Air Fryer Garlic Croutons are easy to make and a crunchy addition to salads or soups! These croutons crisp up perfectly in an air fryer and have just the right amount of garlic flavor. They are a perfect use for leftover, day-old, or slightly stale bread!
Is there anything better than homemade croutons? What about croutons that are SO quick and easy to make in the air fryer. Quicker than chopping up all those veggies for your salad or cooking your soup.
And these crunchy croutons have just the right amount of crisp when you bite into them. Honestly, I've been guilty of just snacking on them by themselves. But they are great in so many soups and salads! You can easily add them to salads like this cheeseburger salad or Tuscan salad. I also love them in soups, especially this creamy butternut squash soup.
Why make croutons in the air fryer?
There are so many reasons I love making air fryer croutons:
- So much quicker than cooking in an oven!
- They come out perfectly crunchy.
- You can easily check on them to make sure they reach the perfect level of doneness.
- Uses less energy than an oven (and doesn't heat up the house in the summer!)
- And honestly, using an air fryer is just fun.
Ingredients:
- French loaf - I used half of a French loaf in this recipe. You could also use sourdough, a baguette, ciabatta, or other crusty bread.
- Olive oil - Olive oil helps crisp up the bread perfectly.
- Garlic powder - The garlic powder gives the croutons their garlic flavor.
- Onion powder - The onion powder helps to balance the garlic powder and add an additional savory component.
- Salt - Salt helps to bring out all the other flavors.
- Dried parsley - I love using dried parsley to bring a little color to the croutons. However, you could also use dried oregano for a slightly different flavor.
What type of air fryer to use?
These can be made in any air fryer, but they work especially well in the basket kind because you can just remove the basket and shake, shake, shake as needed. I have a Cosori Air Fryer and I love it.
If you don't have an air fryer and are wondering if it's right for you, check out my post on 5 things to consider before buying an air fryer.
Do you need to use stale bread?
In this recipe? No. You don't need to use stale bread to make the croutons. In fact, I recommend using one to two day-old bread for the best results. You can use slightly stale bread, but never use moldy bread (even if you cut off the moldy parts).
Cooking tips:
- All air fryers cook differently. Make sure to check frequently near the end to reach that perfect level of doneness.
- When coating the bread with the olive oil, add an additional 1 teaspoon oil if needed.
- Shake, shake shake the croutons in your air fryer basket. When I'm making these, I shake every couple of minutes.
- Note that this recipe uses half a loaf of French bread, or about 5 cups after cutting into cubes. If using a full loaf, cook in two batches.
How to make:
Preheat your air fryer at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
While air fryer is preheating, slice your bread into chunks about 1-2 inches in size. Add to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and toss to combine until olive oil is completely distributed amongst the bread pieces. Add an additional 1 teaspoon oil if needed. Bread should still be light and fluffy.
Add your spices to a bowl and then stir to combine.
Add your spice mix to the bowl and toss to combine until spice mixture is evenly distributed.
Add bread to your preheated air fryer basket.
Cook for 4-6 minutes, tossing/shaking every couple of minutes, until bread is browned.
Serve your croutons however desired! If serving on a salad, let cook for a couple of minutes before adding to a salad.
Storing the croutons:
These croutons can be stored in an uncovered container for up to 2 weeks. If they are slightly chewy, you can dry out in an oven at a low heat or pop into your air fryer for a minute.
Other air fryer recipes to love:
- Air Fryer Bananas
- Air Fryer Squash
- Air Fryer Greek Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
- Air Fryer Quesadillas
Air Fryer Garlic Croutons
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ loaf French bread cut into 1 inch cubes (about 5 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Take the French loaf and slice into cubes. Add the cubes to a large bowl.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the cubes and toss until all the cubes have been slightly moistened with the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and salt. Add the mixture to the bread cubes and toss until well distributed.
- Add the cubes to the air fryer basket. Cook for 4-6 minutes at 400 degrees F until lightly browned, shaking every couple of minutes.
Notes
- All air fryers cook differently. Make sure to check frequently near the end to reach that perfect level of doneness.
- When coating the bread with the olive oil, add an additional 1 teaspoon oil if needed.
- Shake, shake shake the croutons in your air fryer basket. When I'm making these, I shake every couple of minutes.
- Note that this recipe uses half a loaf of French bread, or about 5 cups after cutting into cubes. If using a full loaf, cook in two batches.
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