Homemade gluten free croutons are a great way to spruce up soups and salads while making use of stale bread that’s past its best. All you need is about 20 minutes and a few ingredients! Gluten Free + Dairy Free and Low FODMAP options

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that my favourite part of salads used to be the croutons.

I mean….how can you not love crispy, herby, buttery bits of bread? What’s not to love here?

When I was a kid I’d eat them on their own grabbing handfuls from the pantry at a time until I’d eat the whole bag. Not the smartest thing to do, but man were they good.

Since then I’ve somehow managed to contain my love for croutons  to more special occasions – like Fridays or Caesar salads.

These days though, I have to go the homemade route because gluten free croutons aren’t really something I’ve ever seen available here in the UK. I’d be more bothered by that if it weren’t for the fact that they’re dead easy to make and I like being able to customise the flavours myself.

Tips for making: Gluten Free Croutons

Whether you’re baking them in the oven or frying them up on the stove top you really love need a few things:

• About 20 minutes of your time
• Stale bread
• Some kind of fat like olive oil or butter (use vegan butter if you need)
• Some herbs and spices to spruce up the flavour

The type of bread you use is not too important but I would recommend choosing whole loaves that you can slice yourself so that you can cut up the pieces to be as big or small as you’d like. Use sourdough, French bread, sandwich bread or even gluten free bagels – it’s totally up to you and whatever you’ve got on hand. Ideally you just want to use bread that’s a little stale so that it dries out easier and becomes crispy.

When choosing the type of fat you use keep in mind that butter burns quicker than olive oil so just keep an eye on it. I find that butter croutons do better in the oven than frying but you can really do either method. You can also use a combination – half butter and half olive oil if you want.

Truly the most difficult part here is just finding enough will power not to eat too many…or maybe that’s just me?

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Gluten Free Croutons

Yield: 12 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes

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Homemade gluten free croutons are a great way to spruce up soups and salads while making use of stale bread that's past its best

Ingredients

Stovetop

• 1 loaf stale gluten free bread, choose an unsliced loaf that you can cut yourself
• 1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil, or combo of the two
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs , basil, oregano, thyme etc
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, optional - don't use for low Fodmap
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Cut the bread into 1/4 inch chunks. 
3. Spread the bread chunks across a large baking tray and drizzle butter or oil oil over the top. Toss the bread to coat and then season with herbs, salt and garlic powder if using.
4.  Make sure not to crowd the bread and the bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. About half way through cooking take the croutons out of the oven to gently mix and flip over to get an even cook. 
5. When done cooking remove from the oven let cool slightly. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks and enjoy.

Stovetop

1. Cut the bread into 1/4 inch chunks. 
2. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet or pan on a medium heat. Add the bread pieces to the pan along with your chosen seasonings (herbs, salt and/or garlic powder) and stir to coat everything in fat and spice. 
3. Spread the croutons out on the skillet in a single layer making sure not to crowd the bread pieces. Let the croutons brown on their side without stirring or flipping. Once they start to brown flip them over with a spatula and let them continue browning on all sides.
4. Once toasted and crispy on all sides remove the croutons from the heat and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

Make it Vegan: use vegan bread

Nutrition Information

Yield: 12 Calories: 128Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 15gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Sauces & Condiments Cuisine: Gluten Free