Air Fryer Croutons
Savory air fryer croutons are a crispy-crunchy addition to your next bowl of soup or salad. There's no better way to use up stale bread!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (see note)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups cubed day-old bread (about ½ to ¾-inch cubes; see note)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.2 tablespoons olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Add the cubed bread and stir to coat the bread with the oil and seasoning mixture. Place the seasoned bread cubes in the air fryer basket in an even layer.2 cups cubed day-old bread
- Air fry at 380ºF for 5 to 8 minutes, shaking the basket or tossing the croutons every couple of minutes (see cooking tip below). Cook until they are golden brown and crisp. Keep a close eye on them, as cooking times can vary depending on your air fryer and the size of the bread cubes.
- Once the croutons are golden and crisp, remove them from the air fryer. Serve as a topping for salads or soups. To store, cool the croutons completely and keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- Pro tip: Try to cut the bread cubes roughly the same size so they cook evenly. If you make them smaller, they’ll cook a little more quickly; larger croutons will take a little longer to cook. The bread can be torn rather than diced for more rustic croutons.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, and seasonings are optional in this recipe. If you want the recipe to be lower in sodium, omit the salt. Other seasonings of your choice may be substituted.
- Oil: If you like, the oil can be reduced to 1 tablespoon. The croutons won’t be exactly the same but they are still crunchy and very tasty, and if you’re looking to reduce calorie content, this may be a great option. Melted butter can be substituted for olive oil, too.
- Cooking tip: If you make a single batch and have a decent sized air fryer, you might not have to shake the basket while they cook. If they're not in a single layer and/or don’t have much room around them, you’ll want to shake the basket a couple of times so that they cook evenly.
- Add cheese: After you toss the bread with the oil and seasonings, add 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and stir to coat all the bread with cheese. Cook as directed.
- Oven method: If you don't want to use an air fryer, try my baked homemade croutons. It works especially well if you're making a bigger batch of croutons.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
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