Garlicky Air Fryer Croutons

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These air fryer croutons are so easy to make! Just use whatever white bread you have on hand. Cube it up, toss with a little olive oil, season, and throw in the air fryer. Couldn’t be easier. Or tastier! Since you choose the bread you use, it’s not a challenge to make them vegan. These garlicky easy flavorful croutons are perfect to toss in soups, salads, or just for snacking.

When I made my Copycat Olive Garden Salad, I thought it would be no big deal to find vegan store-bought croutons. Boy was I wrong! On every package I read, I saw milk or egg as an ingredient! I finally found one that was vegan enough…but when I got them home and gave them a taste, I had to throw the package out. They weren’t…up to my delicious standards. So of course, I had to make my own and discovered these flavorful crispy air fryer homemade croutons.

You are going to love these homemade croutons!

• They are easy to make in the air fryer.
• You don’t have to use fancy bread – any bread slices will do.
• You don’t need to wait around to get stale bread. Use any bread you have any time you want. This recipe was developed using fresh bread.
• These crunchy croutons are perfect for your favorite salad, tomato soup, butternut squash soup, and more!

Try these flavorful crunchy croutons with:

• Restaurant Style Italian Salad
• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
• Crunchy Salad with Tahini Dressing
• Minestrone Soup

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Ingredients needed to make air fryer croutons

• 5 slices of white bread – Use any bread you have on hand. You don’t have to use fancy bread for this basic croutons recipe
•  olive oil – This is not an oil-free recipe. I’m working on one and will post it when I’m happy with it. I use robust flavored extra virgin olive oil
• garlic powder – Use garlic powder and not minced garlic. I tried that once and the little bits of garlic burned. Yikes!
• salt
• Italian seasoning – This is jarred seasoning that you buy at the store.
• And of course, you will need an air fryer! I am using an air fryer basket style for this recipe. You can also use an air fryer oven style. I have not tested the croutons in the air fryer oven though so I don’t know for sure how they will turn out.

How to make air fryer croutons

The exact ingredients with measurements and concise directions are found in the recipe card below. Read on to get more tips for making croutons in the air fryer.

Step 1: Cut the bread

Cut the bread slices into bite-sized pieces. You can just use regular sandwich bread for this recipe. If you use thicker bread like French bread, you might need to adjust the cooking time.

It’s easy to stack a couple of slices of bread and cut through them with a serrated knife. First, cut bread one way to get even strips and then the other. As you are cutting, place the cubed bread into a medium/large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Season bread cubes

After the bread has been cut into bite-sized pieces, you should preheat the air fryer. Preheat at 375°. Your air fryer will probably ask for the cooking time. Set it for 10 minutes. All air fryers are a little different and the cooking times are not the same for every make and model. You might need to adjust the actual time for this recipe For now, set the time to ten minutes.

While the air fryer is preheating, you should season the bread cubes. Drizzle the olive oil into the large bowl with the cubed bread and toss to coat evenly. Season the bread cubes with garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning. Toss to coat well.

Step 3: Air Fry the croutons

By now the air fryer should be preheated. If not, then wait until preheating is done. I use an air fryer basket liner for easy cleanup. Wait until after the airy fryer has preheated to put the liner in or it might burn.

Put the seasoned bread into the air fryer basket. The cubed bread can be touching and even overlap a little. BUT you should not crowd the air fryer basket. If it is too crowded, they will cook unevenly and you won’t have perfect croutons. See the photo below for a good example to get the best croutons.

Air fry for about 10 minutes. At the halfway point, take out the basket and shake it around for even cooking. If this is the first time you are making the recipe, then check every few minutes after the mid-point shaking time to make sure they aren’t burning. All brands of air fryers cook a little bit differently and you really need to know your air fryer.

You can use these flavorful crispy croutons while they are fresh and warm if you’d like. Wait until the croutons have cooled completely before storing. Any leftover croutons should be stored in an airtight container for not longer than one week. The storage time will depend on the bread you used.

For more delicious air fryer recipes from Veggie Fun Kitchen, try:

• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes with Red Onion
• Smoky Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts
• BBQ Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
• Corn on the Cob (coming soon)
• Mini Tacos (coming soon)

The printable recipe card