How to make crostini

Crostini is the simplest appetizer I make, and it's proof that the simplest things in life really are the best. 🥖 Crispy bread toasts, golden and firm all the way through, brushed generously with olive oil and finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt - that's genuinely all it takes.

📝 Crostini Overview

✅ Prep Time: 5 minutes
⏲️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
🍽️ Makes: About 20-24 crostini
💰 Cost: ~$4 total (about $0.20 per piece)
👨‍🍳 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
🫒 Key Ingredients: Baguette or ciabatta, olive oil, flaky sea salt
📦 Equipment: Sharp knife, baking sheet

Enjoy these for breakfast, brunch, a quick lunch, or as the easy appetizer that saves your entire dinner party. 🎉

💬 Why You'll Love This Crostini Recipe

• Only 3 ingredients, and you probably already have all of them 🫒
• Toasts up golden and stays crisp for days once stored properly 📦
• Endlessly customizable - the base for practically any topping you love, especially Authentic Italian Bruschetta 🍅
• Can be made up to 48 hours ahead, so it's perfect for party prep ⏰
• Works with day-old bread, so nothing goes to waste 🥖

I know it sounds too simple to need a whole post, but there's an actual right way to toast crostini and a wrong way - and I learned that the hard way with a batch that went soft and sad within hours. 😅 The trick is toasting them until they're hard, not just golden, and drenching the bread in olive oil before it ever goes in the oven. That oil does more than add flavor - it seals the bread against air and keeps moisture from creeping back in later.

What you will need

• A sharp knife and a baking sheet
• Baguette or ciabatta bread, and it doesn't need to be fresh.
• Olive oil and flaky sea salt

💡 Planning ahead? This appetizer can be made up to 48 hours in advance. See my full Make-Ahead Appetizers Guide for timing on every type of party bite.

The right way to toast crostini

Until hard - Crostini have to be toasted until hard to begin with. No softness. And then depending on your kitchen and humidity, you might need to completely saran wrap them into their container afterward.

Do not undertoast - Are you undertoasting your crostni? In this post I will show you how to make perfect crostnis every single time. Try taking them a little further. They should be nice and golden and firm all the way through.

How to make crostini

Cut the French bread into ½ inch slices at a slight angle as shown below.

Arrange on a large baking sheet and generously drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven.

I recommend using lots of olive oil. When I make crostini I inundate them in oil and wring them out like a sponge before baking.

As I said, completely saturate the bread in oil prior to toasting. Doing so has several positive effects. First of all, it gives a much more even bake. Second, it tastes good. Third, uniformly coating the bread in fat seals it against the air, and displaces water intrusion, causing the toast to retain softness longer. As with many things in cooking, water is either your best friend or your worst enemy.

This is also partially why enriched breads retain softness longer even when allowed to stale.

How to prevent staleness

Toast cristini enough! This is the most important tip any Italian chef will give you in regards to crostini. If you don't toast them enough they will become stale and there is nothing you can do about it.

Wrap crostini with the saran wrap into their container overnight so they stay fresh. This will also solve any staleness issue.

How to slice crostini

Choose the right kind of bread - A crusty French baguette is perfect for making crostini but if you don't have any you can use a ciabatta loaf instead.

Slice on the bias - The baguette is sliced on an angle-or "on the bias"-to maximize the surface area of each crostini slice. This method yields fewer slices overall, but each one is larger and better suited for toppings. If you prefer, you can slice the baguette straight across instead, which will give you more slices that are a bit smaller

Alternatives to baking crostini

I can suggest two alternatives to baking crostini. I often toast the bread on a cast iron skillet on the stove top because I'm too impatient, or don't have time to bake them and don't have a toaster oven. You can also use a toaster oven if you have one.

How to store crostini

Cool and store in a sealed container at room temperature. Will keep a good week or more like this.

Crostinis pair up beautifully with this Caprese Stuffed Avocados and Nectarine Tomato Burrata Salad. You can also serve them with Creamy Artichoke Dip