Homemade Croutons

Make your own crunchy croutons for soups and salads.

Homemade croutons are a simple way to be mindful and resourceful with ingredients and an easy way to cut out extra salt and preservatives.

Just the Recipe

Ingredients

Bread - slightly stale is best

Cooking Spray

Granulated Garlic

Paprika

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Steps

• Cube the bread into crouton-sized pieces.

• Lay on a sheet pan in a single layer.

• Spray evenly and lightly with cooking spray (olive oil spray will work best but Pam also works great)

• Sprinkle the bread cubes with: kosher salt, ground black pepper, paprika and granulated garlic. (How much you need to use with vary based on how many croutons you’re making. Aim to lightly season so the croutons pair with many different salads and soups.)

• Toss well, using clean hands. Shake the pan to evenly spread the croutons back out into a flat layer.

• Spray lightly with another coat of cooking spay.

• Bake at 350⁰ for 8-15 minutes (time will vary based on how stale the bread is). Croutons are done when they are dry and toasted. (If they aren't dry enough they may mold).

Allow to cool completely, then store in an air-tight jar and use within 1-2 weeks on top of salads and soups of all kinds.

Be creative! You can use any kind of bread; these everything bagel croutons were super fun in salad. Check out Salad Tossing tips here: 5 Simple Tips to Make Every Salad Amazing.

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

• Don’t over oil or over season. You want the heat of the oven to do most of the work to toast the croutons.

• Feel free to use additional spices to pair with a specific meal. For example, a greek salad would pair nicely with croutons that also have onion powder, dried oregano, and a little lemon zest.

• If your croutons taste a bit stale, toast for a few minutes before adding to the top of your salad/soup.

• Do you keep your slightly stale bread or bread ends for croutons? When we’re near the end of a loaf of bread, but before it starts to mold, I transfer the bread to the fridge. It will keep for a few weeks and I can use for croutons. You can also freeze the ends of bread and pull them out to make croutons at any time. I especially love to keep the ends of bakery fresh bread from the summer to use in soups throughout the fall/winter.

• Get more salad tips here: 5 Simple Tips to Make Every Salad Amazing

• Get more soup tips here: 5 Toppings to Elevate a Bowl of Soup

Hearty soups with beans, meat and veggies pair nicely with crunchy croutons, such as in this Leftover Easter Ham Soup.