How to Make Gluten Free Croutons

It is so easy to make homemade gluten free croutons! My simple directions will teach you how to make croutons from scratch, and give you lots of ideas on how to season your croutons!

Jump to:

• Why Make These Gluten Free Croutons:
• What gluten free bread is best for making croutons?
• Ingredient Notes:
• Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
• Variations:
• Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
• What brands of store-bought croutons are gluten free?
• More Salad Recipes To Try:
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Croutons have so many fun uses, from topping salads and soups to making a Panzanella salad. If you haven't made them yet, this homemade croutons recipe will walk you through every simple step.

I am sharing dairy-free (vegan) and regular gluten free versions so you can enjoy these croutons if you have food allergies. If you are new to gluten free, this beginner guide to gluten free is a great resource!

Why Make These Gluten Free Croutons:

• Freshness: When you make these gluten free croutons, you can use fresh gluten free bread that you've just purchased or baked, which means that your croutons will be much fresher than store-bought ones. Fresh croutons have a great texture and flavor that can't be beaten.
• Customization: These croutons are also great because you can customize the flavor to your liking. You can choose the type of bread you want to use, the seasonings and herbs you want to add, how much salt you like, and even the size and shape of the croutons.
• Texture: Homemade croutons are typically crunchier than store-bought ones because they haven't been sitting on a shelf for a long time. The crunchiness of homemade croutons makes them a great addition to salads, soups, and other dishes that need a bit of texture.
• Cost-effective: Making gluten free croutons at home is also a cost-effective way to use up stale bread. Instead of throwing away old bread, you can transform it into delicious croutons that can be used in a variety of dishes.
• Time Effective: You can make your own homemade croutons for a fraction of the cost in as little as 15 minutes!

🔑 Sandi says: Gluten free can be expensive! If you are looking for low-cost gluten free food, these croutons are great for those learning to live on a tight gluten free budget.

What gluten free bread is best for making croutons?

There are so many great gluten free brands of bread you can use to make croutons! You can make them out of homemade bread like this gluten free sourdough bread! I typically have Franz Gluten Free Bread or Canyon Bakehouse Bread loaves on hand, so I use those.

Ingredient Notes:

The ingredients for this recipe are so easy. Depending on if you make this recipe as is or if you customize the recipe, your ingredients may change slightly. For plain croutons, you only need three ingredients!

• Gluten Free Bread - Any brand is fine to use. I save the ends of bread loaves in the freezer then use them to make croutons and Gluten Free Bread Crumbs.
• Butter - Use salted or unsalted butter.
• Salt - Use sea salt or kosher salt.

Three simple ingredients. It doesn't get any easier than that. Try counting the ingredients in store-bought croutons! You probably can't even pronounce half of them! Check out the flavor variation suggestions below for some delicious flavors of croutons to make.

Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Step 1: Take 8-10 slices of gluten free bread and cut it into cubes on a cutting board. Add the bread chunks to a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Pour the melted butter over the bread cubes. Add the flavor seasonings and salt. If you decide to add any optional seasonings, add those now too. Mix to coat the bread cubes.

Step 3: Pour the bread cubes onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Spread the cubes, so they are flat on the sheet. Try to avoid the crumbs stacked on top of each other. Bake at 300º F for 15 minutes, stirring once to flip over the bread cubes.

Variations:

You can change up the seasonings and enjoy these croutons in so many flavors! Here are some of my favorites:

• Make them Italian by adding basil, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.
• Dust them in pumpkin spice and enjoy these croutons in this Acorn Squash Soup.
• If you like spicy, sprinkle some sriracha over them!
• Sprinkle taco seasoning over them.
• Trader Joe's and Penzeys make ranch seasoning that is fun to flavor these gluten free croutons with!

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:

What brands of store-bought croutons are gluten free?

If you don't have time to make homemade croutons, or if you prefer store-bought croutons, these gluten free crouton brands are very good:

• Salad Crisps - OMG, these are so good, and they are made with 100% cheese. (Not dairy-free!)
• Olivia's Gluten Free Croutons - These look crispy and delicious.
• Aleias Gluten Free Croutons - I haven't tried this brand, but I saw them at Sprout Market not too long ago.

More Salad Recipes To Try:

• This Kale & Apple Salad is the most popular salad recipe on the blog. Even kale-haters love it!
• My Chicken Chopped Salad makes a wonderful lunch.
• If you love pasta, my Deli-Style Gluten Free Macaroni Salad recipe is great.

📖 Recipe

This post was updated from an older September 2020 post with more recipe details.