How to Make Croutons with Any Kind of Bread

HOMEMADE CROUTONS are easy to make, and so delicious in salads and soups. With this easy crouton recipe, I’ll show you how to make homemade croutons in minutes, using whatever bread you have on hand.  

How To Make Homemade Croutons

When it comes to croutons, there’s nothing like a homemade crouton. They’re crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, and a thousand times better than the croutons you buy at the store.

I make my own croutons all the time because they’re so quick and easy to make. I can have a batch of croutons made in about the time it takes me to put together a salad.

I love making my own croutons because I can flavour them however I want by adding dried herbs to them, or I can leave them plain. And it means I never have to forego making a caesar salad just because I’ve run out of store-bought croutons.

Croutons – Not Just for Salad

Speaking of caesar salad, that’s usually the first thing that comes to mind when we think of croutons, but don’t limit yourself when it comes to using your homemade croutons. Croutons are great in soup. We prefer them to soda crackers. My homemade tomato soup and squash soup are two favourites that I love to add croutons to.

Homemade Croutons Can Be Made with Any Bread

The great thing about making your own croutons is that you can use whatever bread you have on hand.

I’ve made croutons with:

Heck, I’ll even use white Wonder bread if that’s all we have on hand.

Stale or fresh bread for croutons?

Stale bread makes the best croutons but you can certainly use fresh bread. Stale bread is easier to cube though, and hey, it’s on it’s way to being crunchy anyway. Making croutons with it is a great alternative to throwing it out.

I made the croutons you see in these photos with a few mini-croissants that had been sitting in our bread drawer for a couple of weeks.  They were extremely stale, and the croutons I made with them were extremely tasty.

Storing Homemade Croutons

One of the great things about homemade croutons is that they store well, so when I have a loaf of stale bread, I’ll make a big batch of croutons, and I’ll have them to use in salads for days or even weeks.

You can store your croutons in a cupboard in an air tight container, glass jar or re-sealable bag.

Ok. let’s make some of these golden-brown nuggets of goodness so you can take your family’s salad or soup to a whole new level tonight.

Homemade Croutons Recipe

Ingredients:

• Bread (preferably stale)
• Olive Oil
• Seasonings (such as salt, pepper, dried herbs, garlic powder, parmesan etc.)

Making your Croutons:

Cube your bread

Cut your bread cut it up into cubes.

I personally like big, chunky croutons, but you do what works for you.

For a more rustic look, you can rip your bread into chunks instead of cubing it with a knife.

Add Olive Oil

Put your bread cubes into a bowl and drizzle a little 0live oil over them.

You don’t need a lot. Start with a tablespoon or so.

Stir ’em up good.

It’s going to seem like only a few croutons have soaked up the oil, but when you see sides of the bowl start to get oily, that’s a sign that all of the bread is getting lightly coated with the oil.

If you need to add more oil, just add a tsp at a time. You don’t want to soak your bread cubes.

Add any herbs or spices

At this point, if you like, you can flavour your homemade croutons with a generous dash of parmesan, crushed oregano, basil or garlic powder.  Whatever suits your fancy…

I was in a hurry tonight, so I just left my croutons plain.

Bake your croutons

Now, spread your oiled bread cubes out on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes at 350ºF.

You can gently toss or stir your croutons at the 5 or 6 minute mark.

By the 10 minute mark, your croutons should be a toasty, golden-brown.

Mmmm. Don’t they look amazing? I can never resist eating a handful of them fresh out of the oven.

Let your croutons cool a little before adding them to your salad.

Enjoy!

Now that you know how quick and easy it is to make your own croutons, I’ll bet you never buy store-bought again.

And of course, these croutons can be crushed any time a recipe calls for bread crumbs too!

More recipes for you to enjoy:

Easy Homemade Soup Recipes

10-Minute Homemade Butter

Best Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

Get the 3-5 Playful Preschool e-Book!

25+preschool activities by 25 bloggers, 10 printables, 50 links to activities not featured in the book all for $8.99!

Download your copy today:

Follow the Hooligans on Facebook

for FREE crafts, 

activities & recipes!

 

Your kids will never be bored again!

Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.