Simple to make and much more flavorful are homemade air fryer croutons. You must first preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees before cutting 4 slices of bread into bite-sized pieces and melting butter in a medium bowl. The croutons you buy at the store come in a resealable bag, but they still go bad quickly. I started making them in the oven, but if you step away for a second they can turn from soft to burnt. This instant air fryer recipe I developed because I needed a low-maintenance approach always turns out perfectly.

Ingredients

• 4 slices white bread, cubed
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

How to Make Croutons in Air Fryer

1. Four or five slices of bread are recommended. Grab a very sharp knife or a serrated knife after that. The bread won’t tear if you cut the slices with a serrated knife.
2. Bread should be cut into bite-sized bread cubes.
3. Melt some butter, and then grab some seasonings. I enjoy using seasoned salt, parsley, garlic salt, and onion powder. In a medium-sized bowl, I mix the seasonings and butter.
4. After the seasoned butter is ready, carefully stir in the bread, and stir to coat very well.
5. Put the seasoned bread in the air fryer’s basket and fry it there for about 7 minutes. These will begin to smell fragrant.
6. You will have a delicious bowl of homemade croutons after air frying the breadcrumbs for 7 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and let them cool to room temperature. Enjoy these on your favorite salad or soup.

Read More: How to Preheat an Air Fryer – Will Food Become More Delicious?

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This air fryer homemade croutons recipe only requires bread, virgin olive oil, and seasonings to make the best croutons. You can use a baguette, fancy bread, day-old bread, bread rolls. regular sandwich bread, or a combination of bread to make this recipe.

Besides cutting the bread slices or loaf into cubes, there is almost no prep time. The total preparation time is under 10 minutes because cooking takes only a short while.

Four slices of bread cut into squares, makes about four cups of bread cubes, and they all fit perfectly into my Cosori Air Fryer Basket.

No Make Homemade Croutons on Your Stovetop Without Air Fryer

While this recipe is developed for an air fryer, you can prepare this same recipe by heating up a large skillet to medium, tossing in the seasoned bread, and cooking it for 5 to 7 minutes.

The bread needs to be stirred roughly every 30 seconds. These can be prepared on the stovetop because the bread will brown.

What Bread is Best for Homemade Croutons?

Although technically any bread can be used, some breads are superior to others. For example, a dense loaf of Italian bread will yield chewy croutons, while a light and airy baguette will result in crispy croutons.

Bread made from whole wheat or sourdough is a good choice if you’re looking for something in the middle. Just make sure the bread is fresh; stale bread won’t make flavorful croutons.

I used French baguette for this recipe. I’ve previously made croutons from sourdough, pumpernickel, rye, and regular white bread. I found that any bread with great flavor will work for making homemade croutons.

Can Homemade Croutons Break My Teeth?

Some people think that homemade croutons will be hard on their teeth. Perhaps it is accurate for some reason. I’ve previously purchased a large pack of croutons from BJ’s, and I thought they were a little rough on my teeth. So I made the croutons at home in the air fryer, and they came out crunchy and crispy. I can easily bite them.

How Long Do Homemade Croutons Last?

Your ability to properly store homemade croutons will determine how long they will last. To maintain their crunchiness and stop moisture from eroding their freshness, they should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container.

Keep in mind that homemade croutons lack preservatives, so their shelf life may be shorter than that of store-bought varieties.

The French bread croutons I made lasted me for about three months and were still in perfect condition when I ate the last piece.

How to Store Leftover Croutons

You will want to save these because I know you will prefer them to store-bought croutons. Ensure they are at room temperature, then put them in an airtight container to keep them fresh for up to five days.

FAQs

Try the following Air Fryer recipes if you are interested!