Homemade Gluten-Free Croutons are the best way to use up leftover gluten-free bread! They make the perfect crunchy topping for soups and salads. You only need a few ingredients for these gluten-free & vegan croutons.

This is the best way to use your stale gluten-free bread. It has another life coming, one where it will be seasoned and crisped, perfect for tossing onto your salads, soups, or just snacked on out of your palm. Enter: gluten-free croutons.

I’ve been a crouton lover for my whole life. When I was a kid and my family would go to Souplantation (a buffet-style restaurant on the West Coast), I would skip most of the salad bar…but you know I would load my plate UP with all of the croutons. My mom would also make homemade croutons for special occasions, and we’d all get yelled at for stealing them off the sheet pan once they came out of the oven. Who can resist seasoned crunchy bread?!

While I still love croutons, they’re difficult, if not impossible, to find gluten-free. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gluten-free crouton sold in stores. BUT! Once I started making my own gluten-free sourdough bread, I quickly started making homemade gluten-free croutons with any bread that didn’t get devoured at its freshest.

Luckily, homemade croutons are SO easy to make. They’re also easily customizable to the flavors and spices you feel inspired to add. I kept mine simple, but I also provide some simple ideas to jazz them up a bit.

What you need to make Homemade Gluten-Free Croutons

  • Stale Bread
  • Olive Oil and/or Butter, vegan if necessary
  • Herbs & Spices, to flavor

While I always use my homemade sourdough for this recipe because it’s the only kind of bread we have on hand anymore, any type of gluten-free bread will work for this crouton recipe. You could even use leftover gluten-free cornbread!

How to make croutons

See the recipe card below for the full recipe with all the details!

  1. First, you’ll want to cut your stale bread into cubes. You can cut them small if you want them super crispy. Leave them a little bit larger if you want them to stay a little bit soft and chewy in the center.
  2. Once your bread is cut, mix up the oil/butter, herbs, spices, and salt. Pour over the bread cubes and toss to combine, using your hands to make sure every cube is coated in the oil mixture.
  3. Spread the coated bread cubes evenly on a lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until browned and crisped to your liking. I like mine nice and crunchy!
  4. Remove from the oven, let cool, and use however you like croutons! They’re great on salad, soup, or as a snack right out of your hand.

Can you make croutons in advance?

Yup, absolutely! These gluten-free vegan croutons will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to six months.

What’s the best way to use croutons?

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Gluten-Free Croutons

  • Author: Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 to 6 cups 1x
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Homemade Gluten-Free Croutons are the best way to use up leftover gluten-free bread, to make the perfect crunchy topping for soups and salads! Only a few ingredients are needed, and they’re vegan as well.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 loaf stale gluten-free breadabout 12 to 16 oz., cut into cubes
  • ⅓ cup olive oil and/or butter (vegan if needed)I used a combination of the two
  • 1 teaspoon herbs of choicelike rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc. 
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
  2. Cut the bread into cubes, about ½” each. You can cut them smaller if you want them super crispy, or leave them a little bit larger if you want them to stay a little bit soft and chewy in the center. Place into a large bowl. 
  3. Once your bread is cut, mix up the melted oil/butter, herbs, spices, and salt in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Pour over the bread cubes and toss to combine, using your hands to make sure every cube is coated in the oil mixture.
  4. Spread the coated bread cubes evenly on a lined baking sheet, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until browned and crisped to your liking. You can toss once in the middle of baking to make sure they brown evenly on all sides.

  5. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, and use however you like croutons! Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze in airtight container for up to 6 months. 

Keywords: croutons, gluten-free croutons, vegan croutons, stale bread, stale sourdough

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