Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons (Easy Baked Croutons)

Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons are quick and easy to make with fresh or old bread. Before you go ahead and throw out that loaf that got a little old and dried out, turn it into croutons!

Garlic Seasoned, Oven Baked Croutons Recipe

Anyone who cooks and bakes a lot at home, should have a crouton recipe in their collection. Any time you happen to let some bread get a little stale, don't pitch it - make croutons!

Or for me, any time I have a loaf that doesn't turn out properly (didn't rise right, fell while baking, gluten under-developed, etc, etc.). I've made my share of dumb loaves of bread since starting bread baking. But hey, I guess we'll never run out of croutons for salads! 🙂

The croutons I make are always whole grain, since I use my homemade whole wheat bread. But in reality, you can use any bread. Sourdough (sandwich loaf bread or artisan-style), ciabatta, French bread...

I originally got this recipe from Nick DiGiovanni's cookbook Knife Drop, a number of years ago. So if you want to check out the original recipe, that's where you'll find it. I actually really like that cook book, by the way.

Croutons are delicious on salads (see BLT Lettuce Salad), but also these are good as a crunchy, salty snack. Okey dokey, let's make some easy homemade croutons!

Supplies You'll Need (and what we used)

• Cutting board and bread knife - to chop the bread into little squares. I'm using the bread slicer from our Chicago cutlery knife collection!
  
• Measuring cups and spoons
  
• Mixing bowl
  
• Baking sheet - I use my NordicWare bakers half sheet pan
  
• Metal spatula - for stirring the croutons

Ingredients (and Substitutions)

• Bread - I'm using whole wheat sandwich bread, but pretty much any bread can be turned into croutons. Bread that got a little stale, or didn't turn out great when baking is perfect for making croutons!
• Olive oil - the rich flavor of extra virgin olive oil is my choice, though any oil should work.
• Garlic powder and salt

This post contains affiliate links. As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you make a purchase through our links. Thanks for supporting our little family!

How to make Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the bread into small cubes. You can remove the crusts first, if you wish. (If the bread is already stale, it may work better to break it with your hands!)

In a mixing bowl, toss the bread cubes with olive oil and garlic powder.

Spread the bread cubes evenly onto a sheet pan and give them a dusting of salt.

Bake for 10-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the croutons are nice and toasty, golden brown. If using fresh bread it'll likely take 15-20 minutes and if using bread that was already a little stale, they'll likely be done by 10 minutes.

Let the croutons cool.

Enjoy!

How to store Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons

Store the croutons in an airtight container or Ziploc bag up to one week (at room temperature).

Tips, Tricks and Notes

Bread that got a little stale, or didn't turn out quite right while baking is perfect for making croutons! Don't throw it away 🙂

If you like this recipe...

...you might also like:

Homemade Soft Tortillas (with Fresh Milled flour)

Easy Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Condensed Cream of (Chicken or Mushroom) Soup

Pin this recipe for later!

As always

Thanks so much for being here. You're welcome to stay awhile and explore!

'til next time, we love you and we'll be praying for you,

-Julie