Homemade Croutons in the oven are so easy to make with only a few ingredients! Bread, olive oil & spices are baked until perfectly crispy!
We’ve perfected the absolute best homemade croutons – crunchy, delicious, so easy to make, and pair well with any salad.
Not only are these croutons tastier than the store-bought kind, but they also are so much healthier for you and don’t include any weird ingredients.
In just 30 minutes, you can have the best salad toppers that you will make again and again!
Try these caesar salad croutons with our homemade Caesar Salad Dressing!
why we love this recipe
- Better than store bought – Once you try homemade croutons, you will never want the store-bought kind again, because they are so much more delicious!
- Clean Ingredients – Store-bought croutons have mile-long ingredient lists, but you really only need bread, oil, and some spices! Plus these are vegan croutons so everyone can enjoy them!
- Easy to make – While making your own croutons may seem extra and fancy, they are so easy to toss together and bake.
Ingredients
Here’s what we used to make these healthy croutons:
- bread – sourdough bread is the best bread for these croutons
- olive oil – avocado oil works too, but olive oil tastes better
- spices – we use a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and dried basil
SUBSTITUTIONS
Bread: I have made these croutons with all different kinds of bread, but sourdough bread is the best! We also really liked them made out of cranberry walnut bread. I wouldn’t recommend using thinly sliced bread (like sandwich bread) because the croutons will be too thin!
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil for olive oil, but we don’t recommend it.
Spices: You could substitute dried basil with dried parsley. Don’t use fresh herbs!
How to make croutons in the oven
- In a bowl, drizzle olive oil over cubed bread and toss to evenly coat.
- Add spices to the bread and toss evenly, making sure they are coating each piece.
- Pour cubes onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Flip and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, checking for doneness during the last 5 minutes.
Liz’s Tip for the Best Croutons:
Make sure to evenly coat the bread cubes in olive oil! It’s important that you get the bread evenly coated in olive oil. This helps the spices adhere to the bread, and it also ensures that they bake up super crispy!
Storage
Store these easy homemade croutons in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. (I highly doubt they’ll last that long!)
Because there are no preservatives, they can get moldy after a week.
Salad Recipes to serve with croutons
Here are some of our favorite salads to add these croutons to:
Homemade Croutons in Oven
Homemade Croutons in the oven are so easy to make with only a few ingredients! Bread, olive oil & spices are baked until perfectly crispy!
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
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In a large bowl, add cubed bread. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat the bread evenly. (This is important, you want the bread to be coated with olive oil before adding your spices!)
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Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion and basil to the bread cubes. Use a spatula or your hands to toss the bread with the spices until they’re evenly coated and sticking to the bread.
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Pour the cubes on to the parchment lined baking sheet, spreading out in an even layer.
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Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Check the croutons at the 20 minute mark, they burn quickly, but may need another 1-5 minutes depending on your oven!
Notes
Storage: Store croutons in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 0.5cup croutons | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
