Minimal Effort, Maximum Crunch—My Go-To Homemade Croutons for Soups, Salads and More!
Sometimes a salad or soup just needs a little something ✨extra✨—and that’s when I turn to my go-to Homemade Croutons. Their golden, toasty flavor and irresistible crunch take any meal to the next level, and the best part? They’re so easy to make! 🙌🏼
Sure, you could grab a bag of store-bought croutons, but trust me—homemade is next-level and seriously simple. After a quick 5 minutes of easy prep, the oven does all the work while you finish the rest of your meal. Plus, they store beautifully for weeks!
I’ve written this recipe the way I love it most—a simple batch tossed with olive oil and garlic powder—but you can easily mix things up with fresh herbs, cheese, or even lemon zest. To get you started, I’ve also included 10 seasoning variations so you can customize them however you like.
No matter which version you try, homemade croutons just make everything better. Sprinkle them over your favorite bowl of cozy homemade soup or toss them into a fresh and flavorful salad (👀 have you tried my Classic Caesar Salad yet?!)…or just snack on them straight from the pan—no judgement! 😉
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The Best Bread for Homemade Croutons
Store-bought vs homemade? ⇢ Whether you’re starting with store-bought bread (🙋🏻♀️) or you have a beautiful homemade loaf, you’ll get great results. After lots of tasting and testing, I’ve found the type of bread you use makes the biggest difference:
- Heartier breads like ciabatta, baguette, and country-style loaves make croutons with an especially satisfying crunch. I’m most partial to the tangy flavor of sourdough.
- Softer breads like challah and brioche create delicate, extra-crispy croutons—just be sure to shorten the roasting time to prevent burning!
👩🏻🍳 Crouton Tip! ⇢ Making croutons is the ultimate way to use up stale bread so it doesn’t go to waste (though fresh works beautifully too!). Just cut or tear it into cubes, and you’re good to go!
Homemade Crouton Essential Equipment
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Stainless Steel Measuring Cups & Spoons
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My favorite thing about homemade croutons? They’re so easy to throw together. After just 5 minutes of prep, your oven does all the work, toasting them to golden, crunchy perfection!
Endless Ways to Customize Your Croutons!
The beauty of homemade croutons is that you control the flavor! This recipe is a deliciously garlicky all-purpose base, but it’s easy to tweak with different seasonings to match whatever you’re pairing them with.
As a general rule of thumb: Use up to ¼ cup fresh herbs or grated cheese OR 1 heaping tablespoon dried herbs and spices and the garlic powder and salt to taste. (Check the Recipe Notes below for my favorite seasoning combos!)
I can’t wait for you to try these Homemade Croutons! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Seriously, the Best Homemade Croutons with Sourdough Bread
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Techniques & How-Tos, Condiments, Breads, Entrée Salads & Bowls
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Minimal effort, maximum crunch—say hello to Seriously, the Best Homemade Croutons!
Made with rustic sourdough bread, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of garlic powder, they turn perfectly golden and crisp in the oven with just 5 minutes of prep. The ultimate crunchy topping for salads, soups, pasta, and more—once you try them, you’ll never go back to store-bought!
And for some customization inspiration, be sure to check out the Recipe Notes for 10 easy flavor variations.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sourdough bread or hearty bread of choice, diced into 1-inch cubes (approx. 3 heaping cups, see Recipe Notes)
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- optional add-ins: up to ¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs and/or cheese OR up to 1 heaping tablespoon dried herbs and spices (see Recipe Notes)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, ensuring a racks is positioned in the upper third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up and set aside.
- Season the bread: Place the diced sourdough bread in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over top, then season with garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ground black pepper as desired. Toss well, coating the cubed bread with seasoning evenly.
- Roast the croutons: Transfer the prepared croutons to the prepared baking sheet, spreading them out into an even layer so they toast evenly. Transfer to the oven. Bake 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully shake/toss the croutons for even cooking. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes longer, until the croutons are golden and toasty. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Serving: Use your croutons immediately as desired, enjoying on your favorite salad or bowl of soup—my Classic Caesar Salad and Ribollita Soup are personal favorites. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Notes and Tips:
- Best types of bread for croutons: This is a great base recipe for homemade croutons—it works beautifully with many types of bread. I love using sourdough bread—its natural tanginess adds a great layer of flavor to the croutons. Other heartier loaves, like Italian bread, ciabatta, baguette, or country-style bread work great. You could even use focaccia, pretzel rolls, or bagels! If using a delicate bread, such as challah or brioche, note that you’ll need to decrease the roasting time to ensure the croutons don’t burn.
- Fresh vs. day-old/stale bread: In my experience, you do not need to use day-old/stale bread for croutons. I often prep a batch of homemade croutons using a fresh loaf of bread and it works just fine. Making croutons is, however, a great way to give a stale loaf of bread a second life. If your bread stale to the point that it’s difficult to slice, simply wrap it in a damp paper towel and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute. The moisture in the paper towel will steam the bread, softening it right back up.
Storage:
- Homemade croutons will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks. (That is, if you can resist eating them all straight-off-the-pan—they’re truly that good! 😉)
Easy Crouton Recipe Variations:
- As written, this homemade crouton recipe yields all-purpose croutons with beautiful garlicky flavor. This is a great base recipe, though – it’s easy to tweak with different add-ins to create croutons that are perfect for whatever you’re pairing them with. As a general rule of thumb, season the croutons with up to ¼ fresh herbs or grated cheese OR up to 1 heaping tablespoon dried herbs and spices, and be sure to adjust the amount of garlic powder and salt as needed. Here are a few fun recipe variations that we enjoy:
- Butter Garlic Croutons: Use the base recipe, swapping olive oil with 3 tablespoons melted butter.
- Garlic Herb Croutons: To the base recipe, add in ¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (hardier herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano work best) OR 1 heaping tablespoon of your favorite dried herb blend (e.g. herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, etc.).
- Lemon Herb Croutons: Prepare Garlic Herb Croutons (above). When the croutons come out of the oven, toss them with the zest of 1 lemon while they are still warm.
- Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Croutons: To the base recipe, add in ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese. The perfect croutons for Caesar Salad!
- Cacio e Pepe Croutons: To the base recipe, add in ¼ cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Dilly Ranch Croutons: Use the base recipe, swapping garlic and kosher salt with 1 heaping tablespoon ranch seasoning. The perfect croutons for a Buffalo Chicken Salad!
- Old Bay Croutons: Use the base recipe, swapping garlic and kosher salt with 1 heaping tablespoon Old Bay seasoning. The perfect croutons for a Lobster Salad!
- Za’atar Croutons: To the base recipe, add in 1 heaping tablespoon za’atar seasoning. Great for a fattoush-inspired salad.
- Crispy Smashed Crouton Breadcrumbs: Prepare the base recipe or any its variations. Allow the croutons to cool completely, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until the croutons break down into rustic toasted breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can achieve the same texture by placing the cooled croutons in a resealable bag and whacking them with a rolling pin. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over any dish that could benefit from their crispy, toasty crunch—pasta dishes, cozy soups, salads, you name it!
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