Homemade Croutons – 4 ingredients!
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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
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
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.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
bobbi jo says
So yummy and easy! Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked them!
Talia says
Just made them….looking yummy. How do I store them since I made a rather large batch ?
Rachel Gurk says
Just in an airtight container (or zip-top bag) on the counter!
Elaine Person says
I made these with a combination of Sola Sweet & Buttery and Golden Wheat bread. At 2 net carbs per slice, your recipe made fantastic Keto croutons that truly enhanced the flavor of my salads. They actually required less time to toast.
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks for sharing your experience with low carb bread! I’m glad you liked them!
Mia says
Thank you, for the recipe. It is hard to find gluten-free croutons. If you do, there are like 5 croutons in the bag for about a dollar each! LOL Followed your recipe exactly, but found that the cook time for gluten-free bread was much longer (as is in toasting as well), in case anyone is interested. 17 minutes at 375 worked perfect.
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with GF bread. They look amazing!
Tessa Anson says
Love, love, love this recipe! I’ve made these a hand full of times now. I save the end pieces of my bread loafs and freeze them until I have enough to make a big batch. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Rachel Gurk says
That’s a great idea! I’m glad you like the recipe – thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Lucy says
Delish! Thank you!
Oh, as I the only person in the world who finds the only way to coat the cubes evenly is to put all the ingredients in a bag and shake it?
Rachel Gurk says
That’s a great idea!
elizabeth says
Rachel,
These croutons are perfect. I used four hamburger-bun-sized buns from my grocery store’s day-old shelf. That yielded 8 CUPS, so I doubled the recipe. Very easy and not over-seasoned. Thanks so much!
Elizabeth
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Caeha says
AAAAAH! Discovered this recipe 3 weeks ago and so far I have made it 9 times. 1000/10 would recommend, except I roughly triple the salt and garlic powder, and I would recommend parsley and italian seasoning as well!! We love the kick when we do that!!
Rachel Gurk says
Wow, 9 times?! That’s so awesome! I’m glad you like this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review, it means a lot to me!
Andi says
Apologies if this has been answered; how best to store croutons once they’re cooled?
Rachel Gurk says
In an airtight container!
Jo Ann Farhood says
Delicious but made too many! Can they be frozen??
Rachel Gurk says
Yes, they should be fine frozen!
Liz says
I made homemade no knead herbed bread last weekend. We only ate half of it. I want to make croutons out of the remaining half of the loaf. I’ll try your recipe.
Rachel Gurk says
I bet they’ll be so delicious!
Cas says
Made a whole wheat sourdough that wasn’t that great (didn’t proof long enough).
The croutons are fabulous though! Total bake time was close to 25 minutes in 5 minute increments.
Cas says
Should have added I used garlic salt and increased the amount a LOT!
Rachel Gurk says
Perfect use for that type of bread! I’m glad you liked them. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Deborah says
Love love these croutons !!
Trouble is can’t stop noshing them
So quick and easy.
Thank you so much
Rachel Gurk says
Haha I totally understand that! I’m glad you liked them!
Joseph Ottaviano says
I was munching on some Olive Garden croutons and on a nearby counter was a half loaf of slightly stale sourdough bread. I wondered how hard to make make croutons. I quickly found your recipe and in short order I had some delicious croutons. I agree they were super easy and as mentioned the hardest part is not eating them straight out of the oven. I’ll definitely make again!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m glad I’m not the only one that can’t resist eating them straight off the pan! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Carly says
Made these with ancient grains fresh bread so it took a tiny bit longer but wow! So good! Perfect texture and so easy to make!! Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
Oh yum, I bet that was amazing!
Judy says
So great and easy! I used fresh garlic instead and made with butter bread! So yummy on my chicken Caesar salad! Will be my go to from now on!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked them! I bet they were amazing with fresh garlic!