Did you buy too much fresh bread for stuffing, or have some leftover from entertaining? Then quickly make Leftover Bread Croutons and throw them in the freezer, and when you want some to adorn your salad or soup, you have great, delicious croutons at the ready!!
They are super easy to make, and if your bread is already cubed like for stuffing, just throw it onto a sided cookie tray, oil and season, and bake. You will be proud of how clever you are and not wasteful either!!
The croutons turn out golden and crispy. You can add your own touch to them! I like some seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, and maybe a few dried herbs like oregano, thyme, or basil.
The better the bread, the better your croutons will be. Think of a lovely sourdough crouton or a French bread crouton or a multi-grain seeded crouton. Mmmmm, so many wonderful choices, and you sure don’t want to be throwing that bread away when you can turn it very easily into croutons with little effort and have them ready for you in the freezer when you need them.
My daughter is enjoying taking a salad to school some days and I just pop in a few croutons. They stay crispy in her salad still all day. Homemade is so much nicer than store-bought, hard, weird-tasting croutons.
Leftover Bread Croutons
Ingredients
- Cubed good quality bread
- Olive oil
- Seasoning salt
- Garlic powder
- Freshly ground pepper
- Dried herbs basil, oregano, thyme, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lay your bread cubes out on a sided baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, garlic, pepper and herbs if using. Toss gently to coat evenly. Drizzle with olive oil again if needed. Bake for 15 min. or until golden and crisp. Let cool and store in a plastic zip bag in the freezer.
Comments & Reviews
Dee says
I had half a loaf of Cranberry Walnut bread and decided to try making croutons. I used olive oil and a little salt. They are delicious!
Tara Noland says
That is awesome, those would be great in a salad!
Laura Bevilacqua says
Looks great! How do you defrost them when you pull them back out of the freezer?
Tara Noland says
I just thaw them and use them but you can reheat them in an oven too if you like.
Mary says
These are fabulous and so easy to make!!
Anne says
Can I make these with just plain sliced bread you use for sandwiches?
Tara Noland says
Sure you can, you can make them with any kind of bread. ENJOY!!
Alma @ Writer India says
Yummy. I enjoy making my very own croutons I usually make them for my homemade baked chicken ranch, so these would be lovely to try. I wager they ‘d be outstanding with my meal.
Brianne says
I absolutely love croutons for my soups and salads! I’ve never thought to make my own, but you make it look so easy!
Tammi Roy says
This is a great way to use up your extra bread. I have a bunch leftover. I will have to make these tomorrow.
Ann Bacciaglia says
These look so delicious and easy to make. I will have to give it a try. They will be great in soup as well.
Melissa @ The Staten Island family says
We love croutons and I’ve always wanted to make my own and never had a recipe to do so! This looks so DELISH!! Thanks for sharing!
Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says
Mmmm, these are so yummy. What a great way to use leftover bread. 🙂
Hali @daytodayMOMents says
Looks delicious. What an easy way to create something tasty.
Dawn gibson-thigpen says
yum i love croutons. def a good way to use leftovers.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
This is a great use for leftover breads. Definitely trying this for all those leftover breads we have. 😀
Kathy says
This is a great idea. I honestly never even thought about that. I do have leftovers, and my girls love croutons, so I’ll be making these.
Claudia Krusch says
I loooove making my own croutons I usually make them and freeze. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Kim @ What's That Smell? says
I love croutons but I’ve never mead them before. These look and sound delicious and really easy to make.
Danielle says
I’ve never made croutons at home before. This might be something I’d specifically buy bread to try, haha. It’s also a nice way to salvage what leftovers we have from time to time.
Jeanine says
Yum. I LOVE making my own croutons I usually make them for my homemade baked chicken farm, so these would be lovely to try. I bet they’d be awesome with my dish.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I love these croutons. I NEVER buy croutons from the store. I only make them. I can’t wait to try these.