Easy homemade bread crumbs recipe using leftover bread. Perfect for mixing into meatballs, coating chicken and topping casseroles.
I am often asked for suggestions and ways to use up leftover bread. If you're cooking for yourself or live in a small household, bread is something that tends to go to waste the most. Instead of tossing out the last few slices of bread or the crusty ends of loaves, use them to make breadcrumbs. Once you see how simple this bread crumb recipe is, you'll never want to go back to buying packaged breadcrumbs again.
With just 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes in the oven, you can have delicious homemade breadcrumbs ready to use as a coating, for binding, or as a topping.
Recipe Options
You can use any type of bread. Keep in mind that the flavor of the bread, such as rye will affect the taste of the crumbs.
If you want a finer texture to your crumbs, ground the pieces of bread more.
- I make bread crumbs and croutons the same way. Cut or tear the bread into pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and herbs.
- Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp.
- After the bits of bread have cooled, transfer to a zippered bag and roll flat with a rolling pin.
- Transfer to an airtight container or bag and store until you are ready to use.
How To Make Italian Breadcrumbs
Italian breadcrumbs are one of my favorite types and one of the most popular.
You will need:
- 2 cups chopped or torn pieces of bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Steps:
- Place bread in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to make sure all pieces of bread are well coated with the ingredients.
- Transfer to a baking pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven (200 degrees C) for 10 minutes.
- When the bread has cooled, crush to a fine consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just about any type of bread can be used. These are my favorite types:
Sourdough
French bread
Italian bread
Leftover croissants or buns
Thick sliced sandwich bread
The crumbs featured in the pictures here are thicker breadcrumbs, similar to panko breadcrumbs. This type of crumb is good for topping casseroles and for coating.
Panko is a type of breadcrumb and what sets it apart from other types is the fact that it's made with white bread. The bread used in these photos is French bread.
Since breadcrumbs that are made from scratch may contain a small amount of moisture, it is best to store the them in the freezer.
If stored in the pantry, the moisture can produce mold which can grow quickly. By storing them in an airtight container in the freezer, the breadcrumbs will stay fresh longer.
Frozen breadcrumbs thaw quickly because they are so small. There is very little time needed for them to defrost so just toss them into your recipes as needed.
Breadcrumbs will keep well in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your bread is dry but not rock hard.
- Breadcrumbs can be made from just about any type of bread. In fact, I like to keep a bag in my freezer where I put scraps of bread until I have enough to make a small batch.
- You can make gluten free breadcrumbs by using gluten free bread.
- Experiment with different herbs, fresh or dried.
- You can also crush the bread in a food processor but since this is a small batch recipe, I find it easier to just use a rolling pin to crush the toasted bread. If using a food processor, put the toasted bread and other ingredients into the base of the processor and pulse until it is the consistency you like.
Ways To Use Breadcrumbs
- Sprinkle over pasta
- Use them as a salad topping
- Mix them into turkey meatballs, meatloaf, or one giant meatball
- Add them to macaroni and cheese
- Coat slices of eggplant for eggplant parmesan
I use a rimmed baking sheet and either a rolling pin or a food processor in this breadcrumbs recipe. For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed or torn bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon dried herbs (dried herbs (dried basil, rosemary, herbs de Provence, or garlic powder work well)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400° F (200° C) Place the bread in a medium sized bowl. Pour olive oil over the bread and add the salt and dried herbs. Mix well and taste one to see if it is seasoned to your liking, adjust salt and herbs as necessary.
- Spread the bread out on a small sheet pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are golden brown.
- Once the toasted bread has cooled, use a large rolling pin to smash them and roll out to a fine consistency. This can be a bit messy so I recommend placing the bread in a zip-topped bag, sealing the top and using the rolling pin to crush the bread. Alternatively, you could grind the bread in a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached.
Notes
- Make sure your bread is dry but not rock hard.
- Breadcrumbs can be made from just about any type of bread. In fact, I like to keep a bag in my freezer where I put scraps of bread until I have enough to make a small batch.
- You can make gluten free breadcrumbs by using gluten free bread.
- Experiment with different herbs, fresh or dried.
- You can also crush the bread in a food processor but since this is a small batch recipe, I find it easier to just use a rolling pin to crush the toasted bread. If using a food processor, put the toasted bread and other ingredients into the base of the processor and pulse until it is the consistency you like.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Great instructions for making something so easy instead of buying premade breadcrumbs. BTW, panko breadcrumbs don’t begin as “bread”. They are made to be breadcrumbs from the start. The Japanese have a special process that creates the larger, fluffier crumbs.
From South Africa. The best small dish recipes ever. I am enjoying making each one you share with us. Thank you I have become a cook in my late years.
I can eat we’ll living on my own. Thank you! Thankyou Eileen
Thank you so much, Eileen. I’m so happy to know you are enjoying the recipes.
I can’t tell you how greatful I am that someone is showing us how to break down receipes into smaller portions why u are not on food network heaven only knows. Now that I’ve been following you my food but budget has gotten smaller and I’m not wasting food. Pancakes were awesome.
Thank you so much, Mary! I’m so glad you’re finding the recipes helpful.
At what temperature?
Bake at 400° F (200° C).