Learning how to make your own croutons is so easy! Turn a loaf of bread into a delightfully crispy, flavorful topping. After cubing the bread, toss it with olive oil and seasonings, then bake until golden brown and crunchy. It’s as easy as that! They add texture and depth to a classic Caesar salad, panzanella salad, and tomato soup, but are just as tasty as a simple bite-sized snack.
This crouton recipe comes together so easily on a sheet pan and is a great way to use up dry or stale bread. I have tested this recipe for homemade croutons with all types of bread! I discovered just about any type of bread will do, with softer varieties yielding lighter croutons, and denser bread producing harder croutons. In this post, I give you all the tips for making the best croutons and how to flavor them according to what you are pairing them with!
Table of contents
Why Make Homemade Croutons?
The better question is, why not make homemade croutons? I love making these crunchy cubes of bread because they’re a great way to use up leftover bread or an old bread loaf. No need to waste it when I can quickly bake up croutons instead!
I also like that I can make them as crispy as I want. Store-bought croutons can sometimes be really hard to chew through, or so crumbly that they immediately fall apart; whereas if I make them at home, they’re just the right texture without feeling like I may crack a tooth…
Lastly, I can control the size of the croutons and season them any way I like. For this basic crouton recipe, I opted for garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper, but there are lots of options to add flavor to these bread morsels to suit your use. You can even leave them plain! Bread, olive oil, and a little salt are a winning combination, after all.
Key Ingredients
You don’t need much to make homemade croutons! Get the rest of the ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Bread — you need 4 cups of bread cubes. Making croutons is a great way to use up older, stale, slightly dried-out bread, as it will toast more evenly and quickly in the oven. You can also scale the recipe up or down based on how much bread you need to use up!
Olive oil — olive oil helps the bread get toasty and golden brown in the oven. It also adds delicious flavor, so I chose it over a neutral cooking oil like vegetable oil in this recipe.
Seasonings — salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper make the croutons so flavorful. Feel free to swap these out (more guidance on that below!).
The Best Bread For Croutons
While there are a few things to consider, any kind of bread generally works for making croutons! You can use just about any kind of sandwich bread or loaf bread — just keep in mind that the softer the bread, the lighter the crouton, and the crustier or denser the bread, the harder the crouton will be. You can even use a flavored bread like a sourdough loaf that has olives in it or a herby focaccia.
For firmer croutons, ideal for soups or salads with heavy dressings that will soften the croutons, a crusty loaf of bread is ideal. Consider using artisan bread, sourdough bread, or French bread.
Softer breads will still get addictively crispy, but are a bit easier to crunch when dried out. This makes them ideal for sprinkling over salads with lighter dressings, where the texture of the crouton will remain unchanged. Ciabatta bread, Italian bread, and focaccia are great options for a lighter crouton.
If using fresh bread, consider dicing or tearing it into pieces and letting it dry for a couple of hours or overnight. Or place it in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. Fresh bread contains more moisture than stale bread, which can lead to croutons with a soggy center. Drying it out a bit first helps guard against that!
Have Fun With The Seasonings
Croutons are essentially a blank canvas for flavor! You can easily season them to pair with the dish you plan to use them in. Here are some ideas to try:
- For fresh garlic flavor, omit the garlic powder and grate 1 clove of fresh garlic into the olive oil. Stir well to combine before drizzling over the bread.
- You can use chopped fresh herbs such as sage, rosemary, or thyme in place of the dried Italian seasoning.
- For another layer of depth and saltiness, grate Parmesan cheese over the croutons before baking, and toss to combine.
- Add seasoning blends like lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, or ranch powder!
- Use butter. Melted butter works well in place of the olive oil, or half butter and half olive oil to incorporate the flavors of both. This is especially good if you’re using the croutons on top of soups.
Pro Tips For Making Homemade Croutons
For extra crispy edges, tear the bread into small pieces. Cutting the bread gives you more uniform sides, while tearing the bread gives the croutons more jagged nooks and crannies, ideal for holding onto dressings. Both options are delicious; it just depends on what you want. Try to make the cubes somewhat similar in size so they all toast evenly.
Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet. This can prevent the bread from toasting properly. Also, be sure to place the bread in an even, single layer, not piled up.
Don’t overbake them. The best croutons are dry and crisp on the outside, but still slightly soft and chewy in the center. If you overbake them, they will turn out rock hard.
How To Make Croutons
1. Place the cubed bread on a prepared baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
2. Drizzle the bread with the oil.
3. Sprinkle on the seasonings.
4. Toss to coat and spread the bread cubes into an even layer on the rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until evenly browned (12 to 20 minutes), stirring once after 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
Homemade Croutons Recipe
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed bread about ¾ inch pieces (200g)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cubed bread in an even layer.
- Drizzle the bread with the olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and return the cubed bread to a single layer.
- Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, stirring once after 8 minutes, until the croutons are evenly browned and crispy. (The bake time will depend on the type of bread and how dry it is!)
- Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Croutons will get crisper as they cool. I love eating croutons while they are still warm from the oven! Just keep in mind that if they feel less crunchy at this point, they will likely get crunchier as they release steam and dry out as they cool off.
Nutrition
Uses For Croutons Beyond Salad
While I love adding this croutons recipe to green salads for a nice crunchy element, there are lots of tasty ways to use them, even as a quick, crispy snack by themselves.
- This homemade croutons recipe makes an excellent soup topping, like for French onion soup or butternut squash soup, adding textural interest to balance out the creamy soup.
- Use them to make a classic stuffing, along with celery, onion, broth, and lots of fresh herbs. Excellent for Thanksgiving dinner!
- You can also use them as a simple bread crumbs substitute. Just pulse them in a food processor to use as a topping for mac and cheese or in meatballs to retain moisture.
- Toss them with bruschetta (skipping the crostini) for a twist on the classic appetizer.
How To Store
Once completely cooled to room temperature, store croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Using bread that’s too fresh, without allowing it to dry out a little, can yield soft croutons because the bread still has a lot of moisture. Also, be sure to leave room around the croutons and to bake them in a single layer so they toast and crisp up evenly. An overcrowded baking sheet will allow the croutons to steam, which can turn them soft and soggy.
If the crouton recipe turns out too hard, I recommend using them to make breadcrumbs. You can pulse them in the food processor or place them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You can also use too-hard croutons to top soups; just give them a little time to absorb some of the liquid and soften up. They are also ideal for adding to more liquidy salads like panzanella salad.
If you’ve tried this croutons recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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