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!
Has anyone tried to extend the shelf life by vacuum sealing after completely cooled?
These are great! I used Arnold’s KETO bread to reduce the carbs.
I haven’t had croutons on my Caesar salad in 20 years and it’s GREAT to have them back.
Only 1g for 12 croutons – so I had 24!
This was a very easy recipe and the result was perfect. I had a loaf of sourdough and baked
For 10 minutes on both sides. I will have to hide them from the rest of the family or they won’t
Be around for salad and soup.I will definitely make these again!
I have to say that I have been using this recipe for the last few years……absolutely the best ! I have made the croutons various sizes and used regular or sourdough bread.No matter what ,all have been delicious! Thank you.
Turned out great. Super easy and tasty.
Homemade croutons make every salad extra special. This is a great, easy recipe.
Oh my, these are delicious! I changed up the seasoning but your instructions are spot on. Thank you for the recipe. I’ll use it over and over again.
We went to a new farmer’s market over the weekend and I bought a few things from a bakery stand, immediately regretting it once I tasted them because they were very bland and crumbly. The loaf of bread was Black Garlic though, and I refused to let it go. I thought it would make great croutons since it was that crumbly texture and anything garlic is good. I cut it into about 1×1 inch cubes and used up some garlic shallot olive oil I had left over, added some Italian seasoning, and after baking they are really delicious! Thank you for providing a way to save that sorry loaf of bread :)
If you are making a small batch, try these in an air fryer. Just watch them closely and shake the basket every few minutes. YUM!
My second batch is in the oven now. Because I only eat raw olive oil, my only change for both batches was real butter. It’s an easy and wonderful recipe…. thank you so much!