Making homemade oven-baked garlic croutons is a snap when you follow my simple tips. These crunchy and easy vegan croutons are a perfect addition to any soup, salad or snacking.
Crunchy, flavorful garlic croutons; is there a better accompaniment to a soup or vegan Caesar's Salad?
Perhaps not, especially since these garlic-infused croutons are so easy to make at home. You'll see.
Make a big batch of these and store them for a quick and affordable topping for your culinary projects.
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👆 Here's Why This Recipe Works
- multi-purpose. Homemade oven-baked garlic croutons can serve as a tasty accompaniment to homemade tomato soup or other creamy soups. You can also use them in salads, pasta, casseroles, or Thanksgiving stuffing. My kids actually ate these garlic croutons as a snack, they're so crunchy and addictive.
- real ingredients. If you look at the package of store-bought croutons, you might notice ingredients that have no place to be there like sugar and preservatives. These homemade oven-baked garlic croutons are made with real ingredients, with no compromises.
- quick and easy. It's really easy to make these croutons. The simplicity of this recipe makes it perfect for any time you wish to elevate the taste of your dish. If you have an unused loaf of bread in the freezer, go ahead and make it into garlic croutons.
- features garlic-infused oil. Ok, you must be thinking "what is that"? Hold on, please. Infusing oil with garlic is a fancy term for cooking raw garlic in a bit of oil for just a few seconds until it transfers all of its aromatics into the oil. This step is done in just 1 or 2 minutes and it's really important for making sure we get the best and the most flavorful garlic croutons ever.
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- Avocado oil. I love using avocado oil for cooking/baking because it works great for high-heat cooking. If you don't have it, olive oil can be used instead.
- Sea Salt. Recently I started using and recommend Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt, as it contains one of the lowest levels of heavy metals and no microplastics.
🔪 How to Make Your Own Garlic Croutons
Luckily, there's nothing easier than making oven-baked garlic croutons. Even beginner cooks can do it.
- Add avocado oil to a small saucepan and bring to a very low simmer. Do not boil. Add garlic pushed through a garlic press and stir it for 10-15 seconds making sure not to burn it.
- Promptly remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the oil through a fine mesh sieve. Use a teaspoon to press on the garlic ensuring all oil has been extracted from it. Set the oil aside and discard the garlic.
- Using a sharp knife slice the baguette crosswise into small pieces.
- Cut each slice crosswise in half.
- Cut each half into ½ - inch cubes. Place the cubes into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle bread cubes with salt and drizzle with garlic-infused oil.
- Mix well with a spoon making sure all bread is coated in oil.
- Place cubes on a parchment-lined sheet and toast at 350 F for 15 mins. until golden brown.
👩🏼🍳 Tips To Make The Best Croutons Each Time
Do not overdo with the oil. It may be tempting to drizzle much more oil than the recipe calls for.
Don't do it. Bread absorbs oil like a sponge. So if you pour too much of it, your oven-baked croutons will come out too greasy.
This recipe contains just the right amount of oil, which as a matter of fact is infused with garlic.
This makes even a small amount of oil effective for making these homemade garlic croutons nice, crunchy, and super flavorful.
💭 Recipe Substitutions
Bread. You can really make these easy garlic croutons with any type of bread. French bread, sourdough bread, rye bread, multigrain sandwich bread...any bread will do, even stale bread.
Garlic. If you're in a rush, you can omit making garlic-infused oil and simply add garlic powder to the unbaked croutons. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder should be enough. However, I recommend against using raw garlic. It will most likely burn in the oven and result in less than appetizing croutons.
📖 Variations
This is a very easy yet effective garlic croutons recipe made with basic ingredients. However, if you want to take these croutons to another level, here's what you can do:
- dried herbs. For a hint of Mediterranean flavor, sprinkle cubed bread with 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning or oregano.
- fresh herbs. Have some fresh herbs in the fridge? Chop them real fine and add to unbaked croutons. Herbs like basil, parsley, or thyme work best.
- spices. Serving these garlic croutons alongside Chili? Go ahead and sprinkle them with ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon of paprika before baking. These croutons will be a perfect addition to homemade Chilis.
- oil. Love mushrooms? How about drizzling oven-baked garlic croutons with a few drops of Truffle Oil? The fantastic flavor is guaranteed.
- cheese. For a little more extra, sprinkle oven-baked garlic croutons with finely grated vegan Parmesan cheese.
💡Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Just use gluten-free bread.
Stale bread might need less time in the oven. Follow the same steps as for the regular croutons but instead of 15 minutes baking, bake them for 10 minutes. The stale bread croutons should be nice and toasty.
Toasted bread is simply fresh bread that has been toasted in the oven or toaster until crispy. Croutons, on the other hand, are always baked with oil and seasoning which makes them aromatic and a good addition to different dishes.
❄️ Storage Tips
You can store garlic-infused oil in a fridge for about 4 days.
Oven-baked garlic croutons should be stored in a covered jar or container at room temperature where they will last for 5-7 days.
If homemade croutons get exposed to moisture, they will lose their crispiness, so make sure to store them in an airtight container.
Unused garlic croutons can also be made into breadcrumbs. Use a food processor to finely blend the croutons and store them covered in a pantry for later use.
🍲 Recipes To Use Croutons
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
For a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my homemade garlic croutons web story.
Recipe
Homemade Oven-Baked Garlic Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) French demi-baguette or any other bread
- 1 large garlic
- ¼ c avocado oil or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare a garlic-infused oil
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a large baking sheet with a parchment paper. Add avocado oil to a small saucepan and bring to a very low simmer. Do not boil. Add garlic pushed through a garlic press and stir it for 10-15 seconds making sure not to burn it.
- Promptly remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the oil through a fine mesh sieve. Use a teaspoon to press on the garlic ensuring all oil has been extracted from it. Set the oil aside and discard the garlic.
Chop the bread
- Using a sharp knife slice the baguette crosswise into small pieces.
- Cut each slice crosswise in half.
- Then cut each half into ½ - inch cubes. Place the cubes into a bowl.
Season the bread and bake
- Sprinkle bread cubes with salt and drizzle with garlic-infused oil.
- Mix well with a spoon making sure all bread is coated in oil.
- Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake the croutons for 15 mins stirring halfway. Test one crouton to see if it's nice and golden brown. If necessary, bake for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cool and store in a clean jar.
Notes
Nutrition
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
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