Air Fryer Croutons with Olive Oil

Name: Air Fryer Garlic Croutons with Olive Oil
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 min
Ingredients: 3 cups bread cut into cubes; 2 tablespoons olive oil ((can sub avocado, canola or vegetable oil)); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; salt and pepper to taste

Jump to Recipe

These Homemade Air Fryer Croutons are made with olive oil. They are crispy and full of garlic flavor! Make croutons in the air fryer today!

Crispy browned air fryer garlic croutons in a small glass bowl with a salad in the background. — Air Fryer Garlic Croutons with Olive Oil

We make these mouth watering garlic croutons in an air fryer. We love the Ninja Foodi Grill that can be used as a grill, air fryer and much more! The Ninja Foodi Air Fryer and Grill makes bread into croutons in just 6 minutes!

Try using your own Homemade Sandwich Bread to make croutons. You can cut it to the perfect thickness. After our bread is about 5-7 days old we like to slice it up for croutons.

Air Fryer Potato Puffs are the perfect easy side dish for a weeknight meal!

We also love using the air fryer to make these Air Fryer Frozen Soft Pretzels. They are a great after school snack!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

First of all this recipe is so easy. It only take a few minutes to throw together!
Homemade bread croutons are a great way to use your leftover bread that needs to be used quickly.
Adding air fried croutons to your salad will make you want to eat even more healthy salad!
Sometimes store-bought croutons are too strong in their flavor to enjoy them. They can also be super hard and almost inedible. Air Fryer Croutons are soft, but still very crispy. When making croutons in the air fryer at home you can customize them and adjust the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your taste preference.

Recipe Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make the best air fryer croutons.

Bread: Although this recipe will work with normal sandwich bread, we find that using a thicker cut or homemade bread cut into thicker slices produce the best sized croutons.

Garlic Powder: First, make sure you are using garlic powder and NOT garlic salt. Second, you can really adjust this ingredient to your liking.

Oil: These croutons are only cooked for 6 minutes so we like to use olive oil. Usually when using my air fryer, we like to use an oil with a high smoke point. We prefer to use avocado oil and sometimes we use canola oil too. This EVO oil sprayer to make sure that all the cubes of bread get a small coat of oil on them.

How to Make Easy Air Fryer Croutons

Watch how easy these croutons are! The recipe video is below! Subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss new cooking videos!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

To be honest, this recipe is very easy. There aren't many tips or tricks to give.

For a denser and harder crouton, use a dense bread. If you make your own bread, don't let it rise as long as you normally do. In contrast, if you like a lighter, not going to break your teeth crouton, use a fluffier bread. These croutons are soft, but still crunchy!
Cooking times between air fryers may vary slightly. Keep an eye on your croutons. I use the Ninja Foodi Grill Air Crisp option and it takes us 6 minutes to make them.
A sharp bread knife like this KitchenAid Bread Knife will help you to cut the bread into cubes without smashing it.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Store these crunchy homemade croutons in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheating: You may need to throw them back in the air fryer to crisp them back up.

Additions and Substitutions

Garlic Powder: You can substitute garlic powder for onion powder or your other favorite seasonings. The taste will be changed, but you may have just made your new favorite flavored crouton!

Variations

Omit the garlic powder and drizzle a balsamic glaze on them before putting them in the oven. Add them to a sweet salad such as this Apple and Blue Cheese Salad.
Add them on top of your favorite soup such as this Tuscan White Bean Soup or Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup.
Make gluten-free croutons for those who may be sensitive to gluten.

A green salad with homemade air fryer garlic croutons, cucumber and peppers with knife and fork next to it. — Air Fryer Garlic Croutons with Olive Oil

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do homemade croutons last?

Air fryer croutons can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days. Just throw them in the air fryer to crisp them back up if needed.

What salads do you serve these croutons with?

I prefer serving these croutons on salads that do not have sweet dressings and fruit. They are great with caesar, Italian, and traditional chef salads.

What type of bread can you use to make homemade croutons?

You can use a thick white sandwich bread, a french baguette, an Italian bread or a sourdough loaf. Just note that some breads are denser and have a thicker crust and that will affect the crunch of the crouton. Using homemade bread allows you to slice the bread thicker for homemade air fryer croutons.

What temperature do you cook air fryer croutons?

In the Ninja Foodi Grill Air Fryer they cook at 390 degrees. The temperature can vary based on your model of air fryer.

More Air Fryer Recipes

If you've never made Air Fryer Burgers, then you are missing out. They are an easy weekday meal!

Did you know you can make fancy candied pecans in the air fryer? They are delicious on salads, as gifts or just to snack on!

I also love to use the air fryer to reheat french fries, to reheat pizza, and to reheat crab rangoon.

You'll also love these amazing Cosori air fryer recipes.

More From Thyme for the Table

Follow on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Let's cook together on YouTube! See you there! Don't forget to tag me so I can see what you are making!

Rate This Recipe! I love hearing from you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Air Fryer Garlic Croutons with Olive Oil

Homemade air fryer croutons are made with olive oil. They are healthy, crispy and full of garlic flavor! These easy croutons are dairy free and even vegan! You'll never buy prepackaged croutons again!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 6

Servings: cups

Author: Jen Talley

Cost: $4

Equipment

1 Bread Knife
1 air fryer (we use the Ninja Foodi Grill as an air fryer)
1 Oil Sprayer (optional)

Ingredients

3 cups bread cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil (can sub avocado, canola or vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 390°.
Using a bread knife, cut thick sliced bread into small bite sized cubes.
Add the bread to a large bowl and spray or carefully drizzle oil over the croutons and toss them to coat.
Evenly sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper on the cubed bread while you toss them around the bowl.
Add the bread to the preheated air fryer. Cook for about 6 minutes. Times may vary based on air fryer model, size of basket and amount of bread.

Notes

For a denser and harder crouton, use a dense bread. If you like a lighter, but still crunchy crouton use a fluffier bread.
Cooking times between air fryers may vary slightly.
A sharp bread knife will help you to cut the bread into cubes without smashing it.

Dairy Free: Our homemade bread is dairy free, so these croutons are also dairy free. However, you will want to check your bread to make sure it does not contain dairy in the ingredients.

Recipe From: www.thymeforthetable.com

More Air Fryer Recipes to Try

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon will make you ditch your favorite take-out restaurant because the homemade version is so much better.
Torikatsu is a crispy breaded chicken breast with a homemade Katsu sauce. We love to serve this with rice.
Air Fryer Onion Rings are the perfect side dish for burgers and sloppy joes.
Air Fryer Tomatoes are a great way to use some of your fresh garden tomatoes in the summer!
Air Fryer Tostones are air fried plantains that come out just like the fried version, but without the mess. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce!
Air Fryer Poached Eggs are made in little ramekins inside your air fryer!
KFC Copycat Fried Chicken gives you that yummy fried chicken in the comfort of your own home.