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overhead shot of pesto croutons made in the air fryer
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5 from 14 votes

Leftover pesto use: Homemade Air Fryer Pesto Croutons

Homemade croutons and homemade pesto are two of the easiest things to make at home, combining them to make homemade pesto croutons just makes sense! These croutons can be made in the air fryer if you would like a super quick method, or they can be made in the oven. Pesto croutons are the perfect way to use up leftover bread and leftover pesto so nothing goes to waste, and you get a great little pop of flavor to your next soup or salad.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time6 minutes
Course: Basic
Cuisine: Anytime
Keyword: air fryer croutons
Servings: 6 serves
Calories: 161kcal

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 4 cups bread cut into even-sized cubes (see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (see notes if cooking in oven)
  • 2 tablespoons leftover pesto (or more if desired)

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer or the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celcius).
  • Put the cut bread into a large bowl.
  • Pour over the olive oil and pesto.
  • Mix everything well to combine. Each piece of bread should have some of the mixture on it.

Cooking In The Air Fryer

  • Add the mixture to the basket of an air fryer and cook for 6 -8 minutes, checking at 6 minutes to shake. They will be golden and hard to the touch when ready.
  • Remove from the air fryer and either use straight away or allow to cool and store in a glass jar with a lid until ready to serve. See notes for longer storage options.

Cooking In The Oven

  • Add the coated croutons (please see notes for extra oil needed if cooking in the oven) to a parchment-lined baking tray and put them into the preheated oven.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes. They should be golden and hard to the touch.
  • Remove the baking tray from the oven and either use them straight away or allow to cool and store in a glass jar with a lid until ready to serve. See notes for longer storage options.

Notes

Bread:
  • Fresh bread: you will just need to add one or two minutes to your cooking time or leave out on the bench for an hour or two after cutting into chunks if you have the time for that.
  • Sandwich bread: although this is a lot thinner it can definitely work. Just chop it up into smaller chunks and remove a minute or two from your cooking time. You may also need less oil, as there is less fluffy bread to absorb it. These will just be mini-croutons, which work really well when drinking soup from a cup or a mug.
  • Stale bread: as long as it isn't going moldy this will work perfectly.
 
How Much Oil:
How much oil you use is going to depend on the type of bread you are using (see above).
If you are using relatively fresh, big chunks of bread like what you see in the photos, then you are going to need more oil, as it absorbs it pretty easily.
If you are using more stale/less fresh bread or thin slices from a sandwich loaf etc, then you will need less as it doesn’t absorb the oil as much.
You can’t go wrong as long as you don’t add so much oil that the bread becomes soggy. Just add a bit at a time and see what works for you.
To make these in the oven:
Increase the amount of oil used to about 5 tbsp.
Storage
Allow to croutons to completely cool before storing in an airtight container with a lid. Glass works best to help them retain their crunchiness.
Easily frozen. 
Simply freeze in a single layer and once frozen transfer to a freezer-friendly container or bag such as a Ziploc.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg