This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
This Homemade Crouton Recipe is simple and highly customizable. Perfectly crunchy, beautifully seasoned, and easily make in the oven, these croutons are the perfect way to elevate soups, salads, pastas, veggies, and more!
Update: This recipe was originally published in September 2019. I made updates the article below to include more information about making croutons in the oven at home.
Table of Contents
- About this homemade croutons recipe
- How to make croutons in oven
- FAQs: frequently asked questions
- How to season croutons?
- What type of bread is best for making croutons?
- What oven temperature to bake croutons?
- How to keep a crouton crispy?
- How to use oven croutons
- 10 ways to use salad croutons at home
- Storing this oven croutons recipe
- Can you freeze homemade croutons?
- Easy Homemade Croutons Recipe
- Equipment
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Notes
- Nutrition
About this homemade croutons recipe
Making your own croutons is ridiculously easy! This recipe yields golden brown croutons that are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and all around delicious!!
Homemade croutons are the perfect way to use up any leftover bread and they taste a million times better than any store-bought brand! Not to mention, they will make your house smell amazing while they are baking!
While I seasoned my croutons with homemade Italian seasoning, garlic, freshly grated parmesan and plenty of salt and pepper, you can season them with whatever your heart desires!
How to make croutons in oven
Salad croutons are incredibly easy to make in the oven at home and taste a million times better than the store-bought variety. Here’s how:
- Cube or tear bread. Either cut bread into cubes with a knife or tear bread into small chunks by hand. Pro-tip: Make sure the croutons are uniform in size so they bake evenly.
- Toss with oil and seasonings. Place cubed bread in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss the bread to evenly coat. Sprinkle with seasonings and toss again.
- Spread croutons out on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the bread cubes onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pro-tip: Make sure the croutons are spread out in a single, even layer. Avoid overcrowding the baking sheet or the croutons will not bake evenly.
- Bake until golden brown and crispy. Bake the croutons, tossing once halfway through baking, until the croutons are golden brown and crispy.
- Use or store. Use croutons immediately. Or, allow the croutons to cool to room temperature and store in a zip-closure bag.
FAQs: frequently asked questions
Got questions? I’ve got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification – please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I’m happy to help when I can!
How to season croutons?
Aside from the fresh, delicious taste, the best thing about homemade croutons is that they are highly customizable!
- Use fresh herbs– basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley
- Add dried spices or spice mixtures– crushed fennel, curry powder, chile powder, Italian Seasoning, Greek Seasoning
- Toss croutons with finely grated cheeses – parmesan, pecorino, asiago, grana padano . Pro-tip: Make sure you uses a hard cheese that has a low moisture content.
- Try making sweet croutons– Use a fruit, nut or raisin bread and toss the cubes in butter instead of oil. Use a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to season the cubes of bread.
What type of bread is best for making croutons?
To make great homemade croutons you should use a sturdy artisan bread with a soft, airy center. Look for a loaf of bread that has plenty of air pockets throughout. Bread with a light, airy center will produce crispier croutons while dense bread will produce harder croutons.
For the best results, make sure you use bread that is a day-old when making this or any crouton recipe.
- French Bread
- Sourdough
- Baguette
- Ciabatta
- Boule
- English Muffins
What oven temperature to bake croutons?
Baking croutons in the oven – instead pan-frying them in a skillet with butter – is not only healthier, but baking ensures evenly browned cubes of bread!
For the crispiest homemade croutons, bake them in an oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to keep a crouton crispy?
To keep croutons crispy, make sure they are properly stored!
- Transfer leftover croutons in a zip-closure bag with all the air removed from the bag before sealing. Air or humidity will cause the croutons to become stale.
- Store from scratch croutons at room temperature. While you can store croutons in the refrigerator, moisture will cause the croutons to become less crispy.
How to use oven croutons
Crisp, buttery Italian croutons from scratch are the perfect way to add crunchy texture to a variety of dishes!
10 ways to use salad croutons at home
- Stir croutons into eggs, such as these oven scrambled eggs with avocado.
- Add contrast to a variety of salads with a generous sprinkling of croutons.
- Stir croutons into beans or bean saladsfor a contrast of texture.
- Enhance the flavor of soups by topping them with croutons. I personally love them with any rich and creamy soup, like homemade tomato soup with basil, or Italian soups, like white bean soup with tomatoes and hambone soup with beans.
- Crush croutons and use them as a crunchy topping over pastas.
- Break croutons up and sprinkle them over vegetables as a faux gratin topping.
- Replace breadcrumbs or panko with croutons. Pulse croutons in the food processor or use a rolling pin to crush croutons into desired size.
- Use croutons to make stuffing or Thanksgiving dressings.
- Crispy, buttery croutons are the perfect topping for casseroles.
- Season bread croutons sweet cinnamon sugar and use on desserts. Crumble the croutons and use as a topping for banana pudding custards or peach puddings.
Storing this oven croutons recipe
Store your homemade croutons in a zip-closure bag at room temperature. To keep croutons fresh, remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing.
Properly stored from scratch croutons will stay fresh for up to two weeks at room temperature.
Can you freeze homemade croutons?
Crouton toppings can be stored in the freezer! Place cooled croutons in a zip-closure freezer bag and store in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks.
To use frozen croutons, thaw them on a paper towel at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat on a baking sheet at 250 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp.
Versatile and extremely easy to make, this recipe for homemade croutons is a million times better than any store-bought brand! Step up your soup and salad game with these perfectly crispy croutons!
Until Thursday, friends, cheers – to adding these crunchy toppers to everything!
Cheyanne
Craving MORE? Follow all the deliciousness onFacebook,PinterestandInstagram!
Easy Homemade Croutons Recipe
5 from 5 votes
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Servings: 12
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
How to make Homemade Croutons easily from scratch with this simple, customizable recipe!
Equipment
Rimmed Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French Bread – (about 10-12 ounces)
- 6 TBS Olive Oil
- 3 TBS Finely Grated Parmesan – plus more for dusting croutons if desired
- 2 small Cloves Garlic – roughly chopped
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning (Click ingredient for Homemade Italian Seasoning recipe)
- Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cube or tear bread. Either cut bread into ¾ inch-cubes with a knife or tear bread into small chunks by hand. Make sure the croutons are uniform in size so they bake evenly.
Toss with oil and seasonings. Place cubed bread in a large bowl. Drizzle bread with oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with parmesan, garlic, seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Gently toss to evenly coat.
Spread croutons out on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the bread cubes onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure the croutons are spread out in a single, even layer.
Bake. Bake the croutons, tossing once halfway through baking, for 15-20 minutes, or until the croutons are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and season with salt and more parmesan if desired. Allow the croutons to cool slightly on the pan. Use immediately, or allow transfer to a plate and allow to cool completely before storing in a zip-closure bag.
Notes
- Do NOT overcrowd the baking sheet. You want the croutons in a single layer with some space left between each cube of bread.
- Baking time will vary depending on the size of your croutons and how moist your bread is.
- To Store Croutons: Croutons should be stored in a zip-closure bag at room temperature. To keep croutons fresh, remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing. Croutons will keep for up to 2 weeks.
- Croutons can be frozen for up to 4 to 6 weeks. To use frozen croutons, thaw them on a paper towel at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat on a baking sheet at 250 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 137kcal Carbohydrates: 14g Protein: 3g Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 1mg Sodium: 142mg Potassium: 34mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 15IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 31mg Iron: 1mg
Course: Bread, Condiment
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?
Mention @nospoonnecessary on Instagram and tag it #nospoonnecessary!
©No Spoon Necessary. All images and content are under copyright protection. Please do not use any images without prior permission. If you want to reference this recipe please do so by linking back to this post.