Homemade Croutons are one of those simple pleasures that I look forward to every week when I whip up a quick batch for my family. This crouton recipe is super simple to make and it adds a little extra love to salads.

The absolute best homemade croutons recipe.

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These little gems are so yummy! I could honestly eat the whole bowl-full alone. They really do add an extra special element to my favorite spinach salad.

Homemade Croutons are so easy to make and very versatile! Consider my recipe below as the base recipe with endless flavor combinations between the bread varieties and seasoning blends. Here are a few of my favorites.

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Crouton Flavor Combinations:

  • French bread & herbs de Provence
  • Italian Bread & Parmesan (use 1/4 cup of shredded cheese)
  • Rye bread & salt and pepper
  • Pumpernickel bread & salt and pepper
  • Foccocia bread & Italian seasoning
  • Sour Dough bread & Montreal seasoning
  • Cornbread & taco seasoning (you’ll need to cook the bread cubes a little longer because of how dense and moist the bread is. Usually 20-30 minutes will do it).
  • Cornbread & creole seasoning

The last crouton recipe you'll ever need!

How do you make croutons?

The most important thing that you need to know about making stellar croutons is that you must start with stale bread.

Why?

You know how when you water a potted plant that hasn’t been watered for a while, the soil just soaks up all the water that you give it?

That same thing happens with the stale bread. But instead of water, the stale, thirsty bread cubes soak up olive oil and BUTTER! This makes the croutons so savory and flavorful!

Plus the bread is less prone to tearing while cutting when it’s stale.

Ok, back to how to make croutons….

All you need to do is:

  1. Cut the stale bread into cubes.
  2. Place the cubes on a baking sheet.
  3. Next, pour on the butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and seasoning.
  4. Use your hands to give everything a good toss.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F until the bread cubes are nice and golden brown.
  6. Finally, cool the croutons and then use them on your favorite salad!

Everything that you need to know about homemade croutons!

How long can you keep homemade croutons?

  • These will keep in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 10 days.

Can you freeze croutons?

  • Yes! Simply place them in a zip-top freezer bag and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • When you’re ready to use them, simply thaw the croutons to room temperature and then crisp them on a baking sheet in a 250 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes.

The best homemade croutons for any salad!

How I use them:

  1. Stuffing – Instead of buying a bag of stuffing mix around the holidays, I like to coarsely crush up a recipe of these croutons to use in their place!
  2. Soups – these are killer on top of tomato soup, broccoli soup, and basically any creamy or Italian soup.
  3. Breadcrumbs – I love using crushed up croutons as a breadcrumbs substitute. They add SO much flavor!
  4. Salads – These are fabulous with all kinds of salads: Garden Bean Salad, Summer’s Bounty Salad,  Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad, Chopped Wedge Salad, and Spinach Salad recipes (see the Spinach Salad in action below)!

The best croutons for any salad recipe!

Homemade Croutons are not only easy to make but fun, too! When you make this recipe grab the kids, they’ll love getting their hands dirty in step 3 of the recipe below!

Cook’s Note:

  • If you only have half or a quarter of a loaf, then halve or quarter the recipe according to how much bread you have.
  • These will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 10 days.

Easy homemade croutons recipe for any salad!

Cook’s Tools – Crouton Recipe:

  • chef’s knife
  • cutting board
  • baking sheet
  • wire rack

ONE YEAR AGO: Paradise Cookies

TWO YEARS AGO: Goat Cheese Tomato Tart

THREE YEARS AGO: Carrot Cake Cookie Bars

All the ingredients needed for homemade croutons

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Versatile homemade croutons recipe.
5 from 9 votes

Homemade Croutons Recipe

Author Jillian - a Food, Folks and Fun original!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
16 people
Homemade Croutons are one of those simple pleasures that I look forward to every week when I whip up a quick batch for my family. They’re super simple to make and they add a little extra love to our salads.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 loaf french bread a few days old, about 4 heaping cups of bread cubes
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

Instructions

  • Move the oven rack to the middle positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Slice the bread into small 1-inch cubes.
    Step 1 - How to Make Croutons
  • Transfer the bread cubes to a parchment or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet.
    Step 2 - How to Make Croutons
  • Pour the butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning over the bread cubes. Toss the croutons with your hands until they are evenly coated.
    Step 3 - How to Make Croutons
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the croutons are nice and golden brown. Cool your pan on a wire rack until they reach room temperature, and then serve them on top of your favorite salad.
    The best croutons for any salad recipe!

Notes

The calories for this recipe really depends on the bread that you use to make the croutons. Please view the nutritional information as an estimate. 

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 524mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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Homemade croutons recipe made in the oven.


This crouton recipe was first published on FFF in January of 2011. I recently updated the recipe and pictures. Here’s one of the original pictures below.

Picture of homemade croutons from 2011.

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18 Comments

  1. Kirsten @ Mushki Loves says:

    Hi! I have been following you for a while now and I LOVe the recipes you share. I do a feature called “What’s up Wednesday” and I featured your yummy salad! I hope that is Ok. Have a great day!

  2. Love this recipe! Always keep a bag in the freezer because it takes salad over the top!

    1. Awesome! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  3. These are amazing! Love the flavor on these!

    1. So glad you loved these!

  4. Darlene @ Dip Recipe Creations says:

    Oh, I love homemade croutons and these sound fabulous! Amazing update on your photos too 🙂

  5. I love to make croutons at home – it’s such a great way to use day-old bread. Your recipe sounds delicious!

  6. Jacqueline Debono says:

    I love croutons in soups and salads, but have never made my own! Really should be doing that! Yours look so good!

  7. I often make my own crutons but rarely move away from regular white bread. I love all your different flavohr combination suggestjon! Will be working my way down the list.

    1. I hope that you enjoy the different flavor combinations!

  8. Neli Howard says:

    I LOVE how easy and delicious this is! Good idea! Looks very tasty! I am going to make this! This recipe really impresses! I really like! Thank you.

    1. So glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by!

  9. Great recipe to make the BEST homemade croutons!

    1. Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

  10. I read only your croutons recipe on Pinterest, and they turned out great. I hadnsome small grocery-bakery dinner rolls (the bag had a “sweet” sticker and that was slightly detectable, not in a bad way). I cut them into about 1.5″ chunks and because they were soft, I put on cookie sheet at 170° for about 30 mins to just slightly crisp them. I put into large bowl and sprinkled on some powdered Parmesan, and then poured on and tossed the bread with melted butter with tiny amt of minced garlic softened in it, sunflower oil, celtic sea salt, and tiny sprinkle of Italian seasoning (wanted it to not be real noticeable). Put in oven at 270° for another 30 minutes. They had the slightest light brown coloring in spots and were crunchy outside and soft inside. I liked that they weren’t crunchy like the store-bought kind. Thanks for a wonderful point de départ (en français, point of departure = starting point).

    1. Yum, your take on my croutons sounds delicious!