This Italian Breadcrumbs recipe will show you how easy and delicious homemade Italian bread crumbs can be! All you need is a few ingredients and you can make authentic Italian breadcrumbs from scratch!
Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs is a staple recipe that you will make again and again. It’s a great way to use up stale bread and tastes so much better than store-bought breadcrumbs.
If you love making pantry staples from scratch, be sure to try my Marinara Sauce recipe or this simple Pistachio Cream. These breadcrumbs would be perfect for my easy Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches or sprinkled over these Italian Mashed Potatoes. Or, try them in my classic Italian Chicken Cutlets recipe!
What are Italian Breadcrumbs?
Italian breadcrumbs are finely ground, seasoned breadcrumbs commonly used in Italian cuisine. They are made from dried bread and mixed with parmesan cheese and herbs like dried parsley, oregano, and basil.
These breadcrumbs are great to use in dishes such as breaded chicken, meatballs, eggplant parmesan, and baked pasta.
You’ll Love This Recipe!
Italian Breadcrumbs are packed with flavor and are great for any recipe calling for plain bread crumbs. This simple recipe comes together fast and costs just a fraction of what you’d pay for local grocery store bread crumbs.
Making fresh breadcrumbs is easy and can be used in all of your favorite Italian dishes! You’ll love that this pantry staple can be made with simple ingredients and is a great way to use up leftover bread.
Because this recipe uses fresh ingredients, you won’t have as long as of a shelf life as with store bought bread crumbs. But, you can easily freeze these in an airtight container and have them last for months!
You’ll love that you can made homemade breadcrumbs without any unnecessary processed ingredients in them. The best part is that you can use them in place for any recipe calling for Italian-style bread crumbs.
So, if you love breaded recipes but want to make your own breadcrumbs, give this recipe a try. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients
Italian Breadcrumbs is a simple recipe made with just a few ingredients. The kind of bread you use can vary from a loaf of bread to the traditional Italian loaf. Once you make your own bread crumbs, you’ll never go back to store bought!
- Bread: use day old bread loaves or any type of dry bread you have on hand. You can use fresh bread crumbs, just be sure to dry them out ahead of time.
- Cheese: I recommend using finely grated parmesan cheese.
- Seasonings: use a combination of Italian seasoning blend and dried parsley flakes.
- Salt: a bit of kosher salt adds great flavor for making your own Italian breadcrumbs. You can also add a bit of black pepper if you’d like.
How to Make Italian Breadcrumbs
This Italian Breadcrumbs recipe makes about 8-10 cups of the most delicious homemade bread crumbs. To start you will need about two loaves of Italian bread or French bread.
Step 1: dry out bread
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Slice the bread into about ½ inch slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven. Cook just until the bread is dried out, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Step 2: place in food processor
Working in batches, tear the bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse the pieces into fine crumbs (or desired size) and place in a very large bowl.
Step 3: add in remaining ingredients
To the bowl, add in the grated parmesan, herbs, parsley, and salt. Stir together until well combined.
Step 4: store or use immediately
You can use the crumbs immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
How to Store Breadcrumbs
You can store leftover breadcrumbs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. You can also freeze in a large airtight plastic bag for up to three months.
No need to bring the breadcrumbs to room temperature before using. You can just portion our how much you need and use it immediately.
While you can store this Italian bread crumbs recipe at room temperature in an airtight jar, for best results the mixture should be refrigerated to avoid spoil.
More Italian Recipes!
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Italian Breadcrumbs Recipe
Equipment
- food processor fitted with blade attachment
Ingredients
- 2 loaves crusty Italian bread (12-16 ounces each) (day or two old)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (finely grated)
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Slice the bread into about ½ inch slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the bread is dried, but not browned, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- Working in batches, tear the bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse the pieces into fine crumbs and place in a very large bowl.
- To the bowl, add in the grated parmesan, herbs, parsley, and salt. Stir together until well combined.
- You can use the crumbs immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.