These Homemade Sourdough Croutons couldn’t be easier to make! They have so much flavor and add the perfect little crunch to salads and soups.
So don’t throw away your leftover bread – making your own homemade croutons is a great way to use up those extra slices you have laying around!
This recipe was inspired by my Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Gouda. I wanted a tasty topping for my soup and I had some leftover sourdough bread. Soooo...I decided to make my own homemade sourdough croutons! It took a couple tries to get the seasonings right, but now I’m excited to share the best croutons recipe with you.
This is the perfect way to take boring salads up a notch in the summer, and the best addition to creamy soup or Nourishing Red Cabbage Soup in the winter!
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What You’ll Love About Sourdough Croutons
EASY - seriously, this is such an easy recipe. All you do is cut your stale sourdough bread into cubes, season them, and bake them in the oven.
NUTRITION - as a dietitian, I love that this recipe is made with sourdough bread that contains prebiotics for a healthy gut. It also uses extra-virgin olive oil which is full of healthy fats that help support your heart and brain health.
TASTE - making your own croutons honestly just tastes so much better than store-bought croutons.
BUDGET FRIENDLY - as a gal who is feeding a party of one (myself!), I can't eat through a whole loaf of bread before it goes stale. This is the perfect way to avoid food waste and use up what you have.
Ingredients
*This Sourdough Croutons Recipe is made with simple ingredients. Below are some ingredient notes. Be sure to check the printable recipe card at the bottom for exact ingredient measurements and full recipe.
Sourdough Bread - for best results and perfectly crunchy croutons, use bread that is slightly stale (at least 1-2 day old bread). You can use homemade sourdough or grab some at the grocery store. My favorite brands of sourdough are Izzio Artisan Bakery or Easy Tiger Bakery, local to where I live in Austin, TX!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - to make these versatile croutons extra crispy and also add heart-healthy fats that are important for balancing hormones and for brain health.
Garlic Powder - garlic powder adds so much flavor without adding moisture.
Italian Seasoning - using Italian Seasoning makes this recipe so easy because all the herbs your heart could desire are packed in one little spice jar.
Kosher Salt and optional Black Pepper - to tie all the flavors together.
Instructions
*Below are the instructions for how to make Homemade Croutons with some visuals that I hope are helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375℉. Prep a large baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up (this is optional). With a sharp knife, cut your sourdough loaf into about 1 inch cubes.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the sourdough bread cubes with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings.
Step 3: Place bread cubes on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Oven times will vary so be sure to check them after 15 minutes and every 1-2 minutes after that. The croutons are done when they are a golden brown color.
Step 4: Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
Hint: Be sure each piece of cubed bread is coated with the oil and seasoning blend so they get crispy and the flavor is evenly distributed.
Substitutions
Below are ideas for substitutions for this recipe.
- Bread - if you don’t have sourdough sandwich bread or a sourdough loaf, you can use any kind of bread for this recipe including gluten-free bread.
- Oil - I personally like to use extra virgin olive oil because I love the robust taste of it. But if you prefer a more mild oil, avocado oil is a good option and contains heart-healthy fats like olive oil. You could also use vegetable oil.
- Seasonings - feel free to change up the seasonings if you want. Add onion powder, dried parsley, dried or fresh thyme or any other different spices or fresh herbs you have in your fridge.
Variations
- Garlic Parmesan - add grated parmesan for a cheesy flavor.
- Spicy - make them a little spicy with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder.
Storage
In order to make sure your croutons stay crunchy, here is how to store homemade croutons.
- Room temperature - store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Fridge - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezer - store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4-6 weeks.
To reheat from frozen, let them sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes and then heat them on low heat in the oven, in a pan, or in the air fryer.
Expert tips
- Use bread that is a bit stale for the best results.
- Be sure to coat each bread cube with the oil and spice mixture. This is the best way to ensure each crouton gets crispy.
- Check the croutons after 15 minutes and keep an eye on them after that so that they don’t burn.
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, these homemade sourdough croutons are a healthy option. Sourdough bread contains lower amounts of gluten than many other breads. For this reason, it’s easier to digest for many people. It also contains prebiotics which are good for gut health. This recipe also uses extra virgin olive oil which is high in oleic acids and good for heart-health, brain health, and hormone health.
There are a few reasons! One is to avoid food waste since it’s a good way to use up stale bread. Another is that they don’t contain added ingredients like preservatives and artificial flavorings. And honestly, I truly think they taste better than store-bought croutons.
The options of how to use this basic crouton recipe are pretty endless. Feel free to get creative! Some suggestions are to serve croutons on top of salads or on top of soups. Add them to roasted vegetables for some extra crunch. You can even snack on them by themselves or with a spoonful of hummus or other favorite dip.Â
Nope! You can use any kind of stale bread for this recipe.Â
I haven’t used the air fryer for this homemade sourdough crouton recipe, but you absolutely can! According to Everyday Family Cooking’s air fryer conversion chart, I would suggest air frying them at 350℉ for about 10 minutes or less.Â
I personally love Izzio's Artisan Bakery's Sourdough bread which I buy at Sprouts. Their San Fransisco Sliced Bread (pictured above) is what I used for this recipe. But they also sell a take and bake sourdough on Amazon that would work! I also love Easy Tiger Bakery, a local Austin, TX brand that you can get on Amazon.
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I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram....I LOVE knowing there’s people out there trying out my recipes! 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
📖 Recipe
How to Make Homemade Sourdough Croutons (Easy Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups sourdough bread, diced into 1 inch cubes (use thick slices of sourdough. I love Izzio Artisan Bakery Brand)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (I use McCormick's brand)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Prep a large baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up. With a sharp knife, cut your sourdough loaf into about 1 inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, mix the sourdough bread cubes with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings. Be sure each piece of cubed bread is coated to make sure they get crispy.
- Place bread cubes on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Oven times will vary so be sure to check them after 15 minutes. The croutons are done when they are a golden brown color.
Notes
- Use bread that is a bit stale for the best results.
- Be sure to coat each bread cube with the oil and spice mixture. This is the best way to ensure each crouton gets crispy.Â
- Check the croutons after 15 minutes and keep an eye on them after that so that they don’t burn.
- Room temperature - store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Â
- Fridge - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.Â
- Freezer - store in an airtight container for up to 4-6 weeks.Â
Nutrition
References: Healthline
Sarah
I made these and added them to tomato soup with some dill on top and they were so good! I couldn't help but snack on them this afternoon too cause they're so yummy. Love the idea of using leftover bread to make these.
Mallory
Hi Sarah!! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review. 🙂 I'm so happy to hear that you love the croutons!! I totally agree they are so delicious on top of soup. So happy you are enjoying the blog and please let me know if there are any recipe ideas you want me to post.