Parmesan Croutons

Turn a day old baguette tossed in butter and olive oil with Parmesan cheese into crispy golden Parmesan Croutons that will make any soup or salad crave-worthy. These baked croutons are simple to make and so tasty!

The recipe for these Parmesan Croutons is an easy one to make and they turn out perfect every time!

Restaurant croutons can be stale, hard and overly salty. But these homemade croutons are delicate and crispy and loaded with flavor. Making croutons only takes about 15-20 minutes and they’re totally customizable. 

Recipe For Parmesan Croutons 

The list for these Parmesan Croutons ingredients is a short one. 

• Bread – We use a half of a day old baguette. Day old bread is easier to cut than fresh bread.
• Butter – Butter makes these croutons extra delicious. 
• Parmesan cheese – We use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for this recipe, but you could use Parmesan-Reggiano if you like. If possible, use fresh cheese not the stale powdered kind in a cardboard container.

Variations

• Garlic – Add 2 cloves smashed garlic to the butter while it melts to infuse the butter with a garlic flavor.
• Parsley – Add 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped curly parsley to the melted butter before tossing with the bread cubes.
• Olive Oil – Substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the melted butter, or use 1/2 butter and 1/2 extra-virgin olive oil.
• Pesto – Toss the bread cubes with Basil Pesto to make Basil Pesto Croutons.
• Dried herbs – Add a variety of dried herbs like Italian seasoning, rosemary, oregano or thyme to make herbed croutons.
• Spicy croutons – Heat things up by tossing your freshly baked croutons in chili powder, cumin, or cayenne pepper.

How to Make Parmesan Croutons

Making croutons couldn’t be easier. They take about 5 minutes to prep then 10-15 minutes in the oven.

1. Cut bread –  Cut the day-old baguette into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Melt Butter – Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat until melted.
3. Toss bread cubes – Pour the melted butter over the bread cubes and gently toss the cubes using a silicon spatula so the bread cubes are evenly coated. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and toss. Lay the cubes out on a baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Bake – Bake for about 10 minutes or until the croutons are golden brown and crispy, turning them at the 5 minute mark.
5. Add Parmesan cheese (optional) – About 5 minutes into baking the croutons, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the croutons. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven to continue baking for another 5 minutes or until they’re golden brown and crispy. This makes them extra cheesy good, but again, totally optional.

Recipe Tips

1. Cut each cube of bread into roughly the same sized pieces to ensure that all croutons cook evenly.
2. Coat each piece fairly evenly with pesto so each crouton will be flavorful.

What’s the Best Bread to Use

You can make croutons with any type of bread, baguette, boule, or even croissants. It just depends on what texture you’re going for. Croutons really turn out best when made with a French baguette or boule. 

Serving Suggestions

These crispy Parmesan Croutons are habit-forming on their own, but they’ll take your soups and salads up the next level.  

• Soups: Add them to soups like my Red Lentil Soup, Italian Lentil Soup or French Potage.
• Salads: Salads are always better with crunchy croutons tossed in the mix. Try them in my Everyday Mediterranean Salad, Italian Salad, Romaine Salad, Chef Salad and Broccoli Salad.
• Breadcrumbs: If you need breadcrumbs to make coat chicken of fish with, or for an Italian recipe, these Parmesan Croutons make delicious breadcrumbs. All you have to do is toss them by the handfuls into a food processor and pulse a few times.

How To Store Them

Basil Pesto Croutons, like any bread or cracker product, must be sealed in an airtight plastic bag, container or even a mason jar, where they’ll keep for up to a week. Just make sure you let them cool before storing them.

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Yield: 6 cups

Parmesan Croutons

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Turn a day old baguette tossed in butter and olive oil with Parmesan cheese into crispy golden Parmesan Croutons that will make any soup or salad crave-worthy. These baked croutons are simple to make and so tasty!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 6 cups day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium low heat.
3. Transfer the bread cubes to a mixing bowl and drizzle the melted butter over them. Toss well to coat bread. Immediately sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the bread cubes and toss again.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the croutons are crisp and golden colored on the outside. Stir once or twice while baking. At the half-way mark, you can sprinkle more Parmesan cheese over the croutons if you want them extra cheesy.
5. Remove from oven and cool before tossing in salads.

Notes

Variations

• Add 2 cloves smashed garlic to the butter while it melts to infuse the butter with a garlic flavor.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped curly parsley to the melted butter before tossing with the bread cubes.
• Substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the melted butter, or use 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 224mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.