My Homemade Croutons Recipe turns leftover bread into crispy, garlic-seasoned bites in under 40 minutes with just 6 ingredients.
- 1 lb (450 g) stale bread
- ¼ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
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Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Cut the stale bread into cubes, roughly about 1 inch in size. You should yield about 8 cups of cubed bread.
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In a large bowl toss the bread with oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and mix until evenly coated.
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Scatter croutons evenly on a large baking tray.
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Bake at 325℉ (160℃) for roughly 22-24 minutes, stirring half way to ensure even browning. Bake until crouton are lightly golden, but dry.
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Once the croutons have cooled put into air tight containers and store at room temperature for up to 6 weeks. Enjoy in soups, salad and even as a snack.
- Use day-old stale bread for best results. Soft bread may not crisp up enough, and if your bread is too stale, your croutons could come out hard and dry.
- Go to the day-old section of your supermarket for bread. Store-bought is fine, and day-old bread is perfect for croutons at about half the price!
- Make a mini batch. 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!
- Flavored bread makes flavorful croutons. Try my Focaccia with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary or Cheese Rolls.
- For the best results, use dry herbs. They have more concentrated flavor and less moisture than fresh herbs.
- Take care not to overbake. Watch them closely and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until lightly golden. Stir them once during baking to ensure they’re evenly cooked.
- Croutons are great for making stuffing. Use them in my Sage Sausage Stuffing Recipe or your own favorite recipe.
- Double the recipe! Make croutons ahead for the holidays. The croutons will last for six weeks in your cupboard.