Air Fryer Homemade Croutons Recipe
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Have a leftover loaf of bread? Use it to make these air fryer homemade croutons!
Crunchy Air Fryer Homemade Croutons Recipe
I was motivated to make this recipe one day when I was trying to put together a caesar salad for lunch with my freshly made caesar dressing. I had gone to the store and looked at what was available on the shelves… let me tell you, I was not impressed.
Nothing really called my attention. So, I decided to make my own croutons at home!
These homemade croutons baked in the air fryer bring shame to all the other croutons out there. They are just so tasty! I never realized what a difference it made to make them yourself. If you don’t yet have an air fryer, click here to get one.
Types Of Bread To Use To Make The Best Homemade Croutons
You can use almost any type of bread to make homemade croutons! When it comes to choosing which bread is best to make these air fried croutons, it comes down to two things:
- What’s readily available
- Preference
That’s it! It’s really up to you but I usually try to go with some type of crusty, airy loaf of bread like French or Italian bread. The croutons get that nice, crisp exterior while the airiness of the bread allows for some of the heat from the air fryer to go through and get that nice crunch throughout we all love!
No bread is better then homemade bread! Click here to browse my easy bread recipes :)
Bread tip: Try to use day-old bread to really get the best homemade croutons. Fresh bread will have too much moisture content.
Try One Of These Seasoning Combos
Make this amazing and delicious crouton recipe next time you are making a quick salad or warm soup for dinner! Get creative and sprinkle these air fryer croutons with your favorite seasonings!
This is where it gets fun. I love getting creative with different combinations of seasonings!
Here are some seasoning combos I’ve tried that were big winners:
- Salt and pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Cajun seasoning (see my homemade Cajun seasoning recipe)
- Taco seasoning (see my homemade Taco seasoning recipe)
- Everything Bagel seasoning (see my homemade Everything Bagel seasoning recipe)
Whichever you decide to try, I would recommend pairing it up with the type of cuisine you are cooking.
How To Air Fry Homemade Croutons
Take the loaf of bread and cut the bread slices into crouton-sized cubes (the best knife to use to get even cubes is a serrated knife).
Put the cubes into a bowl and toss them with a bit of olive oil and your favorite seasonings (take a look above for some inspiration!).
Place the seasoned bread cubes into the air fryer basket.
Cook them in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Low Carb Alternative
If you are looking for a low carb option to these croutons, take a look at these keto-friendly parmesan cheese crisps. Just because you are trying to avoid carbs, doesn’t mean you can’t add a crunch element to your salads! These cheesy crisps are the perfect addition!
How To Serve These Air Fryer Croutons
While these crunchy croutons are delicious on their own, they taste amazing tossed in a salad or sprinkled on top of some soup!
My go-to soup to serve with these homemade croutons is my creamy Instant Pot pumpkin soup. They really soak up the flavor of the pumpkin!
These are some of my other favorite soups and salads to eat with these crunchy croutons:
- Fresh tomato mozzarella salad
- Lentil spinach soup
- Classic cobb salad
- Chicken, corn, and tomato soup
- Roasted pepper and chicken chopped salad
More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
If you loved these crunchy ‘fried’ homemade croutons, check out some of my other air fryer recipes!
These are some of my favorite toppings to add to a salad:
Air Fryer Homemade Croutons
Recipe Video
Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)
Instructions
- Cut bread slices into crouton-sized cubes. Put them in a bowl and toss with olive oil and your favorite seasonings (some seasoning ideas: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder).
- Put bread cubes in the air fryer basket. Cook in the air fryer at 350F for 10 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Nutrition
See also:
I had almost half a loaf of sliced bread going stale, didn’t know what to do with it and didn’t want to throw it out. I came along this idea and tried it……what a fantastic use of the stale bread it was. You can also freeze it so I’m trying that as well.
Perfect recipe for my left over sourdough bread. I added all my seasonings and even a little parmesan cheese. They came out very tasty. So easy to make in the air fryer too!