Other/ Salad

Homemade Croutons

30 May 2022 | Last Updated: 7 July 2022 By Aleksandra

Homemade croutons are so easy and quick to prepare but they taste SO MUCH better than store-bought. Seriously, it’s so hard to stop snacking on them. You’ll want to add them to salads, soups, or eat them straight from the baking sheet! It’s a great idea to use up leftover bread.

Homemade croutons in a blue bowl on a wooden board.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make homemade croutons:

Labeled ingredients for homemade croutons.
  • any type of bread – my favorite is soft bread such as French or Italian bread, you can also use sourdough bread or toast bread, you can use fresh bread or 1- or 2-day old bread
  • olive oil – you can use just olive oil or a mix of olive oil and melted butter
  • seasoning – I’m using garlic powder (I don’t recommend using fresh garlic – it will burn and be bitter) and French seasoning (Herbes de Provence) – you can use Italian seasoning instead
  • cheese – a sprinkle of grated Parmesan is a must for these croutons!

How to make homemade croutons step by step

A collage of four photos showing how to prepare homemade croutons.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, grated cheese, garlic powder, herbs, salt, and pepper.

STEP 2: Cut the bread into 3/4-inch (2cm) cubes (I’m not removing the crust, but you can).

STEP 3: Add the cubed bread and toss until evenly coated.

STEP 4: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional) and spread the bread on it. Make sure the bread cubes are spaced out a bit.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden on all sides.

Enjoy!

Homemade croutons on a baking sheet.

Top Tips

  • Sadly, the more olive oil you add, the better your croutons will taste!
  • You can simplify this recipe by just placing cubed bread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil (eyeball it) and seasonings, then toss to coat. I like to combine the olive oil with seasonings first and then toss them with the bread because I think thanks to that the bread is more evenly coated and thanks to that more crispy. If you’re short on time you can go the quicker route and your croutons will still be fine!
  • Make sure to cut your croutons into even-sized cubes so that they bake evenly.
  • Baking time will depend on the size of the croutons and the type of bread – make sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. When they’re golden all over – they’re done.
  • If my loaf of bread has a soft crust I will leave it but if it’s a hard crust that often comes with sourdough bread – I usually remove it.
  • Some recipes call for tossing the croutons halfway through for even browning but I have not found that necessary. If your croutons don’t brown evenly on all sides, you can try that.

Storage

Since these croutons are made with cheese I’m keeping them in the fridge but you can keep croutons without cheese at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container. They keep really well and are just slightly less crispy the next day. You can reheat them in the oven to crisp them up. I think they will be good for a good couple of days in the fridge but they never last longer than a day in my house!

What to serve them with

Homemade croutons in a white bowl on a blue background.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Homemade Croutons

Homemade croutons are so easy and quick to prepare but they taste SO MUCH better than store-bought. Seriously, it’s so hard to stop snacking on them. You’ll want to add them to salads, soups, or eat them straight from the baking sheet!
Pin This Recipe!
Homemade croutons in a blue bowl.
Print Recipe

RATE THE RECIPE

(click on the stars)

No ratings yet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 1238kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

  • 1/2 (16oz/450g) loaf French or Italian bread these are 5 cups cubed bread (3/4-inch or 2 cm cubes) which is about 230g
  • 1/3 cup (65g) olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 15g
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence (French seasoning)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Cut the bread into 3/4-inch (2cm) cubes (I’m not removing the crust, but you can).
  • In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, grated cheese, garlic powder, herbs, salt and pepper.
  • Add the cubed bread and toss until evenly coated.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional) and spread the bread on it. Make sure the bread cubes are spaced out a bit.
  • Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden on all sides.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can simplify this recipe by just placing cubed bread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil (eyeball it) and seasonings, then toss to coat. I like to combine the olive oil with seasonings first and then toss them with the bread because I think thanks to that the bread is more evenly coated and thanks to that more crispy. If you’re short on time you can go the quicker route and your croutons will still be fine!
  • Make sure to cut your croutons into even-sized cubes so that they bake evenly.
  • Baking time will depend on the size of the croutons and the type of bread – make sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. When they’re golden all over – they’re done.
  • Calories – whole recipe. This is only an estimate!
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Tried this Recipe? Rate the Recipe and tell us what you think in the Comments!

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here