A simple recipe for garlic butter croutons - made with sliced sandwich bread! Toss these crunchy croutons over your next side salad or bowl of soup.
Homemade croutons have never been easier to make, and they're filled with flavor! No more of that store bought stuff - try making your own garlic butter croutons at home.
These croutons are made with simple sliced sandwich bread and a handful of pantry staples (you probably already have them on hand). They turn out perfectly crunchy with tons of garlic and butter flavor. The perfect motivation to eat more salads!
Toss these croutons on a side salad, add to an Italian chopped salad, or top your next bowl of soup. Honestly, it's hard not to eat them by the handful (you've been warned!).
Ingredients and substitutions
- Bread - You'll need cubed bread for this recipe. I used sliced white sandwich bread, but any bread you have on hand will work. Stale bread is ideal, but fresh bread will also work.
- Butter - Adds buttery flavor to your croutons. Can be substituted with salted butter (reduce the amount of salt in half).
- Olive oil - Helps make your croutons crunchy.
- Seasoning - Dried parsley, garlic powder, and salt. Seasoning can be substituted with your favorite seasoning blend for a fun flavor variation. Try using ranch seasoning or Cajun seasoning on a batch of croutons.
What kind of bread can I use?
Any variety of bread will work in this recipe. I used several day old white sandwich bread in the photos.
White bread, wheat bread, sourdough bread, French bread, or even rye bread are all great choices. Choose a bread that you love the flavor of - if sourdough bread is your favorite, chances are you'll love sourdough croutons!
Stale bread works best, because it soaks up the butter mixture and browns quickly in the oven. However, fresh bread will also work (but may need a few more minutes of baking).
How to keep homemade croutons crunchy
To keep your homemade croutons crunchy, store them in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. This includes a zip top plastic bag (with excess air removed) or a lidded storage container.
Store your croutons in a room temperature, dry place, like a shelf in your pantry. Very humid environments can cause croutons to lose their crunchiness.
Add croutons last when dressing a salad. Croutons sitting on a salad for an extended period of time will soak up moisture from the fresh ingredients, causing them to get soggy.
How long can you keep homemade croutons?
Homemade croutons will keep for up to two weeks in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
Any moisture that gets to your croutons will make them soggy (including humid environments), so make sure they're stored in a room temperature, dry place.
Croutons can be frozen! Allow your croutons to cool completely to room temperature, then place in a freezer-safe container or bag. Croutons will keep for up to six weeks in the freezer.
To thaw, place on the counter top and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Garlic Butter Croutons
Ingredients
- 7 slices sandwich bread, about 6 cups of cubed bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a serrated knife, gently slice bread into ¾ inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine olive oil and melted butter. Slowly drizzle butter mixture over bread cubes while stirring, and continue tossing until evenly coated. Sprinkle bread cubes with parsley, garlic powder, and salt and toss to coat. Spread into a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown and to your desired crunchiness. Baking time can vary widely depending on the moisture and density of the bread used (stale bread will bake faster). I highly recommend checking on your croutons every 5 minutes for best results. This may take about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before storing.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Want to double this recipe? Spread your croutons across two baking sheets. Overcrowding the pan will cause your croutons to bake unevenly and not crisp up nicely.
- Homemade croutons will keep for up to two weeks in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
- To freeze, allow to cool completely, then store in a freezer safe container. Croutons will keep for up to 6 weeks in the freezer. To thaw, place on counter at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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