Do you miss eating croutons because there are no gluten-free options at the grocery store? Or perhaps you've located some, but were they over-priced and not the kind you were looking for? This gluten-free croutons recipe is super easy to make and can be seasoned in a variety of ways.
All you need is some gluten-free bread and a few optional ingredients to make flavorful croutons. This recipe is for buttery garlic croutons, but I will also share some variations for inspiration.
Let's whip up a small batch to add to your favorite soups and salads or make a larger batch for a Thanksgiving stuffing recipe!
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Ideas for Using Croutons
Soups
Croutons add a flavorful and crunchy texture to soups. For example, they can elevate your enjoyment of tomato soup, French onion soup, split pea soup, and even chicken noodle soup. What is your favorite soup?
Salads
Croutons are often included in Caesar salads, but any leafy green salad can be enhanced by including croutons! Just tailor the seasonings to the type of salad you are making or make plain unseasoned croutons.
Stuffing
I use this recipe to make plain croutons every year for my Midwestern-style Thanksgiving stuffing. This is a very simple task as you just need to bake some cubed bread without adding oil or seasonings.
Health Benefits of Making Homemade Gluten-Free Croutons
Making your own croutons gives you full control over what goes into them, while avoiding preservatives and added sugars that often come with store-bought croutons.
Bread itself is made from processed ingredients (flour), however, making croutons enables you to enjoy some amount of refined carbs while combining them with healthy sources of fat, fiber, and/or protein. This will blunt the glucose spikes from eating refined carbs.
As the Glucose Goddess and other health and wellness experts advise, never eat your carbs alone as they will likely spike your blood sugar significantly, which isn't a good thing to do often.
Use this easy recipe to make healthier gluten-free croutons bursting with flavor and crunch!
Ingredients
Gluten-free bread
Fresh bread and stale bread both work for making croutons. For this recipe, I am using a combination of white and multi-grain bread, but you can simply stick to one type of gluten-free bread if preferred. Using two different types of bread adds more variety in texture.
- White bread creates an airy texture.
- Whole-grain bread creates a denser texture.
If I had to choose one, I would just go with a white loaf of bread.
Seasonings
- Salted butter - it's best to use butter made from grass-fed cows.
- Garlic powder - garlic goes so well with the butter and enhances the flavor of croutons. Do not use fresh garlic as it will not work as well for this recipe.
- Curly leaf parsley - adding one or more herbs to season your croutons is a great way to add an earthy flavor and a pop of color. Fresh herbs or dry herbs work equally well.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Before you begin, set the oven rack in the middle position, then preheat the oven to 300℉.
Step 2: Cut the bread slices into 1-inch cubes.
Step 3: Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl (a wider bowl is better than a deeper one).
Step 4: Chop the parsley and melt the butter in the microwave.
Step 5: In a small bowl, combine the chopped parsley, melted butter, and garlic powder.
Step 6: Pour the butter mixture over the cubed bread then quickly toss to combine.
Step 7: Spread the seasoned bread cubes into a single layer on a baking sheet,
Step 8: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they golden brown, firm, and crispy.
Step 9: Once the croutons have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container for storage or use immediately.
You now have plenty of gluten-free croutons to use in soups, salads, or making stuffing for Thanksgiving and other occasions!
Note: If you are making stuffing, you can skip the seasonings entirely if your recipe already has its own seasonings. Just make enough plain croutons in advance for your stuffing recipe.
Substitutions
Bread
- While you can use any type of bread to make croutons, denser breads can bake up too hard for croutons, especially if you get one from a bakery. Regular store-bought sandwich bread tends to work better.
- Sourdough bread is an excellent option and adds a touch of tangy flavor, however, it can be difficult to find gluten-free sourdough. If you discover a good gluten-free sourdough bread, please drop me a comment and I will test it out!
Oil
- If you prefer an alternative to butter, you can substitute with olive oil or avocado oil.
- You can also mix half butter and half olive oil to get the good flavor from both oils.
Seasonings
- You can always use dried herbs instead of fresh ones for convenience.
Variations
Make Plain Croutons
- Plain croutons are great if you're not one to use a lot of seasonings in your cooking. In this case, you can skip the oil as well and still have crunchy croutons to enjoy.
- Plain croutons are also great for making Thanksgiving stuffing.
Switch Up the Seasonings
- For stronger flavor, try adding some onion powder.
- For an Italian flair, add some Italian seasoning with olive oil.
- If you're a cheese lover, try adding grated Parmigianino Reggiano cheese, regular parmesan cheese, or grated Romano cheese.
Storage
- Gluten-free croutons can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Plain croutons made without seasoning or oil can last up to 4 weeks.
Top Tip
One loaf of bread for this recipe is 12 ounces. If your loaf is larger, you may need to bake the bread cubes in two separate batches to avoid overcrowding.
FAQ
Croutons will not become crispy in the oven if they are too crowded on a baking sheet. Try to space them out as much as possible in a single layer, allowing for air circulation to dehydrate the bread cubes. You may need to use a second sheet pan if you have too many bread cubes.
It is best to store homemade croutons in an airtight container to prevent them from becoming stale.
After making homemade croutons, allow them to cool to room temperature before transferring them to a storage container. This will prevent moisture from building up inside the container and softening the croutons.
Related
Pairing
Recipe
How to Make Gluten-free Croutons (Easy)
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz gluten-free multi-grain bread (about ½ loaf) cubed I used Trader Joe's gluten-free multi-grain bread. You can use 1 loaf of white bread instead.
- 6 oz gluten-free white bread (about ½ loaf), cubed I used Trader Joe's gluten-free white sandwich bread.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped curly leaf parsley or dried parsley
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set the oven rack in the middle position, then preheat the oven to 300℉.
- Cut the bread slices into 1-inch cubes then place them in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped parsley, melted butter, and garlic powder.
- Pour the butter mixture over the cubed bread then quickly toss to combine.
- Spread the seasoned bread cubes into a single layer on a baking sheet, then bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown, firm, and crispy.
- Once the croutons have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container for storage or use immediately.
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