Homemade Croutons

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Homemade Croutons make the perfect finishing touch to a great salad or the best textural boost to a bowl of soup. Pretty much anytime you're craving some crunch in your meal, these croutons will come in handy!

Course Appetizer, Bread, condiment, Salad, Snack

Cuisine American, Vegetarian

Keyword croutons homemade, homemade croutons, homemade croutons recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings servings (4 cups croutons)

Calories 44kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $1.12

Ingredients

4 heaping cups white bread (5 slices -- See Note 1)
1 tablespoon each: olive oil, unsalted butter (or just use 2 tbsp oil)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Fine sea salt & pepper

US - Metric

Instructions

PREP: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner and set aside. Melt 1 tbsp. butter and set aside to cool.
CUT BREAD: Using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut off crusts then cut the bread into small cubes. (I cut a 5x5 grid.) Measure to get 4 heaping cups of bread and then add to the prepared sheet pan.
ADD FLAVOR!: Drizzle on olive oil, melted butter, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt & pepper to taste (I add 1/8 teaspoon each). Toss with your hands until bread is well coated. Spread in an even layer so bread isn't overlapping.
BAKE: Bake until bread is golden brown, flipping cubes every 5 minutes for 12-15 minutes (watch closely around 12 minutes). Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5-10 minutes. Bread will finish hardening quite a bit more as it stands. Taste and add a sprinkle more salt if desired.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Bread: This recipe will work pretty much with any type of bread. For a similar feel to what you'd get at the store (a soft crumble, sort of a melt-in-your-mouth feel), use 5 slices of Texas Toast (as pictured in this post). Texas Toast is a particular type of bread that is sliced thicker than regular sandwich bread– which is ideal for homemade croutons. If the bread is too thin, the croutons aren't as impressive and more prone to cooking unevenly. If possible, aim for bread sliced about 1-inch thick. We've made these croutons with an Artisan baguette which is also tasty -- whatever you use, aim for 4 heaping cups.

Note 2: Leftover Bread: I buy a bag of Texas Toast and use it for the best Grilled Cheese sandwich to exist (or an equally tasty Air Fryer Sandwich) and then use the leftover slices for these croutons. If there are still a few slices left, they go into the freezer to save for more croutons at another time. (Or to get whipped into these incredible French Toast Sticks for a weekend brunch.)

Nutrition