Air Fryer Croutons are the crispiest! With just a few simple spices and a little butter, these homemade croutons are done in less than 10 minutes and are perfect for salads, soups, and more.

Overhead shot of a white plate covered in homemade croutons

recipe overview

Croutons are always around in my house, and these Air Fryer Croutons are the easiest homemade crouton recipe I’ve tried yet!

There’s no waiting for the oven to preheat and no constant flipping of bread cubes to get every side evenly browned.

This recipe is super versatile and easy to make gluten-free or vegan depending on what kind of bread and butter you use.

The added garlic salt, oregano, parsley, and onion powder take these from ordinary to extraordinary and they’re ready in less than 10 minutes, including prep!

how to make them

steps to make croutons in the air fryer

I didn’t have trouble keeping the croutons from flying around the air fryer, but if you do, feel free to weigh them down with a metal trivet!

  1. Cut your bread into cubes and put them in a mixing bowl.
  2. Pour the melted butter over the cubes. You may want to pour, stir, and pour more to evenly distribute the butter.
  3. Add the spices to the mixing bowl.
  4. Stir to combine your bread, butter, and seasonings completely.
  5. Pour the seasoned bread mixture into the air fryer basket — or onto your air fryer tray!
  6. Air fry your croutons for 6 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees F — or 204 degrees C — until crunchy. Be sure to stir the croutons once or twice during cooking to keep them from sticking or burning.
Homemade croutons on a white plate with a red striped kitchen towel

What to Serve with Croutons

Croutons are a staple on salads, but they’re perfect to add to any dish that needs a little more crunch.

My favorite way to serve croutons is on top of this Creamy White Bean and Tomato Soup to add a little extra crispiness to the soup while the croutons soak up the tomatoey goodness.

Add them to this Kale Quinoa Salad packed with pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, pears, and grapes.

How to Store Homemade Croutons

Homemade croutons are great to make in batches because you can keep them for weeks, depending on how you store them.

These Air Fryer Croutons will last about 3 days left on your countertop in an airtight container,

If you keep them in the refrigerator, they will last a bit longer, about 5 days.

For this method, I recommend keeping them in a paper bag to help absorb the humidity and keep your croutons super crunchy.

You can also freeze them! Frozen, these croutons will last about six weeks.

If you portion them into single servings, it’s easy to thaw and add to any dish that needs a little crunch!

Homemade croutons on a white plate and granite countertop with a striped kitchen towel
Overhead shot of a white plate covered in homemade croutons
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5 from 5 votes

Air Fryer Croutons

These crunchy bread cubes are perfect for soups or salads. Never buy croutons again!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time13 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 115kcal
Ken

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 5 slices bread can be gluten free
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted, can be dairy free
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  • Cut the bread into cubes and set in mixing bowl.
  • Pour melted butter over bread cubes.
  • Add spices to the mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Add bread cube mixture into air fryer basket or onto air fryer tray. Cook at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes or until crunchy. Stir croutons once or twice during cooking.
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Notes

Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 559mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
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Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
four photos of homemade croutons with overlay text

10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love croutons. Half the time they never seem to make it to my salads or soups because I end up snacking on them. I can;t wait to try air frying them, genius idea!

  2. 5 stars
    Love this easy approach to making croutons! I can make a small batch as needed instead of buying a bag that always seems to go stale…..

  3. 5 stars
    Love how crunchy these croutons look! Would never have thought of making them in an air fryer. I generally bake mine in the oven but can’t wait to try this way.

5 from 5 votes

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