How to Make Homemade Croutons

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Learning How to Make Homemade Croutons is a game changer! We’ll show you how to use the odds and ends in your bread bags to craft scrumptiously crunchy seasoned nuggets to serve with soup or salads or enjoy (like my son George does!) as a tasty snack.

• Easy and Fast: This is a simple 5-ingredient recipe and it takes less than 45 minutes.
• Bursting with Flavor: Our all-natural croutons can be tailored to your taste. Whether you prefer plain white bread, robust whole grain, or rich pumpernickel, you can season them with salt and black pepper or add some kick with red pepper flakes or chili powder.
• Healthy and Cost-effective: Making croutons at home is not only economical but also healthier! It’s a great way to use up slightly stale bread, and you avoid the high salt, preservatives, and artificial flavorings often found in store-bought croutons.

Additionally, many holiday stuffing recipes call for croutons, so now you can make your stuffing completely from scratch. Use homemade croutons in our Sage Sausage Stuffing Recipe that’s delicious for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or anytime, along with other seasonal faves like Insanely Fluffy Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls, Easy Sweet Potato Soufflé, and The Perfect Classic Apple Pie.

Table of Contents

• What are Homemade Croutons?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Homemade Croutons
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Bread

What are Homemade Croutons?

• Homemade Croutons are seasoned bread cubes baked until crispy and golden. They’re commonly used to add flavor and texture to Caesar salads and soups such as Butternut Squash Soup or tomato soup, but they’re also irresistible on their own.
• With this homemade croutons recipe, you’ll make perfectly flavored crunchy bread squares that elevate all kinds of recipes. Get creative and use them as a tasty topping for macaroni and cheese or other casseroles, on top of baked veggies, sprinkled on chili, or even mixed into quiche or scrambled eggs.
• Ever since bread has existed, people have found tasty ways to salvage it after it goes stale, but croutons officially became a thing during the Renaissance in France when the word “crouton,” derived from “croûte” (crust), was first used. Packaged croutons became popular in the mid-20th century, but home cooks are rediscovering the superior flavor that comes from making croutons in their own kitchen.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Bread knife
• Baking sheet

Key Ingredients and Why

Stale bread

• Slightly stale bread is the best bread for croutons. If the bread is too soft, the croutons may not crisp up enough, and if it’s too stale, the bread will be difficult to cut up, and the croutons may be too hard and dry.
• Virtually any type of stale bread can be used for croutons! Perfect options include our No-Knead Ciabatta Bread, Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread, No-Knead Baguette, and No-Knead Sandwich Bread.

Olive oil

• Olive oil crisps up bread cubes to golden perfection.
• Importantly, olive oil also adds rich taste to the croutons. Using a flavorful oil or melted butter instead of a neutral-flavored vegetable oil is crucial in this recipe.

Garlic

• Garlic gives the croutons a deliciously aromatic flavor.
• As the garlic bakes with the bread cubes and olive oil, it takes on a mellow, slightly sweet nuttiness.
• For the best taste, use crushed fresh garlic cloves. Alternatively, you can use garlic powder.

Salt

• Salt enhances the other ingredients and contributes to the croutons’ crunchiness.
• Use course or kosher salt here. It will add more crunch, and it adheres better to the croutons. Fine table salt can dissolve during baking.

Pepper

• Black pepper gives the croutons a satisfying zing of spice.

How to Make Homemade Croutons

Prepare to bake

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Make the croutons

2. Cut the stale bread into cubes, roughly about 1 inch in size. You should yield about 8 cups of cubed bread.
3. In a large bowl toss the bread with oil, garlic, salt and pepper and mix until evenly coated.
4. Scatter croutons evenly on a large baking tray. 

Bake the croutons

5. Bake at for roughly 22-24 minutes, stirring halfway to ensure even browning. Bake until croutons are lightly golden but dry.
6. Let cool on the baking sheet.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Use stale bread for best results.
• Go to the day-old section of your supermarket where you can get a loaf that is perfect for croutons at half the price!
• Get fancy and rather than use a plain loaf of bread, use one flavored with herbed cream cheese or with garlic and cheese.
• Croutons are great for making stuffing. Use our Sage Sausage Stuffing Recipe or your own favorite recipe.
• Double the recipe! The croutons will last for six weeks in your cupboard.
• Even if you only have a few pieces of leftover bread, it’s so worth it to scale down the recipe and make a mini-batch of croutons. This tasty touch really takes a normal weekday dinner up a few notches!

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

• Make ahead tips:

  • Cube bread and keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days before baking.

• Storage instructions:

  • Store leftover croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to six weeks.

FAQs

How do I get croutons that are crunchy but not dry and hard?

• Slightly stale bread is best for making croutons.
  • If your bread is too soft, your croutons might come out mushy. To remove the excess moisture from the bread before baking, dry out the bread cubes in the oven at 250-300°F (120-150°C) for 10 minutes.
  • If your bread is too hard, soften it a bit before proceeding. Steam the bread by brushing it with water, wrapping it in aluminum foil, and placing it in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for five to ten minutes. This should rehydrate the bread enough to make it easier to cube and ensure your croutons are crunchy but not dry.
• Do not overbake your croutons. Watch them carefully and bake for 22 to 24 minutes until they are lightly golden. Stir them once during baking to ensure they’re evenly cooked.

Can I make these homemade croutons gluten-free?

• Yes, you can make these homemade croutons gluten-free. Use our Keto Bread Recipe (Gluten & Grain Free) or your favorite store-bought gluten-free bread.

Do you have any suggestions for different types of bread and seasonings to use for homemade croutons?

• There are no rules! Get inspired by whatever leftover bread you have on hand, how you want to use your croutons, or what you happen to be craving.
  • Bread ideas
    • For robustly flavored croutons, try our Steakhouse-Style Pumpernickel Bread. Or if a slightly sweet crouton would be perfect, go for No-Knead Challah or Gemma’s Best-Ever Corn Bread.
    • Whole wheat bread makes croutons with nice heft. Our Artisanal Whole Wheat Bread or Irish Brown Bread are great options.
    • Or use a more mildly flavored bread for a crouton that will complement a variety of dishes, such as The Perfect Homemade White Bread or Brioche Dough.
    • Don’t forget that rolls make great croutons too!
• Seasoning variations
  • Add Parmesan cheese and an Italian seasoning blend including dried parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and thyme for trattoria-worthy croutons.
  • For a perfect salad crouton, add some lemon zest and dill.
  • Sweet or smoked paprika makes a tasty, savory crouton and adds some color, too.
  • Use everything bagel seasoning–a mix of poppy, carraway, and sesame seeds, onion, and garlic–for the ultimate flavor-packed croutons.
• Alternate oils
  • An herb or sun-dried tomato-infused oil would be delightful in this recipe.
  • For a more intensely flavored option, you can make croutons with truffle oil.

More Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Bread

• How to Make Breadcrumbs
• Traditional Irish Bread and Butter Pudding
• Croque Monsieur Savory Bread Pudding
• White Chocolate, Whiskey, and Raspberry Bread Pudding
• Traditional Irish Gur Cake Recipe

Try These Recipes!

5-Ingredient Traditional Scottish Baps Recipe

No-Knead Chocolate Bread Recipe

Almond Flour Banana Bread Recipe

No-Knead Focaccia with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary