Don’t throw away stale baguettes! For salads and soups, these crunchy garlic-parmesan croutons are ideal. And making them is absurdly simple.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 3 hrs |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 55 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 (8 ounce) loaf French bread baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- ¾ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- Stir olive oil and garlic together in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature until flavors are infused, about 3 hours.
- Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour garlic oil through a strainer onto the bread; toss to coat bread with oil. Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat. Spread bread cubes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn croutons and bake 15 minutes more. Push croutons together with a spatula so that they are in a compact rectangle on the baking sheet and no longer spread out; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top. Bake until cheese is melted and the bread is crispy and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 474 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 13 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 890 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 32 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I have never made homemade croutons before. I only had garlic powder on hand and surprisingly enough they were really good.Most excellent
Sorry Chef John, this was not to my liking. Over seasoned, too much work for the end product. Native Detroiter; grew up at Mario’s. The number one Italian restaurant in Michigan … I will settle for stove top recipe. Edna Louise
I confess that I was in a hurry, so succumbed to the temptation to use garlic powder instead of infusing raw garlic in the oil. Other than that I followed the recipe closely, and they were REALLY good, so much better than store bought. It was hard to resist the temptation to eat them all as a beer snack before dinner. My wife also loved them.
Absolutely the BEST croutons I have ever had. Did not think I could make such great croutons.
The first time I made these croutons I followed Chef John to the T. Next time I made them I didn’t strain out the garlic, why would you(?), I mixed all the seasonings in the oil/garlic and drizzled it over the bread cubes and tossed. I added the parmesan cheese and baked approx 45 mins, stirring every 15 mins. Wonderful, garlicky, cheesy croutons, what could be better?!
We’re addicted! Have to have croutons on all our salads now!! A couple of small changes to make it faster: – warm oil in microwave for 30 secs to help bloom seasonings – add 1/2 t garlic powder – add 1 t Italian seasoning and paprika – add pepper, salt and cayenne – pour over bread cubes and coat well – add cheese and stir, bake as directed We like to use half white and half whole grain wheat bread which create different flavors and texture.
This recipe makes any stale bread into garlicky, delicious nuggets. The garlic oil was incredibly potent and when soaked up by that terrible bread. The parmesan at the end makes this a great addition to a Caesar salad. Thanks, Chef John!
I’ve made these a few times, tweaking to my preferences. These go beyond croutons. I’ve crushed them and used them as a crunchy topping for shrimp scampi and as a coating for baked chicken. I love the flavor and versatility of this recipe. Thanks, Chef John!
Great recipe, I use sourdough bread and follow recipe to a T.
Great recipe
Deeeelish! Super easy, came out perfect! I really loved the infused olive oil, I added rosemary to mine and let it sit overnight along with my cubed bread for extra crispness. Will definitely be making these again, store-bought just won’t do it for me anymore!
This is our favorite crouton recipe. Perfect in salad, soup, or just as a snack. Love it every time we make it!
These are very good as is. They are so good you will eat them without anything else or even on your Fruit Loops haha JK. No adjustment necessary. FYI to those of you who have no baguette or any idea how much bread cubes you need, use between 10 and 12 cups.
These were a resounding hit with everyone at the table! A great base recipe to build from.
All I can say is that these are delicious. I make these all the time.. I have to double the recipe as I end up eating so many that I sometimes don’t have enough to add to the salad. I follow the recipe as written. Yum
I have made this recipe multiple times now. I follow it exactly with amazing results every time. I have to swat my husband away trying to just eat these as a snack! Now, I even make a batch of the garlic oil and keep it on hand in a dispenser. All Chef John’s recipes turn out delicious!
These were amazing especially using the crusts and heels of oat nut bread and flavored basting oil. not bad with leftover dinner rolls from take out either.
These are delicious over creamy tomato soup. I make this recipe all the time with whatever bread I have left over. The Parmesan isn’t necessary, in my opinion; if I use it, I add just enough to dust the bread at the start and midway through baking. Also, you can prep these in advance, refrigerate, and bake them when you’ve already fired up the oven for something else.
Again, Chef John never disappoints ! And YES you have to use fresh GRATED cheese. Pecorino Romano is awesome in there and I had a mixture of rye bread & wheat bread. It is delicious!
Have made these numerous times-better than any store bought crouton! Wish I could cut them as evenly as Chef John, but still delish! Lynda
I had a bunch of leftover Olive Garden breadsticks and wanted to turn them into croutons. After goggling recipes this was the first one that sounded so good. I followed the recipe exactly except for substituting the breadsticks for the baguette and they turned out amazing. My family could not stop snacking on them because they’re so flavorful as is. They stayed crisp and crunchy in a plastic bag in the fridge for days and we just ate nothing but salad until they were gone. Highly recommended.