Toasted in the air fryer, these homemade croutons are full of buttery herb and garlic goodness. Perfect for topping salads, soups, or just snacking.

Baking sheet with golden homemade croutons on it.

Homemade Croutons: You Don’t Know You Need Them Until You Have Them

It might seem strange to encourage folks to make things that are ready and available at the store. Convenience is the common goal, after all!

But some things truly are better homemade; croutons are one of them.

Simple and minimal is the name of the game with these. They’re crunchy, garlicky, herbaceous, and you’re going to love them.

Why Make Your Own Croutons?

I like to make my own croutons for the same reason I like to make my own taco seasoning, salad dressings, and sometimes even ketchup! You’re using simple ingredients, no fillers, and you can control the salt and the flavors.

Also, they taste better. Good luck not snacking on these bad boys.

Baking sheet with golden homemade croutons on it.

How to Store Homemade Croutons

Stored in an airtight container, homemade croutons are good for up to two weeks. Of course they’ll be at their tastiest within the first few days.

You can also freeze them, which is great, because this allows you to make a large batch all at once! Just thaw them at room temperature and give them a quick toast in the oven before tossing them into your salad.

Pantry Staple Ingredients

  • Bread. I like using a loaf of butter bread, potato bread, or Texas toast. See my recipe notes below about day-old bread.
  • Extra virgin olive oil. A lot of recipes call for melted butter, but in an effort to keep things lighter, I go for the olive oil—you still get a beautiful buttery flavor.
  • Italian seasoning. Any kind of Italian herb mix or seasoning will do. If your blend contains salt, skip adding any extra salt unless you feel it’s needed.
  • Garlic powder. What are croutons without a nice garlicky flavor?
  • Onion powder. When playing with garlic and herb flavors, onion is always welcome.
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper. Like I mentioned above, if your Italian herb blend is salted, careful when adding any more salt. You may not even need it.

Here’s How to Make Croutons in the Air Fryer

  1. Mix the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Cube the bread into about 1-inch pieces; place half of them into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, and then sprinkle with half of the seasoning. Toss them well.
  4. Bring the rest of the bread cubes to the mixing bowl and drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top; add the rest of the seasoning as well.
  5. Toss well to coat. I use my bare hands to toss and gently massage the bread to ensure even coverage.
  6. Place half of the bread into the basket of your air fryer. Close it up and cook, at 375º F, for 3 minutes.
  7. Open the air fryer, give the croutons a good shake, then close it back up and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and toasted.
  8. Transfer the croutons to a container and continue on with the second batch of croutons; repeat steps 6 & 7.
  9. Store the croutons in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or freeze for up to 4 months in a resealable freezer bag.

Useful Tools You’ll Need

Recipe Tips + Tricks

  1. Typically when making from-scratch croutons, you want day-old bread. But I’ve found that it doesn’t matter when making them in the air fryer. You’ll still get a beautiful golden crisp!
  2. Mix all of the seasoning (Italian herb mix, garlic powder, etc.) in a small bowl together to blend before seasoning the croutons. This ensures even seasoning coverage so you won’t end up with some croutons that are more garlicky and others that are more salty, etc.
  3. Cook the croutons in two batches; you don’t want to overcrowd the air fryer basket.
  4. If you freeze the croutons, thaw them at room temperature and then pop them in the oven for a quick toast before tossing them onto your salad.

Baking sheet with golden homemade croutons on it.

Have You Made This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!

You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme

What to Top With Homemade Croutons

Baking sheet with golden homemade croutons on it.

Get the Recipe:

Herb & Garlic Air Fryer Croutons

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Toasted in the air fryer, these homemade croutons are full of buttery herb and garlic goodness. Perfect for topping salads, soups, or just snacking.
5 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Rate Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 20 oz loaf of bread, I like to use butter bread, potato bread, or Texas toast.
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; more if needed
  • 1 TBSP Italian seasoning
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, blend the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper; set aside.
  • Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, then place half of them into a large mixing bowl.
  • Drizzle the bread cubes with half of the olive oil; sprinkle them with half of the seasoning. With bare hands, toss to coat. Add the rest of the bread cubes to the bowl, then drizzle the remaining olive oil and sprinkle on the rest of the seasoning. Toss to coat, ensuring olive oil soaks into all pieces of the bread.
  • Transfer half of the bread into the air fryer basket, close up, and cook at 375º F for 3 minutes.
  • After 3 minutes, open the air fryer and give the croutons a good shake. Close it back up and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and toasted.
  • Transfer the croutons to a container and continue on with the second batch of croutons, repeating steps 6 & 7.
  • Store the croutons in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze them for up to 4 months in a resealable freezer bag.
Author: Dana Sandonato
Course: Snack, Topping