Do you have leftover bread and wondering what to do with it? Why not make homemade croutons?
With this simple, customizable recipe, you can easily make croutons that are a million times better than anything you can buy at the store. They are easy to customize with your desired seasonings and can be made in any size, texture, or flavor that you prefer. The best part is that they can be made with any kind of bread, including gluten-free bread.
You can also check out our other Appetizers Recipes.
Homemade Croutons
Having a fresh batch of croutons is one of the best motivators to toss together a quick salad, and they also taste great with tomato soup or gazpacho. So, grab that leftover bread, and let’s bake up a quick batch!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf bread
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning homemade or store-bought
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 370°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. This will prevent the croutons from sticking to the pan and make for easy cleanup.
- In a large bowl, place the ¾-inch bread cubes.
- Evenly drizzle the olive oil over the bread chunks.
- Sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper evenly over the bread.
- Gently toss the bread and seasonings together until the bread cubes are well coated with the olive oil and seasonings. Make sure all the cubes are seasoned evenly.
- Spread the seasoned bread cubes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. This will help them cook evenly.
- Bake the bread cubes in the preheated oven until they turn golden brown. You’ll want to turn them once halfway through the cooking time to ensure that all sides of the croutons become crispy and golden. The exact cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the bread cubes, but it generally takes between 15-20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them to prevent burning.
- Once the croutons are golden and crispy, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet. They will become even crispier as they cool.
- You can use the homemade croutons immediately to top salads or soups, or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week to keep them fresh.
