Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Homemade croutons are so easy to make and you’ll never look back once you’ve tried them! This easy crouton recipe will transform your day-old bread into completely irresistible crispy croutons. Perfect for salads, soups, or even snacking!
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, sheet pan
Servings: 16 (about ¼ cup each)
Once you start making homemade croutons, there’s no going back. Learning how to make croutons is a major game-changer and your salads, soups and stews will never be the same (in a very, very good way). Be sure to try my homemade salad dressing recipes, too.
The Best Homemade Croutons!
Simple ingredients and so easy to make. You only need four ingredients to make your own croutons: bread, olive oil, garlic powder, salt. That’s it! I’m sure you already have everything you need on hand. Your homemade croutons will be ready to enjoy in just fifteen minutes, start to finish!
Use bread that’s getting stale. If you’re looking for ways to reduce waste in the kitchen, this is a great one! Make croutons out of day-old bread that’s starting to get stale. The croutons are actually better if the bread is on the dry side. (Homemade bread crumbs are another great way to use day-old bread!)
So much better than store-bought! Seriously. Read the comments. Homemade croutons are crunchy. They’re flavorful. And they’re all too easy to pop in your mouth! Store-bought croutons tend to be too hard and don’t have much flavor. These croutons are crispy but still tender, with just the perfect crunch. Plus, you can use good-quality bread which means you’ll have the best tasting croutons!
“Why, why, why would I ever buy croutons from the store again?!??!! These are so easy & so delicious, it’s life changing, seriously! Love!”
How to Make Croutons
Cut the bread into cubes and toss the cubes with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Helpful Tips
- Use the right kind of bread. I usually use a French baguette, Italian bread, or any bread with a coarse airy texture. You can use whole wheat bread or other whole grain bread. Try pumpernickel bread (try my Ruby Tuesday copycat croutons!), rye bread, sourdough bread, you name it. However, keep in mind that soft sandwich sliced bread isn’t the best choice for croutons.
- Dry bread is the best choice. Super fresh bread has a lot of moisture in it so it doesn’t absorb the oil as well and doesn’t toast up easily. To fix this little problem, simply cut the bread into cubes, spread it out on the sheet pan, and let it set an hour or two uncovered. It will dry out nicely.
- Don’t underbake the croutons. The baking time can vary depending on how dry the bread is, how large you cut the cubes, and the temperature of your oven. Make sure they’re dry and crispy. If they are underdone, the croutons will be more chewy and won’t keep as well.
How to Use Homemade Croutons
Eat them as a snack. The hardest part of homemade croutons (by far!) is not eating them all right off the baking sheet while they’re still warm. They are an absolutely irresistible combination of chewy and crispy!
Add to salads. Homemade croutons elevate almost any salad. Some salads even revolve around croutons, like this classic panzanella salad or asparagus panzanella salad. Add croutons to a simple house salad or a wedge salad. If a Caesar salad is more your thing, try my Caesar croutons and Caesar salad dressing.
Float them in soups and stews. I’ve been loving them on top of my Italian sausage stew or pasta e fagioli soup. Croutons are a great topper for creamy soups, like smoky roasted tomato soup, butternut squash soup, or Instant Pot cauliflower potato soup.
Recipe Variations
- Make croutons on the stove. You can prepare the croutons the same way if you’re going to make them on the stovetop. I usually increase the oil a little. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and toss the croutons around in the hot pan until they are golden brown. (I prefer the oven method because it’s slightly more hands-off and frees me up to do other things.)
- Use your air fryer. Another option if you don’t want to turn your oven on is air fryer croutons. An air fryer is perfect for smaller batches and and the croutons are ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.
- Add seasoning or cheese. Feel free to jazz up the croutons any way you like. I often add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. You can skip the garlic powder if you like. Add a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese for cheesy croutons.
More Salad Toppings
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 cups (heaping) cubed bread (day old bread is best, see note)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or sea salt)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the bread, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle olive oil over bread while stirring. Stir well until the seasonings are distributed and olive oil is absorbed.4 cups (heaping) cubed bread, ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Spread the bread cubes into an even layer on a sheet pan. Don’t crowd the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. If you're using super fresh bread, the croutons will take a little longer to become golden brown. If the bread is stale and dry, it may brown faster, so keep an eye on it!
- Enjoy immediately or cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- Bread: Bread that is day old, or slightly stale, works best. I usually use a French baguette, Italian bread, sourdough bread, or any bread with a coarse airy texture. You can use whole wheat bread or other whole grain bread. Soft sandwich bread is not the best choice for croutons.
- Pro tip: Super fresh bread has a lot of moisture in it so it doesn’t absorb the oil as well and doesn’t toast up easily. To fix this little problem, simply cut the bread into cubes, spread it out on the sheet pan, and let it set an hour or two uncovered. It will dry out nicely.
- Stovetop instructions: Prep the croutons the same way although I usually increase the oil a little. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and toss the croutons around in the hot pan until they are golden brown.
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Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Why why why would I ever buy croutons from the store again?!??!! These are so easy & so delicious it’s life changing, seriously! Love!
I’m so glad you like them! You’re right – no comparison to store-bought.
My husband says these are the best croutons he has ever tasted! He especially likes the fact that they can be stuck through with a fork without breaking, but are still crisp and crunchy. He won’t let me buy prepackaged croutons any more. I just use leftover rolls cut into cubes to make them.
Hooray! They really are so different than prepackaged croutons.
1st I just absolutely look forward to your recipe’s, so I made these, and WOW totally a game changer they are so crunchy and light, super thankful for this recipe, especially with summer around the corner!!!!!
Thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot! I’m glad you liked the croutons!
We favorited this recipe and have used it repeatedly about 20x. We have experimented with all of the different kinds of bread that sits around here too long and Jimmy John’s “old” bread which is super cheap. Makes perfect croutons. We also experiment with different seasonings, always using this recipe as the foundation. Thanks Rachel!
This makes me so happy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. There really is nothing like homemade croutons.
Excellent and healthier than store bought croutons!
Love this easy recipe! Thank you for sharing.
My husband loves these so much he asked me to put some in a container to eat as a snack not on top of a salad.
I eat salad everyday and these homemade croutons adds flavor and crunch to my salads, which I delightfully savor!
So glad you like them! I really appreciate you leaving a review!
Rachel,
Thank you so much for the advice! I put them back in the oven for 4 minutes and they came perfect!
There are no preservatives in the bread I used so it will start to show signs of mold (white spots) if left out too long. Maybe I’ll just try baking it longer from the start.
Thank you again for saving my croutons!
Felecia
I’m so glad it worked out! Thanks for reporting back!
Help! Have made these “Homemade Croutons – 4 Ingredients!” many times and they always came great. This time, used the same bread (Italian Country Bread) but they came out different. Instead of crunchy, they almost taste stale – the bread was baked the day I bought it and I made the croutons three days later.
Is there anyway to rescue them? Should I put them back in the oven? If yes, for how long?
Thanks so much!
That’s odd! It could be the bread was just a bit fresher or more firm. I would try baking them for a few more minutes until they are crunchier – maybe in 3-4 minute increments, keeping a close eye on them.
I had some few days old jalapeño cheddar bagels, that I didn’t know what to do with and I saw this recipe and it gave me a great idea. They are delicious! I took more of those bagels out of my freezer and going to make some more tomorrow. These croutons are perfect.
Oh yum, I bet those are delicious!