Parmesan Garlic Croutons

I was eating a salad last week and realized my Parmesan garlic croutons weren’t hitting right. Too oily or too dry, no in-between. So last Tuesday after work I just decided to figure it out properly with actual measurements and timing.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The 300° starting temp dries the bread without browning it too fast
• You split the seasonings in half and toss twice so every piece actually tastes like something
• That melted butter right before broiling soaks in and then crisps up the outside at the same time
• They stay crunchy for like three days if you don’t eat them all first
• The garlic powder and chives don’t burn because you add them before the low-temp bake
• You can hear them toasting in the oven which sounds weird but it’s how I know they’re working

The Story Behind This Recipe

I kept buying those pre-made garlic bread cubes and they were fine but also kind of stale-tasting and expensive. Then one night I had half a loaf sitting there and I thought, how hard can this actually be. Turns out not hard but the order matters a lot.

I tried making these at 400° once and they burned on the edges before the centers dried out. The 300° thing I stumbled on because my oven was already set low from something else and I just went with it. Gave me way more control, and honestly I think the slow start is what makes them stay crispy later instead of getting chewy again.

What You Need

You need bread with the crusts cut off, then chopped into bite-sized pieces. I used a day-old baguette but honestly anything works as long as it’s not super soft sandwich bread. The crusts just don’t crisp up the same way so I always trim them.

For oil you need 1 tablespoon plus another ½ tablespoon for drizzling. I used olive oil but vegetable oil is fine too. That first tablespoon greases the pan and the extra half tablespoon goes on after to make sure everything’s coated.

Then you’re splitting your seasonings in half which sounds fussy but it’s the whole point of this croutons recipe. Garlic powder, salt, chives and Parmesan cheese — I didn’t write exact amounts because it depends on how much bread you’ve got, but I used maybe a teaspoon of garlic powder total and a couple tablespoons of grated Parmesan. The chives were dried, about a teaspoon total. You toss once with half, then again with the other half so the flavors actually stick instead of sliding off onto the pan.

Last thing is melted butter for drizzling at the end. Maybe a tablespoon, maybe a little more. I just eyeballed it. This is what makes them taste like garlic bread cubes instead of just toasted bread and it soaks in right before the broiler crisps everything up.

How to Make Parmesan Garlic Croutons

Set your oven to 300° first. While it’s heating up, trim the crusts off your bread and cut everything into chunks that are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Pour 1 tablespoon of oil directly onto a baking sheet. Rub it all over the surface with your fingers — I know that sounds messy but it’s way more effective than brushing and you’re going to wash your hands anyway.

Dump your bread pieces onto the oiled sheet and stir them around with your hands until every side looks a little shiny. Then drizzle that extra ½ tablespoon of oil over the top and toss again. Some pieces will have more oil than others and that’s fine.

Now take half of your garlic powder, salt, chives and Parmesan and sprinkle it over the bread. Toss everything together, then add the rest of the seasonings and toss one more time. This double-toss thing is what makes sure every piece actually has flavor on it instead of all the good stuff ending up at the bottom of the pan.

Slide the sheet into the oven and bake at 300° for 13 minutes. You’ll start hearing this quiet crackling sound after about 10 minutes which means the moisture’s leaving the bread. When I opened the oven to check on them I could see they’d firmed up but hadn’t really browned yet.

Pull the pan out and immediately drizzle melted butter over everything. Toss it all together so the butter gets into the little cracks in the bread — it’ll soak in fast because the bread’s hot and dry.

Put the pan back in the oven and switch to broil. Now you have to watch them because broilers are fast and unpredictable. Mine took maybe 2 minutes before I saw them starting to color and smell like toasted garlic.

When they look golden-brown on the edges and smell done, pull them out. They’ll crisp up more as they cool. I let mine sit for a few minutes then tossed them straight into my salad while they were still a little warm.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

First time I made these I added all the Parmesan croutons seasonings at once and just stirred. Half of it stayed on the pan and the bread tasted bland. That’s when I realized you have to split everything and toss twice or the spices don’t actually stick.

I also forgot to drizzle the butter until after I’d already broiled them and by then the bread was too dry to absorb it. The butter just pooled on the pan and I had these sad dry cubes that tasted like garlic but not much else. Now I always add the butter right before that final broil so it soaks in and crisps at the same time.

Parmesan Garlic Croutons

By Emma

Prep:

5 min

Cook:

15 min

Total:

20 min

Servings:

5 servings

Ingredients

• Bread crusts removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon oil, plus ½ tablespoon for drizzling
• Garlic powder, quantity enough to split in half
• Salt, quantity enough to split in half
• Chives, quantity enough to split in half
• Parmesan cheese, quantity enough to split in half
• Melted butter, amount for drizzling

Method

1. 1 Set your oven to preheat at 300°.
2. 2 Trim the crusts off your bread and cut the bread into bite-sized chunks.
3. 3 Pour 1 tablespoon of oil on a baking sheet, then rub it across the entire surface with your fingers to ensure even greasing.
4. 4 Add bread pieces to the baking sheet, gently stirring and tossing until every side of the bread is lightly coated with oil.
5. 5 Drizzle the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil over the bread and toss again to evenly distribute.
6. 6 Sprinkle half of your garlic powder, salt, chives and Parmesan cheese over the bread. Toss the mixture, then sprinkle the remaining seasonings on top and mix again.
7. 7 Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 300° for 13 minutes. Keep an ear out for the gentle toasting sound and the bread starting to firm up.
8. 8 Remove the croutons from the oven and immediately drizzle melted butter over them. Toss well so the butter soaks into every piece.
9. 9 Return the baking sheet to the oven and switch the heat to broil. Watch the croutons carefully as the broiler works quickly now, especially after the butter addition.
10. 10 Pull the croutons once you see a golden-brown tint forming, and the aroma of toasted garlic and Parmesan fills the kitchen. They should be crisp and slightly crunchy to the touch.
11. 11 Cool briefly, then add them straight to your salad or store in an airtight container once fully cooled.

Nutritional information

Calories

76

Protein

0g

Carbs

1g

Fat

7g

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Tips for the Best Parmesan Garlic Croutons

Don’t skip rubbing the oil onto the pan with your fingers. Using a brush leaves streaks and the bread sticks to the dry spots.

Your bread chunks should all be about the same size or the small ones will burn before the big ones crisp up. I learned this when half my batch turned black and the other half was still soft in the middle.

When you’re listening for that crackling sound around the 10-minute mark, it’s actually the moisture escaping from the center of the bread. Once I figured that out I stopped opening the oven door to check because I could just hear when they were drying out properly.

The butter needs to go on when the bread’s still hot from that first bake or it just sits on top instead of soaking in. I pull the pan out, drizzle immediately, toss fast and get it back in the oven before the bread cools down.

Don’t walk away during the broil step. Two minutes can turn into burnt Parmesan croutons if you’re scrolling on your phone in the other room.

Serving Ideas

I throw these on top of Caesar salad while they’re still barely warm and the residual heat wilts the lettuce just a tiny bit in a good way.

They’re also really good crushed up and sprinkled over tomato soup instead of oyster crackers. Adds texture and the garlic flavor works with the tomato.

I’ve put them in a bowl next to pasta and let people add them as a crunchy topping situation. Works especially well with anything that has a cream sauce.

Sometimes I just eat them as a snack with a beer which probably wasn’t the original plan but here we are.

Variations

You can swap the chives for dried Italian seasoning and it tastes more like classic garlic bread cubes. I did this once when I was out of chives and honestly couldn’t tell much difference.

If you want spicy croutons add red pepper flakes with the first seasoning toss. Don’t add them before the broil or they’ll burn and taste bitter.

Switching Parmesan for shredded cheddar works but the cheddar melts more and you get these cheesy spots that crisp up different. Not bad, just not the same texture.

I tried making these with whole wheat bread once and they turned out denser and chewier even after the full bake time. White bread or a baguette definitely works better for this croutons recipe.

FAQ

Can I use stale bread for this? Yeah that’s actually better than fresh. Stale bread has less moisture so it crisps up faster and you might be able to cut a minute or two off the bake time.

Do I really have to cut the crusts off? You don’t have to but the crusts stay tougher and chewier than the rest. I tried leaving them on once to save time and regretted it because they never got as crispy as the center pieces.

Can I make these without butter? You can but they won’t taste like garlic bread cubes anymore. Just regular croutons. The butter right before the broil is what gives them that rich flavor and helps the outside get crispy while the inside stays a little tender.

What if I don’t have a broiler? Just leave the oven at 300° and bake for another 3-4 minutes after you add the butter. They’ll still crisp up but it takes longer and the color won’t be as deep.

How do I know when they’re done under the broiler? When the edges start turning golden brown and your kitchen smells like toasted garlic you’re basically there. I usually pull mine right when I see color starting to develop because they keep cooking for a few seconds after you take them out.

Can I use garlic salt instead of garlic powder and regular salt? Yeah but use way less because garlic salt is salty. I’d start with half of what you’d normally use for regular salt and taste a cooled piece before adding more.

Why do I have to toss the seasonings twice? Because if you dump everything on at once most of it slides off onto the pan and doesn’t stick to the bread. Splitting it and tossing twice means more surface area gets coated and you actually taste the garlic and Parmesan in every bite.

How long do these stay crispy? Three days in an airtight container, maybe four if your house isn’t humid. After that they start getting a little stale and lose their crunch.

Can I freeze them? I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not. You’d probably want to re-crisp them in the oven for a few minutes after thawing though.

What kind of Parmesan should I use? The stuff you grate yourself tastes better but the pre-grated kind from a shaker works fine. I use whatever I have and honestly can’t tell a huge difference once everything’s toasted.

My croutons burned on the bottom but the tops are still pale, what happened? Your oven rack was probably too low. Move it up one level so the heat circulates more evenly around the bread instead of blasting it from underneath.

Can I add fresh garlic instead of powder? Fresh garlic burns really easily under the broiler and turns bitter. Powder is better for this because it toasts instead of burning.

Do I need parchment paper or can I use foil? You can use foil but oil the foil the same way you’d oil the pan. Parchment works too but I never bother since I’m already rubbing oil directly on the sheet.

What size should I cut the bread pieces? About an inch or so. Big enough that they don’t burn instantly but small enough that they dry out all the way through during that first 13-minute bake.

Can I double this recipe? Yeah just use two baking sheets and keep an eye on both during the broil step. One might finish before the other depending on your oven’s hot spots.

Why 300° and not a higher temperature? Higher temps brown the outside before the inside dries out and you end up with croutons that are crunchy on the surface but still soft in the middle. The low temp dries them evenly first.

Can I use pre-cut bread cubes from the store? You can but they’re usually already pretty dry so you might need less time in the oven. Check them at like 10 minutes instead of 13.

What if my butter solidifies when I pour it on the hot bread? That shouldn’t happen if the bread just came out of a 300° oven. Make sure your butter’s fully melted and the bread’s still hot when you drizzle it.

Do these work on soup? Yeah they’re great on tomato soup or any creamy soup. I wouldn’t put them on broth-based soups though because they’d just get soggy immediately.

Can I use olive oil for the whole thing instead of adding butter at the end? The butter adds flavor that olive oil doesn’t really replicate. You could try it but they’ll taste more like oil-toasted bread than Parmesan garlic croutons.

How do I reheat leftover croutons if they get soft? Spread them on a baking sheet and put them in a 300° oven for like 5 minutes. They’ll crisp back up as long as they haven’t absorbed a ton of moisture from sitting out.

What’s the best bread to use? A day-old baguette or any white bread that’s a little dense. Soft sandwich bread falls apart and whole wheat gets too chewy.

Can I skip the chives? Yeah the chives are just for a little extra flavor. The croutons will still taste good without them, just more straightforward garlic and cheese.

Why does the recipe say to split all the seasonings in half? It’s the only way to get the spices and cheese to actually stick to every piece instead of falling to the bottom of the pan. I tested it both ways and the double-toss method makes a big difference.

Can I add more Parmesan? Sure but add it before the broil step or it might burn. I usually stick to the amount I mentioned because too much cheese can make them greasy.

What if I only have salted butter? Use less salt in your seasoning mix. Salted butter will make the whole thing saltier so adjust the rest accordingly.

How do I store these after they’re made? Let them cool completely first or they’ll steam in the container and get soggy. Then just put them in something airtight and keep it on the counter.