Homemade Garlic Parmesan Croutons! Why is it that there’s such a HUGE difference in quality when it comes to croutons?? A good house-made crouton at a nice restaurant can be the highlight of an amazing salad…. while a boxed version, bought at the store just falls flat! I mean… how many of you have crunched down on a store bought version and almost chipped a tooth??!!! I hate that! Eating a salad should be a pleasant experience… not one that will send you to the dentist!! :-) But what’s even better about a homemade version, is how stinkin’ easy it is!!! And it’s the perfect use for day old bread. I have a tendency to buy baguettes at the store, with grand recipe ideas in mind. Then I’ll run out of time to make what I was planning, or we decide to make something else entirely different, etc. And I’m left with a stale baguette. It could be viewed as a waste…. or it can be turned into the best damn croutons you’ve ever tasted. What a choice to make?? LOL
This time around, I used a multi-grain baguette. Not even because of choice really… but because I was in a hurry at the store and just grabbed what I thought was going to be a French bread baguette. In all honesty… I kind of like the multi-grain croutons better than using the plain French bread! You can also make this with a regular sized French bread loaf, but I find that using a baguette is better because it has more crust. So move over Marie Calendar’s…. and your over priced hard croutons…. your boxed version ain’t got nuttin on this! 🙂
- 1 loaf baguette bread, day old (It really is best with day old bread)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ¼ tsp. italian herb seasoning
- ⅔ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated and divided (do not use the canned cheese)
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and minced garlic. Set aside at room temperature for a minimum of one hour. I like to mix it up and leave it on the counter overnight to really infuse the oil with the garlic flavor.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cut the baguette into cubes. The size just depends on how big you like them. Place the cubed bread into a large mixing bowl.
- Strain the oil, and pour it over the bread. Mix well with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the bread with the salt, pepper, paprika, italian herb seasoning, and ½ cup of the grated parmesan cheese. Mix well with the spatula.
- Spread the croutons in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully stir the croutons and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir again and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for another 5-15 minutes or until crispy. ***The baking time really depends on the size of the croutons. You don't want the croutons to get too brown, but you also don't want them chewy. Also, remember that they will crisp up as they cool.
- Cool completely before storing or you'll end up with soggy croutons!
Tools I used:
Thank you for visiting! Please be patient as I am going in a new direction with my site and will post more soon! xoxo ~Kelly
These croutons are fabulous. Better than any I’ve had in any fancy restaurant!
5 star!
Thank you for the rating Terri! I’m so glad you enjoyed them 🙂 That’s the best part about cooking really…. making people happy!
5 stars! Do you have a Ranch Crouton recipe?
These are so tasty! When I make them, my family ends up eating them like potato chips because they’re so good. These work great with Jimmy John’s “day old” sub rolls!
HAHA! I have to slap hands out of the tray when they’re cooling each and every time! lol My honey will literally fill up a bowl and eat them alone as a snack!