Learn how to make Homemade Croutons from scratch with this quick and easy recipe. They’re buttery, garlicky, and super simple to make from just about any type of bread.
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Easy Homemade Croutons
One of my favorite garnishes to have on hand is Homemade Croutons. They’re a super simple way to elevate any of your favorite soups and salads, and a great way to use up leftover bread. I love using a crusty loaf of bread like French bread to make croutons, but you can truly use any kind.
Once you have cut your bread into cubes and tossed with the melted butter seasoning mixture, just bake for about 15 minutes. Make sure to stir a few times so that they can toast on each side - easy peasy! Need bread crumbs? Just toss your croutons into a food processor, pulse gently, and ta-da.
These Homemade Croutons would taste great with any number of soups and salads including this Roasted Acorn Squash Soup, Creamy Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup, Caeser Salad, or this Grilled Chicken BLT Salad.
Garlicky Homemade Crouton Ingredients
- Bread - while you can technically use any type of bread to make croutons, I like to use a crusty loaf like French bread or sourdough. It’s actually helpful if the bread is slightly stale, but fresh bread will work just fine. You’ll want to cut into ¾” - 1” pieces.
- Butter - melted butter adds flavor to the croutons, but you could skip and use all olive oil if you wanted to make these vegan.
- Olive Oil - olive oil helps the croutons crisp up in the oven.
- Garlic Powder and Onion Powder - these will add a more mild garlic and onion flavor as well as no little chunks that can burn in the oven.
- Salt - sea salt works great.
- Parsley - you can use fresh or dried parsley for a little extra flavor. Italian seasoning would also taste great.
How to Make Homemade Croutons
- Combine the butter and oil mixture. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and parsley. Whisk until combined.
- Mix with the cubed bread. Cut the French bread into pieces that are 1" or smaller and place in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil mixture over the bread cubes and stir until all the cubes are lightly coated. Spread the bread cubes onto a large baking sheet in a single even layer.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes, or until the cubes are golden brown on all sides.
- Cool and store. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow the croutons to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. (Note: If the croutons become a little chewy or moist, just bake them again for a few minutes to crisp them up). Add to salads or soups. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to keep your Homemade Croutons crunchy and fresh is to store at room temperature in an airtight container. After a few days, if they begin to get a little soft you can refresh them in the oven for just a few minutes again.
While you can make croutons from any type of bread (even sandwich bread!), I like to use a crusty loaf of bread like French bread or sourdough. Even cornbread makes great croutons, so feel free to get creative. Croutons are also a great way to use up bread that is a few days old and beginning to get a bit stale. Less fresh bread is also much easier to cut, so it’s a win-win.
Yes! You can freeze croutons if you would like. Just place in a freezer bag and store for up to 1 month.
How to Store Homemade Croutons
- Room Temperature: store cooled croutons in an airtight container or freezer bags at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: store in freezer bags for up to 1 month in the freezer.
- To refresh: if your croutons begin to get a little soft, just bake again for a few minutes and cool completely.
Homemade Croutons Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ loaf French Bread
- 3 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Parsley Dried or Fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and parsley. Whisk until combined.
- Cut the French bread into pieces that are 1" or smaller and place in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil mixture over the bread cubes and stir until all the cubes are lightly coated. Spread the bread cubes onto a large baking sheet in a single even layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes, or until the cubes are golden brown on all sides.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow the croutons to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. (Note: If the croutons become a little chewy or moist, just bake them again for a few minutes to crisp them up). Add to salads or soups. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Soup and Salad Recipes
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken BLT Salad
- Creamy Curry Squash Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Southwest Black Bean Soup
- Homemade Tomato Soup
- Tuscan Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- More Soup Recipes
- More Salad Recipes
These quick and easy Homemade Croutons taste great with all sorts of salads and creamy soups. They're covered in garlic butter and toasted to perfection.
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