Homemade Croutons are packed with flavor, will melt in your mouth, and are easy enough to make that you will never want store-bought croutons again! They are perfect as a snack, as well as topping off a Wedge Salad!
Homemade Croutons
This recipe is based on my love for a big delicious crouton–butter-soaked and garlic-flavored of course! They are just toasted enough to be crunchy but still soft on the inside.
And, in a recent discovery, actually quite unique! Almost every other recipe on the internet calls for the bread to be baked in oil. I tested out the two options and found that BUTTER CROUTONS were far superior in flavor! (Test it for yourself if you are able!)
Croutons Ingredients
Bread: A French baguette is my favorite bread to use for these croutons. You could also use ciabatta bread, sourdough bread, or any bread with a solid crust and minimal sugar. If you are making Sourdough Croutons, note that the baking time changes significantly.
Butter: I used Challenge butter in this recipe. With so much butter in the recipe, I knew I had to use the best quality butter. Challenge Butter is made the old-fashioned way, churned fresh daily from the freshest milk and cream from happy cows at family-owned dairies since 1911.
Garlic: The garlic gives just a hint of garlic to the croutons.
Parsley: I prefer fresh parsley, but you could use dried parsley. Other fresh herb options are rosemary, oregano, and thyme.
Variations for Croutons
There are a few things you can do to make this crouton recipe more unique. A simple change in your choice of bread could impact the flavor. Again, we use French bread, but some additional variations would be to use a loaf of marbled rye bread or hearty whole-grain bread.
You can also make changes to the flavor by adding different seasonings, like rosemary, oregano, thyme, or even some parmesan. Maybe you want to try them all! Feel free to play around with this recipe until you get the flavor you love.
How to Make Croutons in an Air Fryer
To make homemade croutons in an air fryer, follow the stovetop instructions to coat the cubes of bread.
Then, instead of baking the croutons in the oven, set your air fryer to 350°F. Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray and place the bread cubes in a single layer in the basket. Again, you may have to work in batches.
Cook the croutons for 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through cooking (after 6 minutes.)
The texture will be exactly what you get with store-bought croutons, in that it is dry and crunchy. The flavor changes slightly in that you are not able to distinguish between a butter-cooked crouton and an oil-cooked crouton, such as with my Sourdough Croutons.
How to Store Homemade Croutons
After the croutons have been baked, be sure to let them cool completely before storing them. You don’t want any added moisture in the storage container. Once cooled, store the croutons in an airtight container or jar in a cool, dry place. To soak up any excess moisture, you can add a paper towel to the bottom of the container.
Stored at room temperature, the homemade croutons will last up to 3 days. Storing them in the refrigerator will give you a couple of additional days, up to 5 days. If they lose a little crunch being in the refrigerator, simply put them in the oven for a few minutes to bring back the crispy crunch.
Can I Freeze Homemade Croutons?
Yes! If you freeze homemade croutons, they will last up to 6 weeks. Again, be sure the croutons cool completely before freezing. Store them in a freezer-safe container, making sure to label and date the container. I prefer to portion them before storing them. Another tip when freezing homemade croutons is to freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet before placing them in the freezer-safe container(s).
Looking for Recipes to Serve with Croutons?
So, with what exactly do we pair these croutons? Soup, salads, and side dishes are a perfect complement. Here are a few soup recipes that could use a good hearty, buttery, garlicky, crouton.
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 9 slices French Bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 12 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Stir in garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
- Stir in parsley. Remove from heat.
- Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Place the skillet directly into the oven. (Depending on the size of your skillet you may need to work in batches.)
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until crispy and lightly browned.
Video
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Original Images – this post was updated in September of 2021.
OMG! These are delicious! There seemed to be a lot of extra butter when I dumped the skillet into the baking sheet, but maybe my baguette was smaller than yours. (I got only 8 pieces out of each slice.) After baking, I drained them on a paper towel. When cool, I put them in a plastic bag and froze them, or I’d have eaten the entire batch (burned tongue, notwithstanding!) Thanksr this recipe! Yum!
Amanda,
Keep up the good work. I’m a 63 year old man that loves to cook. I’ve been following you almost a year now. When I see one of your recipes and it looks good to me and I know my wife will enjoy it I fix it. If not, I move on. I don’t care about calories, carbs, nutritional info, etc… (I have enough sense to know if this is something that we should or shouldn’t eat. ) I love how easy you make these recipes. Thanks. (I never cease to be amazed at the petty b.s. people complain about after you’ve done all the work!) Again, keep it up. You’re making me look good on cigar night with some of my old unsavory friends who only bring semi-cheap whiskey!!
Wm. C.
Thanks Wm. C. ! You seem like a guy we’d enjoy having around the campfire, enjoying cigars and good conversation. 🙂
My husband and I want to come party with you guys!
Is it these croutons that u put in your onion soup, correct? Just wasn’t sure if you would want garlic in onion soup.
You can use them in soups, salads, anything you want. They taste amazing in the onion soup!
Very good
Are they soft enough they could be skewered? I want to make a salad on a stick with croutons. Thank you!
Yes, you can skewer them. Decrease baking time by a few minutes. 🙂
Delish! So much simpler than other recipes. I had to theaten my family with bodily harm because they kept eating them before we served the salad. You are a wonderful cook!!!
These were amazing! First time making homemade croutons and they were so easy and delicious! Very soft but a nice crunch perfect for a Cesar salad! Can’t wait to make them again!
I had some leftover Cherry Wheat Ale Beer Bread that was a day old so cubed up and sauteed a heaping TBSP of jarred minced Garlic and a nice bit of dried Parsley in 1 stick of butter. Stirred the cube in, spread out on sheet pan, baked 15 minutes, turned oven off, left sit in oven a couple more minutes, then spread out on a pizza pan to cool. Yum! I cannot stay out of them … everytime I walk through the kitchen I have to sample them. Love the crunch on the outside, soft in the middle! Thanks for sharing!
Sounds really good. How long do they last and how do you e-commerce storing them?
E-commerce storing them?
OM GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!! These are the BOMB! Where have these been all my life!!!
The whole family LOVED these!!!
This recipe is a treasure!!!