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If you’re wondering how to make homemade croutons, this recipe is worth a try! You’ll never want to get store-bought croutons again.
These homemade croutons are easy to make, and they don’t taste stale like packaged croutons often do. If you have some bread that’s past its prime, this is a tasty way to salvage it. Or, just buy a fresh loaf to make these croutons if you want. Croutons are a yummy addition to salads or soups. They add a bit of crunch and flavor and turn it into a meal!
If you’re wondering how to make croutons from fresh bread, it’s actually not much different than if you use stale bread. They will likely take an extra couple minutes to crisp up in the oven. You can definitely play it by ear and test them, then add them back into the oven if they’re not quite done enough for you.
For this crouton recipe, I chose dried Italian seasoning and garlic powder for my seasonings. You could definitely play with seasonings, though. Some more ideas:
- Cajun seasoning
- Simple salt & pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Onion powder
- Other dried herbs such as oregano (for a Mediterranean twist) or basil
- Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel or Chili Lime seasoning
How to store homemade croutons?
They will keep for a few days in an airtight container or ZipLoc bag. You can also try freezing them for up to about a month (they defrost super quickly when you need them).
Try serving these croutons with a salad made with my homemade Caesar salad dressing, this Chipotle Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing, or my Easy Tomato Soup Recipe.
Do you ever make croutons?
Questions about this recipe? Leave me a comment below!
Easy Homemade Croutons (Garlic & Parmesan)
Ingredients
- 2 generous cups bread (try a baguette or any good crusty bread) cut into croutons
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean-up.
- Cut your bread into croutons and add them to the baking sheet. Pour the olive oil over the bread, and then sprinkle the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper as evenly as you can over the bread. Use your hands to toss until everything is as well combined as you can get it.
- Spread the croutons out in an even layer that's clustered fairly close together (but not stacked), and then sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top. This ensures that as much cheese as possible will be stuck to the croutons.
- Bake the croutons for 10-15 minutes. I find that 15 minutes works well for fresh bread.
- Let the croutons cool for a few minutes, then add them to your salad/soup or store in an airtight container. Don't discard the bits that fell off the croutons while baking - I like to add those to salads too because they have tons of flavor.
Notes
- You can use fresh garlic if you prefer. I'd use 2-3 minced garlic cloves.
- I estimated that this amount of croutons serves about 6 (it's enough for a large salad or a couple smaller ones). Of course, it's totally subjective how much people eat. The recipe easily doubles (I would double all ingredients).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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First time making croutons and this recipe has me so hooked, I’ll never buy premade at the store again! So easy, so delicious! And they taste amazing in the homemade cheddar broccoli soup I made. Thank you so much for sharing. Your recipe is now a permanent part of my kitchen!
That’s so nice to hear, Irene!! 😀 Thank you for taking the time to write me a review!
So good! I had enuf bread cubes for 4x recipe so mixed all together in a large bowl then moved to 1/2 sheet pan. Baked 5 min, stirred, repeated 2x. They browned nicely, kitchen smells wonderful. Croutons are crispy, yet tender and so flavorful. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper 😉
You’re very welcome!!