This is how to make homemade Italian breadcrumbs with a loaf of bread. This is cheaper than store bought and can be made with a loaf of bread dried in an air fryer in 5 minutes, then crushed into a sand-like texture for baking.
These homemade seasoned breadcrumbs are homemade and just one of our cooking basics posts. You don’t have to be new to cooking to make this though, it took me many years before deciding to make these homemade. Now I’ll never buy canned again.
We make this as an air fryer recipe or in Ninja Foodi which works great. It doesn’t matter what brand of machine you own, it will work using the directions below. I will also include step by step for baking in the oven as well. You can use a loaf of bread cubed, or bake your own.
That is right, if you want to go all out and bake homemade air fryer bread first you’d want to let it cool, slice, and leaving it out on the countertop overnight is even better. If your loaf is really really soft it won’t slice super well unless you have a special knife that is super sharp. Dicing into bite size pieces is even harder unless it’s day old bread.
Ingredient Notes
You want to season your pieces to add flavor of course. We are going to go with the basics that is just Italian seasonings which makes it yummy added to all sorts of meals.
Olive oil, just a spray, will make the pieces super crispy which is what you want in order to pulse them into a sand-like texture.
Of course you are going to need some bread which is really the base of it. There are several options as far as this goes, many love using a loaf of day old French bread but honestly any baked loaf that is on the firmer side of things will work.
Can you make breadcrumbs with a loaf of bread?
Just have fresh bread but want to make this too? It really does need to dry out a bit so plan on making them tomorrow. Just set it out at room temperature overnight on a sheet pan or at least with the end of the bag open and you’ll be ready to make this in the morning.
Variations
If you needed a substitute that was acceptable for someone with celiac you could do it with this homemade seasoned breadcrumbs recipe for sure. You likely have a loaf of acceptable bread or crackers at home for them, feel free to follow the same directions below. Timing may vary because it is made differently and usually more dense so keep an eye on your pieces of bread in the machine.
Tips for Success
If you see here the bread sliced rather nicely without yanking apart into weird shapes because it wasn’t super fresh. I typically make another batch to save and use when I have half or a full loaf that needs to be used up really. If you want to make next day just leave the bag open overnight and you will achieve the right texture.
How can you make homemade breadcrumbs without a food processor?
You could use a blender for your dried bread or I would suggest pouring your crunchy baked pieces into a gallon freezer bag, sealing tight and smashing them on your countertop. This is safer than trying to use a cheese grater and having the possibility of grating your fingers at the same time.
You can now use them to make oven fried fish, air fryer tilapia or for vegetables like our zucchini chips. WAY better than store bought because you can customize the flavors. Even add some red pepper flakes for a spicy version if you like.
Homemade Breadcrumbs Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 4 slices bread
- 1 spray olive oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Cut slices of thick cut white bread into 1" inch squares. No need to cut off the crust off. Transfer the bread to the air fryer basket, spray top with olive oil spray and air fry at 340 F for 4-6 minutes or until browned and crispy. (toss basket halfway thru)
- Place the toasted bread slices in a blender or food processor. Add seasonings.
- Grind in pulses of 10-15 seconds each. After each pulse, check how finely crushed the crackers are. If you want to get a smaller crumb, grind the crackers longer.
- Transfer the finished breadcrumbs to a jar or container, tightly close the lid and use when needed. To keep the crackers from getting damp, you can store them in the refrigerator.
- Can be used for breading fish, meat, appetizers, seafood, as well as for casseroles, minced meat and other dishes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Homemade Breadcrumbs in Oven (option)
You would follow the same time of about 5 minutes at 350F or so but lay pieces in a single layer on a sheet pan instead. Watch closely thru the window with the light on as it doesn’t take long to brown and you don’t want them to get too dark.
What are some breadcrumb substitutes?
I mean look around your house and see what you could use as a sort of binder. If you try one out of desperation you actually might find that everyone likes that way better. Stuffing mix is actually quite amazing since it is already packed with seasonings, just crush or blend until it’s fine enough. I have used crackers too.
- Croutons
- Potato chips
- Oats
- Almonds add calcium and would be gluten free
- Oats
- Crushed chips like Ritz or Wheat Thins works
- we prefer this in our Jiffy corn casserole recipe
- Dry stuffing mix, Pepperidge Farm herb is the best
- Plain cereal like cornflakes smashed will work too
- We share ideas on how to bread chicken without eggs here too
So if you find yourself making our Lipton soup meatloaf recipe and OMG not only are you out of your canister of crumbs there are lots of other options to choose from now.
How to Store Homemade Breadcrumbs
If you have leftover bread at home and just kills you to throw it away, make seasoned breadcrumbs this week! Transfer the homemade bread crumbs to a jar or container when done. Tightly close the lid and use when needed. To keep the crackers from getting damp, you can store them in the refrigerator.
