Homemade Crouton Recipe

This easy and simple crouton recipe yields perfect, crunchy croutons with loads of flavor. It only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and the end result are rustic croutons that are the star of any salad. Homemade croutons make any salad a homemade run, but they’re also great just for simple snacking!

Homemade Crouton Ingredients

The best part about homemade croutons is you don’t need any fancy ingredients. I like to use old sourdough, or even focaccia for added flavor. Place the bread on a drying rack for at least 12 hours to get all of the moisture out.

• Cubed Bread
  • The kind of bread you use makes a difference. Avoid using sandwich bread, it gets soggy and doesn’t crisp up well. 
    • French Baguette: Dries light and airy, perfect for a crunchy caesar salad.
    • Sourdough: Robust, and more flavor. This is my favorite bread for making croutons.
    • Bagels: Yes, bagels work great! Even flavored bagels.
• Butter
  • Melted & salted works best. Omit any added salt if you’re using salted butter, though.
• Herbs
  • You can use dry or fresh. We used dried oregano, garlic and thyme.
  • If you’re using fresh herbs, try tossing the croutons in chopped fresh herbs after baking versus baking them together for a fresher flavor.

Oven Temperature for Homemade Croutons

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Using a proper temperature is important. Too high of an oven temperature and they’ll burn. Too low, and they’ll remain soggy. We want crunchy, flavorful croutons to toss in our fresh salad!  Each oven can vary slightly. Croutons can burn rather quickly, keep an eye on them as they bake just to be safe. 

Smaller cubed bread will need less time in the oven, larger sized cubes will need more time. The best bet to perfectly browned croutons? Watch closely!

Cube the bread and set aside. We like to cut the bread into rustic, uneven cubes because they really dress up a salad. You could make the croutons as large or as small as you like but be cautious of under or overbaking if they are not consistent in size.

Melted Herb Butter Croutons

Melt butter in a large bowl, and once melted, add herbs. If you’re using dried herbs, add them to the butter.  If you do want to use fresh, I recommend tossing them over the croutons after they’ve baked.

Add the cubed bread to the melted butter mixture, and toss well to combine. The bread will quickly soak up the butter so toss them quickly so all the cubes evenly absorb butter.

Homemade Baked Croutons in the Oven

• Once the bread and butter have combined, spread the cubes onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
• Once the croutons are placed on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place the sheet in the oven. Our croutons were about 1 inch cubes (give or take, rustically cut) and they were in the oven for about 13 minutes total. The first oven bake was about 6 minutes, then I tossed them, and back in the oven for about another 7 minutes.
• Either way- toss the croutons halfway through baking to ensure an even golden hue. I also recommend keeping a close watch when making croutons. Oven temperatures can vary so for the most perfect croutons, check the oven every few minutes if they’re starting to look done.

Storing & Serving Homemade Croutons

I very rarely have leftover croutons when I make them. A handful here, a handful there, tossed in a salad, a few to my dog, you know the drill. If by happenstance you do have some leftover croutons, store them in an airtight bag for about 2 days. With leftover croutons, they need to be very well dehydrated to maintain freshness, so just make sure they’re super crispy before storing them. You’ll also want to make sure they’re fully cooled, as condensation in a closed container would make them soggy.

My favorite salads to serve with homemade croutons are:

• Winter Salad
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Fresh Garden Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Caesar Salad
• Strawberry Salad
• Thai Chicken Salad
• Wedge Salad Platter

Homemade Croutons

An easy recipe for a delicious homemade crouton that makes any salad perfect!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Kathi & Rachel

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed bread
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp dried thyme

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line an 18x13 inch with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Combine melted butter, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, and garlic. Stir well.
• Add bread cubes to butter, and toss until every piece is shiny and coated with butter.
• Spread buttered bread cubes across sheet pan.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven, and toss. Bake for additional 6-8 minutes, or until croutons are crunchy and golden brown.
• Allow croutons to cool before tossing over salad. Serve & enjoy!

  *Allow croutons to fully cool before storing.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 527IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg