Are Store Bought Breadcrumbs Real Food? + Breadcrumb Alternatives

Have you ever gone to make a recipe (even if you have made it a thousand times) only to remember that you do not have that one ingredient  in your pantry?  This may happen a lot but for some reason for me it happens with breadcrumbs.  I have come up with some helpful alternatives to breadcrumbs.  Some of it for health reasons and some of it just for pure desperation because I didn’t have any.

Most store bought breadcrumbs are junk food.  When I think of ingredients that should be in breadcrumbs the first thing that comes to my mind is bread (flour, salt, yeast, water).  That couldn’t be more wrong when it comes to most brands.  Here is the list of ingredients that can be found in Progresso Italian Style Bread Crumbs…possible GMOs, trans fats in the form of hydrogenated oils, sugar, preservatives, artificial ingredients, and synthicially enriched flours.

Bread Crumbs (, Flour Enriched (Flour, Barley Malted Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (Vitamin aB)) , Corn Syrup High Fructose, Corn Syrup, Vegetable(s) Oil Hydrogenated (Soybean(s), Cottonseed, Corn, Canola) , Water, Contains 22% or less Yeast, Salt, Sugar Brown, Honey, Molasses, Sugar, Wheat Gluten, Whey, Soy Flour, Wheat Flour Whole, Rye Flour, Corn Flour, Oat(s) Bran, Corn Meal, Rice Flour, Potato(es) Flour, Butter, Dough Conditioner(s) (Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate, Soy Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate) , Yeast Nutrients (Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Sulphate (Sulfate), Monocalcium Phosphate) , Vinegar, Milk Non-Fat, Buttermilk, Calcium Propionate Preservative, Color(s), Garlic, Lactic Acid, Onion(s) Powder, Parsley Flakes, Potassium Sorbate Preservative, Salt, Sesame Seed(s) ), Spice(s), Sugar, Flavor(s) Natural

I definately would not consider these real food.  Too many companies are filling our foods with cheap, poor quality, and nutrient lacking ingredients!  They do this to keep foods cheap so they can make more money.  Cheaper isn’t always better.  This is one reason why I always read the food labels first. 

We shouldn’t stand for it any longer so instead of buying these types of foods (if you can even call them food), we should be finding real food alternatives.  Here are my favorites…

Great for using in recipes or for breading

Make Your Own Breadcrumbs (using real bread):  Use leftover bread or save the ends off of a loaf, dry them out in a 300 degree oven for 30min or until hard, and add them to a food processor until you form crumbs.  Keep them in the freezer and they will last you a long time.  (Printable recipe below)

Ians Breadcrumbs are a store bought version with real food ingredients (Unbleached wheat flour, cane sugar, yeast, sea salt).  Buy them here

Great for using in recipes

 Oats: Either use them whole or ground into a flour with a food processor (***make sure they are gluten free if you need GF). Buy them here

Millet: You don’t even need to cook them, just grind in a food processor and use like breadcrumbs (naturally gluten free). Buy them here

Quinoa:  Add cooked quinoa instead of breadcrumbs (also naturally gluten free). Buy them here

What is your favorite alternative to breadcrumbs?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments! 

Print

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Author Sara

Ingredients

• Bread ends or leftover bread 1 slice of bread can make between 1/4-1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• Seasoning as desired: Make it italian with italian seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Place bread on a baking sheet.
3. Allow to dry out in the oven for about 30 min (or until hard).
4. Place dried out bread in a food processor and pulse into desired consistancy.

Recipe Notes

*Choose bread with real wholesome ingredients.