Learning how to make homemade croutons has been a game changer. You will love how simple it is to take some slightly stale bread, some butter or olive oil, seasonings and just a little bit of time to make fresh, crunchy, croutons to top your salads and soups.

For many years I have been working to make more from scratch and buy less processed food. These croutons were an easy shift when I started making my homemade bread. We always have some leftover bread that doesn’t get eaten soon enough and needs to be used up another way.

These croutons can be made with leftover sourdough or regular yeast bread. Our favorite is when we have some leftover from our easy sourdough artisan bread. It is firm and easy to cut up into the size of crouton you want. I also use this technique a lot with my farmhouse white bread.

The bread you choose is best when it is a few days stale. That’s why homemade bread is a good choice. Without the preservatives, the bread tends to dry out more quick. But that is the magic. You get to have fresh homemade bread warm from the oven and then a few days later, you can make the best, crunchy croutons you have ever topped a salad with.

Other options for making croutons when you are out of a regular loaf – look around and find whatever bread products you have left around – a loaf of French bread, dinner rolls, or leftover hotdog or hamburger buns. Keep the crust on for the best crunchy result.

Our favorite is homemade bread, but any bread product you have around is great.

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Making homemade croutons only takes a few ingredients.

Ingredients for Homemade Croutons

Bread (slightly stale is perfect)
Olive oil or butter or a combo of both. We usually choose butter.
Italian Seasoning (or a combo of herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano)
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt and pepper

How to Make Crunchy Homemade Croutons

Prep the Bread
Cube up the stale bread into the size you like for croutons. 3/4″ works well. Put them in a large bowl. If using butter, melt in a glass measuring cup or measure out the oil.

Use slightly stale bread to make wonderful fresh croutons.

Cubed bread ready to turn into croutons.

Add the Seasonings
Add the seasonings to the melted butter or oil and stir up. Pour over the cubed up bread and mix up in the bowl until evenly coated.

Butter and herbs make a great homemade crouton.

Let Cool Down
They croutons will continue to get more crunchy as they cool down. Don’t worry if you take them out of the oven and they are a bit soft. Give them some time to cool down to the perfect crunch.

Bake or Broil
Pour the cubed up bread onto a sheet pan and spread out into a single layer. Depending on if there is already something in the oven, I either turn on broil or bake to 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit. For broil, you will need to watch very carefully and turn after a few minutes. Watch to make sure they don’t burn. It is a bit quicker this way, but easier if you put them in on bake.

Crispy crunchy homemade croutons hot out of the oven.

Depending on how big you cut them, this could take 10-15 minutes of bake time. Check every 5 minutes to toss or turn and check for browning. You want them to be nice and golden brown.

That’s It
Try to keep your family from eating them all before you can get them added to your salad. They are super yummy right out of the oven.

Seasoning Ideas for Making Croutons

Good Salt – we use this kind and have loved it for the last few years.
Garlic Powder – I love to use fresh garlic, but with croutons, it tends to burn and so garlic powder or garlic salt tends to work best.
Italian Seasoning is great for croutons. Any combo of parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, sage, rosemary – whatever your family likes and you have on hand. Fresh or dried both work well.
Parmesan Cheese can be grated onto the croutons after taking them out of the oven.

Ways to Use Up Homemade Croutons

The obvious answer is to top salads.
You can also top soups and stews that need a crunch.
Homemade croutons can be turned into breadcrumbs too.

Homemade Crunchy Croutons

Take some slightly stale bread, some butter or olive oil, seasonings and just a little bit of time to make fresh, crunchy, croutons to top your salads and soups.

Ingredients

Bread (slightly stale is perfect)
Olive oil or butter or a combo of both. We usually choose butter.
Italian Seasoning (or a combo of herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano)
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt and pepper

Instructions

Prep the Bread
Cube up the stale bread into the size you like for croutons. 3/4" works well. Put them in a large bowl. If using butter, melt in a glass measuring cup or measure out the oil.

Add the Seasonings
Add the seasonings to the melted butter or oil and stir up. Pour over the cubed up bread and mix up in the bowl until evenly coated.

Let Cool Down
They croutons will continue to get more crunchy as they cool down. Don't worry if you take them out of the oven and they are a bit soft. Give them some time to cool down to the perfect crunch.

Bake or Broil
Pour the cubed up bread onto a sheet pan and spread out into a single layer. Depending on if there is already something in the oven, I either turn on broil or bake to 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit. For broil, you will need to watch very carefully and turn after a few minutes. Watch to make sure they don't burn. It is a bit quicker this way, but easier if you put them in on bake.

Depending on how big you cut them, this could take 10-15 minutes of bake time. Check every 5 minutes to toss or turn and check for browning. You want them to be nice and golden brown.

That's It
Try to keep your family from eating them all before you can get them added to your salad. They are super yummy right out of the oven.

Notes

You can use all kinds of different seasonings for your homemade croutons. Some ideas are:
Garlic Powder - I love to use fresh garlic, but with croutons, it tends to burn and so garlic powder or garlic salt tends to work best.

Italian Seasoning is great for croutons. Any combo of parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, sage, rosemary - whatever your family likes and you have on hand. Fresh or dried both work well.

Parmesan Cheese can be grated onto the croutons after taking them out of the oven.

How to Store the Homemade Croutons

If your family is like mine, you most likely won’t have to worry about how to store any leftovers. They are usually picking them off the tray to eat before we get to dinner. But incase you do have some leftovers, this is what I like to do.

Wait until the croutons are fully cooled down before storing them.
I like to put them in a glass container and leave them at room temp.
If you have a lot of croutons, they can go in the freezer or long term storage. You will just pop them into the oven to heat them up again when you take them out.