Sourdough Croutons

These homemade Sourdough Croutons are extra crunchy, garlicky, and flavorful. They're great both in soups and salads. Easy to make and a great way to use up leftover bread!

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storing
• FAQs
• More Recipes That Use Sourdough Bread
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Extra crunchy - You can use any type of bread to make croutons but sourdough yields more crunchy croutons than any other bread. If you want croutons with a little softer bite, try white French bread or Italian bread.

Flavorful - The croutons are seasoned with garlic, onion, oregano, salt, and pepper. Olive oil also adds a nice flavor to them so they're delicious even on their own! You can adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more herbs, chili flakes, or other spices.

No leftovers - Making your own croutons is a great way to use up any leftover bread, whether it's sourdough or any other loaf of bread. It's a delicious way to lower food waste and add a little crunch to your favorite soups or salads.

Ingredients

• Sourdough bread - The better the bread is the better the croutons will be. Choose a loaf of sourdough bread you really like! In the photos, I'm using rye sourdough with caraway seeds.
• Olive oil - I like using olive oil here for extra flavor but you can also use avocado oil or any other cooking oil. I don't recommend using butter to avoid it burning but you can use ghee which has a higher smoke point.
• Spices - Garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper are my go-to but you can other herbs or spices to change up the flavors (see below).

I prefer using dried herbs over fresh herbs here to prevent them from burning in the oven. It's best to use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic here because it also burns really easily.

Variations and Substitutions

• More herbs - You can add dried herbs like thyme, parsley, sage, marjoram, and crushed rosemary, or a blend like Italian seasoning. You can mix and match to get your favorite flavor.
• Make it spicy - Lightly sprinkle the croutons with crushed red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, or chili powder to add some heat. Cajun spice would also be a great addition.
• Ghee - I don't recommend using normal butter because its smoke point is too low for the oven and it could burn. You can however use melted ghee instead of olive oil to give the croutons a light butter flavor. It has a high smoke point and it's great for roasting.
• Gluten-free bread - Use gluten-free bread instead of classic sourdough if needed.
• Parmesan cheese - Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on the croutons towards the end of cooking for some added cheesiness.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 300F (150C).
2. Dice your bread into about 1-inch cubes.
3. Place bread cubes on a large, rimmed baking sheet. You can use parchment paper but it's not necessary.
4. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and toss to coat well.
5. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
6. Toss to mix and coat everything.

6. Spread the bread out into a single layer making sure the cubes don't overlap.
7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, toss, and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
8. The croutons should be golden brown and crunchy when done.

Serving Suggestions

Soups - The best way to enjoy these croutons is in soups! You can add them to any soup. Try them in these four soups:

• Cauliflower Soup
• Butternut Squash Curry Soup
• Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup
• Green Pea Soup

Salad - Everyone knows Panzanella and classic Ceasar salad are great with croutons but you can add them to practically any salad for added crunch! Give them a try in these salads:

• Nectarine Salad
• Greek Cucumber Salad
• Roasted Broccoli Salad with Creamy Almond Dressing
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lentils and Lemon Vinaigrette

Storing

• Store any leftover croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
• I don't recommend freezing the croutons, they'll lose their crunch once defrosted.

FAQs

More Recipes That Use Sourdough Bread

If you're looking for fun new recipes to use up the rest of your sourdough, I've got you! Try the four recipes linked below! The tomato grilled cheese is perfect for the summer, especially with a good tomato soup. The goat cheese grilled cheese is best for fall and so good with crispy sage! I have a whole category for sandwiches you can browse for more ideas!

• Heirloom Tomato Grilled Cheese with Fresh Basil
• Goat Grilled Cheese with Pear and Sage
• Canned Salmon Salad Sandwich
• Whipped Goat Cheese Toast with Shiitake Mushroom

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