Easy Homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons are so easy to make! With just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of time, you can make croutons that are perfectly seasoned and taste better than store-bought.

Croutons are the obvious addition to Caesar Salads and Greek Salads, but they also add a nice crunch to soups like Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup and Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup.

When it comes to what to do with leftover bread, croutons reign supreme.

Not only do croutons make use of stale bread that may be thrown out, but they add texture and flavor to salads and soups. And really, who can resist a crispy, crunchy nugget of flavored bread?!

And they are SO easy to make!

Why Homemade is Best

We have already covered that Homemade Croutons make great use of stale bread and are easy to make, but there are a few other reasons that homemade is better than store-bought.

• You can control the quality of ingredients. Store-bought croutons are typically high in sodium and have a lot of added sugars, and preservatives. Homemade croutons have no added corn syrup, or preservatives, are lower in sodium, are sugar-free, and can be made with whole-grain bread.
• This recipe for homemade croutons is easily modified to be allergy-friendly. You can make dairy-free, peanut-free, corn-free, and even gluten-free croutons easily when you prepare them yourself.
• Homemade Croutons taste better and are completely customizable. If you love garlic--add more. Hate garlic--omit it! Want to add cheese--go crazy! You get the idea.

Bottom line--Homemade Croutons are easy to make, incredibly flavorful, and better for you than store-bought.

Notes on Ingredients

• Bread: Use any variety of bread you like, such as Italian bread, whole wheat bread, gluten-free bread, and even cornbread makes delicious croutons. This is also a great time to use stale bread.
• Olive Oil: I highly recommend using good-quality olive oil, not canola or vegetable oil. The olive oil not only allows the bread to toast evenly but also adds flavor to the croutons. And don't worry, you don't need much!
• Seasonings: You can use any combination of dried seasonings you like. I personally opt for garlic powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, and onion powder, which mimic the flavor of store-bought Italian-seasoned croutons.

How To Make Croutons

• Cut up bread into ½ inch chunks--think bite size. Remember, this is a great time to use scraps of bread or stale bread. You can use more than one variety of bread.

• Place the cubed bread onto a large-rimmed baking sheet.
• Drizzle the bread cubes with olive oil and sprinkle with the dried seasonings.

• Use your hands to toss the bread with the seasonings and oil until the bread cubes are evenly seasoned.
• Spread the bread cubes out into an even layer on a large baking sheet. You want to be sure to leave enough space that the croutons crisp up, instead of steam and get soggy in the oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven and give the pan a shake, or flip the croutons with a spatula.
• Return the pan to the oven and bake for additional 5 minutes or until the croutons are golden.

How to Use Croutons

Homemade Croutons are a delicious crunchy addition to salads, and soups, but also can be used in a variety of creative ways.

• Use the croutons to top salads, such as BLT Salad or a Copycat Panera Greek Salad.
• Top soups, Instant Pot Tomato Soup, with a generous serving of croutons to add crunch and texture.
• Instead of drying out bread for stuffing, use croutons as a base for Homemade Stuffing.
• Grind up leftover croutons and use them in any recipe calling for seasoned breadcrumbs or to bread Homemade Chicken Tenders.
• Replace the hash browns and omit the salt in Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole with 4 cups of croutons, for a delicious, savory, seasoned breakfast casserole.

How to Store Croutons

After baking, allow the croutons to cool fully. Then store them in an airtight container, in a cool pantry for up to 2 weeks.

Air Fryer Croutons

This recipe for homemade croutons can easily be adapted for an air fryer, but the recipe will need to be cut in half or prepared in batches.

• If your model of an air fryer needs to be preheated, heat it to 400 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon dried parsley with 4 cups of cubed bread.
• Let the bread sit in the mixture for 2 minutes to absorb the flavor.
• Spread the cubed bread in the basket of the air fryer and toast for 3 minutes at 400 degrees F.
• Remove the basket and shake and toast for an additional 3 minutes.
• Check to be sure the bread is evenly toasted, if not, return it to the air fryer for 2 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

More DIY Favorite Recipes

• Homemade Ranch Dressing
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• Instant Pot Chicken Broth
• Pickled Red Onions
• Chili Seasoning

If you made these Homemade Croutons, I would love for you to leave a comment and rating below. 

This post was originally published in 2019 but updated in 2022 with new tips.