Easy Homemade Salad Croutons

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Our garden is still producing a good amount of lettuce, so we are eating lots of salads as side dishes. But sometimes you want to dress up a salad. We love to add sunflower seeds, extra vegetables and we love croutons. The little bit of extra crunch, those crispy squares of flavor add to the salad, make a salad that much better.

We usually can’t purchase croutons at the store, since most of them contain dairy. I’m the only one who can eat diary at our house, so I needed to come up with a good alternative for my family.

So many bread products have diary in them, either butter, milk or sometimes cheese. I can find a few kinds of bread my family can eat at our local bread store but often I’ll will make my own dairy free, egg free bread. The homemade bread is what I usually use to make these delicious croutons.

Whether it’s bread from the store, like I used in these photos or homemade bread, these croutons are really easy to make and packed with flavor too.

How to Make Homemade Croutons

Step 1 Cut the bread into chunks. If it’s sliced bread from the store, cut it up into squares. If it’s homemade bread, I like to cut a couple of thick slices and then cut it into squares.

Step 2 Heat some dairy free butter or oil in a skillet. I will either use olive oil or Earth Balance butter. Both work well. Just use what you have on hand.

Step 3 Toss the bread cubes into the melted butter and stir to coat them.

Step 4 Sprinkle the buttered cubes with the seasonings. I like to use garlic powder, parsley and salt. Parmesan cheese is also good to add, if you don’t need to go dairy free.

Step 5 Brown the croutons in the skillet over medium heat. I let the croutons sit on one side for a few minute and when they start to crisp up and brown on that side. I’ll give them a stir to brown the next side. Continue until the croutons are nice and brown.

These croutons turn out nice and crunchy on the outside but still a little soft in the middle. If you like stronger flavors add a little more seasoning. Pepper is also a nice addition to the spices for a little more kick.

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Easy Homemade Salad Croutons

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 0

Author Shelly

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bread preferably thick slices, cut into squares
• 2 tablespoons Dairy Free Butter or Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper optional

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the bread cubes to the melted butter and stir to coat.
• Mix spices together and sprinkle on top of butter bread cubes.
• Cook bread cubes over medium heat stirring often until golden brown.
• Remove from heat and let cool.

What yummy extras do you like to add to your salad?

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