Crispy air fryer croutons are easy to make from scratch in under 10 minutes! Irresistibly flavorful and buttery, croutons are the perfect pairing with vegan tomato soup or Caesar salad. Grab your leftover bread, and let's make croutons!
Homemade croutons are cheap and easy to make, and they taste a million times better than anything you can buy at the store. Any bread you have on hand (including gluten free!) can be magically transformed into crispy homemade croutons. Customize them to your liking: plain or seasoned, chewy or crispy, dry or buttery, large or small.
Pro Tip: Save leftover pieces of baguettes, sandwich bread, and sourdough in the freezer until you have enough to make homemade croutons or Italian breadcrumbs.
Ingredients for Croutons
To make homemade croutons, you need just 4 ingredients:
- any variety bread you have on hand like: baguette, French bread, sourdough or sandwich bread. Great way to use up one or two day old bread.
- olive oil or melted dairy-free butter if you prefer.
- seasonings: customize to your taste! I always add garlic powder and salt. But Italian herbs, parsley, and herbs de Provence are popular.
How to Make Croutons in the Air Fryer!
I love that it's so quick and easy to make crispy golden air fryer croutons at home! Let's get started:
- Cut the bread into bite-size cubes. Place in a large bowl.
- Season the croutons: Drizzle the bread cubes with oil and seasonings of choice. Toss to coat evenly.
- Cook: Transfer to the preheated air fryer and cook until golden and crunchy. Shake the basket periodically to ensure the croutons get evenly crisped.
- Ready to serve!: Enjoy on soup and salads.
Note: If you don't have an air fryer, bake the croutons in the oven or toaster oven. See recipe notes below for full details.
A Few Tips
This crouton recipe is great for new cooks as it's very forgiving. Just in case though, I've included a few helpful tips:
How long do I cook them?: Use this recipe as a guide, but keep your eyes on the color and texture of the croutons to be sure they are browning evenly and not burning. The style of air fryer, how full the air fryer basket is, and the type, shape and thickness of the bread cubes will all influence the cooking time.
Air Fryer v. Oven Baked Croutons: You don't have to run out and buy an air fryer to make crispy homemade croutons. It's easy to make them in the oven or even a toaster oven! Prepare the cubed bread as written, then follow the baking instructions in the recipe card below.
What type of bread should I use?: Different types of bread reactive differently to heat (maillard reaction) and produce a different type of crouton. Ciabatta bread browns quickly and creates a crunchy, rustic texture making it the perfect pairing with creamy tomato soup and for soaking up juicy Panzanella and Caesar salad dressings.
White sandwich bread can take an extra minute or two to get golden. It produces a lovely light, crispy crouton that pairs well with a rainbow salad and makes a wonderfully crispy topping for baked casseroles. See photo for the differences in crumb.
Maillard Reaction: Maillard reaction is basically the protein and sugar (starch) in bread reacting to heat changing its color and texture. So different types of bread (sourdough, French bread, sandwich bread, gluten free, whole wheat for example) will all react slightly differently to heat.
FAQ - Homemade Croutons
Croutons are not naturally vegan. Always check the ingredients on store bought croutons. Bread ingredients often include milk, eggs, and butter; and crouton seasoning may include whey, butter or milk. This crouton recipe is vegan!
Homemade croutons are easy to make gluten free! Just choose your favorite gluten free bread and follow this recipe as written.
Ways to Use Croutons
We love having a bag of homemade croutons on hand - they are so addictively crunchy! My hubby is frequently seen snacking on a handful of crispy croutons. Here's a few more ways to enjoy them:
- As a salad topper: Is it even Caesar salad without croutons? They add the most satisfying, buttery crunch to every bite!
- As a crunchy topping: For a rainbow salad or mason jar salads.
- On veggie soups: Like vegan tomato soup, curry cauliflower rice soup or vegetable bean soup.
- In holiday stuffing: Perfect for your Thanksgiving stuffing recipe.
How to Store Crunchy Croutons
Store the completely cooled, croutons in an airtight container or bag in the pantry for several weeks. You can also freeze croutons if you won't use them all - they thaw quickly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
I love my basket air fryer! It's great for making food faster, healthier, and extra crispy. Plus it doesn't heat up the house, it's perfect for small batches (cooking for one or two), and it's a boss at reheating/recrisping food!! Here's a few of our favorite air fryer recipes to try next:
- Tofu in the Air Fryer
- Vegan Grilled Cheese
- Extra Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
- Easy Air Fryer Biscuits or Homemade Vegan Biscuits
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
If you tried this Air Fryer Croutons recipe or any other recipe on the blog, please let me know how you liked it by leaving a rating and review below! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for more delicious vegan recipes.
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Easy Air Fryer Croutons Recipe (vegan + gf)
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Equipment
- air fryer
INGREDIENTS
- 4 slices bread (6" baguette) ~3 cups
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted vegan butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, parsley, basil) optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat air fryer to 360º F for 2 or 3 minutes while you prepare the bread cubes.
- Slice bread into crouton shaped pieces. Approximately 3-4 cups.
- In a bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and garlic powder. If you are using dry herbs, add them now too.
- Put half the bread cubes into the basket of an air fryer (it's okay if they are piled up a bit and touching). Bake at 360ºF until golden.
- Shake the basket occasionally, air frying the croutons until they are golden brown on all sides (approximately 5-7 minutes). Cooking time will depend on how large and thick the bread cubes are. Remove from the air fryer and make the second batch.
- Once completely cool, store in an airtight container or bag for several weeks.
NOTES
- Oven method for baking croutons: Spread the prepared bread cubes on a sheet pan in a single layer with room between. Bake in a preheated 375º F oven. Stir the croutons occasionally to brown all sides (approximately 10-15 minutes). Cooking time will vary depending on size and thickness of the bread cubes.
- Storing Croutons: Once the croutons are completely cooled, store in an airtight container or bag in the pantry for several weeks. They can be frozen for several months if needed.
This recipe is from simplyceecee.co food blog. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images or republish this recipe without prior permission. Thank you.
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