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!
I’m amazed at how simple this recipe is yet so deliciously tasty! This is my first time making croutons and they came out delicious! Way better than anything found in stores! Thank you.
Thanks, Carol! They really are a game changer, aren’t they?
SO GOOD!! I am standing here right now trying not to eat them all as I am preparing the rest of dinner! I have never really liked store bought croutons but my kids love them on salads and I had a bag of bread odds and ends in the freezer that I was trying to figure out what to do with. So easy, and the flavor is great for the simple ingredients. I will be making these often, thank you so much!!
Haha I always have that problem too! I’m glad you liked these! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I like herbs, I used oregano, basil, rosemary, dill, thyme, black paper, and sea salt with 5 grain Italian and whole wheat bread, amazing
My daughter and grandsons think this is their new potato chip! Thanks
Sounds so wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Hi there, can you use garlic granules, as I dont have garlic powder…. I’m worried they might burn? Thank you
They might burn, I haven’t tried these that way. They’re great without garlic, too.
My grandchildren loved them. We were having family dinner and a make a salad bar but forgot the croutons found this recipe won’t have to worry about buying croutons again
So great to hear that! I’m glad they were a hit!
I made these today. I bought on 88 cent bag of white bread. Put all sliced on baking rake and let them sit overnight. They were really dry! Cubed them, tossed in the evoo with 1/2 t. of garlic SALT, 1/2 t. dried Basil and 1/2 Lemon Pepper. Put them in 375 degree oven. Set timer for 5 minutes. Perfect! Only amendment I will make is to reduce the garlic SALT to 1/4. Thanks, Each ,
So glad you like them!
What a great way to use up old bread, thank you! I used sunflower oil and seasoned them with “everything but the bagel” seasoning. They are delicious!
So glad you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Soooooooo good!! I used bacon fat with olive oil and that takes it up an extra notch!! my girlfriends makes me whip these up all the time!!
Yum! Bacon fat makes everything better!
The four ingredient croutons are too delicious even with the grave error I made. Without thinking I grabbed the garlic SALT . As soon as I noticed my error I did not add the sea salt. Still darn good. Can’t wait to make them again with garlic powder!! Thanks for a simple fast best crouton recipe ever.
So glad to hear you liked them! It’s a very forgiving recipe.
These are awesome!!
Thank you so much! Glad you like them!