Easy Homemade Croutons

These croutons will change your salads forever! They’re especially delicious in Ceasar salads with their rich, fresh and crunchy texture unlike store bought processed croutons.

RECIPE INDEX

• About this recipe
• Alternatives
• Planet friendly points
• Recipe steps explained 
• More fun recipes to try
• Expiration & Storage

ABOUT THESE HOMEMADE CROUTONS 

These croutons have a fresh crunch to them, they’re not as hard as store bought croutons. Especially warm out of the oven on a salad these will change your life. 

I originally had my mom send me this recipe. She responded telling me she forgot to write it down so I had to recreate it with what I could remember and I think I did it! They just are so yummy and make such a difference in any salad. I make my own Ceasar salads now. I used to get the Costco Ceasar salad kits and they've changed them twice since. First version was my favorite with finely shredded romaine. The second took that away adding large chunks of romaine and this delicious seasoning mix. They then swapped it out for a seasoning mix that I can't stand. It made me so sad. So now we just make our own. 

I use Marie’s Ceasar dressing in the fridge rated section. It’s by far the best I’ve tried so far. Whole Foods 360 Ceasar comes in second for me. Add some shaved parmesan, some of these croutons and sliced scallions. You have yourself a winner. For added veggies I suggest chopping up some cucumber for some added crunch. These croutons can take any soup or salad to the next level though. Let me know what you try them in!

ALTERNATIVES 

Olive oil.

Avocado oil works as a great substitute.

Italian seasoning.

Feel free to use oregano and parsley instead.

Brioche bread.

In our shop we use a lovely buttery locally baked brioche bread right now. They make amazing croutons. Once they’re about to get tossed. This is one of the ways we upcycle the instead of putting them in the trash! But feel free to use any bread you have. You can even use croissants or English muffins work great too!

PLANET FRIENDLY POINTS

This is an extremely eco friendly recipe due to the fact this recipe allows you to upcycle bread as opposed to tossing it. Dried out bread makes for a great crouton. If your bread expires before you can get to it, just make croutons. Your salad and taste buds will thank you! 

RECIPE STEPS EXPLAINED

1 Set oven & prep pan

Set oven to 350 and grease a sheet pan. I like to use Pam spray and line mine with foil for easy clean up.

2 Slice bread

Slice loaf into .75 inch slices (if not already sliced) I use brioche bread the fluffier texture of the bread translates well into croutons with some nice crispy edges.

3 Cube bread

Cut bread into even pieces. I love the artisan feel of keeping the crust, plus no waste. If you prefer you can remove it. Try to get the cubes generally the same size for even baking. However I love an abstract crouton. Cut away and don’t worry about them looking like perfect cubes.

4 Add bread cubes to bowl and mix

Mix bread cubes with the other below ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste 4 cracks

5 Bake

Place in oven for 10-12mins flipping half way (5 mins & 5 mins) and bake for 2 more mins or till browned and crunchy. Go longer for more browned and a harder crunch. Make the rest of your dinner, soup or salad as they bake!

PREP TIPS

• Feel free to use dried out or fresh bread. 
• I’ll usually cut my cubes into approx 1- 1 1/2 inches in size. They don’t need to be perfect.

MORE FUN RECIPES

Add these croutons to a garden salad and pair with my Ham Stuffed Sweet potatoes for a healthy easy dinner

You can also pair it with my Easy Zucchini Lasagna in a Ceasar salad!

EXPIRATION & STORAGE

Store in an airtight container. They will last for about 1 month in the pantry. 2 or more months in the fridge. Feel free to add an optional paper towel at the base of the container to soak up any excess oil.