Keto Croutons
Crunchy, garlicky, parmesan-dusted croutons made from almond flour mug bread, so your salads and soups get their crunch back.
Nutrition per serving
about ¾ cup- Net carbs
- 2.7g
- Calories
- 282kcal
- Protein
- 8.7g
- Fat
- 27g
- Total carbs
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 2.2 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Nut-free (coconut flour): The bread base is made with coconut flour and a little cream instead of almond flour, so the croutons are nut-free. They are lighter and soak up dressing a little faster.
- Whisk the coconut flour with the eggs, butter, cream, baking powder and salt, and let the batter stand 2 minutes to thicken before dividing it between the mugs.
- Microwave each 90–100 seconds. Coconut-flour bread holds more moisture, so the cubes may need 5 extra minutes in the oven to turn fully crisp.
Dairy-free: Olive oil replaces the butter in the bread, and nutritional yeast stands in for the parmesan, adding a savory, cheesy note without any dairy.
- Use olive oil in the bread batter in place of the melted butter.
- Toss the hot croutons with the nutritional yeast instead of the parmesan and return them to the oven for 1 minute.
- Bread base (a double batch of mug bread)
- Seasoning
- Bread base (a double batch of mug bread)
- Seasoning
- Also add
- Bread base (a double batch of mug bread)
- Seasoning
-
2 tbsp finely grated parmesanleave out - Also add
Estimated cost $3.38 for 4 servings ($0.85 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
-
Make the bread, which is essentially a double batch of 90-second mug bread: whisk the almond flour, eggs, melted butter, baking powder and one pinch of salt until smooth. Divide between two greased, wide microwave-safe mugs or ramekins and microwave each for about 90 seconds until risen and springy. Turn out and cool 10 minutes.
-
Cut the bread into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. In a bowl, toss them gently with the olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and the second pinch of salt until evenly coated.
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Spread in a single layer with space between the cubes and bake 15–20 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden on all sides and dry to the touch.
-
Sprinkle the parmesan over the hot croutons, toss, and return to the oven for 2 minutes. Cool completely on the pan — they keep crisping as they cool.
Tips for success
-
Have leftover almond flour bread? Cube about 4 slices (160 g) and skip making the mug bread; slightly stale bread makes the crunchiest croutons. - Low and slow is the key: almond flour scorches at high heat long before the centers dry out.
- Scatter them over Caesar salad, or tuck a few under the cheese on French onion soup.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 7 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 2 months
Reheat: Serve at room temperature; re-crisp 3–4 minutes at 325°F (165°C) if they soften.
Prep tip: Croutons freeze well in a zip-top bag — scatter them straight from the freezer over hot soup, or re-crisp them for a few minutes first.
Cool completely, then store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or in the fridge up to 1 week. Re-crisp 3–4 minutes at 325°F (165°C) if they soften.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosNut-free (coconut flour)
DietThe bread base is made with coconut flour and a little cream instead of almond flour, so the croutons are nut-free. They are lighter and soak up dressing a little faster.
- blanched almond flour → coconut flour
- + 2 tbsp heavy cream
2.6 g net · 213 kcal · 5.7 g protein · 19 g fat · ≈$0.58 per serving (−0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
Dairy-free
DietOlive oil replaces the butter in the bread, and nutritional yeast stands in for the parmesan, adding a savory, cheesy note without any dairy.
- butter → olive oil
- + 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- no finely grated parmesan
2.8 g net · 287 kcal · 8.3 g protein · 27 g fat · ≈$0.89 per serving (+0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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