How to Make Homemade Seasoned Italian-Style Croutons

Making croutons from scratch is easy, and cheaper than buying from the store. Customize your own croutons with any seasonings you prefer for your favorite salads.

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Almost any time of the year, I enjoy a grilled chicken salad for lunch or dinner. Sometimes both! We will marinate some chicken in Italian salad dressing, then throw it on the grill. Cut it into strips and throw it into a salad. Justin and I like very different salads, but the one thing we can agree on is having crunchy croutons in the salad is the best part.

I prefer more of a house green salad with shredded cheddar cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and Italian dressing. Justin prefers a Greek-style salad with either mozzarella or feta cheese, olives if we have them, and Greek dressing. We have always bought Italian-style croutons from the grocery store. One day, I decided to try making some easy Italian croutons at home. 

We make our own homemade bread often, so I was able to use up some of that. Most of the time, we can finish off a loaf of bread in a couple of days, but other times, it just doesn’t happen. So, rather than throwing it out when it eventually gets moldy, I used it to make some croutons. 

In the end, the croutons didn’t take very long. And, since we used almost an entire loaf, we made enough for many salads over the next few days. Making them at home was also much cheaper than the store-bought croutons and we can control exactly what goes in them. 

The boys had a bit of fun helping with this one because it works best to use your hands to mix the oil and seasonings onto the bread cubes. Of course, any chance that momma allows them to get messy is always fun!

When the boys help make food, they are more likely to eat it. They’ll sometimes eat a bit of a salad, but their favorite part is the croutons. I made them the deal that they only got to eat these if they ate all of the lettuce too. It kind of worked. Not perfect, but it was a great way to get them to eat a small amount of leafy greens!

Serving Suggestions & Tips

• This homemade croutons recipe is great on any salad such as a Greek or Caesar salad. 
• You want to use stale bread so there is less moisture in the croutons. 
• Add other seasonings as desired such as onion powder, black pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme.
• If you like your croutons flat, you can cut them in half after making them squares. We didn’t have a problem with the square shape. 
• For easier cleanup, line your baking sheet with parchment paper before cooking. 
• I find using your hands works best for mixing the bread with the seasonings so you can be careful not to tear up the bread too much. You don’t want to end up with bread crumbs. 

What Kind of Bread is the Best Bread for Homemade Croutons?

You can use our favorite bread to make the croutons. Ideally, you want something you can cut into cubes. A crusty loaf of bread works just as well as a soft loaf. Any leftover bread can work for crispy croutons.

• Challah bread
• Leftover sourdough bread
• Italian bread
• French bread
• Baguette

Italian-Style Croutons Step by Step

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (slightly stale)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350F. Slice the bread into small cubes about 1 inch square.  

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil with the seasonings. You can add whichever seasonings you prefer at this time. We use Italian seasoning and garlic powder for our croutons. Add the bread to the bowl and gently mix it all together.  

Lay the oil-soaked bread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. If it doesn’t all fit, you may have to do multiple batches of baking so that you have an even layer of bread pieces on the pan each time. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown and crunchy. Stir at least once to turn most of them over as they cook. 

Italian-Style Croutons Leftovers

Storage: Let the baked croutons cool to room temperature then place them in an airtight container or storage bag. We have found that using a gallon-sized zip-top bag with a paper towel to absorb any extra oil keeps the croutons crispy. Store them in the pantry for up to 2 weeks. 

Recipe

Italian-Style Croutons

Making croutons from scratch is easy, and cheaper than buying from the store. Customize with any seasonings you prefer for a tasty salad.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Course:

Homemade Staple

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

bread

|

salad

Servings: 2 cups

5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (slightly stale)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Recommended Equipment

• Bread Knife
• Cutting Board
• Mixing Bowls – Stainless Steel
• Baking Sheet

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Chop bread into 1 inch cubes
• Mix oil and seasonings in a large bowl
• Add bread to bowl and gently mix to cover bread (using hands works best)
• Lay out on a baking sheet in one layer
• Bake about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crunchy

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Nutrition Facts

Italian-Style Croutons

Amount Per Serving (0.25 cups)

Calories 215 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 331mg14%

Potassium 110mg3%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 43IU1%

Calcium 62mg6%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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