Learn how to make crostini with just a baguette or crusty sourdough, olive oil, garlic, and a little sea salt. These easy toasted baguette slices are golden, crisp, and perfect for bruschetta, dips, soups, salads, cheese boards, and appetizers.
To make crostini, slice a baguette into thin slices, brush both sides with olive oil, and bake until crisp and lightly golden. While the bread is still warm, rub it with fresh garlic and finish with a little flaky sea salt.
This is one of those simple kitchen basics that is so useful to have tucked away. We use crostini for tomato bruschetta, hummus, baked cheese, appetizer boards, and as a crunchy little side for soups and salads.
Scroll down for step-by-step photos, helpful tips, topping ideas, and easy ways to serve crostini!
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Why You'll Love This Crostini Recipe
- Quick and easy - Ready in about 15 minutes.
- Great for day-old bread - Baguette or sourdough toasts beautifully.
- Perfect for appetizers - Use with bruschetta, dips, cheese, or toppings.
- Lovely with soups and salads - Adds a simple crunchy side.
- Make-ahead friendly - Store in an airtight container for easy entertaining
What Is Crostini?
Crostini are small slices of toasted bread, usually brushed with olive oil and baked or grilled until crisp. They are often made with baguette or another crusty bread and served plain, rubbed with garlic, or topped with cheese, vegetables, meats, dips, or spreads.
The word crostini means - "little toasts" in Italian. They are simple, versatile, and one of the easiest ways to turn a few basic ingredients into a lovely appetizer.
Crostini are often used as a base for toppings, while bruschetta is usually made with slightly larger slices of grilled or toasted bread. In everyday cooking, the two can overlap, especially when you are using crisp toasted bread for tomato bruschetta or other toppings.
Ingredients You'll Need
This easy crostini recipe uses just a few simple ingredients.
- Baguette or crusty sourdough - Day-old bread works especially well because it crisps up beautifully in the oven. Slice it about 1-1.5 cm / ½ inch thick.\
- Extra virgin olive oil - Helps the bread toast evenly and gives the crostini lovely flavor.
- Italian seasoning - Optional, but adds a little herby flavor. You can also use chopped fresh parsley, thyme, or oregano.
- Garlic - Rubbed over the warm toast for a gentle garlic flavor.
- Flaky sea salt - Optional, but delicious for finishing.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Crostini in the Oven
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Prepare the olive oil
In a small bowl, stir the olive oil and Italian seasoning (if using) together.
Chef's Tip: You can also use a mix of fresh chopped herbs like parsley, thyme, or oregano for variation or keep it plain.
Prep the bread
Slice bread into 1-1.5 cm (½ inch) thick slices and arrange on a baking tray.
Chef's Tip: Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the bread evenly so the crostini toast at the same time.
Lightly brush both sides with olive oil.
Chef's Tip: Don't soak the bread with oil. A light brush on both sides is enough to help the slices turn golden and crisp.
Toast the bread
Bake for 8-12 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp.
Chef's Tip: Keep an eye on the last few minutes. Thin slices can go from golden to too dark quite quickly.
Add garlic
While the toast is still warm, rub the cut side of the garlic over both sides of the toast. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Serve or store
Use immediately for bruschetta or crostini toppings or serve with soup.
Or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Crostini Topping Ideas
Crostini are easy to dress up with whatever you have on hand. Start with something creamy, herby, or savory, then add something fresh, salty, or sweet on top.
Here are a few easy ideas:
- Tomato and mozzarella crostini - Use our tomato bruschetta topping, or cherry tomatoes, add marinated mozzarella balls, basil, and balsamic glaze.
- Whipped ricotta crostini - Spread with herby whipped ricotta, then add honey, toasted nuts, figs, or grilled peaches.
- Pesto crostini - Top with homemade basil pesto, mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, or prosciutto.
- Steak crostini - Add thin slices of oven-cooked steak, quick pickled red onions, rocket, and mustard.
- Vegetable crostini - Try roasted peppers, artichokes, mushrooms, roasted garlic, olive tapenade, or eggplant.
- Cheese board crostini - Pair brie, goat cheese, feta, or blue cheese with fruit, chutney, nuts, or honey.
- Smoked salmon crostini - Spread with cream cheese, or whipped cottage cheese, then add smoked salmon, dill, capers, and lemon zest.
What to Serve with Crostini
Crostini are perfect for dips, soups, salads, and appetizer boards. They add crunch and make simple starters feel a little more complete.
- Dips and spreads - Serve with our Homemade Hummus, Roasted Beet Hummus, or Lebanese Moussaka.
- Baked cheese - Pair with our Baked Camembert or baked Brie for an easy appetizer.
- Soups - Serve alongside Italian Minestrone Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Veggie Lentil Soup, or Italian Bean Soup with Bacon.
- Salads - Serve a few crostini on the side of green salads like our Rocket Salad and French Bistro Salad, or pair them with Traditional Greek Salad, Cucumber Feta Salad, or Arugula, Apple,Beet and Blue Cheese Salad for extra crunch.
- Appetizer boards - Add to an antipasto board, cheese board, or our easy charcuterie board with cheeses, marinated olives, cured meats, dips, and marinated vegetables.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Cool the crostini completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead: Crostini are best made the same day, but they can be made a day or two ahead for easy entertaining.
To Refresh: If the crostini soften, place them back in a 180°C / 350°F oven for a few minutes until crisp again.
Freezer: Crostini are best stored at room temperature rather than frozen. For longer storage, freeze the sliced bread before toasting, then bake fresh when needed.
FAQ's
A : Crostini are small toasted slices of bread, usually made from baguette or another narrow loaf. Bruschetta is often made with larger slices of grilled or toasted bread and is commonly rubbed with garlic and topped with tomatoes, olive oil, and basil.
In everyday cooking, crostini can be used as the toasted bread base for bruschetta toppings.
A : A baguette is the classic choice because it slices neatly into small appetizer-sized pieces. Crusty sourdough also works well, especially if you want a little more texture and flavor.
Day-old bread is ideal because it toasts up crisp without becoming too soft in the middle
A : Yes. Crostini can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Make sure they are completely cool before storing so they stay crisp.
A : Let the crostini cool completely before adding toppings. For juicy toppings like tomatoes, add them just before serving. You can also spread a thin layer of ricotta, cream cheese, pesto, or tapenade first to create a little barrier between the bread and the topping.
A : Yes. The garlic is optional. Leave it out if you want a more neutral crostini for sweet toppings, cheese boards, or delicate dips.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
If you love simple Mediterranean-style appetizers, you may also like our:
These easy crostini are crisp, golden, and endlessly useful. Serve them with dips, pile them with toppings, add them to appetizer boards, or keep a batch on hand for soups and salads.
Give them a try and let us know in the comments how you served them! Don't forget to Pin this recipe for later or share it with a friend.
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How to Make Crostini (Easy Toasted Baguette Slices)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 slices
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Learn how to make crostini with just a baguette or crusty sourdough, olive oil, garlic, and a little sea salt. These easy toasted baguette slices are golden, crisp, and perfect for bruschetta, dips, soups, salads, cheese boards, and appetizers.
Ingredients
1 day old baguette or crusty sourdough (250-300 g / 8-10 oz)
3 - 4 tablespoon (45 - 60ml) extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
1 garlic clove, halved (optional)
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
In a small bowl, stir the olive oil and Italian seasoning (if using) together.
Chef's Tip: You can also use a mix of fresh chopped herbs like parsley, thyme, or oregano for variation.
Slice bread into 1-1.5 cm (½ inch) thick slices and arrange on a baking tray. Lightly brush both sides with olive oil.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp.
While the toast is still warm, rub the cut side of the garlic over both sides of the toast. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Use immediately for bruschetta or crostini toppings or serve with soup.
Or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Cool the crostini completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead: Crostini can be made a day or two ahead. For the best texture, add toppings just before serving.
To Refresh: If the crostini soften, place them in a 180°C / 350°F oven for a few minutes until crisp again.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.1 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
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