How to Make Sourdough Breadcrumbs (Easy Homemade Recipe)

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Breadcrumbs are an essential ingredient in many recipes from meatloaf to breaded fish. Sourdough breadcrumbs are so easy to make and keep on hand!

Homemade sourdough breadcrumbs are so easy to make and a great way to use up leftover sourdough bread or a loaf of stale sourdough bread. It’s a creative way to use up older bread and just take a little time to whip up!

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Why you will love these Sourdough Breadcrumbs

These sourdough breadcrumbs are not only delicious but also very useful in the from scratch kitchen. This is a creative way to save on groceries by making simple pantry items right in your kitchen.

Use these breadcrumbs as a binder in recipes that call for flour or breadcrumbs. You can also use them as a tasty and crunchy topping to salads!

You can also use these as a breading for fish or chicken before frying. We also use these in fish cakes or for chicken tenders.

What are sourdough breadcrumbs?

Sourdough breadcrumbs that are made using sourdough bread that has been cubed, baked, and processed.

They make the perfect binder for a meatloaf or the best coating for fried chicken!

Homemade breadcrumbs can be made with stale bread or failed loaves. Crunchy breadcrumbs are the best way to use up that bread!

Best bread to make Breadcrumbs

While day old or stale bread makes the best breadcrumbs, you can use any sourdough artisan, sourdough sandwich, or fresh milled sourdough bread you have on hand.

What you need to make Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Sourdough Bread

You can use day old bread or even fresh if you want. I like to make batches of sourdough bread and freeze them.

When I need breadcrumbs, I will take a loaf out to thaw and make these in a jiffy!

You can also use any type of bread you have on hand for these. French bread would work wonderfully!

Salt

You can definitely leave out the salt if you want. The salt gives a bit of flavor to the breadcrumbs and is wonderful for using as a breading for fried foods.

Seasonings

Optionally you can drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, or italian seasoning for a delicious breadcrumb.

sliced bread on a cutting board with a knife

Tools you may need to make this recipe

To process the breadcrumbs, you can use either a FOOD PROCESSOR or a BLENDER

For baking the cubed bread, I use a USA PAN BAKING SHEET

Step by Step Instructions for making Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Slice the bread and cut the slices of bread into cubes approximately 1×1 in size. This doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want the cubes to be roughly the same size.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden brown.

You do not want the bread to get too brown. Just crisp and dried out.

Allow the bread cubes to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender add the cubes and pulse bread cubes a few times. For coarse crumbs process for just a few seconds. For fine breadcrumbs process until you get the desired consistency.

Process on high for 15-30 seconds until you reach your desired consistency.

This is the Food Processor I use: Food Processor

Store in an airtight container or plastic bag for 10-14 days.

spoon with breadcrumbs on it over a jar of breadcrumbs

Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for up to 6 months in a freezer bag. This it the storage method I use and it works incredibly well!

When you use them from the freezer they are just like fresh breadcrumbs.

Fresh breadcrumbs make a great addition to a lot of dishes. An example is to make a pot of pasta. Add in some butter, salt, and parmesan cheese. Top with breadcrumbs for the most delicious dish!

This is such an easy way to repurpose a loaf of sourdough bread. Store-bought breadcrumbs may have some not-so-great ingredients. Season these with your favorite seasonings and enjoy them in many recipes. You will love making your own sourdough breadcrumbs and will find it is the perfect way to save on another grocery store item.

Looking for sourdough bread recipes? CLICK HERE!

For another great sourdough recipe, give this one a try: Sourdough Berry Cobbler

Try all of my Sourdough Discard Recipes!

Tips for the best breadcrumbs

Underbaking the cubed bread – Breadcrumbs need the bread to be completely dry before processing.
Pulse the food processor to control texture – Instead of just turning the processor on high, pulse the bread to get the texture you desire.

Can I use fresh sourdough bread to makes these breadcrumbs?

Yes, absolutely! The breadcrumbs will turn out the same whether using fresh or stale bread.

How many breadcrumbs will come from a loaf of bread?

Approximately 1 quart of breadcrumbs can be made from 1 loaf of bread. This will vary of course depending on size of your particular loaf of bread.

How to store Homemade Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 7-10 days.

For longer storage (my favorite method), freeze the breadcrumbs in a freezer safe bag or container (I use a mason jar) and use straight from the freezer. They will last in the freezer for up to a year!