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Croutons

Pasta, noodles & bread · Crumbs & crackers

Croutons

Small cubes of bread toasted or fried until crisp; for salads and soups.

Also called: toasted bread cubes

A kind of bread

Photo: Bi-frie ( talk ), via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-3.0)

What it is

Croutons are cubes of bread, usually stale, tossed with oil or butter and seasonings and baked or fried until golden and crunchy right through. Shop-bought croutons are hard and often heavily seasoned; homemade ones from crusty bread are crisp outside and slightly chewy within. Larger toasted slices are called crostini.

How it’s used

  • Caesar salad
  • Garnish for soups such as tomato and pea
  • Bread salads
  • Stuffings

Characteristics

Texture
Crunchy.
Sold as
dried
Cooking uses
Used as a garnish, Suitable for baking, Suitable for frying

Storage

Pantry-stable. Airtight once cool; they soften in humid air and their fat can go stale after a couple of weeks.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten. May contain Milk, Eggs, Sesame, Soy — check the label.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free (check label)
  • Egg-free (check label)
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free (check label)
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains wheat and gluten; unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.
  • Shop-bought croutons may contain milk, egg, sesame or soy.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
407 kcal
Protein
11.9 g
Carbohydrate
73.5 g
Fat
6.6 g
Fibre
5.1 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Croutons, plain.

Related ingredients

Recipes with croutons

No recipe in the catalogue uses it yet.

More crumbs & crackers