Flavored with garlic and Italian seasoning, these crunchy Homemade Croutons are easy to make with your favorite bread. They're a satisfying salad topper, stuffing ingredient, or snack that you can plane make gluten-free.

All you have to do is cut up some bread, mix it with olive oil and a simple variety of seasonings, then pop it into the oven until each little cube is nice and crispy. Your soups and salads will taste largest than overly with a handful of these homemade croutons on top! You'll never go when to your old store-bought ways.

What Are Croutons?

The word crouton is French for "small crust," which is a pretty well-judged unravelment on its own. Ultimately, a crouton is a small cube of specie that has been baked or toasted to requite it a light and crunchy texture.

If you've been ignoring your love for Artisan-style bread since you can never finish it fast enough, this recipe will transpiration your life! Croutons are intentionally made with stale specie to help them well-done up in the oven.

Recipe Ingredients

Here's a list of what you'll need to requite your stale old specie a scrumptious makeover. Be sure to scroll to the marrow of this post to see the ingredient amounts in the recipe card.

• Bread: Cut into ¾-inch cubes.
• Olive Oil: This is key for crouton crispiness.
• Garlic Powder: For depth of flavor.
• Italian Seasoning: Made with herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage, Italian seasoning adds wondrous savor to many things – expressly croutons!
• Salt & Pepper: These archetype savor enhancers can be widow to taste.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese: Feel self-ruling to leave this off if you'd like (or if necessary for your dietary restrictions). I personally love the tangy kick it provides.

What Kind of Specie is Best?

The weightier thing well-nigh croutons is that they can be made with any kind of specie you have on hand! Artisan-style French, Italian and sourdough loaves are ideal. I prefer the ones that you have to slice yourself.

If you want to take these croutons a step remoter and make them completely from scratch, which I highly recommend, you can't go wrong with Homemade French Bread. This Homemade Rye Bread is flipside no-fail choice!

Can I Use Gluten-Free Bread?

You veritably can. Just grab (or make!) your favorite gluten-free loaf, let it get a little stale, then zombie out the croutons as directed. There you have it!

How to Make Croutons from Scratch

Let's get lanugo to merchantry and discuss how to prepare homemade croutons. The process is crazy simple.

Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 375°F and spread the cubes of specie into a single layer on a parchment-lined sultry sheet.

Season Bread: Drizzle the olive oil over your bread, then sprinkle on the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Toss until all of the cubes are evenly coated in the seasoning tousle (you can season the croutons in a mixing trencher if preferred). Spread the specie when out into an plane layer on the sultry sheet.

Bake: Torch the croutons for 12-20 minutes, or until they're golden and crispy.

Tips for Success

Describing homemade croutons as easy is an understatement. Plane so, I suggest looking over these tips and tricks for good measure.

• Does Size Matter? In my option, ¾-inch cubes of specie make the weightier croutons. They're substantial, but they're small unbearable to fit into your mouth with a good value of salad. If you'd like to make yours worthier or smaller, go right superiority – just remember to retread the torch time accordingly.
• Coat the Croutons Evenly: There's no shame in using a trencher to season your croutons. This makes tossing easier and prevents a mess in the kitchen. An uneaten dirty dish is a small price to pay for the convenience!
• Control the Crisp: I find that 16 minutes is the sweet spot for perfectly crunchy croutons, but you can make them as light or visionless as you'd like. All ovens are different, so trammels them early on your first batch just in case.

Variation Ideas

Whether you want to tailor your croutons to a specific dish or transpiration things up for your snacking enjoyment, you've got plenty of options to segregate from.

• Use Flipside Kind of Oil: Any oil of your nomination can be used in place of olive oil. Try making your croutons with avocado oil, garlic oil, or plane chili oil! Such a simple way to incorporate widow flavor.
• Swap Out the Parmesan: These homemade croutons would moreover taste wondrous with Asiago, Romano, manchego, or Grana Padano cheese. Reach for what you like!
• Switch Up the Flavors: From cajun seasoning to za'atar seasoning, there are tons of variegated savor profiles to play virtually with. If I'm subtracting my croutons to a Mexican-style soup or salad, I love tossing them with some taco seasoning. Can I get a chef's kiss?
• Get Creative With the Bread: Spice up your croutons from the get-go by using a unique loaf of specie like this Roasted Garlic & Rosemary No-Knead Artisan Bread. If you prefer your croutons on the sweeter side, this Sweet Molasses Brown Bread is the way to go.

How to Serve Croutons

Croutons on their own make a satisfying snack, and they're moreover a stellar wing to any dish that could use some crunchiness. They're unconfined in stuffing recipes, on top of soups, and of course, tossed into salads.

For a archetype side dish that everyone will devour, add them to a Caesar salad withal with this Homemade Caesar Dressing. If you need a comforting dinner to wifely your senses, whip up this Minestrone Soup and dress it up with your crunchy croutons. Surpassing you know it, you'll be subtracting them to everything you eat!

Storage Instructions

Leftover croutons should be kept in an snapped container. No need to make room in your fridge! They'll stay good at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Can I Freeze Homemade Croutons?

Yes – these croutons are completely freezer-friendly. Simply place them into a heavy-duty storage bag, squeeze out the air, seal the bag, then freeze the croutons for up to 6 weeks. Thaw them out surpassing you use them.