How to Make Croutons
With just a few basic ingredients and a few minutes of your time, you can learn how to make homemade croutons in no time at all. They’re also perfect for garnishing salads, with dip, or snacking straight from the warm oven.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our affiliate disclosure.
I’m always looking for ways to “carb” up my salads (like this blue cheese salad), 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 many of them 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.
Those other ingredients consist of extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, 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.
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.).
Key Ingredients
- Bread: Use a sturdy bread, like boule, sourdough, or Italian, which will hold up to the olive oil.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Be sure to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for maximum flavor. A good economical brand I recommend is Colavita.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Croutons
- Prep the croutons: Cut the bread into 3/4″ cubes and toss them with extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Bake the croutons: Bake the croutons on a large sheet pan at 375F (bottom rack) for about 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, tossing once halfway through. You can check them after 10 minutes.
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 garlic powder with minced fresh garlic, but try to work 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 minced fresh parsley instead of adding it before baking.
On salads! Although croutons seem to be tailor-made for salads, they’re also great added to soups or even crumbled onto some roasted vegetables for added flavor and texture. Croutons are also delicious eaten simply as a snack.
Storage
Store the croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
More Quick Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave a five-star review below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
How to Make Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread cut into ¾" cubes (use a sturdy bread like boule) (Note 1)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Add the bread cubes to a large sheet pan. Season with the olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper, and toss everything together until the bread is well coated. Spread the bread cubes into an even layer in the pan. Place the pan on the oven's bottom rack, and bake the croutons for about 15 minutes, until golden brown, tossing once halfway through. Check them after 10 minutes if your oven runs hot.4 cups cubed bread, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon minced Italian flat-leaf parsley, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
