Easy Homemade Croutons
Easy Homemade Croutons – it takes just a few ingredients and a few minutes to make these garlic herb croutons. Try this crouton recipe and take your salads and soups to a whole new delicious level!
The next time you’re left with part of a loaf of French bread, make croutons! This crouton recipe is quick and easy and can be made with fresh or dried herbs. Homemade croutons are the perfect way to use stale bread.
These homemade croutons turn out crispy and crunchy every time. To make them, all you need to do is cut some bread into cubes, toss it with olive oil and seasonings, and toast the croutons in your oven. Then try not to eat them all right off of the pan!
Why you’ll love these homemade croutons
- They are baked and healthier than store bought.
- The oven toasted croutons are deliciously crisp and crunchy.
- They are seasoned with garlic and herbs – yum!
Crouton Ingredients
- French bread or other crusty bread, such as ciabatta – you can use fresh bread or stale. One or two days old bread works well.
- Olive oil – tossing the bread in olive oil both adds flavor and helps the bread to crisp up so that your croutons turn out crunchy.
- Fresh garlic – I love the flavor of fresh garlic in croutons. You can substitute 1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder for one clove of garlic.
- Fresh herbs, such as parsley and thyme – If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, you can use dried herbs to season your croutons. Use about 1/3 the amount of dried herbs versus fresh since dried herbs are more potent.
- Salt and pepper – adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
That’s it! It really is simple to make your own croutons!
How to make croutons
- Cut bread into cubes.
- Toss the bread with oil and seasonings.
- Bake the croutons.
- Let the croutons cool on the pan.
Tips for making croutons
- Try using different types of bread. French bread, whole wheat French bread, multigrain, ciabatta, baguette, and sourdough are all good options!
- Try different seasonings for your croutons. Use different combinations of herbs, add some Parmesan cheese, or keep things simple with just garlic, salt and pepper.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when you bake croutons. You want the air to be able to circulate around the pieces of bread as they toast in the oven so that they will crisp. You can use two baking sheets and rotate the pans if you are making a lot of croutons.
- Watch the croutons carefully as they bake to make sure they don’t burn. The baking time can vary with the size of the bread pieces, the type of bread you use, and how fresh or stale it is.
Easy Homemade Croutons
Easy Homemade Croutons - it takes just a few ingredients and a few minutes to make these garlic herb croutons. Try this crouton recipe and take your salads and soups to a whole new delicious level!
Ingredients
- 8 thick slices crusty bread, French bread, ciabatta, multigrain, baguette, etc.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 small or 1 large clove garlic, minced (or 1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley*
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme*
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a rimmed baking sheet lightly with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Cut bread into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Pour the oil mixture over the bread and use your hands to toss until evenly coated.
- Spread the croutons in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Begin checking on the croutons at about 8 minutes, as bake time may vary.
- Let the croutons cool completely on the pan before storing.
Notes
*Substitute other herbs as desired. You can also use dried herbs. Use 1/3 the amount if using dried herbs as a substitute for fresh.
Serving: 1/2 cup, Calories: 160kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 188mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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