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 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?