Do you love homemade croutons? Make delicious buttery croutons in your air fryer. You can make flavorful crispy seasoned croutons in about 10 minutes in your air fryer.
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Turn ordinary bread into flavorful croutons
- Super Fast: Ready in just 10 minutes from start to finish
- Budget-Friendly: It transforms ordinary or slightly stale bread into something special
- Versatile: Works with any bread you have on hand
- Customizable: Easy to adapt with different seasonings to match any meal
- Better Than Store-Bought: Fresher flavor, better texture, and no preservatives
- Reduces Food Waste: Perfect way to use up bread that’s past its prime
- Consistent Results: The air fryer ensures even cooking and perfect crispness every time
Recipe ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Bread – The foundation of your croutons that provides structure and absorbs flavors; any variety works well (sourdough, whole wheat, white, rye, or day-old bread)
- Butter – Creates rich flavor and helps achieve golden-brown crispiness; melted butter coats bread evenly
- Dried parsley – Adds color and herbaceous notes that complement many salads and soups
- Onion powder – Provides savory depth without the texture of actual onions
- Seasoned salt – Offers balanced seasoning with hints of paprika and other spices
- Garlic powder – Adds aromatic garlic flavor that infuses throughout as the croutons cook
How to make croutons
Preparing the Bread
- Take 4-5 slices of bread and place them on a cutting board.
- Using a serrated knife (preferred to prevent tearing), cut the bread into even, bite-sized cubes, approximately ½-inch to ¾-inch squares.
- Set the cubed bread aside while you prepare the seasoning.
Creating the Seasoned Butter
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter (about 30-45 seconds in the microwave).
- Add ½ teaspoon each of dried parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder to the melted butter.
- Sprinkle in ¼ teaspoon of seasoned salt.
- Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.
Coating the Bread
- Add the bread cubes to the bowl with the seasoned butter.
- Gently toss and fold the bread in the butter mixture until all pieces are evenly coated.
- Make sure to get the seasoned butter into all the nooks and crannies of the bread.
Air Frying the Croutons
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F if your model requires preheating.
- Place the seasoned bread cubes in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.
- Cook for 3 minutes, then shake the basket or stir the croutons.
- Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the croutons are golden brown and crispy.
- Keep a close eye on them during the last minute, as they can go from perfect to over-browned quickly.
Cooling and Storing
- Remove the croutons from the air fryer and spread them on a plate or baking sheet to cool completely.
- The croutons will continue to crisp up as they cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
No air fryer? No problem. Make homemade croutons on your stovetop
While this recipe is developed for an air fryer, you can prepare this same recipe by heating up a large skillet to medium, tossing in the seasoned bread, and cooking it for 5 to 7 minutes.
You will need to stir the bread every 30 seconds or so. The bread will brown. So you can make these on the stovetop.
Other uses for these crunchy croutons
You may use this air fryer crouton recipe for dishes other than salads. One of my favorite ways to savor croutons is as a topping on your favorite soups. Soups I love croutons on are:
- Creamy tomato soup
- French onion soup
- Cheddar cheese beer soup
- Gazpacho
- Broccoli cheese soup
You can also use crispy air fryer croutons in recipes such as your favorite stuffing recipe or in any recipe that requires bread crumbs such as your favorite meatloaf recipe.
How to store leftover croutons
I know you will love these more than store-bought croutons, so you will want to save them. Make sure they are at room temperature, and then store them in an airtight container for up to five days.
Need more recipes for your air fryer? Check out these air fryer recipes.
Use croutons on these salads
More recipes for stale bread
Check out more of my delicious homemade salads and easy bread recipes.
Quick & Easy Air Fryer Homemade Croutons
Transform ordinary or slightly stale bread into crispy, flavorful, buttery croutons in your air fryer in just 10 minutes. These versatile, seasoned croutons are perfect for topping salads and soups or using in any recipe calling for crispy bread cubes or breadcrumbs.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 127kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 4 slices bread cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the butter, parsley, onion powder, seasoned salt, and garlic salt. Stir well.
- Add the bread to the bowl and carefully stir to coat the bread with the seasoned butter.
- Place buttered bread into the air fryer basket and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bread is toasted. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Croutons
- Bread choice matters: Denser breads like sourdough create sturdier croutons, while softer breads make lighter, crispier ones
- Stale bread advantage: Slightly dry bread actually makes better croutons as it absorbs less butter and crisps more evenly
- Cut size is key: Keep your bread cubes consistent in size for even cooking
- Don’t overcrowd: Arrange in a single layer with some space between pieces for optimal air circulation
- Butter vs. oil: Butter provides more flavor, but olive oil or avocado oil work well for dairy-free options
- Temperature matters: If your croutons are browning too quickly, reduce the temperature to 325°F and extend cooking time slightly
- Check frequently: Every air fryer model cooks differently, so check often the first time you make these
- Cool completely: Croutons continue to crisp as they cool, so don’t judge their texture straight from the air fryer
Equipment
Nutrition
Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 777mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
Prepared as written. Simple recipe. Quick to whip up. But they seemed a bit salty. Don’t get me wrong! We still ate them all! Next time I will use garlic powder instead of garlic, salt, and maybe cut back a little on the seasoned salt.
I was looking to use some hot dog buns past their prime and this was perfect! I highly recommend. I used an Italian season dry spice and garlic powder as that’s what I had on hand. I will be making these again!
I am going to try to flavor my hot dogs as well! Great idea!
So quick, so tasty. Many of them didn’t make it into the salad. lol
Made these today and added some Cajun Seasoning to add a little kick-BEST EVER! Will never buy store made again-THANK YOU!
I have made these many times exactly as written. We love these! Can’t get any better!
These croutons are the BEST! I do not like store bought croutons but enjoy them at restaurants where they make them in-house. I am glad to have a recipe this easy so I can have these at home on salads. Also good on soups and just for snacking!
What kind of bread? You can use french bread or Texas toast?
You can use any type of bread, it does not matter.
This was so easy. I didn’t even do any measurements. I love it! 5 stars.
Can you use ghee butter for this recipe?
Sure I think you could.
Easy to make and nice to have fresh croutons.