It’s easy to make your own homemade Italian Style Seasoned Bread Crumbs with just three ingredients – plain breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and salt! Use these Italian bread crumbs in any recipe that requires them, from breading chicken or seafood to topping pasta bakes or using as a binder in meatballs or meatloaf.
If you’re like me, you don’t like having a million things in your pantry. I just don’t have the space to hold 8 different kinds of rice and 5 different kinds of flour. And I certainly don’t want more than one canister of bread crumbs taking up room! I prefer a more minimalist kitchen (which is why I’m such a fan of five-ingredient recipes).
So I only have plain bread crumbs (and sometimes plain panko breadcrumbs). When I need seasoned bread crumbs, I make my own. It only takes two minutes, and I can control what seasonings I add and how much salt as well.
I love using homemade Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs for almost any recipe that requires breadcrumbs. In this post I’ll explain how to make them, how to make your own Italian seasoning if you don’t have a pre-mixed jar, what kinds of breadcrumbs to use, how to store them, and recipes you can use these homemade seasoned breadcrumbs in.
How to make Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Just mix together 1 cup of plain breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Use immediately or store in an airtight jar or container in your pantry to use in recipes.
I used Morton and Bassett Italian Seasoning – I love their spices and they’re my go-to spice brand. They are a little pricier than other brands, but I think it’s worth it for the flavor and freshness. You can usually find this brand at your local grocery store.
What if you don’t have Italian Seasoning?
You can make your own Italian seasoning for this recipe. Just mix together 1/2 tablespoon each of dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
There are so many varieties of Italian seasoning that include other spices, like paprika, sage, marjoram, and other herbs. Play around with it if you don’t have all the ingredients – it’s hard to go wrong here!
Can I use fresh herbs?
Sure! As long as you are using these Italian bread crumbs right away (or freezing for later) you can use fresh herbs instead of dried.
Chop up about 1/4 cup worth of fresh basil, oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, and/or any other herbs that go well in Italian food. Don’t forget to add some garlic powder and onion powder as well. (Fresh garlic and onion may be used but might result in soggier breadcrumbs because of their liquid content – not bad for meatballs but not ideal for a breaded coating.)
What kinds of breadcrumbs can I use?
ANY kind! As long as they are plain and unseasoned.
I used regular plain bread crumbs for this Italian Bread Crumbs recipe. But you can use panko, whole wheat, or even gluten-free store-bought breadcrumbs or low carb “breadcrumbs.” Anything works for this!
You can also make this recipe using homemade breadcrumbs if you’re feeling a little extra :-)
How do I store the breadcrumbs to keep them fresh?
If you are using store-bought breadcrumbs and dried seasonings to make these Italian bread crumbs, you can keep the breadcrumbs in an airtight container or jar in your pantry for up to a year.
If you are using homemade breadcrumbs, or if you are using fresh herbs, you’ll need to either use the breadcrumbs right away or freeze for later to keep them fresh. Just stick them in a zip-top plastic bag in the freezer or in an airtight container and they will be good for up to 6 months.
Recipes that use Italian Bread Crumbs
Here are a few recipes that use breadcrumbs. They would be perfect candidates to use these homemade Italian style seasoned bread crumbs! Keep in mind these breadcrumbs have added seasoning and salt. So if the recipes call for plain breadcrumbs, you may want to omit or decrease any other added seasonings and salt.
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Italian Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- New England Baked Haddock
- Mini Meatloaves
For subscribers to my blog, keep your eyes out for another recipe next week for Toasted Ravioli that uses these Italian bread crumbs! Delicious!
For other homemade basic pantry essentials, like homemade taco seasoning, homemade garlic paste, and homemade croutons, check out my Homemade Basic Essential Recipes page.
Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe or have a question, please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe and/or share photos on social media using the hashtag #bowlofdelicious or tagging @bowlofdelicious!
Italian Style Seasoned Breadcrumbs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (see notes for making your own)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small or medium bowl (or jar/container if storing for later), mix the plain bread crumbs (1 cup), the Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), and the kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon) together.
- Store in an airtight container or jar for up to 1 year, and use in any recipe that requires Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
Notes
- You can use whole wheat or regular bread crumbs for this recipe. You can also use gluten-free bread crumbs if needed. You can also use homemade breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- To make your own Italian seasoning for this recipe, use 1/2 teaspoon each of dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Fresh herbs may be used if you are using the breadcrumbs right away. Chop up about 1/4 cup worth of basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and/or other herbs, as well as adding some garlic powder and onion powder to the mix.
- Make sure your Italian seasoning doesn’t have added salt; if it does, omit the kosher salt from this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Michelle Dillon
I’ve been searching and searching for specific herb measurements for Italian bread crumbs so this is wonderful!!!!!!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Rachel
Way too salty for me
Elizabeth Lindemann
Feel free to take down the amount of salt if you prefer things less salty. And do be sure you are using kosher salt here – if you use table salt or fine grain salt, the equivelent will be less than this recipe calls for since kosher salt is coarser.
Linda
Since I hate wasting food I learned to can. I not only do bread crumbs but also stuffing mix. I have both plain and seasoned. I vacuum seal it in jars and store in my pantry. I use any bread or biscuits i have on hand slicing it thin then drying it. I use a dehydrator to dry Mine but it can be done in a warm oven. Seasoning is added before sealing and that’s whatever you like as long as it’s a dry ingredient. It will keep for a year but mine never lasts that long as I try to make the jars single serve. I.e. 1\2 pint jars for crumbs quart jars for stuffing. The stuffing mix can be made stovetop by adding bullion or making it with broth.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for sharing these tips!
Ryan J. Bradley
An entire novel for a three ingredient recipe? Are you kidding me?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Whoops! Looks like you missed the “jump to recipe” button right at the top of the post. Clicking that will take you down directly to the recipe.
A lot of people don’t know that there are actually reasons for the length of website content, and I promise, it isn’t to annoy you 😉 One of the biggest reasons is ranking on search engines. Assuming you found this recipe on a google search, it’s quite likely you wouldn’t have found it at all if it didn’t have the content it did! It’s also how I make money providing free content available to anyone with internet access. If you’re interested in learning more about this, I wrote a whole post on why food blog posts are long. https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/why-are-food-blog-posts-so-long/
(In the interest of transparency, this person left a one-star rating on this which was removed since it didn’t have anything to do with the actual recipe, and I want recipe comments and ratings to be as useful as possible for readers. You can read more about my comment policy on my FAQs page here: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/faqs/ )
Catherine T
Thank you, thank you! I ran out of panko half-way through making dinner, and (thankfully) stumbled upon this simple recipe. I used a food processor and it came out great; thanks to you, I was able to finish dinner on time :) Definitely won’t be buying panko from the store anymore!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Bexis
Anything is better, much better, than already prepared seasoned breadcrumbs from the store. Homemade doesn’t use High Fructose Corn Syrup like the popular brands do.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I also love this recipe because I can control the ingredients! For this recipe, it will all come down to the ingredients in the bread that you’re using.