Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs

Crunchy and savory Italian Bread Crumbs are a staple in the kitchen.  Use as a binder, breading or to add flavor and crunch!

Bread crumbs are an important player in the kitchen.  No, they’re not flashy or glamorous–but they can be a key ingredient in so many dishes!

That’s right! Coat a cutlet. Dust a fish.  Mix into a casserole. They add crunch and flavor—and who doesn’t like crunch and flavor!

And I especially like Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs with their accent of savory seasonings like garlic and oregano!

Now did you know that it’s easy to make your own?  It’s great for value, convenience, and quality control!  That’s right.  When I checked out a commercial brand, the second ingredient was high fructose corn syrup, and the third, corn syrup.  Um… no thank you. 

Time to make my own! 

Why You’ll Love This!

Frugal.  Use up that extra bread before it goes bad!  Don’t waste the crusts when you make Bacon Bread Bites or Cucumber Tea Sandwiches. 

You can even use stale crackers. Truthfully, even with fresh new bread this is probably cheaper than store-bought! 

Healthier.  Go organic if you’d like.  Use your favorite white or sourdough bread or go whole grain.  Homemade lets you do you.  

Fresh and Handy!  Don’t run to the store if you are out of bread crumbs.  It will be quicker to make your own than to make the trip.

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Dried bread.  This provides the bread in the bread crumbs!
• Dried Herbs.  I use garlic powder, basil, oregano, parsley and onion powder for a touch of Italian flavor.  But you can alter the mix for your tastes or pantry contents.
• Salt, pepper.  These enhance the flavors.

Special Tools

• A blender or food processor makes this easier, but I have a low tech (no tech!) method too!

Step by Step Directions

Dry the bread that you will be using overnight (see TIps & FAQs for quick alternative).  If pieces are thick, consider cutting into thinner slices for better drying. 

Crumble dried bread  into manageable pieces (a little bigger than quarter sized).  

Place about a third of the bread pieces into a blender or food processor. Cover and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 2 minutes. Repeat with another third of the bread, then with the final third plus the herbs, salt and pepper.

Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.   

How to Use

I use Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs in so many recipes!  They can be added to casseroles for flavor and crunch, like this Cheesy Broccoli Casserole or it’s cousin Cheesy Green Bean Casserole.  

And they’re a delicious breading for Italian dishes like Sicilian Steak or Eggplant Parmesan.  Finally they can serve as a binder in dishes like meatballs or meatloaf.

And did you know that if you dust the top of a piece of fish, it will add a little crunch and additional flavor?  Even your picky child might like it then!

Yes, if life gave you breadcrumbs, what would you make?

Variations and Special Diets

If your dish calls for plain bread crumbs, just omit the seasonings, though keep the salt and pepper. 

For a keto or gluten free diet, you can adapt an old keto hack.  Instead of dried bread, smash up some fried pork rinds to bread crumb size, then add the same Italian seasonings to make keto or gluten free seasoned bread crumbs.

Leftovers 

Assuming these are properly dried and sealed, they should keep for weeks at room temperature.   

Tips & FAQs

While you can use bread that’s older, if it’s starting to mold, toss it in the compost.  And if you don’t have quite enough to make bread crumbs, you can freeze a slice here and there until you do collect enough.

Why do you dry bread in slices rather than drying the crumbs? 

I think it’s easiest to let the bread dry out overnight and then grind it up in a blender or food processor.  To speed the process when I have thicker pieces, I sometimes cut into thinner slices for more thorough drying. 

Is there an alternative to a blender or food processor for grinding bread crumbs?

While using a blender or a food processor is probably easiest, there is a low tech method too.  Just put the dried bread between sheets of wax paper or parchment and roll over it with a rolling pin (I avoid plastic bags here since they can sometimes shred).  I grew up watching my mother do this and had to do it myself in a VRBO rental recently!

What if my bread isn’t thoroughly dry? If your bread is still a bit moist, your crumbs may mold, so toast or bake it first to dry it out fully.  Or do the reverse and pulse the too-fresh bread in the blender, then dry the crumbs in the oven. 

Can I leave out the garlic (or the basil)?  Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your personal tastes or dietary restrictions.  That’s another benefit of homemade!

Italian Bread Crumbs

Crunchy and savory Italian Bread Crumbs are a staple in the kitchen.  Use as a binder, breading or to add flavor and crunch!

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

Print

Prep Time 10 mins

Course Condiments & More

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

  

• ½ loaf of dried bread or the equivalent
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Dry the bread that you will be using overnight (see note for quick alternative). If pieces are thick, consider cutting into thinner slices for better drying.
• Crumble dried bread into manageable pieces (about quarter sized) then place about a third of the bread pieces into a blender or food processor. Cover and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 2 minutes. Repeat with another third of the bread, then with the final third plus the herbs, salt and pepper.
• Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.

Notes

For a low (no!) tech method for "grinding" the bread into crumbs, place between wax paper or parchment and roll with a rolling pin.

If your bread isn't fully dry, you can toast it before or after grinding.

 

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from original, published on Jan 12, 2013. 

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