Homemade croutons are so easy to make – these baked, whole grain, 4 ingredient croutons will transform your soups and salads into something completely irresistible.
Once you go to a homemade crouton, there’s no going back. They are a major game-changer and your salads, soups and stews will never be the same. In a very, very good way.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy: These are ready in less than 15 minutes, start to finish!
- Four Ingredients: That’s right, only four! And aside from the bread, I bet you have them all on hand!
- Irresistible: They’re crunchy. They’re flavorful. And they’re all too easy to pop in your mouth!
- Great use for 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 bread that’s starting to get stale. Win win!
- Way better than store-bought: Seriously. Read the comments.
How to Make Croutons
All you need to do is cut the bread into cubes, toss it with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt, spread them on a baking sheet and bake.
They only take 10 minutes to bake (but if you have really fresh bread, they’ll take longer to get golden brown).
The hardest part, BY FAR, is not eating them all off the baking sheet while they’re still warm. They are an absolutely irresistible combination of chewy and crispy and make for an amazing salad topping or a soup topper.
How to Use Homemade Croutons
I’ve been loving them on top of Italian sausage stew. They star in this traditional panzanella salad and springtime asparagus panzanella salad.
How to Make Croutons on the Stove
I often get asked how to make croutons on the stove. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and toss the croutons around in the hot pan until they are golden brown. You can prepare the croutons exactly the same way if you’re going to make them on the stovetop, and you don’t have to increase the oil unless you want to. I prefer the oven method because it’s slightly more hands-off and frees me up to do other things.More Salad Toppings
- homemade reduced-fat ranch dressing
- fresh raspberry vinaigrette dressing recipe
- vanilla bean candied walnuts
- savory granola (not sweet, and super crunchy with pepitas, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds)
- pepitas (eight recipes!)
- sweet and tangy honey mustard vinaigrette
- olive oil roasted almonds
- seasoned oyster crackers
- pickled red onions
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 heaping cups cubed bread (I used a multigrain baguette)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon 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 bread is coated by all ingredients and olive oil is absorbed.
- 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, they’ll 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!
Notes
- Serving size: 1/4 cup croutons.
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!
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.
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!