This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Presenting easy homemade vegan croutons in 3 different flavours to add extra crunch and bite to your soups and salads!
What are croutons?
Croutons are small, crunchy cubes of bread that can be added to soups, salads or stews for an added texture and bite.
Typically, croutons are deep-fried in oil. But these homemade vegan croutons are baked in the oven with very little oil. Why spend money on store-bought croutons when you can make them fresh at home with a flavour of your choice?
These homemade croutons take less than 15 minutes to make, they are gluten free croutons(if using GF bread), and the best part is that you can customise the flavours to your liking. Once you learn how to make these healthy croutons, you will never go for store-bought croutons.
How to make easy homemade vegan croutons – 3 different flavours
Use any savoury bread of your choice. I’ve tested this recipe with gluten-free bread, sandwich bread, seeded bread, wholemeal bread, sourdough and French baguette. They all work well and result in delicious crunchy croutons.
Start by cutting the bread into roughly one-inch cubes and place them on a baking tray. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and seasoning of your choice.
Here are 3 different flavours that you can add to your croutons:
- For a classic flavour, season with salt and black pepper.
- For a cheesy garlicky flavour, season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and nutritional yeast.
- For nori flavour croutons, grind nori sheets, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and nutritional yeast into a fine powder. Season the bread cubes with this powder.
You can season the bread cubes with the flavour you like and the dish you are making.
Make sure the bread cubes aren’t touching each other on the tray, as that can prevent them from getting crunchy. Bake at 200 C/400 F for 9 to 11 minutes till they are slightly golden and crunchy.
Voila! Crunchy, savoury homemade croutons are ready.
Here is a bowl of delicious roasted red pepper soup with nori croutons:
Serving suggestions
Eat these delicious croutons as a snack or add them to your favorite salad bowl or soup for some extra crunch. They go exceptionally well with:
Kale salad with tahini dressing
Buckwheat salad with kale and sweet potato
If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments and don’t forget to leave a rating. I love hearing from you!
FAQ
Can I use frozen bread?
Yes. Make sure to thaw the bread before cutting it into cubes.
Storage
Best when eaten fresh. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for a day. They are not freezer friendly as they won’t retain their crunch when defrosted.
Easy homemade vegan croutons
Ingredients
- 5-6 slices of bread cut into 1-inch cubes
Classic flavour:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
Cheesy garlicky flavour:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Nori flavour:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3 nori sheets cut into 2-inch squares
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Heat the oven at 200C/400F fan setting and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the bread cubes to the tray.
- For classic croutons: Season the bread cubes with salt and black pepper. Drizzle olive oil and mix well until all cubes are well coated.
- For garlic cheese flavour: Season the bread cubes with salt, black pepper garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Drizzle olive oil and mix well until all cubes are well coated.
- For nori flavour: Add nori sheets, garlic powder and nutritional yeast to a food processor and process until it turns into a fine powder. Toss the bread cubes with this powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Drizzle olive oil and mix well until all cubes are well coated.
- Cook at 200C / 400F fan setting for 9 to 11 minutes, till they are slightly golden and crunchy.
- Once they cool for 5 minutes, serve with salads, soups or as a snack. Enjoy!
- They taste best when eaten fresh. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.
Leave a Reply