How to Make Gluten-Free Croutons

Croutons

Getty Images/FotografiaBasica

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Passive Time: 30 mins
Total: 95 mins
Servings: 32 servings
Yield: 4 cups

A cardinal rule of gluten-free cooking is to never throw away day-old gluten-free bread. While not ideal as breakfast toast, that stale bread can be perfect for homemade gluten-free croutons. It can be quite gratifying to make your own delicious, fresh croutons for your soups and salads and these homemade croutons beat out store-bought, packaged gluten-free croutons by a clear mile—and are cheaper, too. All you need to do is toss together the day-old cubed gluten-free bread (although fresh works as well), olive oil, and gluten-free seasonings until thoroughly coated and bake for about an hour. 

You can make a double batch of croutons and store in the freezer for convenient use at a later date. Or, store in an air-tight container to have on hand for salads, soups, and more throughout the week.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cubed gluten-free bread

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon oregano, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat oven to 275 F. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.

  2. Cut gluten-free bread into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl.

  3. Pour olive oil into a small bowl and add seasonings. Stir to combine.

  4. Pour seasoned olive oil over the bread cubes and stir to thoroughly coat.

  5. Spread bread cubes in one even layer on the baking sheet.

  6. Bake for about 1 hour or until the bread cubes are golden brown and dry.

  7. Turn off oven and leave croutons in the oven for another 1/2 hour.

  8. Cool and eat, or store in an air-tight container. These croutons store well in the freezer.

Recipe Tips

If the gluten-free bread is already seasoned or herbed, you can go light on additional seasoning, or skip the seasoning altogether. If you want to make your own seasoning, you can use a mixture of garlic and onion powders, dried oregano, and sage; this mixture adds a lovely depth of flavor but feel free to use any seasoning combination that you like. 

The key to dry, light-as-a-feather, crunchy croutons is baking at a low heat for a long time, then leaving the croutons in the oven as they cool down. For best results, you will want to bake the croutons on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

If you prefer to use the stovetop, you can toast the bread cubes in a non-stick pan until the croutons begin to turn golden brown; any longer than that, and they can get overly dried out.

Gluten-Free Cooking Reminder

Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans, and tools are free of gluten. Not all brands are created equal, so remember to read product labels. (Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice.) When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
45 Calories
4g Fat
3g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 32
Amount per serving
Calories 45
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 26mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 7mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)