Air Fryer Croutons
Elevate your meal with homemade air fryer croutons! They are perfect for creamy soups, salads, or as a snack. Get this easy recipe and make them from scratch.
Homemade croutons made in an air fryer are ready in 10 minutes, including prep & cooking time.
Where to use them?
- Stuffing – Why not use them instead of the store-bought version when making sausage and apple stuffing next time?
- Salads – Try adding them to goat cheese salad or Caesar salad!
- Soups – Tomato basil soup or any other pureed vegetable soup.
- Snack – They are also delicious on their own!
How to make croutons in the air fryer
The whole process is very simple and quick. You can easily double the recipe but keep in mind that they might need more time if the air fryer is packed. You will also need to toss them around throughout the cooking process.
Get the bread of your choice and dice it. I like my homemade croutons on the smaller side, so I cut them into ½-inch (1.5-centimeter) cubes. You can dice them into any size you like though. Just note that you might need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Transfer the bread into a bowl and pour some oil over, season with salt, pepper, and seasoning. Toss well.
Air-fry until golden brown and crispy to your liking.
Optional add-ons or substitutes
Italian seasoning instead of Herbs de Provence, or a combination of oregano and basil. Dried parsley will also work.
Garlic powder/onion powder
Oil – To keep these air fryer croutons as healthy as possible and as tasty as possible, use extra virgin olive oil. I don’t recommend using regular cooking oil (i.e., sunflower or vegetable). Note that some oils can be bitter so use a brand you like instead of trying something new.
Useful tips for making the best homemade croutons
- To make sure some of the croutons are not soaked in oil while others barely get any, use a spray bottle. But, if you are not worried about counting calories and when using good quality olive oil, you don’t have to worry that much about this. Simply drizzle slowly, toss, drizzle, and toss.
- Bread – I like using 1 or 2 days old baguettes – French or Spanish but any artisan bread will do.
If you have any leftover baguettes, try making homemade crostini as well! They store well and can be topped with anything you like.
Frequently asked questions
No, you don’t have to, but I recommend it. That way the croutons will cook faster!
The oil is needed for the seasoning to stick to the bread. If you want plain croutons, then you can omit it completely.
Use a resealable plastic bag or an air-tight container. The croutons must be completely cooled down before storing. Otherwise, they might go bad.
Air Fryer Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread baguette (day old, diced ½ large breadstick), see note 1
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil , see note 2
- ¼ teaspoon salt , see note 3
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper , see note 4
- ¼ teaspoon garlic granules or garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence (optional but recommended), see note 5
Instructions
- Preheat your air-fryer to 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile: Cut the baguette into ½-inch (1.5-centimeter) cubes. Add to a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss well.
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic granules and herbs de Provence, and toss well again so the seasoning is distributed as evenly as possible.
- Transfer into pre-heated air fryer and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- I like using French baguette (or the Spanish kind) but you can use other artisan bread if you like. There is no need to remove the crust! I used 4 cups of diced baguette which was about 6 ounces (180 grams) of bread.
- Make sure to use olive oil (extra virgin olive oil if possible). Don’t substitute with sunflower or vegetable oil.
- Use fine salt.
- This can be omitted or reduced to 1/8 teaspoon or to your liking.
- Herbs de Provence can be substituted with Italian seasoning or a mix of dried basil and oregano.
- Air fryers vary from brand to brand so keep an eye on the croutons when making them for the first time to avoid over-cooking/burning them.
- Serving suggestions and more tips including FAQ’s are in the post above this recipe card.