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Homemade Croutons with Garlic Butter

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. 

Homemade Croutons with Garlic Butter on a sheet pan.

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!

sourdough bread, butter, olive oil, garlic and seasonings on a table.

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.
Cut up sourdough bread in a bowl.
Garlic butter in a bowl.
Uncooked homemade croutons on a sheet pan.

How to make garlic butter homemade croutons

One of the reasons I love croutons is because they are easy to make!

  1. Preheat your oven and line a sheet pan with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
  2. Cut up your bread and add to a large bowl.
  3. Melt down your butter with your oil and garlic.
  4. Toss the bread in your butter mixture and add in seasonings.
  5. Bake until golden.
  6. Resist the urge to eat them all in one sitting.
Croutons on a salad.

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!

Homemade Croutons with Garlic Butter on a baking pan.

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.

Homemade Croutons with Garlic Butter in a small white bowl.

Love these garlic butter croutons?

Why not try a few recipes that would pair perfectly with these croutons?

Homemade Garlic Butter Croutons

These homemade garlic butter croutons are full of flavor and perfect on top of soup or salad. Full of flavor and ready in just about 30 minutes.
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings

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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 845mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic butter croutons, garlic croutons
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment and 5 star review!
Homemade Croutons with Garlic Butter pin for Pinterest.
Brandy

About Brandy!

I am a food lover and recipe developer bringing you delicious recipes that taste great and are easy to make! My food is inspired by travels around the world and my love of flavorful food. A list of things that make me happy: cats, Coke Zero, houseplants, and travel. Read more...

Recipe Rating




Taryn

Thursday 25th of January 2024

So much better than store bought croutons. Thanks for the recipe!

Nellie Tracy

Wednesday 24th of January 2024

Delicious crouton recipe. I'll never buy storebought again!

Jax

Thursday 30th of September 2021

French bread comes in many sizes. How many ounces should I get?

nutmegnanny

Monday 8th of November 2021

16 ounces!

Cheryl Hanson

Friday 23rd of December 2016

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!!!

Cheryl Hanson

Tuesday 20th of December 2016

Although I expect they won't last long, how should the croutons be stored?

nutmegnanny

Tuesday 20th of December 2016

Hi Cheryl! I usually just put them in a air tight container like a Tupperware or ziptop bag. Hope you enjoy the croutons :)

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