Easy Homemade Crouton Recipe
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This homemade crouton recipe is easy, flavorful, and irresistibly crunchy—perfect for adding texture to salads and soups (or just snacking straight from the pan).
Store-bought croutons are handy in a pinch, but nothing compares to the golden crunch and rich flavor of homemade croutons. This croutons recipe is a great way to give stale bread new life, and the results are so versatile. Toss them into salads for added texture, sprinkle over soups for a satisfying crunch, or just snack on them straight from the oven. Best of all, making croutons at home means you can season them exactly how you like, so they pair perfectly with whatever you’re serving.
“Yum!! Where have these been all my life? These are so easy and SO much better than the packaged stuff!”
what you’ll need to make homemade croutons Recipe
- French Or Italian Bread: Using day-old bread is ideal because it absorbs the butter and crisps up more efficiently than fresh bread, which contains too much moisture. If you only have fresh bread, you can dry it out slightly by spreading the cubes on a tray and letting them sit uncovered for an hour.
- Butter: Coats the bread cubes, adding rich flavor and ensuring a perfectly crisp exterior.
- Mixed Fresh Herbs: A blend of parsley, thyme, chives, sage, and/or rosemary adds freshness and flavor.
- Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper: Essential seasonings to bring out the flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Homemade Croutons
Preheat the oven to 375°F and set a rack in the middle position. Scatter the bread cubes on a baking sheet (line with heavy-duty foil for easy cleanup). Make sure the cubes are in a single layer, allowing for even toasting. If there’s a lot of overlap, they won’t crisp up as nicely.
Toss the bread cubes with melted butter and herbs directly on the baking sheet—no need to dirty a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, tossing once, until golden and crisp. Let the croutons cool, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; you can also freeze them for up to 3 months. If the croutons soften at all during storage, it’s easy to crisp them up—simply heat them in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.
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Homemade Croutons
Fast, flavorful, and the best way to use up leftover bread—these homemade croutons are crisp, golden, and endlessly versatile.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed French or Italian bread, preferably day old
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, chives, sage, and/or rosemary
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Scatter the bread cubes on a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet (for easier cleanup, line it with heavy-duty aluminum foil).
- Directly on the baking sheet, toss the bread cubes with the melted butter and herbs. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, tossing once, until the bread cubes are golden brown and crisp. Let cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 80 g
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 101 mg
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Yum – where have these been all my life?? These are so easy and SO good (and a wonderful use for semi-stale bread)!
Made a big batch of these to top off French Onion Soup. They’re delicious, and the croutons make eating the soup easier than a large slice of bread. I used a loaf of rosemary sourdough.
They are the best!
Hey Jenn! Is it possible to just use dried herbs instead of fresh since it’s what I have on hand? If so, any idea the ratio of how much to use instead? Thanks so much! Just made your caesar salad dressing and I loved it so now I’m looking to up my salad game even more haha!
Sure, Becca, that would be fine, I’d use a generous 1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs. Hope you enjoy!
Butter is not necessary for croutoons, I subbed for olive oil and added garlic powder. So delicious!
I did half olive oil & half butter, then sauted 4 cloves of sliced garlic in the melted fats. My grandfathers used to use half olive oil/ half butter when I was growing up. Both men were chefs. I always wondered why. Now I know that it changed the smoke point of both fats & imparted great flavor.
I have a question though…would be a good idea to saute the fresh herbs in the fats to pull the flavor of the herbs into the fats before mixing into the bread cubes?
Thank you for your thoughts.
Sure – that sounds like a good idea, especially for herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage.