How to Make Croutons

With just a few basic ingredients and a few minutes of your time, homemade croutons are one of the easiest things you can make from scratch. They’re also perfect for garnishing salads, with dip, or snacking on them straight from the oven.

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How to Make Croutons

As a carb lover, I look for any excuse to “carb” up my salads, and adding some crunchy croutons is one way to do it. These homemade croutons are so quick and easy to make that I’m almost embarrassed to call them a recipe. But hey, if you’ve been wondering how to make croutons, a recipe may be just what you need, even if it takes only minutes to assemble and barely little more time to cook.

Of course, you can buy croutons at the grocery store, but I find store-bought ones to be unpleasantly harder than homemade. It also costs virtually nothing to make them yourself because they’re usually the product of leftover bread and other ingredients you’re likely to already have. As for this recipe, those additional ingredients consist of extra virgin olive oil, granulated garlic, fresh parsley, and a dash of salt and pepper. Opt for a hearty bread like boule, sourdough, or a loaf of Italian, as ordinary sandwich bread won’t hold up as well or be as flavorful.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Bread
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Granulated Garlic
• Italian Flat-leaf Parsley

Why You’ll Love These Homemade Croutons

They’re perfect as a garnish or snack: These croutons stay fresh for several days, and you can use them on salads and soups or snack on them right out of the container!

They’re better than store-bought: Some store-bought croutons are too hard, but homemade ones are softer. And with just a few tweaks, you can mimic the flavors of your favorite commercial brands (e.g., adding Parmesan, certain herbs, etc.).

Pro Tips

Check the croutons after 10 minutes of cooking: It usually takes me about 15 minutes to get golden-brown croutons, but check yours after 10 minutes, as some ovens run hotter than others.

You can use stale or fresh bread: Stale bread is best, but you can use fresh, too. For fresh bread, let it sit out for about 30 minutes to one hour after cutting it into cubes to help it dry out a little. You can also use bread you have in the freezer. Just thaw it first.

Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions

• Replace the granulated garlic with fresh, but try to nestle them into the bread cubes. Too much loose garlic on the bottom of the pan could burn.
• Use fresh thyme instead of or in addition to the parsley. You could also omit the herbs altogether if you prefer.
• Garnish the baked croutons with the fresh parsley instead of adding it before baking.

Leftovers

Store the croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. I don’t recommend freezing them.