5-Ingredient Homemade Sourdough Croutons

Homemade Sourdough Croutons on a sheet pan garnished with herbs and Parmesan cheese.

5-Ingredient Homemade Sourdough Croutons

Homemade Sourdough Croutons are delicious in soups, salads, and on snack boards! They're easy to make with just five basic ingredients, and add that little bit of special to recipes, like this Vegetarian Kale Caesar Salad. In this recipe, I'm sharing how to make seasoned croutons from Sourdough Bread in the oven. This recipe is vegetarian or vegan. *See blog post for serving ideas, and recipe notes for how to make breadcrumbs from these tasty croutons.

This recipe yields about 5 cups (230 grams) of croutons.

Course Bread, Condiment

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword Sourdough Bread Croutons, Sourdough Croutons

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings servings, about 1/2 cup each

Calories 77kcal

Author Traci York

Ingredients

6 cups (310 grams) Diced Sourdough Bread Cubes torn or sliced into about 1/2 inch pieces (you'll need just under 1/2 of a two pound crusty loaf)
2 1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Granules or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1 1/4 teaspoon Dried Italian Herbs *see note

Optional Ingredients

2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1-2 tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley

Instructions

Set an oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). For this recipe, you can line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or bake the croutons directly on a sheet pan, without parchment. Transfer the bread cubes to the sheet pan.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, garlic, salt and dried herbs.
Drizzle half the oil mixture over the croutons. Use your hands or spatula to toss the bread cubes, squeezing the bread gently as you go to allow the oil mixture to infuse the bread. Drizzle the remaining oil mixture over the cubes and mix again until all the bread cubes have been touched by the oil mix.
Arrange the bread cubes in an even layer, then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Stir, and rotate the pan, testing a crouton for desired crunchy. Bake 5 minutes more for more crunch (20 minutes total - this is my crunch happy place) or 8-10 minutes more (23-25 minutes total) for major crunch!
Once out of the oven, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional) and enjoy within a few hours. Share croutons warm or cool completely then sprinkle optional fresh herbs over the croutons. The croutons will get crunchier as they cool.
To Store:
Room Temperature: Allow the croutons to cool completely on the sheet pan, then transfer to a lidded container or storage bag. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week (if using Parmesan, consume the croutons within a few hours, otherwise freeze them).
Freezer: Sourdough croutons freeze really well, up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour.

Notes

*Dried Italian Herbs may be subbed in an equal amount of dried thyme, oregano, and/or basil.

Toasted Seasoned Breadcrumbs: Simply whirl the croutons in a food processor fitted with an S blade for about 10 seconds or until desired crumb size. Toasted seasoned breadcrumbs will store at room temperature for up to a week, and in the freezer for months in an airtight container.

Nutrition