. Even pre-sliced bread can be diced into small cubes to make small croutons. And there’s no need to cut the crusts off of the bread. Actually, I don’t recommend it! The crust will make the croutons extra hearty, crunchy and delicious.
- Make sure the bread cubes are always cut to the same size. You can cut them into 1 inch, ¾ inch or ½ inch cubes, just make sure whichever size cubes you pick, the bread is all cut to the same size so that they cook evenly in the oven.
- Always make sure the bread cubes are in an even layer on the baking sheet. If they’re overlapping or piled up on top of each other, they won’t cook evenly, or get brown and crispy on the outside.
- You always have the option to adjust the seasonings to your liking. That’s the great thing about making croutons from scratch! I usually add extra Italian seasoning to add more of the herb flavor that I love so much.
- Homemade croutons are a great way to use up stale bread! If you have bread that’s 1-2 days old and gotten a little hard, don’t throw it out, instead, make croutons! If the bread is so hard that you can’t slice it into cubes, spritz it with water and place it in the oven at 400°F for 1-2 minutes. This will soften it enough to slice it into cubes.
- Making homemade croutons is also a great way to make gluten-free croutons. Use your favorite loaf of gluten-free bread to make this crouton recipe gluten free.
- Store the croutons in an airtight container at room temperature, in a cool, dry place, like the pantry, for up to 1 week.
- You can also freeze homemade croutons for up to 2 months. Store them in a freezer-safe container so they don’t get freezer burn. Thaw them on the counter for at least 30 minutes, then add them back to a 400°F oven for 3-5 minutes to toast them back up before using them in a recipe.
Nutrition Facts
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