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!

Italian breadcrumbs recipe in a large glass jar with a checkered napkin in the background.

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!

Table of Contents

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.

Italian Breadcrumbs in a large glass jar with a checkered napkin in the background.

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.

Italian breadcrumbs in a large glass bowl.

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.

Process shots showing how to make recipe including pulsing bread in food processor and adding ingredients together in a large bowl.

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.

Italian breadcrumbs in a large glass jar.

More Italian Recipes!

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