Easy Homemade Croutons with Garlic Herb Butter
Thick cubes of bakery bread are tossed in a savory garlic and herb butter and baked until golden and crispy. These easy homemade croutons add buttery crunch to salads, soups, and casseroles.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bakery-style bread French, Italian, sourdough, rye, and pumpernickel work best
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Cut the loaf of bread in 1-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour all of the butter and half of the olive oil over the bread cubes. Toss to evenly coat all the bread.
- Sprinkle the seasonings over the now moist bread and toss to distribute them evenly throughout.
- Spread the bread cubes over a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining olive oil to make sure every one is well coated.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the croutons are golden brown and toasted, stirring once halfway through.
- Can be served warm or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing to avoid condensation in the container.
Notes
Let the croutons cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. If they are warm when you store them, the croutons will make condensation in the bag, and that will make them soggy.
If they do soften, spread them on a baking sheet and warm in the oven for a few minutes.
Place fully cooled croutons on a baking sheet in the freezer for an hour or two, until they are frozen solid and not sticky. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months, then re-crisp in the oven straight from frozen. There is no need to thaw. If you skip the step of flash freezing, you will have one big lump of croutons that will be hard to separate when you're ready to heat them up.
Nutrition
Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
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