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Learn how easy it is to make sourdough breadcrumbs with just 10 minutes of prep time. Depending on how you want to use them, you can make breadcrumbs that are fresh or dried, plain or seasoned, fine or coarse (like panko). And you aren’t limited to sourdough, any kind of bread will work here!
Whether you forgot to buy breadcrumbs and you need them for a recipe, or if you baked a loaf of less-than-stellar sourdough bread, homemade breadcrumbs are the answer! Learning how to make this pantry staple is a game-changer. They taste way better than store-bought, and are a good way to help reduce food waste.
Why This Recipe is a Good One to Have Up Your Sleeve
- Convenient. Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a recipe that calls for breadcrumbs only to realize that you don’t have any on hand? When you learn how to make breadcrumbs, that won’t be an issue. I might not always have breadcrumbs in my pantry, but I almost always have homemade sourdough in my freezer to make them! (And you don’t need sourdough bread; any bread will work here.)
- Versatile. Depending on how you want to use them, you can make fresh or dried breadcrumbs, plain or seasoned, or fine or coarse (similar to panko).
- Budget friendly and a good way to reduce kitchen waste. Instead of throwing away stale, dry, or hard bread, toss it into a freezer-safe bag in the freezer, and make breadcrumbs when the bag is full. No waste!
Ingredients For Seasoned Toasted Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Here’s what you’ll need to make the seasoned version of this recipe. The seasonings are optional, and you can experiment with them and add what you like.
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Sourdough bread – For this recipe, you’ll need 2 large slices of bread cut in half (about 200 grams total). I only bake a loaf of sourdough about once a month, so I slice my sourdough and I keep the slices in the freezer. When I want to make breadcrumbs, I partially thaw the sourdough slices beforehand because I find that it’s easier to process sourdough in the food processor if it’s still partially frozen. Feel free to use stale sourdough bread (or any kind of bread you like) for this recipe.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For rich flavor.
- Dried Italian herb seasoning – Adds herby notes, similar to the flavor profile of store-bought Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Garlic powder – For savory depth.
- Salt and black pepper – To make sure the breadcrumbs aren’t bland.
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make Toasted Sourdough Breadcrumbs (Stovetop Method)
- Add the sourdough to a food processor.
- Process the bread until crumbly. TIP: Depending on how fresh your bread is, the crumbs will likely be large, tacky crumbles at this point. Instead of croutons, coarse sourdough breadcrumbs like this are perfect for topping soups or salads, or using as a casserole topping.
- Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and then the breadcrumbs, spreading them out in an even layer. Add the Italian herb seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Cook until the breadcrumbs are light golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.
- TIP: This step is optional, but if you want fine breadcrumbs instead of coarse, you can process them again in a food processor at this point, and then return them to the skillet to toast a little longer.
How to Make Dried Sourdough Breadcrumbs (Oven Method)
- Add the sourdough to a food processor. Process the bread until crumbly. TIP: Depending on how fresh your bread is, the crumbs will likely be large, tacky crumbles at this point. Instead of croutons, coarse sourdough breadcrumbs like this are perfect for topping soups or salads, or using as a casserole topping.
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Spread the breadcrumbs out evenly on a rimmed baking tray. (Omit the oil, and wait to add the seasonings until later so they don’t scorch in the oven.) Bake until the breadcrumbs are dry (try not to let them brown though), about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Let the breadcrumbs cool.
- If you want to season the breadcrumbs, stir in any seasonings now.
- TIP: This step is optional, but if you want fine breadcrumbs instead of coarse, you can process them again in a food processor at this point, and then return them to the oven to dry a little longer.
Storage
- Fresh breadcrumbs – Store in an airtight container in the fridge (up to 2 weeks) or in the freezer (up to 3 months).
- Toasted (dried) breadcrumbs – Store in an airtight container at room temperature (up to 2 weeks) or in the freezer (up to 6 months). TIP: If you’re using these as a crunchy topping and they need re-crisping, you can reheat them briefly in a dry skillet on the stovetop or in a 325F oven to dry them out again.
Instructions For How to Make Sourdough Breadcrumbs Exactly How You Want Them
- Fresh breadcrumbs – For fresh breadcrumbs, just process the bread in a food processor until it forms crumbs. The crumbs will likely feel a bit tacky and be on the larger side. You can use them as fresh breadcrumbs like this. When a recipe calls for fresh breadcrumbs, they are usually unseasoned, but you can season them if you like.
- Dried breadcrumbs – You can either toast your breadcrumbs in a skillet on the stovetop or dry them in the oven. If I’m using them as a crunchy topping for salads, soups, or casseroles, I typically use the stovetop method and leave them coarse. And if I want to use them as breading (like for breaded chicken) or a binder (like in meatballs), I go with the oven method and make them fine.
- Plain breadcrumbs – To make plain breadcrumbs, simply skip the seasonings. You can use them fresh, toast them in a skillet on the stovetop, or dry them in the oven.
- Seasoned breadcrumbs – I keep the seasonings simple here with dried Italian herb seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to taste or play with the spices and dried herbs used.
- Coarse breadcrumbs (panko style) – For coarsely ground breadcrumbs, just grind the bread into crumbs in a food processor and then toast them on the stovetop or in the oven.
- Fine breadcrumbs – If you want fine, powdery breadcrumbs the trick is to double grind them and double dry them (instructions for this are in the recipe card below).
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Sourdough makes great breadcrumbs! Whether you need fresh breadcrumbs, dried breadcrumbs, fine breadcrumbs, coarse breadcrumbs, plain breadcrumbs, or seasoned breadcrumbs, sourdough does it all.
The thing to note is that sourdough bread’s crumb is typically a bit wetter and stickier than regular bread. (A large contributor leading to this is the fact that sourdough bread recipes are frequently higher hydration.) But don’t worry, the breadcrumbs are completely usable! Be aware that fresh sourdough breadcrumbs (that haven’t been toasted in a skillet or dried in the oven) will likely be tacky, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you store them in an airtight container in the fridge (up to 2 weeks) or in the freezer (up to 3 months).
You can use sourdough breadcrumbs any way you’d use other kinds of breadcrumbs. They’re great for breading (think: eggplant parm, chicken cutlets, breaded fish, etc.), topping (things like macaroni and cheese, casseroles, soups, salads, etc.), and using as a binder (in recipes for meatloaf, meatball sliders, etc.).
Yes! You can use either fresh or dried breadcrumbs for meatballs, depending on what the recipe calls for.
Well, yes. But with that being said, they function exactly as regular breadcrumbs, and the tangy sourdough flavor mellows over time.
Nope! It’s fine to leave the crusts on if you want to minimize waste. On the other hand, if you don’t want the variation in color that crust lends to breadcrumbs, feel free to cut the crusts off.
Yes and no. If you’re making fresh breadcrumbs, yes, you need a food processor. However, if you’re making dried breadcrumbs, you don’t need one!
To make dried breadcrumbs without a food processor or blender, cut or tear your bread (bonus points if your bread is stale!) into about 1-inch pieces (or smaller), spread the pieces out on a baking tray, and dry them out in a 300F oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. After that, let them cool, put them in a zip-top plastic bag, and gently crush them with a rolling pin. If need be, you can return them to the oven after crushing to dry them out a bit more.
Recipes That Use Breadcrumbs
- Crispy Chicken Cutlets – Here we use breadcrumbs to bread juicy chicken cutlets.
- Cheesy Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms – Breadcrumbs are part of the savory three-cheese mushroom filling in this recipe (note: bookmark this one for later, it’s a great holiday appetizer!).
- Green Beans Polonaise (Fasolka Szparagowa) – This simple side dish tops green beans with toasted fresh breadcrumbs.
- Baked Fish with Crumb Topping – Use coarse sourdough breadcrumbs for this healthy, delicious fish dinner.
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Sourdough Breadcrumbs Recipe
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Equipment
- Food processor (see Notes)
Ingredients
- 2 slices sourdough bread about 200 grams (see Notes)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
How to Make Toasted Sourdough Breadcrumbs (Stovetop Method):
- Add the sourdough to a food processor. Process the bread until crumbly. NOTE: Depending on how fresh your bread is, the crumbs will likely be large, tacky crumbles at this point. Instead of croutons, coarse sourdough breadcrumbs like this are perfect for topping soups or salads, or using as a casserole topping.
- Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and then the breadcrumbs, spreading them out in an even layer. Add the Italian herb seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the breadcrumbs are light golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.
- For fine breadcrumbs (OPTIONAL): Process them again in a food processor at this point, and then return them to the skillet to toast a little longer.
How to Make Dried Sourdough Breadcrumbs (Oven Method):
- Add the sourdough to a food processor. Process the bread until crumbly. NOTE: Depending on how fresh your bread is, the crumbs will likely be large, tacky crumbles at this point. Instead of croutons, coarse sourdough breadcrumbs like this are perfect for topping soups or salads, or using as a casserole topping.
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Spread the breadcrumbs out evenly on a rimmed baking tray. (Omit the oil, and wait to add the seasonings until later so they don't scorch in the oven.) Bake until the breadcrumbs are dry (try not to let them brown though), about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Let the breadcrumbs cool.
- If you want to season the breadcrumbs, stir in any seasonings now.
- For fine breadcrumbs (OPTIONAL): Process them again in a food processor at this point, and then return them to the oven to dry a little longer.
Video
Notes
- To Make Dried Breadcrumbs Without a Food Processor or Blender: Cut or tear your bread (bonus points if your bread is stale!) into about 1-inch pieces (or smaller), spread the pieces out on a baking tray, and dry them out in a 300F oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. After that, let them cool, put them in a zip-top plastic bag, and gently crush them with a rolling pin. If need be, you can return them to the oven after crushing to dry them out a bit more.
- Sourdough Bread: For this recipe, you’ll need 2 large slices of bread cut in half (about 200 grams total). I only bake a loaf of sourdough about once a month, so I slice my sourdough and I keep the slices in the freezer. When I want to make breadcrumbs, I partially thaw the sourdough slices beforehand because I find that it’s easier to process sourdough in the food processor if it’s still partially frozen. Feel free to use stale sourdough bread (or any kind of bread you like) for this recipe.
- For Fresh Breadcrumbs: Just process the bread in a food processor until it forms crumbs. The crumbs will likely feel a bit tacky and be on the larger side. You can use them as fresh breadcrumbs like this. When a recipe calls for fresh breadcrumbs, they usually are unseasoned, but you can season them if you like.
- Should I Use the Stovetop or Oven Method to Dry Breadcrumbs? For me, this depends on how I want to use the breadcrumbs. If I’m using them as a crunchy topping for salads, soups, or casseroles, I typically use the stovetop method and leave them coarse. And if I want to use them as breading (like for breaded chicken) or a binder (like in meatballs), I go with the oven method and make them fine.
- Storage: Store fresh breadcrumbs in an airtight container in the fridge (up to 2 weeks) or in the freezer (up to 3 months). Store dried breadcrumbs in an airtight container at room temperature (up to 2 weeks) or in the freezer (up to 6 months). TIP: If you’re using these as a crunchy topping and they need re-crisping, you can reheat them briefly in a dry skillet on the stovetop or in a 325F oven to dry them out again.
- Recipe Yield, Serving Size, and Nutrition Information: This recipe will yield different (volume) amounts depending on whether you keep the breadcrumbs fresh or if you dry them, or if you grind them finely or coarsely. You’ll get about 3 cups of fresh breadcrumbs from 200 grams of sourdough bread, or 2 cups of coarsely ground dried breadcrumbs. The nutritional information was based on this recipe yielding 6 servings, and it includes the oil and seasonings.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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