Bacon Croutons
Add flavor to soups and salads with these homemade bacon croutons. They're golden and crisp, easy to make, and ready in 35 minutes!
These bacon croutons make a delicious addition to soups and salads like our roasted fennel black garlic soup, cozy celery soup, or bacon kale caesar salad.
There's nothing quite like the classic crouton to add a bit of crunch to salads and creamed soups.
Once you make your own croutons, there's no going back. These homemade bacon croutons are golden and crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and full of flavor. They use up leftover bacon fat and extra bread so it's a practical and budget-friendly recipe, too!
How to make bacon croutons
Making homemade croutons is a straightforward process. These bacon croutons are easy to make in a couple of simple steps:
- While your oven preheats, cut the bread into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl.
- Heat the bacon fat in a pan and then add the garlic and Italian seasoning.
- Pour the bacon fat over the bread pieces and give them a good mix before mix placing them on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake them until golden, flipping halfway through. That's it! Make sure they cool completely before storing them in an air-tight container.
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
Ingredients
You only need four ingredients to make these savory bacon croutons:
- Sourdough bread – we use sourdough but you could use any loaf you have on hand, even if it's gone a bit stale.
- Bacon fat* – we use this instead of oil which makes them extra crispy and adds lots of bacon flavor.
- Garlic – for more delicious flavor.
- Italian seasoning – we use our homemade Italian seasoning blend but you can use a store-bought or your own mix of Italian spices.
*This recipe assumes that you have bacon fat on hand. We always keep a jar in the fridge and add to it whenever we cook bacon. If you don't have any, you'll need to cook some bacon. Bonus!
Uses for homemade bacon croutons
Croutons add a fabulous crunch to green salads and creamy soups. Sometimes we even eat them as a snack!
Here are some soup and salad recipes we love to serve croutons with:
Salads
- Bacon Kale Caesar Salad (of course!)
- The Best Kale Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Best Greek Salad
- Spring Mix Salad
Soups
- Garlic Soup
- Asparagus Soup
- Simple Tomato Bacon Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Roasted Eggplant Soup
- Coconut Curried Cauliflower Soup
More tasty crouton recipes
Bacon Croutons
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Ingredients
- ½ loaf unsliced sourdough
- 4 tablespoons bacon fat, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the loaf of bread into small, bite-sized pieces and put it into a large bowl. You'll want 4 cups of bread cubes.½ loaf unsliced sourdough
- Heat the bacon fat in a small pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute.4 tablespoons bacon fat, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Pour the bacon fat over the bread cubes and mix well. Transfer the bread to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the croutons for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden and crispy, mixing halfway through. Let them cool for a few minutes before using them or cool them completely before storing.
