These easy, crispy homemade croutons are a great snack, and a perfect topping for a variety of meal. Make your own croutons at home, using any leftover bread.
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Learning how to make croutons is a total game changer. Homemade croutons store really well, are super versatile, and it's the perfect way to use up leftover bread.
Why you'll love it
- Perfect crispy croutons
- Adjust the seasoning to suit your preferences
- Make a big batch of croutons to use in multiple meals
- Great way to use up any bread
- Homemade croutons are really easy to make
- Everyone loves croutons!
- The recipe works for any bread, including low carb bread, gluten free bread and dairy free bread
Ingredients
Bread: Use any bread. Day old store bought bread, or slightly dry bread, works really well. Try sliced sandwich bread, wholemeal bread, ciabatta, focaccia, sourdough bread or any other bread that you like.
Olive oil: The oil allows the seasoning to stick to the bread. You can also use any other oil, such as vegetable oil, or even a little water.
Seasoning: I use Italian seasoning, but you can find lots of other amazing seasoning alternatives in the Variations section below.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 °F / 200 °C.
Dice sliced bread into bite sized pieces. Add the bread cubes to a mixing bowl, along with olive oil and seasoning. Stir to coat the bread evenly.
Spread the bread evenly across a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. You might need to use multiple baking sheets, or to toast the croutons in batches.
Toast the bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the croutons are crispy and golden. Add another 5 minutes if you prefer them more toasted.
Leave the croutons to cool down before you transfer them to a container for storage.
Top tips
- The exact cooking time can vary depending on the size of your bread cubes, as well as how toasted you want your bread to be. Keep an eye on the croutons, and remove them from the oven when they look the way you like them.
- Day old or slightly stale bread is not as soft as fresh bread, and will therefore toast faster.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy these easy homemade croutons as a snack, or use them as toppings for soups, salads and more. Here are some of my favorite recipes to add croutons to:
- Salads: Lebanese Salad Fattoush, Pear and Walnut Salad, Kale Sweet Potato Salad
- Soups: Black Eyed Pea Soup, Crockpot Cabbage Roll Soup, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup, Healthy Mushroom Soup, Minty Pea Soup
- Other dishes: Sausage and Bean Stew, Instant Pot Chicken Pasta, Halloumi Pasta
Variations
Air fryer croutons: Make these croutons in your air fryer at 375 °F / 190 °C for about 5 minutes. As you should try to avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket too much, the air fryer method works better for a smaller amount of croutons, or if you cook multiple batches.
Gluten free croutons: You can use gluten free bread to make crispy croutons with the same method.
Lemon pepper: Season with lemon zest and black pepper.
Leftovers
Store croutons in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Don't place them in a freezer or refrigerator, or they will go soft and soggy.
You can easily make a double or triple batch of croutons. Store them in a large container, or portion out in multiple smaller containers for quick and easy snacks.
💡 TIP! Make a big batch of croutons, and enjoy them as a topping, snack or side dish with several meals through the week. It's a great way to use up an entire loaf of bread.
Frequently asked questions
Croutons can technically be frozen, but they tend to be soft when they are thawed or defrosted. Store them at room temperature to keep them crispy.
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If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy!
Recipe
Homemade Croutons
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 slices bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 °F / 200 °C.
- Dice sliced bread into bite sized pieces.
- Add the bread cubes to a mixing bowl, along with olive oil and seasoning. Stir to coat the bread evenly.
- Spread the bread evenly across a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. You might need to use multiple baking sheets, or to toast the croutons in batches.
- Toast the bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the croutons are crispy and golden. Add another 5 minutes if you prefer them more toasted.
- Leave the croutons to cool down before you transfer them to a container for storage.
Video
Notes
- Nutritional value is per cup of croutons.
- Store croutons in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
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