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These crispy homemade air fryer croutons are seasoned and baked to perfection! Ready in about 10 minutes, these will level up your at-home salad creations.
What does your family call the end pieces of bread? Growing up, they were called “heels”, but my family now refers to them as “butt bread” or “dad bread” since only my husband will use them for sandwiches.
Whatever you call them, they are the perfect use for making crispy homemade air fryer croutons. The only thing better than repurposing unwanted kitchen scraps is that you can turn them into the garlicky superstars of an otherwise boring salad.
The picture above is of my honey wheat whole wheat bread, but any bread will work for this recipe!
And while the recipe card below has a suggestion for how much fresh garlic to use, we all know that garlic should always be measured with your heart.
Crispy Homemade Air Fryer Croutons
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups bread {cubed}
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil + more if needed (will vary depending on bread)
- 2 cloves garlic {minced}
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Slice bread into 1/2 inch thick cubes.3.5 cups bread
- Add butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until butter is fully melted.3 tbsp unsalted butter
- To the bowl, add olive oil, minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and kosher salt.1 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dry Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Add bread cubes to the butter mixture. Gently toss to coat and allow slices to sit for 2 minutes.
- Use air fryer parchment or brush olive oil in the air fryer basket, and place bread cubes in the basket.
- Cook at 390˚F for 4 minutes. Shake and cook for another 3-5 minutes depending on your preference for crispiness.
Notes
- You may need to cook in multiple batches depending on the size of your basket.
- Some bread might be more “thirsty” than other kinds. If some of the cubes are looking a bit dry, drizzle in a bit more olive oil to extend the volume.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
