How to Make Croutons in an Air Fryer

Golden-brown, crispy seasoned croutons can be made in your air fryer in less than 15 minutes! These crunchy bites of heaven are perfect for topping your favorite soups and salads. Here’s How to Make Croutons in an Air Fryer!
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I’m trying to keep my at-home salads exciting and full of variety. Trying new dressing, cutting random veggies in different ways, adding different toppings (!) and proteins. 

Croutons are not something I buy at the store because… well, they felt unnecessary. I’ve never bought croutons in a bag (except as stuffing, lol).

I’ll eat them when they come on a salad at a restaurant but I don’t need them at home.

OH WAIT, we aren’t eating at restaurants this year, so bringing the cool restaurants ideas into my own kitchen has been something I’m into lately. 

Enter croutons. They’re a simple delight that you didn’t realize you wanted on your homemade salad. And the best part? You can make them in your air fryer.

How do you make croutons from scratch?

You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make croutons at home! There are just two main steps to making croutons – no matter your heating method.

First, prep your ingredients and add them all to a large mixing bowl. When you add the oil, be sure to drizzle it all over the bread cubes to help spread it around.

Next, get your hands dirty and use them both to toss the bread with the oil and spices. 

Once every piece of bread is coated with oil and spices, cook them up in the oven or in the air fryer until they’re crispy and golden beautiful brown. Keep reading for specific air fryer instructions!

What ingredients do you need to make homemade croutons?

You need five simple ingredients to make homemade croutons in your air fryer.

• bread cubes – I recommend using a hearty white bread like sourdough. Cut into cubes that are about an inch long. You can use stale or leftover bread here, but it’s not required.
• olive oil – The taste of the olive oil is clutch! Melted butter is also an option. Normally I recommend avocado oil for air fryer cooking, but here we want to taste the oil! And since we need a decent amount, we don’t need to use spray oil. Just pour it on.
• Italian seasoning – Any kind of Italian seasoning blend will work . Your seasoning blend should at least have rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. Here’s a recipe to make your own Italian seasoning.
• garlic powder – Not an optional thing people! The garlic powder compliments the Italian seasoning so well and just really brings all the flavors together.
• salt – Because all good cooking involves a sprinkle of salt to bring out the other flavors!

How do you make croutons in an air fryer?

It is so incredibly easy to make croutons in an air fryer! Here’s how it works:

Mix all of your ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Make sure every cube of bread is soaked in oil and covered in seasoning!

Add your oiled and seasoned bread cubes to your air fryer basket. Air fry at 350F for 8-10 minutes or until they look perfectly golden brown to you. Shake halfway through cooking and check on their progress.

When the croutons are done cooking, move them to a storage bowl and let them cool to room temperature before putting the lid on.

How long does it take to make croutons in an air fryer?

It takes around 5 minutes to prep supplies and mix the ingredients. The croutons take about 8-10 minutes to cook in an air fryer. Total, it takes around 15 minutes to make croutons in an air fryer.

What kind of bread is best for homemade croutons?

My favorite bread for making croutons is any crusty or hearty bread like sourdough, but any kind of will work. You can also use stale or leftover bread if you have it.

Do I have to use stale bread to make croutons?

No, you do not have to use stale bread for croutons. Making croutons with stale or leftover bread is a great way to reduce food waste, but it is not required. 

The idea of using stale bread comes from making french toast or bread pudding – stale bread will soak up the eggs and milk liquid better than fresh bread would.

However, for making croutons, or only “liquid” is the oil. In my opinion, the bread does not have to be stale in order to do a fine job of soaking up the oil and making delicious croutons.

Your best bet is to use bread that’s over a day old. If you want to use up stale or leftover bread, that works too! 

How long do homemade croutons last?

Your homemade croutons will last around a week or so in a sealed container on the counter. Be sure to let them cool completely to room temperature before putting the lid on.

Ways to customize and use homemade croutons:

• Use on salads for that crunch and texture
• Add to soups because that’s the best idea ever
• Add some parmesan cheese after they cook for cheesy croutons!
• Change up the flavors – try Ranch croutons!
• Just eat them as a yummy snack! #ILoveCarbs

What kind of air fryer do you recommend?

I have only tried two different air fryers in my life, and I upgraded purely to have a bigger capacity basket so I can air fry more foods at once. A large air fryer can reduce the need for multiple batches for things like chicken wings!

The air fryer I use now, and the one that is pictured in this post is the Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!). If you’re going to invest in an air fryer to cook things for 2 or more people, you should opt for a larger size in my opinion.

More air fryer recipes from Project Meal Plan:

• Air Fryer Flour Tortilla Bowls
• Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Frozen Tater Tots in an Air Fryer

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Did you make croutons in your air fryer? I’d love to see how they turned out for you! Use #projectmealplan to share your creation, or tag me in your post!

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