Talk about an extra special and unexpected addition to your dinner salad. My kids go nuts over these homemade croutons, and I honestly have to do what I can to stop them from just eating this crunchy goodness plain so we can actually enjoy them in our salad with dinner!

I love making homemade croutons because they help you save money by using up leftover bread or those end pieces that the kids won’t eat. They’re also a great way to revitalize homemade bread that’s a few days old. 

Once you’re done, use these homemade croutons immediately with your favorite salad recipe.

Homemade Croutons With Fresh or Stale Bread

Usually homemade croutons are made with stale bread but this recipe can be used with soft bread too! Any moisture in the bread will naturally toast out as it bakes in the oven; perfect if you need croutons in a pinch.

The Best Bread to Use

To keep with our real food mission, we recommend making homemade croutons with whole wheat bread that’s made without refined sugar. Store bought is fine, but these croutons are especially delicious with leftover homemade bread.

If you prefer sourdough croutons, you could also use whole wheat sourdough bread instead. King Arthur flour has a great recipe, but I recommend substituting the canola oil with cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil or an unrefined oil of your choice.

Homemade Croutons FAQs

Seasoning Alternative: Caesar Croutons

If you typically use your homemade croutons in caesar salad then you might want to swap the Italian seasoning for a more traditional cesar crouton seasoning instead. 

To make cesar salad croutons replace the Italian seasoning with 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon of dried thyme.