Croutons – 4 ingredients!

At a glance

What stands out: From-scratch croutons are so straightforward to mix and you’ll never look back once you’ve tried them! This straightforward crouton recipe will transform your day-old bread into completely irresistible crispy croutons. Reliable for salads, soups, or even snacking!

How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, sheet pan
Servings: 16 (about ¼ cup each)

Once you start making from-scratch croutons, there’s no going back. Learning how to make croutons is a major game-changer and your salads, soups and stews will never be the same (in a very, good way). Be sure to try our from-scratch salad dressing recipes, too.

A standby From-scratch Croutons!

Simple ingredients and so straightforward to mix. You only need four ingredients to make your own croutons: bread, olive oil, garlic powder, salt. That’s it! We're sure you already have everything you need on hand. Your from-scratch croutons will be ready to enjoy in just fifteen minutes, start to finish!

Use bread that’s getting stale. If you’re looking for ways to reduce waste in the kitchen, this is a great one! Make croutons out of day-old bread that’s starting to get stale. The croutons are actually better if the bread is on the dry side. (From-scratch bread crumbs are another great way to use day-old bread!)

So much better than store-bought! Seriously. Read the comments. From-scratch croutons are crunchy. They’re flavorful. And they’re all too straightforward to pop in your mouth! Store-bought croutons tend to be too hard and don’t have much flavor. These croutons are crispy but still tender, with just the reliable crunch. Plus, you can use good-quality bread which means you’ll have a standby tasting croutons!

Cheryl Said:

“Why, why, why would we ever buy croutons from the store again?!??!! These are straightforward & so rich, it’s life changing, seriously! Love!”

See More Reader Reviews

How it comes together

Cut the bread into cubes and toss the cubes with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Helpful Tips

• Use the right kind of bread. We usually use a French baguette, Italian bread, or any bread with a coarse airy texture. You can use whole wheat bread or other whole grain bread. Try pumpernickel bread (try our Ruby Tuesday at-home croutons!), rye bread, sourdough bread, you name it. However, keep in mind that soft sandwich sliced bread isn’t a standby choice for croutons.
• Dry bread is a standby choice. fresh bread has a lot of moisture in it so it doesn’t absorb the oil as well and doesn’t toast up easily. To fix this little problem, simply cut the bread into cubes, spread it out on the sheet pan, and let it set an hour or two uncovered. It will dry out nicely.
• Don’t underbake the croutons. The baking time can vary depending on how dry the bread is, how large you cut the cubes, and the temperature of your oven. Make sure they’re dry and crispy. If they are underdone, the croutons will be more chewy and won’t keep as well.

How to Use From-scratch Croutons

Eat them as a snack. The hardest part of from-scratch croutons (by far!) is not eating them all right off the baking sheet while they’re still warm. They are an absolutely irresistible combination of chewy and crispy!

Add to salads. From-scratch croutons elevate almost any salad. Some salads even revolve around croutons, like this classic panzanella salad or asparagus panzanella salad. Add croutons to a simple house salad or a wedge salad. If a Caesar salad is more your thing, try our Caesar croutons and Caesar salad dressing.

Float them in soups and stews. We've been loving them on top of our Italian sausage stew or pasta e fagioli soup. Croutons are a great topper for creamy soups, like smoky roasted tomato soup, butternut squash soup, or Instant Pot cauliflower potato soup.

Ways to change it

• Make croutons on the stove. You can prepare the croutons the same way if you’re going to make them on the stovetop. We usually increase the oil a little. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and toss the croutons around in the hot pan until they are golden brown. (we prefer the oven method because it’s slightly more hands-off and frees us up to do other things.)
• Use your air fryer. Another option if you don’t want to turn your oven on is air fryer croutons. An air fryer is reliable for smaller batches and and the croutons are ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.
• Add seasoning or cheese. Feel free to jazz up the croutons any way you like. We often add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. You can skip the garlic powder if you like. Add a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese for cheesy croutons.

• Yield: 16
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups (heaping) cubed bread (day old bread is best, see note)
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or sea salt)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bread, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle olive oil over bread while stirring. Stir well until the seasonings are distributed and olive oil is absorbed.
3. Spread the bread cubes into an even layer on a sheet pan. Don’t crowd the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. If you're using super fresh bread, the croutons will take a little longer to become golden brown. If the bread is stale and dry, it may brown faster, so keep an eye on it!
4. Enjoy immediately or cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

Bread: Bread that is day old, or slightly stale, works best. We usually use a French baguette, Italian bread, sourdough bread, or any bread with a coarse airy texture. You can use whole wheat bread or other whole grain bread. Soft sandwich bread is not a standby choice for croutons.

Pro tip: fresh bread has a lot of moisture in it so it doesn’t absorb the oil as well and doesn’t toast up easily. To fix this little problem, simply cut the bread into cubes, spread it out on the sheet pan, and let it set an hour or two uncovered. It will dry out nicely.

Stovetop instructions: Prep the croutons the same way although we usually increase the oil a little. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and toss the croutons around in the hot pan until they are golden brown.

Air fryer croutons: Another option if you don’t want to turn your oven on is air fryer croutons. An air fryer is reliable for smaller batches and and the croutons are ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.