Tired of the same old salads? These incredibly delicious, homemade baked croutons are buttery and flavorful while adding the perfect crunch to almost any salad. After being cubed and tossed with an herb-infused savory butter mixture, white sandwich bread is baked to golden brown crunchy toasted crouton perfection. With these irresistible homemade croutons, you’ll discover there’s no such thing as a boring salad.
I often spend time outside, in the yard of a friend’s house, visiting, socializing, and enjoying their company and easy, no-stress, always entertaining friendship. And while visiting their house, usually, I’m offered some sort of snack to enjoy. Most often, it’s a bag of chips or pretzels. And, occasionally, if we’re feeling particularly peckish, a nice selection of meats and cheeses. And if we’re really, really, really starving, maybe even a few olives to go along with the selection of meats and cheeses. However, on one of my all-time favorite visits with them, we somehow managed to polish off an entire resealable plastic bag filled with homemade croutons because my friends hadn’t had a chance to go to the grocery store and restock on any of their usual snacky-type offerings. We spent the entire afternoon hanging out with one another, snacking on croutons, and feeling absolutely zero shame about snacking on what was originally meant to be a nice crunchy add-on to their evening dinner salads. You know what, though? Those were some dang good croutons, and given the choice between them and a bag of chips, I would one hundred percent choose the croutons over and over again. Zero shame. So yeah, there’s probably about a fifty percent chance that most of these buttery herb croutons will never actually see a salad if my friends and I have any say in it.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- Pinch of Paprika
- 4 Slices of White Sandwich Bread
Directions:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, parsley, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- With a serrated knife, gently cut the sandwich bread into small cubes. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- When the oven is preheated, spoon the melted butter mixture over the bread cubes.
- Gently stir the bread crumbs until they are evenly coated with the butter mixture.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Gently stir the bread crumbs and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Gently stir the bread crumbs again. Bake for another 2 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Suggestions:
- I used unsalted butter for this recipe. If you are using salted butter, you may choose to omit the salt from this recipe or use a lesser amount.
- Do not smash the bread down when you cut it into cubes. You don’t want to flatten or smoosh the croutons.
- These croutons will brown quickly after 10 minutes of baking. Make sure to keep a close eye on them.
Improvements:
- Swap the white sandwich bread out for wheat or whole-grain sandwich bread. Just make sure that the bread you use isn’t too thick.
- Use these croutons along with one of our delicious salad dressing recipes. CLICK HERE to see a full list.
- Ditch the crackers; these croutons are a flavorful and crunchy garnish for soup. CLICK HERE to see a full list of our soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- Pinch of Paprika
- 4 Slices of White Sandwich Bread
Directions:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, parsley, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- With a serrated knife, gently cut the sandwich bread into small cubes. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- When the oven is preheated, spoon the melted butter mixture over the bread cubes.
- Gently stir the bread crumbs until they are evenly coated with the butter mixture.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Gently stir the bread crumbs and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Gently stir the bread crumbs again. Bake for another 2 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
PIN THIS RECIPE
Don’t let this recipe slip away. How often do you find a recipe intriguing, yet forget where to find it when you finally get the hankering to make it? Instead of digging through old posts or wandering aimlessly around on the internet, why not Pin this recipe to Pinterest where you can find it when you eventually need it? Simply Pin the image above and you’ll have it when that time comes. You can follow us HERE on Pinterest or simply click HERE to find all of our pin-worthy recipes.
Buttery Fresh Herb Breakfast Biscuits
Stovetop Guinness Beef Stew with Herb Croutons
Honey-Kissed Savory Shortbread Crackers
Use this Spicy Colman’s English Honey Mustard Dressing and these Baked Homemade Buttery Herb Croutons to create the perfect salad. Get ready to spice up your salads with this amazing honey mustard dressing. This recipe takes traditional honey mustard dressing and infuses it with the bold, unmistakable spicy heat of Colman’s Original English Mustard, creating a versatile condiment that also doubles as a fantastic dip for pretzels, chicken tenders, and so much more. Prepare to fall in love with this creamy four-ingredient salad dressing that perfectly balances sweetness, spice, and a bit of tang. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
In 2024, we cooked and baked our way through the alphabet with several of our food blogger friends. Every other Wednesday, we shared a new recipe featuring a consecutive letter of the alphabet, starting with A in January and ending with Z in December. CLICK HERE to find all of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge recipes.
Sweet Honey Deviled Eggs with Fennel Fronds
If you’re in search of a quick and easy recipe to prepare deviled eggs, this one is a perfect option. You can either use pre-shelled hard-boiled eggs from the store or hard-boil eggs at home. This simple and flavorful recipe includes a mix of sweet honey and spicy brown mustard, along with finely chopped fennel fronds that offer a hint of freshness and a pop of green color. Additionally, this recipe is an excellent way to utilize fennel fronds that might otherwise go to waste.
In 2025, we’ll be cooking and baking our way through the alphabet with several of our food blogger friends. Every other Wednesday, for the 2025 Alphabet Challenge, we’ll be sharing a new recipe featuring a consecutive letter of the alphabet, starting with A in January and ending with Z in December.
“A” – Creamy Parmesan Acini di Pepe with Potatoes
“B” – Chocolate Espresso Rainbow Brownie Cookies
“C” – Cheesy Cheddar Taco-Seasoned Corn Chip Dip
“D” – Sun-Dried Tomato Dip with Italian Seasoning
“E” – Cajun Deviled Eggs Garnished with Pickled Okra
“F” – Sausage Meatballs with Vodka Fennel Sauce
“G” – Guinness Stout Crockpot Simmered Corned Beef
“H” – Baked Homemade Buttery Herb Croutons
Please make sure to check out the other great “H” recipes below. A huge thanks to A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting this 2025 Alphabet Challenge event.
- Asian Beef Bowls by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Baked Homemade Buttery Herb Croutons by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Copycat Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning by Blogghetti
- Dutch Hagelslag by A Messy Kitchen
- Grilled Halloumi Salad by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Homemade Mango Frooti by Sneha’s Recipe
- Honey Mustard Breaded Chicken by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Huckleberry & Earl Grey Tea Cakes by Culinary Cam
- Hurricane Popcorn by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Smoked Herring Spread by Food Lust People Love
