Croutons are pretty great, aren't they? They are never used as a main dish but an add-on. But the layer of crunch that they have to offer wants us to load up on them. One of the most popular pairing in India is of Tomato soup and croutons.

Croutons are delicious, but one of the major concerns with them is the use of oil since traditionally they were deep fried. There was quite a long time period in my life when I completely stopped or never craved for croutons in my tomato soup because there was always a sound in my head saying 'too much oil'!

For quite some time now, especially due to healthy trends, croutons are being baked which eliminates extreme use of oil. Unfortunately we did not have a powerful oven back then at home. So, I tried the stovetop version too of croutons. They turned out ok, but still not crunchy and crispy enough where you could hear the crunch out loud.

Few years back, we got an air fryer as a gift. Since it was a new appliance I started looking for things to prepare in it. And that's when I came across Air Fried Croutons.

I tried it and Eureka! I found the easiest, quickest and healthiest way to prepare croutons. They turn out extremely crunchy without the oily taste of deep frying. It is hassle-free and takes just about 10-12 mins to cook. 

So here are the steps to follow in my version of air fried croutons:

Phase 1 - Prep:

- Pre-heat the air fryer to 200^o C for 5 mins while we prep the bread

- Take the choice of your bread, even stale one would do (but not moldy!)

- Cut up 4 slices (prefer using a serrated knife for cutting) into small, say around 1/2 inch, squares and put them in a mixing bowl

- To this add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, pinch of black pepper, salt to taste and keep this aside for 2-3 mins

Phase 2 - Cooking:

- Add the seasoned bread squares to the air fryer for 4 mins at 180^o C

- Take them out and in case you need further browning, put them in for another 2 mins at 200^o C

And that's it! They are ready.

You could modify the seasonings as per choice. Also, please remember that while cooking in an air fryer keep checking and shaking the air fryer basket every 3-5 mins to avoid over cooking/browning.

These croutons pair really well with soups and salads. You could use the same recipe for baking as well. The duration of cooking would depend on your oven.

Do give this air fried version a try.