Easy Homemade Crouton Recipe (2024)

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This Homemade Crouton Recipe is simple and highly customizable! These croutons are flavorful, crunchy and totally addictive! They are the perfect way to elevate soups, salads, pastas and vegetables!

About this homemade crouton 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 homemade croutons?

Croutons are incredibly easy to make at home and taste a million times better than the store-bought variety!

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Bake until golden brown and crispy. Bake the croutons, tossing once halfway through baking, until the croutons are golden brown and crispy.
5. Use or store. Use croutons immediately. Or, allow the croutons to cool to room temperature and store in a zip-closure bag.

FAQs: croutons from scratch

How to customize crouton recipes?

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.

The best bread to use for a crouton

• 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 croutons?

Crisp, buttery Italian croutons from scratch are the perfect way to add crunchy texture to a variety of dishes!

10 ways to use croutons at home

• Add contrast to a variety of salads with a generous sprinkling of croutons.
• 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.
• Stir croutons into beans or bean saladsfor a contrast of texture.
• Use croutons to make stuffing or Thanksgiving dressings.
• Crispy, buttery croutons are the perfect topping for casseroles.
• Stir croutons into oven scrambled eggs with avocado.
• Swap the Italian seasoning for sweet cinnamon sugar. Crumble the croutons and use as a topping for banana pudding custards or peach puddings.

Storing this recipe for croutons

How to store leftover croutons?

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.

How long will diy croutons keep?

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

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