Easy Homemade Croutons (Garlic & Parmesan) (2024)

FAQs

How to keep homemade croutons crispy? ›

We recommend flash-freezing the croutons on a baking sheet until solid, then transferring the frozen croutons to an airtight freezer bag. Store them frozen for up to 1 month and thaw them in the fridge. You may wish to place your defrosted croutons into the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up again before serving.

You will get crunchier croutons if you bake them, as the heat of the oven will dry them out as well as toasting the edges making them golden. You can also grill or fry them, but they might be slightly softer in the middle – lovely on a tomato salad, but won't keep as long as drier baked croutons.

Spread the bread cubes onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure the bread cubes are in an even layer and not touching. If they are too close and overlapping, they won't cook evenly and won't crisp up. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until the croutons are golden brown.

How long do croutons last? The expected shelf-life for homemade croutons is about two weeks. Moisture encourages mold, so make sure your croutons are completely dehydrated during the bake and let cool completely at room temperature before storing them away in an airtight container.

3: Don't let the bread get perfectly crisp in the oven

The croutons will continue to crisp up as they cool, so croutons that are perfectly crisp straight out of the oven will end up being rock hard when they cool. Those are the croutons that hurt your mouth to eat – no one likes that!

This is why using an airtight food storage container is key. Always store your croutons separately from any other ingredients; they can be stored at room temperature for two weeks or in the fridge for three to four weeks.

If they do become a little soft, heat them again in a pan to crucnh them back up. Croutons will most likely spoil do to moulds or yeasts growing on them (especially if they're not dry enough) so you might want to store them in the fridge (in an air tight container) and not for too long.

Soggy croutons often happen with leftover salad or prepackaged salads that have been sitting for a while. But they can also occur if you've prepped your salad too early and let it sit in the bowl for too long; the croutons take on moisture, and the crisped-up bread goes soft.

How can you re-crisp croutons? There are a few methods you can use to re-crisp croutons: Oven method: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread your croutons out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until they are crisp and lightly browned.

Can bread be too stale for croutons? ›

They're wonderfully golden and crisp, and infinitely superior to dry, store-bought croutons. The best part about homemade croutons is that you can use your favorite bread, even if it's gone stale, and your croutons are ready in under 15 minutes.

To refresh stale croutons, bake for 3 to 4 minutes at 400 degrees.

Obviously, there's no law saying croutons can't be eaten like a snack, but certain things can give you the sense it's discouraged. One of those things: the suggested serving size on the back of the package, which is typically two tablespoons.

Croutons don't expire in the sense that they become dangerous to eat. There simply isn't enough moisture in them to feed an spoilage bacteria and other such organisms. The dates listed on prepackaged croutons are a “best before date”, a date after which the croutons are likely to go stale and not have the right taste.

Once they are cool, you need to store them in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place, away from light, to help prevent the oil in them from going rancid. The refrigerator is too moist, but the freezer might be okay for really long term storage, in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.