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!
I made this and followed directions originally given using 4 ingredients. I used Texas toast for bread though. They were a huge hit! I doubt I’ll ever buy croutons again! These are delicious and super easy to make. I made a second batch and added some Parmesan cheese! Also delicious!
So glad you liked this recipe! It works great with any type of bread.
I loove this! Simply amazing. Instead of plain salt, I used seasoned salt.
Thanks and lots of love from Kenya
Yum, I bet that was delicious! So glad you liked it, thanks for leaving a comment!
I made a sourdough loaf and the next day I used it to make this recipe for my fussy Food Scientist daughter. She loved them and said they are better than store bought.
Perfect! So glad that they were a hit!
These croutons were excellent! I only had Naked white bread on hand, and that worked out perfect. Thank you for a very easy recipe. They are going to garnish cheddar broccoli soup.
Oh, YUM! I’d love a bowl of that soup!
Awesome! Tried it with left-over cheesy French bread. Delicious!!
Yummmm! I bet they were so amazing with cheesy bread!
Made these tonight and they were delicious!! I used left over Calabrese bread and grated fresh Parmesan out of the oven! I ate half the bowl and had to stop myself from eating the whole thing lol!
Oh yum, that sounds terrific! You have me craving them at 8am.
Came out great! Wondering, how do,you store them ?
In a ziplock??
Yup, any airtight container or bag will work! Glad you liked them!
Can these be put in the freezer?
I usually freeze the bread cubes before making the croutons, because they’re so easy to make and taste amazing fresh! I haven’t tried freezing the croutons after they’re made, but let me know if you give it a try. It should be fine, although they may lose a little of their texture.
Very delicious! Used with my extra sourdough bread!
Perfect! So glad you liked them!
Wahooo!!! These cane out great! I added garlic salt, onion & garlic powder, and some Italian seasoning for my husbands favs! Took about 15 mins in our oven! But oh my DELISH! I usually don’t eat croutons, and now I am in BIG trouble, lol!
I’m glad you like them so much! They are really addicting, aren’t they?