Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs
Homemade Italian bread crumbs are a pantry staple that you can make anytime using stale or toasted bread! It's the perfect way to customize your favorite recipes with fresh bread crumbs.
Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Recipe
One of our favorite meals in the world is breaded chicken. Once I learned to make it, it became the dinner we would turn to often when we need something easy, but delicious.
Homemade bread crumbs are so easy to make and a key ingredient in many different recipes. Making them yourself is a great way to ensure you always have some on hand.
I just love making things myself that you can buy from a local grocery store. I'll make anything from pesto to salsa, so naturally adding these bread crumbs to the list of basics that I can make at home was really exciting for me.
Making you own Italian breadcrumbs is so easy, you'll wonder why you ever purchased store-bought breadcrumbs in the first place!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
The most amazing part of making your own bread crumbs is that you can customize it for whatever recipe you're making. I love this super easy recipe:
- You can add different spices, add cheese, or just do plain dry breadcrumbs if there are other ingredients that need to be the star of the dish.
- It only takes 5 minutes to make Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. So it barely adds any time to a recipe or your time in the kitchen.
- Make anything from dense crumbs to fine bread crumbs. You can change things up depending on the recipe you plan to use them in and what kind of crunchy coating you like.
Ingredients
These simple ingredients are all that you need to make panko bread crumbs. Here's the list:
- bread (stale or toasted)
- parmesan cheese
- Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper
Substitutions and Variations
You can use store bought Italian seasoning or make your own with basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Even my tasty pizza seasoning would work too!
Make these homemade Italian breadcrumbs with a variety of bread. Pretty much any kind of bread that you have on hand will work in this recipe! Homemade bread, leftover slice of bread from a loaf, bakery bread, whole wheat bread — it will all work!
If you have dietary restrictions, you can use gluten-free bread for this recipe and make them just the same way you would make regular bread crumbs.
Feel free to change up the flavor, or add extra flavor, however you want! Lemon pepper seasoning would make a unique flavor of bread crumbs. You can also just use simple things like onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to make a flavorful and versatile seasoned breadcrumbs.
How to Make Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs
There are really only two steps to making Italian style bread crumbs. Here's what you'll need to do:
Begin by toasting your bread. However, if you are using old bread that is stale, you do not need toast it unless you just prefer to.
Then break it into pieces and place it in the food processor. Give it a whirl until you have crumbs.
Then, combine the crumbs with the parmesan cheese and seasonings.
Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container to store.
How to Store Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs
There are a few different ways that you can store a big batch of bread crumbs! I personally like to keep mine in airtight jar or airtight container, but you can also store them in a plastic bag. If you do use a bag, just make sure that you squeeze out as much of the air as possible so that they stay fresh.
If stored properly, breadcrumbs will last for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. You can store them in the fridge for 5-7 days as well. To freeze bread crumbs, place them in a freezer bag and squeeze all of the air out. Freeze for 3-4 months.
How to Use Italian Bread Crumbs
If you're wondering what you might use bread crumbs for, here's a few ideas: panko crusted chicken, jalapeño cream cheese dip, baked macaroni and cheese, baked caprese dip, or these ricotta stuffed sausage meatballs.
When a recipe calls for bread crumbs, these can be used! This can be especially helpful when you want to prepare a specific recipe, but you don't want to run to the grocery store to grab pre-made breadcrumbs. I don't know about you, but I've definitely done that before!
Tips for Success
While making your own breadcrumbs is incredibly easy, I do have a few extra tips to help you out:
- Think outside the box when it comes to making bread crumbs! You truly can use any kind of bread. If you've got hot dog buns or hamburger buns, those can be made into bread crumbs!
- If you don't have a toaster, then you can make toast in the oven. Just place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for a few minutes at 350°F (177°C), flipping halfway through. Once the bread is golden brown, then you can place it into the food processor.
- A food processor will work best, but you can also use a blender. Just make sure that all chunks of bread get blended up
FAQ
This flavorful combination of herbs is typically comprised of things like dried basil, dried marjoram, dried oregano, dried rosemary, and dried thyme. However, you can add or omit many of these ingredients to create a variety of different flavors.
If you end up with large clumps in your bread crumbs, there was likely moisture from somewhere. This is why it is important to toast fresh bread before making the breadcrumbs! It is also important to make sure that your food processor is clean and dry.
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Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 slices of stale or toasted bread
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 heaping teaspoons of Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
Instructions
- If using fresh bread, toast it until crisp. Break up bread into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until fine crumbs have formed.
- Pour into a bowl and combine with parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Use immediately or store in a food-safe, airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
I was JUST talking about homemade bread crumbs in my food allergies group! I love making my own, it's so easy. I never thought to put the cheese in the bread crumb mixture (I always add it after, if I add it at all), but that's so smart!
BRILLIANT, Madison! We love breaded chicken at our home, too, and I cannot wait to make these bread crumbs!