Homemade croutons are a simple, delicious way to elevate your salads, soups, and casseroles. They’re incredibly easy to make, require just a few pantry staples, and taste far better than anything you can buy pre-packaged. Plus, they’re a great way to use up leftover or slightly stale bread.
To make homemade croutons, start by cutting your bread into bite-sized cubes. You can use almost any type of bread—white, whole wheat, sourdough, baguettes, or even rye. The key is to choose bread with a sturdy texture so the croutons crisp up nicely in the oven.
How to Make Perfect Homemade Croutons
Toss the bread cubes with olive oil or melted butter until lightly coated. Then season to your liking. A simple mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder works well, but you can get creative with herbs like thyme, rosemary, or Italian seasoning. For a cheesy twist, sprinkle with grated Parmesan before baking.
Spread the seasoned bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–20 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and crunchy. Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to a week.
Homemade croutons add the perfect crunch to Caesar salad, tomato soup, or even as a topping for mac and cheese. They’re also great for snacking on their own!
Making croutons at home lets you control the flavor, texture, and ingredients, ensuring a fresher, healthier option with no preservatives. You can even customize them for different cuisines—try curry powder for an Indian twist or smoked paprika for a Spanish flair.
These crispy, golden brown homemade croutons are perfect for your salads and soups.
Ingredients
- 4 cups French bread cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs optional, such as basil, oregano, or thyme
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a large bowl, combine the cubed French bread, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. If using, add the dried herbs.
- Toss until the bread cubes are evenly coated.
- Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the croutons are golden brown and crispy.
- Let the croutons cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Wow, too much olive oil made them soggy. Won’t try again.
Just bread and oil? Rly? Can’t believe this is a recipe.
Who needs store-bought when you can make these at home? So simple! 🌟
Totally agree! It’s way more fun to make them yourself. ✨
Super easy recipe! I used rosemary instead of thyme and they turned out great!
Forget the store-bought ones, these are way better! They tasted fresh and homemade. Definitely a new staple for us!
I totally agree! Store-bought ones taste like cardboard compared to these. So easy to make!
I don’t get why people love croutons. They’re just stale bread. Tragic.
I used to think that too! But when you make them yourself, they’re so crispy and yummy! Give it a try!
Honestly, croutons are just fancy crumbs. Pretty pointless if you ask me.
I used leftover bread and these turned out fantastic! Love it!
I’ve never made croutons before. This was fun and now I wanna try other flavors. Thanks for this!
Not bad, but they didn’t turn out as crispy as I hoped. Maybe I should have used more olive oil?
I think maybe you need to bake them a bit longer. They should get crispy if you keep an eye on them!
OMG these are awesome! I could eat them all day long!!!
I tried making these but I think I burned them 🙁. Maybe 10-15 minutes is too long? Not sure I’ll try again.
How do u even get them crunchy? Mine were soft. Please help!
I didn’t have any garlic powder and used onion powder instead. Still delicious!
I combined with soup, delish! Croutons are perfect for everything.
i made these but forgot to stir halfway and they burnt. sad face. 3 stars.
u forgot the cheese! croutons need cheese! 😡
You’re right! Cheese would totally take those croutons to the next level. 😍
These croutons were amazing! They added such a nice crunch to my salad. Definitely making them again!
I always thought croutons were complicated. This was easy! But I feel like they need a bit more kick?
These croutons are to die for! I made them for my salad and they were crispy and so flavorful. Will make again!
Super easy to make! I love how you can customize them with whatever herbs you have. I added rosemary and it was perfect!
so good! just perfect croutons 😍 I will make again!