How to Make Easy Homemade Croutons With Garlic and Herbs
The best Homemade Croutons are made using cubed leftover crusty French bread, melted butter or olive oil, minced fresh garlic, and herbs. Tossed in a large cast-iron skillet then slow-baking in the oven is the best way to crispy homemade croutons. Sprinkled with a generous amount of sea salt, garlic powder, and fresh ground black pepper is a great way to elevate your favorite salads and soup recipes. I promise you’ll never buy store-bought croutons again!
Making your own homemade croutons is a special touch that will elevate any salad or soup from good to really great. They add a level of flavor and texture that you can’t buy at the grocery store. With endless seasoning combinations, these buttery homemade croutons can be easily customized to fit any dish!
These buttery, crunchy croutons are so simple to make and so much better than any store-bought croutons you’ll ever buy. Not only are you making a special treat for this Homemade Caesar salad Dressing or Homemade Tomato Soup, but you’re also saving money using leftover, stale bread. Who doesn’t want to save a few dollars nowadays?
Ingredients You Need to Make Homemade Delicious Croutons
Basic Ingredients You’ll Need
- All Types of Crusty Bread: any kind of bread will work but a hearty crusty loaf of bread like French Bread, a French baguette, leftover sourdough bread, or even a nice Focaccia bread is best. You can also use leftover bread from dinner rolls, hamburger buns, or white sandwich bread.
- Butter or Oil:I prefer butter, but olive oil or canola oil works just as well. Butter adds a savory flavor layer.
- Herbs and Spices: the sky’s the limit for this ingredient group! Fresh or dried, it doesn’t matter. Salt, black pepper, and fresh garlic or garlic powder are mandatory for the best croutons. Fresh herbs like Rosemary and Thyme usually grow year-round in Oklahoma, so I use these the most. Italian seasoning, chives, parsley, minced jalapenos, and minced onions or onion powder are also delicious. The best part about making your own homemade croutons is that you can customize them to any green salad your making.
How to Make Homemade Crouton Recipe
- Step One: Cut an old bread loaf of bread into bite-size cubes. A perforated bread knife makes this step easy.
- Step Two: Melt 3/4 stick of butter, about 6 tablespoons, in an oven-proof large skillet over medium heat.
- Step Three: Chop fresh herbs and mince garlic. Sauté in the melted butter until just soft. Note: If using dried herbs and seasonings, add in step three.
- Step Four: Add bread cubes to the skillet with the herbs and melted butter. Toss continually with a spatula until all the bread cubes are coated with the butter mixture.
- Step Five: Add 2 more tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle or shake garlic powder, sea salt, and ground black pepper. If using dried herbs, sprinkle over the buttered croutons at this time. Toss again until the butter is melted and seasonings are evenly distributed all over the croutons. Croutons should start to turn golden brown at this point.
- Step Six: Place the skillet in the oven. Bake at 250o-275o for at least 30 minutes. Stir in 15-minute intervals until the croutons are crunchy and golden brown.
Quick Tips
⭐ If you’re using oil, toss the bread cubes and fresh herbs with the oil in a large bowl. Let the cubed bread and oil mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes. Toss again before placing the bread cubes in the large skillet. Any leftover oil on the bottom of the bowl should be added to the skillet along with the croutons.
⭐ Bread type and size of the bread cube make a big difference in baking times and crunch level. I like bigger bread cubes when using an Artisian-type bread. If you’re using leftover sandwich bread, buns, or breadsticks the cooking time will be less. Instead of turning every 15 minutes, toss every 8 or 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions, FAQ’s
Q: Can fresh bread be used instead of stale bread?
A: Yes, cut the bread into cubes and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Let air dry for a few hours or until the cubes develop semi-hard edges.
Q: Can these homemade croutons be made on a sheet pan instead of a skillet?
A: Yes, use oil instead of butter. Preheat the oven to 250o. Heat the sheet pan in the oven until it’s hot. Add tossed-oiled bread cubes to the sheet pan in a single even layer. Bake for about an hour, stirring every 10 – 15 minutes. Check for crunchy texture halfway through cooking time.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE CROUTONS
Store homemade croutons in a Ziplock bag or plastic airtight container at room temperature. These stay crispy for about 4 days.
More Souper Yummy Recipes Homemade Croutons Are Great With
Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing I’ve resorted to store-bought croutons before and my people we’re not happy.
Creamy Yellow Summer Squash Soup with Parmesan
Easy Seafood Chowder – Delicious Family Favorite is our Christmas Eve family tradition. The combination of homemade Caesar Salad, buttery and crunchy homemade croutons, and this chowder makes everyone happy😊.
Simple Savory Butternut Squash Soup
Homemade Tomato Soup with Bacon
These homemade salad dressings are perfect for crispy, garden-fresh salads, especially with these easy croutons sprinkled on top!
- Best Homemade Dijon Italian Salad Dressing
- Cilantro Dill Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- Best Spicy Jalapeno Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- Homemade Caesar Salad Recipe
How to Make Easy Homemade Croutons with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 medium size Crusty Bread Load, stale or dry is best about 4 cups cut or torn up into pieces
- 3/4 stick unsalted Butter divided, 1/2 stick…then 1/4
- 2 tsp coarse Sea Salt or 1 tsp of fine Sea Salt
- 1 tsp ground fresh black pepper or more to taste
- herbs and spices to taste
- 3 gloves minced Garlic
Instructions
- Step One: Cut an old bread loaf of bread into bite size cubes. A perforated bread knife makes this step easy.
- Step Two: Melt 3/4 stick of butter, about 6 tablespoons, in an oven proof large skillet over medium heat.
- Step Three: Chop fresh herbs and mince garlic. Sauté in the melted butter until just soft. Note: If using dried herbs and seasonings, add in step three.
- Step Four: Add bread cubes to the skillet with the herbs and melted butter. Toss continually with a spatula until all the bread cubes are coated with the butter mixture.
- Step Five: Add 2 more tablespoons of butter, sprinkle or shake garlic powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, and the dried herbs if using dried over the buttered croutons. Toss again until butter is melted, and seasonings are evenly distributed all over the croutons and croutons start to turn golden brown.
- Step Six: Place the skillet in the oven. Bake at 250o-275o for at least 30 minutes. Stir in 15-minute intervals until the croutons are crunchy and golden brown.
