Garlic Croutons
This is the perfect garlic croutons recipe. Crispy, garlicky, and seasoned just the way you want it. No strange ingredients. These keep nicely in an airtight container at room temp.
Servings: 4 cups
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 4 cups French bread, cubed, at least a day old
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F, with rack on upper middle position. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place cubed French bread on baking sheet in a single layer.
- In a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil and heat until it's hot. Add minced garlic and stir until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out the garlic, keeping just the oil. Reserve garlic for other uses, if you'd like.
- Stir parsley, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and a few dashes of freshly ground black pepper into the hot oil. Stir to combine. Gently and slowly pour oil mixture onto the cubed bread on baking sheet, as evenly as possible. Toss gently until all the bread cubes are coated with oil mixture.
- Rearrange bread cubes in a single layer and bake about 14-15 minutes, or until croutons are crispy and golden brown. Check 2 minutes before done to ensure they're not overly browned. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Cool completely on baking sheet before serving.
Notes
- Use day-old or slightly dried-out bread for the best texture. It holds up better when coated in oil and crisps up nicely in the oven.
- Infuse the olive oil with fresh garlic for maximum flavor, then strain the garlic out to prevent burning during baking. Save the toasted garlic for stir fries, salad dressings, or roasted veggies.
- I use clean hands to toss the croutons, as I've found that coats bread cubes the best.
- The more gradually and evenly you can drizzle oil onto the bread, the easier it will be to get the bread cubes all evenly coated.
- Bake the croutons in a single layer and don’t overcrowd the pan. This helps them brown evenly and stay crisp.
- Check the croutons a couple minutes before the timer ends to avoid over-browning. Every oven runs a little differently.
- Let croutons cool completely on the baking sheet before storing. This helps them stay crispy and fresh in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- This recipe is part of our Easy Salad Recipes Collection.
- These garlic croutons are great on top of a Classic Caesar Salad or some Roasted Tomato Soup.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 316IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg