Homemade garlic croutons are a tasty treat and so easy to make. You can use any type of bread that suits you — from white bread to dark rye bread and everything in between.

homemade garlic croutons in a bowl

Homemade Garlic Croutons

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A few years ago I decided that I was going to start making as much of my food from scratch as possible. 

I wanted to see what was in my food and know that I was making the best choices possible.

It wasn’t about dieting or some fad; it was about getting as clear as I could with my food and eliminating as many chemicals as possible. 

Just about everything in a bag, bottle, box or can has some extra somethin’ somethin’ in it to keep it stable and I wanted to do away with that.

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So I went through my pantry and picked out the items that I wanted to start making from scratch. Croutons were one of the first.

Think about it. A crouton is a dried or baked crunchy piece of bread with some seasoning.  Pretty simple.

Here’s a list of ingredients from a store-bought crouton:

Dehydrated and preserved spices, added sugars, added colors, extra salt, enriched bread with preservatives…no Bueno…

You don’t have to sacrifice flavor for convenience any longer.

Making your own homemade croutons is easy and you’ll love the variety of flavors you can create.

Here are a few of my favorite flavor combos:

  • Garlic Parmesan — garlic, black pepper, parmesan cheese
  • Ceasar — parmesan, garlic, oregano, thyme
  • Olive Oil and Lemon — olive oil (no butter), black pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice

The recipe below is for just plain ole garlic croutons but it would be easy to adapt the recipe by creating any of the above spice blends.

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Homemade Garlic Croutons

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homemade garlic croutons in a bowl

Homemade Garlic Croutons


Description

When you want a little zing in your salad or soup, these homemade garlic croutons are perfect. These are so easy to make that you won’t think of buying store-bought croutons again!

They are the perfect compliment to my Roasted Potato and Chicken Salad


Ingredients

Scale
  • Garlic Coating
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of paprika
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • Croutons
  • Just about any bread will do. I love sourdough for these croutons.
  • White bread croutons are great (too. They are softer and sweeter than sourdough.)
  • You will need about 3-4 slices of bread that are ½ to ¾ inch thick.

Instructions

  1. Mix all of the garlic coating ingredients in a small saucepan and warm until the butter is melted.
  2. Whisk ingredients together to mix.
  3. Cube bread into one-inch pieces.
  4. Scatter cubed bread on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or aluminum foil.  DO NOT COAT THE CROUTONS YET.
  5. Next, dry the croutons slightly by pre-toasting them for 10 minutes in the oven at 250 degrees.  They should not brown, just dry a bit.
  6. Remove the dried croutons from the oven.
  7. Up your oven temp to 350 degrees.
  8. Add dried croutons and garlic coating to a bowl and toss together until croutons are coated with the mixture. 
  9. Distribute the coated croutons on a lined baking sheet.
  10. Bake until golden brown at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. 
  11. Check at 15 minutes. Turn or flip the croutons for even toasting. Every oven is a little different and different breads toast differently, so check to make sure they don’t burn.
  12. After you turn or flip them, put them back in for another 10 to 15 mintues. Don’t forget to check them every few minutes after they start to brown. They can go from golden brown to burnt in a hot minute.

Notes

*You don’t have to pre-dry the croutons but the finished product will be less crunchy.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Salads, Sides, Snacks
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: homemade croutons, homemade garlic croutons, homemade garlic croutons with white bread

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Hey, I’m Lisa and I’m glad you stopped by. I love food and wine and making things that people love. Speaking of love, that’s my hubby with me in this photo. We were in one of the many tulip fields in Holland in 2018.  Such beautiful colors and these fields stretched for miles and miles. Anyway, thanks for checking out the recipe. I’d love to hear how it goes when you make it so come back to the recipe and leave a comment and rating. Also, don’t forget to share your photo on Instagram and tag #vineandplate so I can brag about you 😉 …. Read More