Croutons substitutes
Croutons substitutes — 7 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called salad croutons, toasted bread cubes, seasoned croutons
Use Toasted bread cubes
1 cup for every 1 cup croutons
Homemade croutons from any bread you have, which is what the boxed kind is.
Make them: toss 1 cup of ¾-inch bread cubes with 1 ½ teaspoons of oil and a pinch of salt and bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes until golden. Use them cup for cup. With no bread, use broken pita chips or crackers in the same amount. For gluten-free, use roasted chickpeas; for low carb, use Parmesan crisps or pork rinds, which are close to zero carbohydrate. None of the bread-free swaps works in stuffing.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Cut bread into ¾-inch cubes, toss with 1 ½ teaspoons oil or melted butter per cup and a pinch of salt, and bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until golden and dry.
- Best for —
- Caesar and green salads
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the croutons doing?
Pick your caseAre the croutons a crunchy topping, or the bread in a stuffing?
Toast bread cubes if you have any bread: 10 to 15 minutes at 375°F. Otherwise break up pita chips or crackers and add them at the table.
Notes on toasted bread cubes, pita chips or crackers or toasted breadcrumbs
1 cup per cup
Roasted chickpeas are the closest in size and bite. Toasted nuts or seeds and Parmesan crisps also work. Gluten-free bread makes good croutons by the same method; it browns a little faster.
Notes on roasted chickpeas, toasted nuts or seeds or Parmesan crisps
Same amount
Use Parmesan crisps or broken pork rinds, both at or near zero carbohydrate, or half the volume of toasted nuts or seeds. Chickpeas are not low in carbohydrate.
Notes on Parmesan crisps, pork rinds or toasted nuts or seeds
Same amount
Use dried bread cubes, cup for cup, with no oil: 300°F for 30 to 45 minutes until hard. Add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning per 8 cups of cubes if the croutons were seasoned.
Notes on toasted bread cubes
1 cup per cup
On a salad or a soup, croutons are there for contrast: a dry, hard crunch against soft leaves or smooth liquid, plus toasted flavor, salt and a little fat. They also soak up some dressing while staying crisp in the middle. In stuffing they do a different job: the dried bread is the structure, absorbing broth and egg and setting into a soft, sliceable mass. Only bread can do the second job.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 cup croutons| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup croutons | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toasted bread cubesCaesar and green salads | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Pita chips or crackerssalads | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 3 | Roasted chickpeasgluten-free salads | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Toasted nuts or seedsgreen salads | ½ cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Parmesan crispslow-carb Caesar salad | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Pork rindslow-carb salads | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Toasted breadcrumbsCaesar salad | ¼ cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Fresh bread cubes | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Toasted bread cubes
fresher, less seasoned
Homemade croutons from any bread you have, which is what the boxed kind is.
- Best for
- Caesar and green salads, soups, stuffing and dressing, panzanella
- Texture
- the same
- Prep
- Cut bread into ¾-inch cubes, toss with 1 ½ teaspoons oil or melted butter per cup and a pinch of salt, and bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until golden and dry.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- gluten
Day-old bread toasts faster and more evenly than fresh. For stuffing, skip the oil and dry the cubes at 300°F for 30 to 45 minutes until they are hard all the way through. Boxed croutons are seasoned, so add ¼ teaspoon garlic powder or dried herbs per cup if the recipe relied on that.
Pita chips or crackers
saltier
Already baked crisp and salted, broken into bite-size pieces.
- Best for
- salads, tomato and other smooth soups, chili
- Texture
- thinner crunch, softens faster
- Prep
- Break into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces and add at the table.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- gluten
Thin crackers and tortilla chips soften in dressing or soup within a few minutes, faster than a crouton. Pita chips and oyster crackers hold longest. Most are saltier than croutons, so go easy on the salt in the dressing.
Roasted chickpeas
beany, nutty
Chickpeas roasted until the outside is crisp, the usual gluten-free crouton.
- Best for
- gluten-free salads, grain bowls, soups
- Texture
- crisp shell, dense center
- Prep
- Drain a 15-ounce can, dry the chickpeas well, toss with 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt, and roast at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes until crisp.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
They are denser and starchier than bread and do not soak up dressing. They lose their crunch within a few hours, so roast them the day you serve them. They are not low in carbohydrate.
Toasted nuts or seeds
richer, toasted
Sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, pepitas or sunflower seeds give crunch with no bread at all.
- Best for
- green salads, gluten-free and lower-carb salads, topping pureed soups
- Texture
- harder, smaller crunch
- Prep
- Toast at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes until fragrant, and start with half the volume of croutons.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Contains
- nuts
Nuts are richer and harder than croutons, so half the amount is a starting point. They add no salt or garlic flavor, so season the salad a little more. Not for anyone avoiding nuts; seeds cover that case.
Parmesan crisps
salty, cheesy
Small rounds of grated Parmesan baked until lacy and crisp, bought in a bag or made at home.
- Best for
- low-carb Caesar salad, gluten-free salads, tomato soup
- Texture
- thin, brittle crunch
- Prep
- Drop tablespoons of grated Parmesan onto a parchment-lined sheet, bake at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes until golden, cool until crisp, and break into pieces.
- Suits
- gluten-free, low-carb
- Contains
- dairy
Salty and strongly cheesy, so cut the cheese and salt elsewhere in the salad. Parmesan has about 1 gram of carbohydrate per ounce. The crisps soften in hot soup within a minute or two; add them at the table.
Pork rinds
porky, salty
Fried pork skins, broken up, are the zero-carbohydrate crunch for salads and soups.
- Best for
- low-carb salads, topping chili and soups
- Texture
- airy, softens fast
- Prep
- Break into bite-size pieces and add just before eating.
- Suits
- gluten-free, low-carb
Plain pork rinds list 0 grams of carbohydrate per serving. They taste of pork and salt, they are airy, and they go soft quickly in dressing. Not vegetarian.
Toasted breadcrumbs
the same toasted flavor
Fresh bread cubes
the same
Soft, untoasted bread cut into cubes.
- Best for
- only after drying in the oven
- Texture
- soft, then soggy
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Fresh bread has none of the crunch and turns to wet paste the moment dressing or broth touches it. In stuffing it makes a dense, gummy pan. Dry or toast it first and it becomes the top pick on this page.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- Stuffing or dressing, with crackers, chips, nuts, chickpeas or pork rinds standing in for the croutons.Dry cubes of any bread at 300°F for 30 to 45 minutes, or use cornbread crumbled and dried the same way.
- French onion soup or any dish with bread baked under melted cheese.Toast thick slices of baguette or any firm bread until dry and use those.
Questions
5 questionsWhat can I use as a substitute for croutons?
Toasted bread cubes made from any bread are the same thing: ¾-inch cubes, a little oil and salt, 10 to 15 minutes at 375°F. With no bread, use broken pita chips or crackers cup for cup, toasted nuts or seeds at half the amount, or roasted chickpeas.
What is a low-carb substitute for croutons?
Parmesan crisps and pork rinds, broken into pieces, are both at or near zero carbohydrate and give a salty crunch. Toasted nuts or seeds at half the volume also work. Roasted chickpeas are gluten-free but not low in carbohydrate.
What is a gluten-free substitute for croutons?
Roasted chickpeas, toasted nuts or seeds, or Parmesan crisps. You can also cube gluten-free bread and toast it the usual way; check it at 8 minutes because it browns faster.
Can I use bread instead of croutons in stuffing?
Yes, once it is dried. Cut it into cubes and bake at 300°F for 30 to 45 minutes until hard, then use it cup for cup. Boxed croutons are seasoned, so add about 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning per 8 cups of plain cubes.
Can I use crackers instead of croutons?
On a salad or a soup, yes, in the same amount and added at the last moment. In stuffing, no; crackers break down into paste.
Tips for substituting croutons
5 tips- One slice of sandwich bread makes roughly ¾ to 1 cup of cubes, so two slices cover a salad for four.
- Bake croutons at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes and pull them when they are golden at the edges. They finish crisping as they cool.
- Add any crunchy swap at the table, not in the kitchen. Most soften within 5 minutes of meeting dressing or hot soup.
- For garlic croutons, stir ¼ teaspoon garlic powder per cup of cubes into the oil. Fresh garlic burns at 375°F.
- Keep homemade croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; re-crisp them for 5 minutes at 350°F.