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These homemade croutons with garlic butter are flavorful and perfect on top of soup or salad. Full of flavor and ready in just about 30 minutes.
I love bread in all forms, but if you give it to me in a buttery toasted sourdough fashion – I’m all over it!
In fact, I will happily eat it as a snack, on top of a salad, or even garnished on soup.
This is also a great way to use leftover bread or slightly stale sourdough. We don’t waste food in this household, especially bread.
I used a tasty mix of butter and olive oil to create the perfect crunch on the bread.
Then I threw in some aromatics (fresh garlic – YES, PLEASE!) and some dried herbs for a real punch of flavor.
Trust me, if you want to enjoy your dishes even more – throw on a few of these homemade croutons!
Oh, and I can confirm that these make an amazing midnight snack! Ten out of ten will be eating again!
Ingredients for homemade croutons
- Sourdough bread – I use sourdough bread because it’s my favorite, and I LOVE it in almost any form.
- Unsalted butter – If you use salted butter, you can use a little less kosher salt.
- Olive oil – I like adding olive oil to the mix because it gives a good flavor to the croutons.
- Fresh garlic – Just a touch for a big hit of garlic flavor.
- Kosher salt – Salt is always great because it enhances flavor.
- Italian seasoning – Just a touch for a little herby flavor.
- Garlic powder – This gives you a subtle garlic taste to push it over the edge.
How to make garlic butter homemade croutons
One of the reasons I love croutons is because they are easy to make!
- Preheat your oven and line a sheet pan with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- Cut up your bread and add to a large bowl.
- Melt down your butter with your oil and garlic.
- Toss the bread in your butter mixture and add in seasonings.
- Bake until golden.
- Resist the urge to eat them all in one sitting.
Where to use homemade croutons
While I’m happy to sit down and eat these croutons like potato chips, they are also great in so many other recipes!
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup – there is nothing better than crunchy croutons overtop tomato soup!
- Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad – Caesar salad and croutons are a classic combination.
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup – crunchy buttery croutons go great with Italian flavors.
- Vegan Lentil Chili – I love adding a little crunch to a heavy on the beans chili.
- Green Goddess Salad – salads and croutons are basically BFF.
Using different bread
I think sourdough is the best for making croutons, BUT this recipe is super easy to adapt!
It works well with French bread, Italian bread, focaccia, ciabatta, etc.
The only bread I don’t love for homemade croutons is store-bought loaf/sandwich bread. I find it soft and airy, and it can result in an airy, overly crunchy crouton.
The thicker 1-inch pieces on artisan bread give you the perfect ratio of crunch to chew.
Making this vegan
Since this recipe uses butter, it is not suitable for vegans.
Make this vegan with margarine or your favorite solid or spreadable butter-flavored substitute.
You can also use a full 1/2 cup olive oil instead of the butter.
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover croutons can be saved in a ziptop baggie or air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
I will often make a big batch and store them in glass containers, ready to be used at any moment.
Love these garlic butter croutons?
Why not try a few recipes that would pair perfectly with these croutons?
- Love creamy soups with your croutons? Try my Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
- Craving a twist to a classic salad? Try my Roasted Asparagus Caesar Salad.
- Want a hearty soup with a kick? Try my Italian Sausage Fennel White Bean Soup.
- Need a flavorful salad in your life? Try my Southwest Steak Salad with Fried Plantains.
Homemade Garlic Butter Croutons
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces sourdough bread , left out uncovered overnight
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a large rimmed baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside until ready to bake.
- Cut sourdough bread into 1-inch squares and set aside in a large bowl.
- In a medium-sized saucepan add butter and olive oil and set over medium-low heat.
- Once the butter is melted add in the minced fresh garlic and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and pour the butter mixture over the bread.
- Toss until butter is soaked into the bread.
- Add in the kosher salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Toss to evenly coat.
- Spread butter-soaked bread onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned.
- Toss the croutons every 5-8 minutes to make sure all the sides get toasted evenly.
Notes
- To grate my garlic, I use a microplane. It will give you a fine smooth grate.
- If you forget to leave your bread out overnight don’t worry about it! It just might take a few minutes longer to get the dried-out crunch you want.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Homemade Garlic Butter Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 loaf crusty French bread - left out overnight
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut French bread into 1-inch squares and set aside.
- In a large pot melt down butter, add salt and garlic. Remove from heat and add in cut up bread. Toss until butter is soaked into the bread and flavors are evenly distributed over bread.
- Spread butter soaked bread onto a silpat (or parchment) lined sheet pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned. Toss once or twice during baking to ensure all sides are perfectly toasted.
2″ squares? How does one fit a crouton of that size in their mouth? Besides, your pics do not show croutons that big. Misprint?
Totally right! I fixed it 🙂
Although I expect they won’t last long, how should the croutons be stored?
Hi Cheryl! I usually just put them in a air tight container like a Tupperware or ziptop bag. Hope you enjoy the croutons 🙂
I made these yesterday to serve with home made tomato basil soup. I need not have worried about how to store the croutons. They were all gone by the end of the day. They were absolutely delicious in the soup, but there was a lot of snacking going on. Yum!!!
French bread comes in many sizes. How many ounces should I get?
16 ounces!
Delicious crouton recipe. I’ll never buy storebought again!
So much better than store bought croutons. Thanks for the recipe!
I will never be purchasing croutons from the store! I wanted to make croutons w/left over crusty bread and didn’t take the time to leave it overnight, but it style turned out great! Thank you!!!
Hi Babette – I’m so happy you like them! I will sometimes eat them like potato chips they are so good!