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!
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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!
They came out perfect! Better than boxed! Sharing this recipe with family & friends!
Thanks!
Easy recipe I am definitely going to try it out for my husband and my two beautiful girls.
What a great and easy recipe! I made it and my family loved it! What a fast, easy and cheap way to make these! Thank you!!
Bought an Italian loaf today with the sole intention of using it in batches to make croutons for the different soups I am making or dinners this week. I used olive oil, onion powder, parsley, and 3 cloves of garlic (I love roast garlic) and after I flipped them halfway through I tossed on a sprinkling of grated parmesan. I popped them into my store bought tomato soup. Delicious!! It won’t let me rate on my iPhone for some reason but hands down: 5 stars!
just add some meltable cheese (maybe Velveeta) to the sauce while you melt the butter and all together
I love this easy fast way to make croutons. Personally i like to just eat them instead of chips. I was hoping someone mite b able to tell me how to make cheesy garlic flavored croutons. thank you and please email me if you know ch********@***oo.com
I just made some roasted corn and tomato soup for dinner and want to put some croutons on top. This looks perfect! Thanks!
I forgot to read the bottom of your recipe where it warns that temps vary. I burned mine. 🙁 at the 15 min mark they were done. Very tasty though. Will keep this recipe.
This recipe is amazing! My boyfriend came to me, and said, “honey, do u know how to make croutans?” My response was…”no, but I’m sure I can look it up, and we can have a nice salad for dinner!” That’s when this recipe popped up, AMAZING! Definitely worth trying! Five stars all the way!
300 degrees celcius or farenheit?
I used day old semolina bread from the bakery (why waste it?) and left the crusts on. I put the cubes in a bowl and drizzled the olive oil mixture over them as I tossed them with my free hand. I have tried this recipe with a combination of butter and olive oil and then with just olive oil. They’re delicious both ways! I bake mine for a total of 20 minutes. I’ve had them on Caesar salad, with cold Salmorejo tomato soup (a nice alternative to gazpacho), and right out of the bag. So easy to make and so much better than the store bought ones.
My husband said these were the best croutons he has ever eaten. I must agree! I did cut the amount garlic powder in half, as I didn’t want the seasoning to overwhelm the croutons, and I’m glad I did. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
Erin, I have found a great way to keep from wasting fresh herbs, like parsley. I wash and dry in a salad spinner as much as possible any herbs that I can’t use while it is still very fresh. I then chop finely and put into plastic snack bags and put into my freezer. Whenever I need “fresh” parsley, scallions, basil, oregano and cilantro etc., I just take the bag out of the freezer and take out what ever amount I need (put remaining herbs back into the freezer) and add the herbs to the recipe. I love this method and the herbs really stay truly green and fresh. I have shared this method with others and they really love the idea of NOT wasting those precious herbs. Also, using the crusts works great, too, for those who wondered if that was okay!
I just made some croutons, using t his recipe. I actually had cubed some left over French bread and frozen it because I didn’t have time to make croutons at the time. Then when I had time, I briefly thawed the bread cubes and then proceeded with the recipe. They came out perfectly! Just a reminder that croutons are not only great on salads but soups. as well. Enjoy!
thank you for posting this i have my final exam test tomorrow and i cant find my croutons recipe lucky i can use whatever i want for the croutons
Thanks for your recipe. I chose to use oregano (organic) for the recipe with french baguette (organic) rolls and they turned out wonderful!! Simple.
These are delicious! I made rye bread last week and didn’t eat it fast enough. I didn’t want to waste it, so I decided to give croutons a try. I used olive oil and left the crusts on the bread (I’m a nut who loves bread crust). I can’t stop eating them! At this rate, none of them are going to make it into tonight’s salad!
This recipe is amazing! Since I didn’t have butter or olive oil, I used vegetable oil. They came out really great!
Great recipe!
I vote for leaving the crust on. I did, and the results were outstanding! Why waste the delicious crust?
Nevermind! I see it’s 300.
What oven temperature?
Thank you so much for the recipe! I just made some heart shaped ones for our Valentine dinner tonight 🙂
These croutons are so simple and they suit my purpose perfectly.
Forgot to mention that I used them to top a Tuscan Kale Salad–a great combo! My 2-1/2 yr. old couldn’t get enough of them and neither could my dinner party guests (I had to steal some away to make sure that there were enough to actually incorporate into the meal.) Thanks again!
Wow, this site is great and the croutons were wonderful! I made them with organic artisan whole wheat bread and left the crusts on, just because I love it and couldn’t bear to compost it or feed it to the dog (and didn’t want to spoil my appetite). I used wild mushroom and sage olive oil, which enhanced the flavor nicely. I ended up doubling the olive oil mixture because I’d originally combined it in the bottom of the bowl and the first cubes of bread soaked it up quickly. I used a measuring cup for the second batch of it and then drizzled it over slowly, stirring the bread cubes in between each pour. Excellent!! Thank you!