Small Batch Homemade Croutons

If you've got leftover bread, use it to make a small batch of homemade croutons. Perfect for salads, soups, and much more! So much better than store bought, these croutons take just 15 minutes to make. Stovetop and oven baked crouton recipes provided.

If you find yourself with a little bit of leftover bread, consider making homemade croutons. It's amazing just how easy it is to make croutons from scratch and they simply taste so much better than the store-bought versions.

Why This Recipe Works

• The packaged croutons you find in the grocery stores are dry and hard. Fresh, homemade croutons are so much better - they're filled with flavor and made with ingredients you know. You'll love eating them with salads, adding a handful to a bowl of soup, or enjoying them with a charcuterie plate.
• When you're cooking for one, a large loaf of bread can often go to waste. With this easy crouton recipe, I'm showing you a way to help to use up that extra bread.
• This recipe will work with many different kinds of bread; sourdough, soda bread, french bread, Italian bread, or even dinner rolls. The point is to use the bread you have on hand.
• There are two ways I make croutons out of leftover bread - in a skillet or baked in the oven. Both methods are very easy and they will both provide you with delicious croutons. The texture of the croutons depends on the cooking method you use. Sautéed croutons have a crisp yet slightly chewy texture while baked croutons are more crisp.

RELATED: Eight Healthy Single Serving Recipes

Ingredient Notes

See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

• Bread: You can use any bread that you have on hand to make homemade croutons.
• Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this croutons recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
• Kosher salt and dried herbs: For incredible flavor!

Expert Tips

• Consider this basic crouton recipe as a starting off point. You could keep the croutons super simple and just add olive oil and salt. You might also like to add any spices you may have on hand; dried basil, dried rosemary, garlic powder are great suggestions.
• I've listed ingredient amounts in the recipe based on using 2 cups of cubed or torn bread, if you have more or less bread that you want to use, you can easily adjust the ingredient amounts in your own version. A general rule of thumb is to use 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil for every cup of torn bread.
• As for the amount of herbs, that can be adjusted more or less to taste.

How To Make Croutons On The Stove

For either method, you can either cut the bread into cubes or tear the bread into pieces.

Cubed bread tends to be more crunchy while irregular torn pieces are a bit more delicate. My personal preference is for the torn pieces but the cubes look more like traditional croutons.

Step 1: Place the torn or cubed bread into a medium sized bowl. Pour oil over the bread and add salt and herbs. Mix well and taste one of the croutons to see if it is seasoned to your liking, adjust salt and herbs as necessary.

Step 2: Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat until hot and add the bread to the pan. Let the pieces of bread sit for a few minutes until they start to brown on one side. Stir occasionally and keep a close watch on them as they can quickly burn.

Step 3: Once the pieces of bread are brown on all sides, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to cool.

How To Make Croutons In The Oven

Step 1: Place the bread in a bowl. Add the oil, salt, and dried herbs and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Step 2: Spread the croutons out on a small sheet pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Pro Tip: The older the bread, the quicker the bread will brown. Keep a close watch on the bread in the oven. Color is a good indication of when the croutons are done.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Small Batch Salad Toppings

• Goat Cheese Dressing
• Poppy Seed Dressing
• Blue Cheese Dressing

For this crouton recipe, I use either a 10-inch skillet or a small baking sheet. For best results, use similarly sized equipment.

 If you would like additional information on the dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

For examples of the dishes we use, please visit our Store page.

If you’ve tried these homemade croutons or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

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