What is a perfect way to elevate your salads and soups? Say goodbye to store-bought blandness and get ready to make your own croutons at home! With just a handful of basic ingredients and a pinch of kitchen magic, you’ll discover that making these crunchy croutons is one of the easiest things you can do. Plus, it’s a clever way to rescue that extra bread that’s been languishing on your counter. So, let’s rise to the occasion and get those Homemade Sourdough Croutons on top of soups and salads where they belong!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Crouton Recipe
- Ways To Serve Homemade Sourdough Croutons
- Kitchen Tools Needed
- Ingredients
- Variations
- Best Bread For Croutons
- Method
- Recipe Video
- Tips and Tricks For Flavorful Croutons
- How To Store Homemade Sourdough Croutons?
- Other Ways To Use Leftover Sourdough Bread
- Homemade Sourdough Croutons
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Crouton Recipe
Many good things start with homemade sourdough bread. And sourdough croutons are no exception.
- Great way to repurpose stale sourdough bread.
- Delicious and versatile! Soups, salads, casseroles and more!
- Reduce Food Waste: It helps reduce food waste by rescuing stale bread.
- Easy Recipe that anyone can make without special kitchen tools.
- Budget-Friendly: say goodbye to bland and expensive store-bought croutons forever!
- Vegan and Dairy-Free!
Ways To Serve Homemade Sourdough Croutons
These versatile croutons are a delicious way to add a little crunch to a range of creamy soups and your favourite salads. Besides them being the best croutons for Caesar Salad (recipe coming soon) and Tuscan Panzanella Salad, we love adding them to:
- Creamy Mushroom & Blue Cheese Soup (one of our favorite soups EVER!)
- Easy Broccoli and Pea Soup (in 15 Minutes)
- Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
Kitchen Tools Needed
To prepare these easy homemade croutons, you will only need these basic tools:
- sharp serrated knife
- large bowl
- parchment paper or aluminum foil
- sheet pan or rimmed baking sheet
- a spoon, spatula or something else to stir the croutons.
Ingredients
Here are all the simple ingredients you will need to make your own homemade croutons. You can find quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post:
- sourdough bread: read all about the best bread to use for croutons in the section below.
- olive oil: avocado oil or cold-pressed rapeseed oil will work well too.
- sea salt: or rock salt (many types of coarse salt, sometimes referred to as kosher salt will work). Avoid table salt that has anticaking agents in it.
- black pepper.
- mixed dried herbs: you may use herbs like oregano, parsley or basil, or a mixture.
Variations
Different Seasoning Options: garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, red pepper flakes and garlic herb seasoning make a delicious addition to sourdough croutons.
Using Fresh Herbs? Fresh herbs burn very quickly, if you insist, we recommend chopping them very very finely, and mixing them with the oil, before adding them to croutons and tossing them. Fresh parsley and fresh thyme are our favourite herbs to use.
Make Them Cheesy: Scatter some finely grated parmesan cheese for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
Sourdough Croutons With Butter: Melt an equivalent amount of butter in a small saucepan. Crush in a fresh garlic clove into the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Then pour the butter mixture over the sourdough bread cubes and toss to coat. Garlic butter adds so much flavour to your croutons… Yummy! But keep an eye and them – croutons with butter will burn quickly!
Best Bread For Croutons
Many sourdough recipes will work well for making croutons. But the type of bread used will determine how long you will need to cook your croutons to ensure not much moisture is left inside them, and they have their crunchy texture. We typically make this recipe with 1-2 day old sourdough bread (or old bread from the freezer). However, we tested this recipe with Sourdough Ciabatta, Focaccia and Sourdough Sandwich Bread and they worked well too.
Whatever kind of bread you choose for your croutons, we encourage you to use homemade bread.
Method
A few easy steps and you will have yourself delicious croutons!
Preheat the oven to 180 C Fan. Line a large baking tray with either baking parchment or foil.
Cut the sourdough into bite-sized cubes (include or exclude the crusts – we always keep the crusts on) and place bread cubes in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs to the bowl, and toss the bread until they are well covered.
Spread them onto a prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15-20 minutes. Stir them once or twice halfway through cooking. Your croutons should be crunchy and golden brown when done!
Recipe Video
Tips and Tricks For Flavorful Croutons
Croutons are one of the easiest things to make at home. But if this is your first time making croutons, here are a few things to note:
- Use older bread: it’s the best way to ensure there’s not too much moisture inside the bread and your croutons will turn crispy before they burn.
- If you have slices of sourdough bread in your freezer, use them. You can even cut them before they fully thaw to ensure more uniform pieces. Then leave them in a bowl to defrost completely before adding oil and seasoning.
- Fresh croutons are the best, so we don’t recommend making a big batch! Serve them whilst they are still warm with salads, or completely cooled with soups.
- If you have an air fryer, here’s a great air-fried crouton recipe from Healthy Delicious!
How To Store Homemade Sourdough Croutons?
Croutons can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container (like a Tupperware box or zip-top bag), for up to a week. It’s important to ensure they are completely cool before sealing them in the container, as any residual warmth can make them turn soft.
If you want to save a large batch for later use, consider freezing them. You can simply freeze cubed bread or freeze croutons after baking. Simply place them in a freezer bag or an air-tight container, ensuring you remove as much air as possible to maintain their freshness. When you’re ready to enjoy them, gently warm them in the oven for that crispy goodness you love.
Other Ways To Use Leftover Sourdough Bread
We hope you liked our homemade sourdough crouton recipe. If you have more extra bread to use up, here are a few of our favourite recipes:
- Welsh Rarebit
- Sourdough French Toast (recipe coming soon)
- Sourdough Bread Crumbs (recipe coming soon)
Alternatively, have a look at our article about How To Store Sourdough Bread To Keep It Fresh For Longer.
Homemade Sourdough Croutons
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- 1 Large Baking Tray/ Sheet
- Baking Parchment or Aluminium Foil
Ingredients
- 400 g sourdough bread
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1½ teaspoon dried herbs
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180° C Fan. Line a large baking tray with either baking parchment or foil.
- Cut the sourdough into bite-sized cubes (include or exclude the crusts – we always keep the crusts on) and place bread cubes in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs to the bowl, and toss the bread until they are well covered.
- Spread them onto a prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15-20 minutes. Stir them once or twice halfway through cooking. Your croutons should be crunchy and golden brown when done!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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