Easy Crostini

Whether you're serving up fancy appetizers, tasty dips, or even a charcuterie board, it can be really useful to know how to make crostini from baguette! These tasty little slices of toasted bread are easy to make and are sure to elevate your appetizers.

Easy Crostini Recipe

Crostini may seem like something that takes forever, but oh is that the wrong way to think about it! Mini slices of crunchy bread, toasted to perfection, are pretty important in my opinion.

Making crostini is a great way to save a stale french baguette and not let your groceries go waste. It's also a great last-minute appetizer if you forgot something to pair with a dip you've made.

If you're serving a dip like whipped feta dip or baked caprese dip, crostini toasts are the perfect accompaniment to those dishes.

It's essential to learn how to make crostini from baguette the right way, so that you don't burn (or even over-oil!) each slice and you can make the perfect homemade crostini every time. Never again will you run out of something to eat your favorite dips with!

What is Crostini?

Crostini are little slices of toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and then grilled or baked. The word itself is Italian and means "little toasts."

Crostini is typically made from slices of baguettes or another similar crusty bread. You can eat crostini with dips, soups and even make simple appetizers with them!

If you're feeling really adventurous, make a fresh homemade baguette and turn it into crostini!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Crostini is a very affordable way to serve elegant appetizers at a party! All you need is bread, olive oil, and an oven.
• Knowing how to make crostini is helpful since you can use it in various ways.
• It only takes about 10 minutes to make crostini! You'll be ready to serve a delicious appetizer in no time.

Ingredients

You don't need much to make crostini, but here's what to grab when you go to the grocery store!

• baguette: you can purchase a fresh baguette from your grocery store bakery, or local bakery. A smart way to save a bit of money is to look in the discounted baked goods section. Often, stale or day-old baguettes are placed there since they're still ok to use in certain recipes! You can make delicious crostini from stale bread, just make sure there's no mold.
• olive oil: I recommend only using a high quality extra virgin olive oil. The taste is just so much better!

How to Make Crostini from Baguette

Follow these simple steps to make this easy crostini recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. You can also use a toaster oven for this recipe if you don't need to make a lot.

While it's preheating, slice a baguette into ¼ inch thick pieces with a serrated knife. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Then, use a basting brush to generously spread olive oil onto each of the baguette slices.

Place into the oven and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.

Hot Tip: There's no need to flip the crostini while it's in the oven! The slices should bake evenly on both sides.

Add toppings or place them on a serving dish alongside a tasty dip!

Tips for Success

• Make sure you don't cut too-thick slices of bread. You want thin slices so that they get perfectly crunchy and crisp!
• Don't cover each baguette slice in too much olive oil. Use just enough oil to cover the surface area of each slice of bread, don't drench them.
• If you have issues with food sticking to your sheet pan, just line it with parchment paper before placing the slices of bread on it.

Also, getting the bread pre-sliced is one of my favorite hacks. Ask your grocery store if the bakery will do it for you, but don't slice it more than a day in advance.

How to Store Crostini

Store leftover crostini in an airtight container for up to a week.

You can also store leftovers in a Ziplock bag. Be sure to squeeze all of the air out of the bag after opening it so that the crostini stays fresh.

Toppings for Crostini

Crostini is great plain, say for dipping into buffalo chicken dip or hummus.

But if you're looking to add a little flavor or toppings to these little crusts for an appetizer, here are a few ideas of what you can purchase at the store to assemble your own creations.

• cheeses: cream cheese, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella
• toppings: coarse sea salt, black pepper, everything bagel seasoning
• herbs: fresh basil, thyme, mint, sage or parsley
• sauces and spreads: balsamic glaze, ranch, flavored olive oil, honey
• spreads: minced garlic, pesto, olive tapenade, jams, compotes
• seasonings: Italian seasoning, lemon pepper
• veggies: tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, mushrooms, caramelized onions
• fruits: strawberries, blueberries, lemon curd, figs
• meat: salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, ham, turkey

For a party, set out some fun toppings and let guests build their own crostini.

What to Serve with Crostini

If you want to make some stand-alone crostini appetizers, grab ingredients like pesto and prosciutto and make pesto crostini with prosciutto.

Crostini is also the perfect pair for dips like skillet sausage dip or spinach artichoke dip.

It's also perfect for enjoying with a classic pepper jelly and cream cheese appetizer.

These little golden toasts can also simply be topped with something like caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes and goat cheese or any other topping you want!

Crostini makes such an easy appetizer any way you "slice" it!

More Crostini Recipes You'll Love

• Cranberry Prosciutto Crostini with Goat Cheese
• Butternut Squash Cranberry Crostini with Goat Cheese
• Pear and Goat Cheese

If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.