Learn how to make the best homemade croutons with this easy tutorial—crispy and golden on the outside, slightly chewy inside. Perfect in a salad, over cauliflower potato soup, and more!
Skipping croutons on a salad is like serving homemade pancakes without maple syrup—sad and disappointing. Homemade croutons, especially, bring the kind of crispy, savory, herb-infused magic no store-bought version can match.
Many Reason To Make Croutons
- The BEST way to use up bread sitting on the counter
- Quick and easy to make!
- Homemade croutons taste 1000x better than any store-bought croutons
- The perfect pair for any salad or soup recipe
Ingredients You Need
The most basics ingredients are needed to make croutons. At a minimum, you need bread, butter or oil, and salt. But for the most delicious croutons that have incredible flavor, you'll need these ingredients:
- Bread: Start with a crusty loaf of bread, like homemade no-knead bread, Italian or French bread, sourdough, or a baguette.
- Olive Oil:
- Butter: It's key to use unsalted butter as salted butter can make the croutons too salty.
- Herbs: You'll need a combination of Italian seasoning, dried parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Salt & Pepper: A must!
How To Make Homemade Croutons
Start with quality bread—simply tear it into pieces or for a more uniform look, cut into cubes. Either way you break apart, be sure to make it bite-size pieces to fit on a fork or spoon.
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil, butter and seasonings until the butter melts, whisking until combined.
Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and toss thoroughly together to ensure everything is evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake until toasted.
FAQ
Store croutons at room temperature, covered lightly, on day 1 to keep them crispy. After, cover tightly and toast lightly as desired at 350°F to crisp back up.
Absolutely! Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Toast lightly at 350°F for 15 minutes, stirring halfway.
How to Make Homemade Croutons
Description
Ingredients
- 14 ounce loaf of crusty bread
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Tear or slice the bread into small bite-size pieces and place them in a large bowl. You should have around 7-8 cups of bread cubes, give or take.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the olive oil, butter, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until the butter is melted and everything is combined, about 3-5 minutes. Pour over the bread cubes and stir together until all the pieces of bread are coated evenly. Spread the seasoned bread cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Baking for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and stir, then return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the croutons cool on the baking sheet for 20-30 minutes—as they cool they will continue to crisp.
- Store leftover croutons, covered tightly, at room temperature for up to 1 day.
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