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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Katie Original

Garlic Bacon Croutons

Published: Feb 21, 2014 · Modified: Feb 4, 2020 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Easy-to-make homemade Garlic Bacon Croutons from KatiesCucina.com

I know what you are thinking… bacon in croutons?

Yes… well sort of.

Because I love bacon so much I save the bacon grease to use for other cooking purposes. The other week, I made grilled sausage and pepper subs. I cut out the middles of the sub rolls and saved them to the side. I decided I would make a few croutons out of them instead of wasting the delicious fresh bread. We have been eating a lot of salads in our home. At least one with dinner every night. I had just pulled bacon out of the oven, when I decided to cube the bread and roll it in the leftover bacon grease. For good measure, I sprinkled a little garlic powder on top and popped them in to the oven.

Easy-to-make homemade Garlic Bacon Croutons from KatiesCucina.com

Later that night when we went to eat our salads I topped each salad with a few homemade croutons. This is a luxury item for our salads. I never have croutons on hand. I love them and eat them when they are presented on a salad, but its the last thing I think about buying at the store. I will tell you that it was love at first bite–the homemade garlic bacon croutons were amazing. They do not have an overwhelming bacon flavor to them, but just enough to make you think about what is on these croutons. Even my non-bacon loving husband loved the croutons. I didn’t tell him what they were seasoned with until after he was done with his salad, and then when I told him he wasn’t surprised at all. I think he loathes the fact that I keep a small jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator at all times. No wasting in our house is my motto (especially when it comes to bacon).

This was definitely a happy accident type of recipe. I wasn’t going to blog about it, but after finishing my cup of croutons in less than a day I decided to make more. I finished the two remaining sub rolls and baked them up into beautiful garlic bacon croutons. Every night for the past 2 weeks we have enjoyed them on our salad, and I think once we are done with them I’ll have to invent another new crouton recipe. Croutons are something that you forget is so good until you have them daily.

Katie Original Recipe

Garlic Bacon Croutons

I know what you are thinking... bacon in croutons?
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Save Saved! Rate
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 183kcal
Author: Katie

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon bacon fat melted
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 cups cubed bread French or Italian work fine

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a frying pan, melt bacon fat if need be then spread on to a tinfoil lined baking sheet. Place cubed bread on baking sheet and rub around in the bacon fat until every piece of bread is coated. Then sprinkle on the garlic powder.
  • Bake for 350 degrees on the middle rack for 10 minutes. Toss the croutons and bake again for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool and then seal in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

I've had these still taste great for up to two weeks! Feel free to scale the recipe to however much bread you have on hand.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
« Lasagna Bolognese Roll-Ups
Bacon Popcorn »

About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 15 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. JOSEFINE

    September 26, 2019 at 4:32 pm

    I made this today and it is AMAZING!!Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe!

    Reply
  2. Kevin @ Closet Cooking

    February 24, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Using bacon grease for croutons is the best!

    Reply
  3. Paula – bell’alimento

    February 22, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    You had me at bacon! Perfect addition to any salad!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:10 am

      ha ha I’m the same way. Bacon addict for life!

  4. Rebecca {foodie with family}

    February 22, 2014 at 9:38 am

    Forget the salad, I’d TOTALLY eat these for a meal!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:11 am

      Umm I have definitely found myself snacking on these bad boys! They are addicting!!!

  5. Liz

    February 22, 2014 at 7:36 am

    You cannot beat homemade croutons! And I’ve never thought of using bacon grease instead of butter. Brilliant!!!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:11 am

      I use bacon grease in almost everything Liz! LOL I’m addicted to the stuff!

  6. Carolyn

    February 21, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    You had me at bacon! That’s all it takes to win me over.

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:12 am

      Ha ha thanks Carolyn!

  7. Karly

    February 21, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    Love this and love bacon grease! It’s my life.

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:12 am

      Ha ha glad to know I’m not alone, Karly!

  8. Ali | Gimme Some Oven

    February 21, 2014 at 9:55 am

    Brilliant! Bacon grease is my favorite oil to cook with. 😉

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:12 am

      Thanks Ali! Yes–and best of all it’s semi-free! lol.

  9. Meagan @ A Zesty Bite

    February 21, 2014 at 9:29 am

    Oh man I could pop a big handful of these into my mouth.

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 24, 2014 at 11:12 am

      Totally admit I have! lol.

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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