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These homemade croutons are the best easy recipe for perfect seasoned croutons made at home. They have a delicious crunchy outer layer and flavorful interior. You can change up the seasoning or bread with what you have on hand and they store great for use in salads and soup all week long!
Every salad needs some delicious homemade croutons and this croutons recipe makes enough to last all week long. We used day old salt bread tossed in an olive oil seasoning mixture that gives these baked croutons a perfectly crusty exterior with a flavourful chewy inside that is everything.
My entire family went crazy over these croutons made from scratch and my kids love to snack on them all day long. This recipe even got them to eat salad!
Why you’ll love this homemade croutons recipe?
- It is so quick and easy to make!
- You can use any type of bread or seasoning you have on hand.
- These homemade croutons are WAY better then store-bought croutons.
- They dress up any salad and are great as a topping on soup too!
- You can make a bunch and store them and use them all week long!
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What kind of bread works best for making croutons?
You can use any kind of bread to make croutons. The most important thing to keep in mind is to use bread that is a little stale, at least a few days old and not a new loaf you just bought from your local bakery or just pulled out of the oven.
Older bread is better than fresh bread when making croutons because the dryness helps you get nice and crispy croutons that easily soak up any seasoning you toss them with. That crunchy crispy texture is tough to get with freshly baked bread. A day-old crusty ciabatta or French bread works BEST.
Ingredients Needed
You only need a few simple pantry ingredients to make your own homemade seasoned croutons. Here is what you’ll need:
- Stale bread – Crusty ciabatta is the best but we also tested this recipe with day old sourdough and pumpernickel bread, which both worked great!
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is used to help get the croutons nice and golden as they cook.
- Seasoning – Garlic powder, Adobo, Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper are used as the seasoning blend for this croutons recipe. We thought this blend of flavors gave the croutons this amazing flavor but feel free to use any seasoning you like.
- Nutritional yeast – a deactivated yeast that has a savory umami flavor that gives other ingredients a cheesy flavorful taste that is amazing! You can find nutritional yeast at almost any grocery store or easily online.
How To Make Homemade Croutons
Here is a summary with step by step photos for how to make these croutons. Get the complete recipe with detailed instructions and nutrition in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Combine all spices into a large bowl and combine thoroughly with the oil.
Step 2: Add the cubed bread to the bowl with the seasoning.
Step 3: Toss the bread with the seasoning
Step 4: Spread the seasoned bread cubes on a lined baking sheet and bake until golden and crispy, about 15 minutes at 425°F.
You can eat these croutons immediately or let them cool completely and store them for later. Enjoy these homemade croutons on your favorite salad or soup!
Recipe Tips
- Use stale or day old bread since it is dryer then fresh bread and will absorb the seasoning better. Stale bread also gets crispier and golden as it cooks.
- Make sure to evenly season the bread cubes in the seasoning mixture for the best flavorful results.
- Do not bake them for too long or they could get too hard, making them tougher to eat.
Ways to serve croutons
How to store homemade croutons
To store homemade croutons, just put them into an airtight container after they have fully cooled and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! They stay super crunchy and are ready for topping your favorite salads and soups.
More Healthy Recipes To Try!
Did you try this easy homemade croutons recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
Check out all of my healthy recipes on PMG!
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Best Homemade Croutons
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These homemade croutons are the best easy croutons recipe! They have a wonderful crusty outer layer with a perfectly chewy center that is amazing. Use any type of bread or seasoning you like. Serve these croutons on salad or soup all week long!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed bread (preferably day-old ciabatta bread)
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup nutritional yeast seasoning
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the olive oil, nutritional yeast seasoning, adobo, chili powder and dried basil to a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the 4 cups of cubed bread to the bowl and toss to coat. I used my hands to do this.
- Spread the seasoned bread onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, toss halfway through.
- Once the bread is nice and crispy brown, remove and serve immediately on top of your favorite salad or soup or enjoy as a snack. You could also cool the croutons completely and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- You could also use a gluten-free bread for gluten-free croutons.
- Ranch or taco seasoning also work great for seasoning the croutons.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Healthy Salads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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