I learned how to make croutons when I was in 7th grade working at my uncle’s deli. Some of my job duties included making sandwiches, baking cookies, prepping salad and making seasoned garlic homemade croutons using leftover sandwich bread from the day before. Making croutons for soup and salads was a job I took very seriously customers would let my uncle know if I did a good job. Little did I know fresh daily baked croutons made everything taste so much better. Each crouton was tossed in butter, garlic powder, and parsley, then baked till golden brown.
If you’ve ever wondered what croutons are….croutons are rebaked (sometimes sauteed) cubed season bread often added to salads and soups for added texture.
Aside from being able to enjoy fresh croutons for soups and salads, I like making seasoned croutons because it helps me use up stale bread which might otherwise be tossed out. And because I hate wasting food, I will make croutons out of any leftover bread including hotdog and hamburger buns.
Honestly, how many times have you bought a box of croutons for a salad, only to let the rest of the box go stale (bye bye $3)? By making croutons at home, you can make as much as you need – which also saves money. This crouton recipe uses only a few ingredients you likely have in your cupboard and can also be used for “seasoned cubed bread” needed in stuffing recipes.
Best of all, fresh garlic croutons make a wonderful snack. Enjoy!
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION – RELATED RECIPES TO CONSIDER
Quicker Faster No-Knead Bread
You’ll need these croutons along with this great Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing!
- 6 slices regular, gluten-free, or low-carb bread (fresh or day old), crusts trimmed and cubed
- 3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt OR ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- Preheat over to 300 degrees. Mix melted butter, garlic powder/salt, and parsley flakes until garlic powder is dissolved and mixture is clump free. Toss butter mixture with cubed bread in a medium bowl until cubes are evenly coated. Spread coated bread cubes on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes and check to see if they are dry, crispy, and golden brown. Stir the croutons around and bake for an additional 15 minutes until done. Store croutons in air-tight container or ziplock bag. Enjoy!
I also added more butter and olive oil. I save all my ends of bread, last few dry slices, bagels or whatever in the freezer. Then I cube everything, leaving the crust on also. I toss in a large bowl and use a spatula to be sure it all gets coated. Once done…..no shelf life needed, the husband and kids would rather eat the croutons than CHIPS! Good snack!!!!
I love cooking homemade it makes everything better when I’m mad I love to cook. So much with mom we cook a lot.
What is the shelf life? I’m wondering if I can make a batch and let them sit in my pantry for like a month or something? Thanks for sharing!
I used some fresh garlic cloves finely diced instead. Used a french stick that had gone stale after a week but it turned out surprisingly tasty and fine.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and I love it! I make it with the oil instead of butter and the only thing I do differently is leave the crusts on the bread. There really isn’t a reason to cut them off, they don’t become impossibly hard or anything after baking. I’m glad I found this recipe first when looking for one!
Thanks so much for this recipe! So easy, had all the ingredients in my little apartment already, and they turned out fabulously! Was a nice, extra homemade touch to dinner (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad… good old fashioned comfort foods)! 🙂
Those were great. Thanks!
My Mom and Grandmom always used egg instead of butter and fried them quickly in olive oil. Then she kept them in refrigerator for storage the night before. My mom would take them out and put them in bowl on table so you can put as many as you wanted in your Italian Wedding soup. I think this was the old Italian way.
I found English toasting bread works the best for people with sensitive teeth, it is much easier to chew and the taste is out of this world! I use garlic powder, sea salt, very little pepper and pinch of cayenne pepper.
Thanks for the recipe. I used it today to go with a home made chicken soup. They were delicious and buttery – yummm
These are faaaantastic!
Oh, i forgot:
We do not aim at getting the croutons all dry. We like them crispy and golden brown on the outside and tender inside. They are to be served hot at once or when cooled. We would make fresh ones whe we need them.
And I would personally use at least the double amount of butter. But this is a personal preference.
In Europe we would typically make croutons in a frying pan, and serve them hot in a salad or to a soup.
Just take any type of bread you like, it doesn’t matter if it is a bit stale. Cut or rip it into pieces of the size you like.
Melt the butter (or any other fat/oil) on medium to high temperature in a frying pan. (If we are making a salad with bacon bits or slices we would use the dripping left in the frying pan for a more bacony taste.)
When the butter is starting to brown, put the croutons in. Stir or toss while the croutons are getting golden brown. If we have fresh garlic we would use it. Peel and crush gently and add the whole cloves during the last minute of frying (pick them out if they are getting brown, or when the croutons are done).
When the croutons are done, add salt and parsley or any other herb you like, preferably fresh, but dried is also very OK.
Ready to serve in less than 5 minutes. (2 min cutting, 3 minutes frying)
^Amy Pla thats a awesome idea and I will be using it. 😀 thanks. Also made and loved these croutons.
It must be F. My gas stove is marked in C and only goes to 270 C. Must be around 150 C.
LOVED THESE! Amazing flavor and so easy! I used sourdough hogie rolls and whoa momma, amazing!!!
This is the First time I’ve made croutons and they came out perfect! I actually used stale hot dog rolls.
I am making them as we speak. They are still in the oven but I just sampled on as I checked them, mmmmmmmm! I changed my seasonings a bit, since we are having spaghetti I used basil, oregano, garlic salt and just a touch of onion powder. I left the crust on just because I didn’t want to waste anything. I will be using this agin and again. Thanks. Oh and I used butter.