Homemade Gluten Free Croutons are so easy to make that you'll wonder why you didn't make them sooner.
Seriously, all you have to do is cube up some fresh or stale gluten-free bread, toss it with oil/butter and seasonings, then bake it for about 20 minutes. Use the croutons for topping salads, soups, or as the base for gluten free stuffing.
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Looking For More Salad Toppers?
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Looking For a Salad To Go With Croutons?
- Chef Salad with Creamy French Dressing - Gluten Free Croutons - (photographed) My favorite pairing!
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- Olive Garden Salad Recipe | Easy Copycat Italian Dressing
- Cobb Salad with Easy Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
Heck, I think these croutons would even be good in my Five Guys Copycat Burger Bowls since the croutons would act as a replacement for the burger bun.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Croutons:
- High quality gluten free bread, fresh or stale. Photographed is Canyon Bakehouse's Honey Oat Bread. I also use the bread from my Gluten Free Sandwich Bread recipe.
- Olive oil or melted butter. If dairy-free, use DF butter, such as Smart Balance.
- Italian seasonings
- Onion powder
- Minced garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Seasoned salt, optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
If making gluten free croutons for stuffing, you will want to swap the seasonings for a classic taste. Leave out the garlic, onion powder, Italian seasonings, and Parmesan cheese. Instead use thyme, rosemary, or poultry seasoning. You could even bake the croutons with just the butter and salt and pepper, and then add your seasonings to the stuffing recipe itself.
Gluten Free Croutons Recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a large nonstick baking sheet with butter or nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Cube the gluten free bread into small, even bite-sized squares, about 1-inch in size. Remember to think of a traditional crouton you would see on a salad. Don't cube the bread too small or it will become crunchy and brittle; don't cube the bread too large or it will become chewy.
- Add the cubed bread to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, melted butter, or a combination of the two. Sprinkle over the seasonings, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper. Using a silicone spatula, gently toss to coat, being careful not to smash or break apart the bread.
- Spread the bread out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden on the underside. Then, remove from the oven and use tongs to flip every single crouton over. While tedious, this is the best method to prevent any croutons from over-browning on one side and under-cooking on another. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the remaining side and hard and crusty to the touch.
- Allow the croutons to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before storing.
- Enjoy!
Equipment
You only need basic kitchen tools to make Gluten Free Croutons. I recommend:
- A wire cooling rack for cooling the croutons
- A large cookie sheet prevents needing to bake multiple batches
- A reusable silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Tongs make flipping the hot croutons easy
- A silicone spatula is gentle enough to stir the cubed bread without breaking them.
How to Store Homemade Gluten Free Croutons:
Store Gluten Free Croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Be sure to cool the croutons completely before storing. Otherwise, the steam will condensate the container and soften the croutons. Croutons made without Parmesan cheese can last up to one week.
If making plain Gluten Free Croutons for Stuffing, you can prep these ahead of the holiday. Store the toasted and cubed bread in an airtight container or gallon bag for 3 to 4 days before Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Tips for Making the Best Gluten Free Croutons:
- To increase the servings: Double or triple this recipe. I find that using half a loaf of gluten free bread is enough for 6 servings as a salad topping.
- At this time, I do not recommend using store-bought hamburger buns to make croutons. I made a batch using hamburger buns and, while they looked beautiful, they were very chewy the next day.
- If you make homemade gluten free bread that has a soft crumb, I recommend letting it become stale (1 to 2 days) before using in this recipe.
- Switch up the seasonings. Making gluten free croutons to go over top tomato soup? Flavor them with all things Italian, such as garlic, Parmesan or Asiago cheese, Italian seasonings, oregano, or basil. What about Cobb Salad? Flavor the croutons with a homemade ranch seasoning using chives, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- While flipping each crouton over can be a pain, I highly recommend it so that some croutons aren't overdone on one side and underdone on another.
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Gluten Free Croutons
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Equipment
- silicone baking mat optional
- parchment paper optional
Ingredients
- half a loaf of high-quality gluten free bread (about 7-8 slices) All GF loaves differ - I used Canyon Bakehouse's Honey Oat
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter Add an extra tablespoon if your bread is particularly dry. However, do not saturate. The mixture should be dry - the goal is just to coat the bread evenly with seasonings.
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- dash of seasoned salt optional
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a large nonstick baking sheet with butter or nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Cube the gluten free bread into small, even bite-sized squares, about 1-inch in size. Remember to think of a traditional crouton you would see on a salad. Don't cube the bread too small or it will become crunchy and brittle; don't cube the bread too large or it will become chewy.
- Add the cubed bread to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, melted butter, or a combination of the two. Sprinkle over the seasonings, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper. Using a silicone spatula, gently toss to coat, being careful not to smash or break apart the bread.
- Spread the bread out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden on the underside. Then, remove from the oven and use tongs to flip every single crouton over. While tedious, this is the best method to prevent any croutons from over-browning on one side and under-cooking on another.
- Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the remaining side and hard and crusty to the touch.
- Allow the croutons to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before storing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store Gluten Free Croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Be sure to cool the croutons completely before storing. Otherwise, the steam will condensate the container and soften the croutons. Croutons made without Parmesan cheese can last up to one week. If making plain Gluten Free Croutons for Stuffing, you can prep these ahead of the holiday. Store the toasted and cubed bread in an airtight container or gallon bag for 3 to 4 days before Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- Servings are based on topping 6 salads. Topping soups would be closer to 8 servings. Triple or quadruple the recipe for stuffing. The next time I make this recipe for stuffing, I will add how many cups the finished recipe makes so that estimations are streamlined.
- If using frozen bread, let it thaw completely first.
- Switch up the seasonings. Making gluten free croutons to go over top tomato soup? Flavor them with all things Italian, such as garlic, Parmesan or Asiago cheese, Italian seasonings, oregano, or basil. What about Cobb Salad? Flavor the croutons with a homemade ranch seasoning using chives, onion powder, and garlic powder.
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