Learn how to make homemade croutons from scratch with this simple, customizable croutons recipe.
Have leftover bread?
Make croutons! ♡
Homemade croutons are just about the easiest thing ever to make, and a million times better than anything you can buy at the store. They’re also easy to customize with whatever seasonings you might be craving, they can be made with any kind of bread that you have on hand (including gluten-free), and they’re easy to make as large or small, soft or crispy, plain or seasoned as you might prefer. Plus, if you’re trying to eat more greens in your life, I’m convinced that having a fresh batch of croutons around is one of the best motivators to toss together a quick salad. Or they’re also delicious for topping a fresh bowl of tomato soup or gazpacho (<– new recipe coming tomorrow, stay tuned!) this time of year.
So grab that leftover bread, and let’s bake up a quick batch!
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CROUTONS | 1-MINUTE VIDEO
Homemade Croutons Ingredients:
To make homemade croutons, you just need three main ingredients:
- Bread: Ideally at least a day or two old, any variety will do.
- Olive oil: Or melted butter, if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Totally up to you! I always, always add garlic powder to my croutons. Plus salt and black pepper. But any other seasonings are up to you! I often turn to Italian seasoning or blackening seasoning, and will occasionally sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese too.
How To Make Croutons:
Simply:
- Dice your bread: Choose whatever size of cubes you prefer, either cut with a knife or torn into small chunks by hand. It’s just important that the croutons be uniformly sized so that they cook evenly.
- Toss with oil and seasonings: In a large bowl, drizzle the bread evenly with the oil and seasonings. Then toss until evenly combined.
- Spread out on a baking sheet: Turn the croutons out onto a parchment-covered baking sheet, and spread out in a single layer.
- Bake until crispy: Flipping the croutons once halfway through baking. Then baking until they croutons reach your desired level of crispiness. (If they start to get too brown, lower the heat and let them bake lower and slower.)
- Serve or store: Then serve immediately. Or let the croutons cool until they reach room temperature, then store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
Ways To Use Homemade Croutons:
Some of my favorite ways to use homemade croutons include:
- Salads: Especially any kind of Caesar salad, or my favorite Everyday Salad.
- Soups: Especially hot tomato soup, or authentic Spanish gazpacho (recipe coming soon!)
- Stuffings/Casseroles: Especially around the holidays
And of course, anytime you need breadcrumbs, just use a rolling pin or food processor to break those croutons up into your preferred size of breadcrumbs.
Enjoy, everyone!
How To Make Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of bread (about 12 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, evenly drizzle the olive oil over the bread chunks. Then evenly sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper over the bread. Toss gently until well-combined.
- Spread the bread cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake until golden, turning once halfway through cooking in order to brown all sides of the croutons. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cubes, so watch to be sure that they do not burn. (Mine generally take between 15-20 minutes.)
- Remove from oven, and let cool completely. Use immediately, or store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I’m learning to bake bread and the last batch was dry and dense this recipe was perfect for not wasting and giving my bread fail new life.
That’s exactly why I looked up this crouton recipe! I made my wheat sourdough bread a little too wheat-y! I literally used my sourdough discard, water, salt and non-enriched wheat flour. Lesson learned! It was like chewing on pure wheat…. I’m sure it will taste better as croutons 😂
do they have to be stale when i put them in the oven or can they still be soft/fresh?
Use any kind of bread you like, fresh or stale, whole wheat, rye or white. Fresh brea$ is harder to cut into cubes and will take a little longer too cook.
Thank you for the recipe! The croutons were awesome!
Very nice!
Great easy recipe! I loves these and so easy to make. My only question, 1st part says store up to 2 weeks, 2nd part says 1 week. How long do they last in sealed container?
I love this recipe. It’s super simple to make and most importantly, delicious!
So easy. So good. Leave some for the salad!
I couldn’t find croutons at the store, so this was a great how-to. Used a sturdier French loaf with a good crust, seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and parsley. 8 mins per side and they came out perfect, I might never buy croutons again!
Lovely recipe – so easy and very tasty!
These are amazing! Who knew it was so easy to make your own. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
great way to save on looking for the stuff in stores. Wonderful and thank you!!!!!
My olive oil sprayer worked great for evenly coating the cubes. Croutons were done after 15 mins. Great recipe!
Thanks for the tip of using olive oil spray. It worked perfectly. The croutons turned out perfect!
Perfect recipe. The croutons were so delicious straight out of the oven. But I finally found the restraint to keep from eating them as I needed it for the Caesar Salad for Thanksgiving. I followed the recipe, but cut back on the garlic powder to 1/2 a teaspoon. Subbed 1 tablespoon of olive oil for garlic olive oil. Really good and simple recipe.
This turned out perfectly. Love your method.
I’m gonna tryem today
PERFECTLY SIMPLE & DELICIOUS! I used brioche bread (cut into cubes) tossed the cubes with olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper (to taste) When I baked the croutons, I turned them over,halfway thru the time, so they came out perfectly toasted on both sides. They came out SO YUMMY & made an excellent salad! :)