Making a crostini is the perfect vehicle for dipping, bruschetta or tapenade. It’s much tastier than a regular cracker and just as easy to whip up.

Serve the crostini's on the side instead of crackers. — Serve the crostini’s on the side instead of crackers.

Crostini is the perfect toasty bread for many different dips and spreads. Crostinis are slices of baguette or loaf bread and brushed with olive oil and then toasted. You can toast your bread in the oven, in a pan on the stove or over the grill.

A crostini is perfectly crunchy when you bite into it. It offers a contrast to a soft spread as you crunch down on a freshly-made crostini.

How to Make Crostinis

Even though crostinis may look incredibly fancy, they are easy to make and only require a couple of ingredients.

Cut a baguette for crostini with a serrated knife

This appetizer favorite can be made using fresh bread or stale bread, making this an incredibly easy dish to throw together.

It’s best to use a sharp serrated bread knife when cutting up the baguette. You can either cut it straight across or at an angle.

After your bread is cut, you are ready to make it into a crostini!

Take your bread and generously brush it with olive oil on both sides. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat both sides of the crostini bread. Then season with salt and pepper liberally on both sides.

Put the crostinis over medium heat and let them toast until they are golden brown, about three minutes. Then flip and toast the other side.

Making crostinis is easy on a stovetop grill pan.

Crostini Tips & Tricks

Bread: Pick out a good bread. My favorites are sourdough or french baguette but you could use a challah if that’s whats you have on hand. It also doesn’t have to be fresh, stale bread is just fine.
Oiling the pan: Because the crostinis are so well oiled, there is no need to oil the pan or grill as well. The goal isn’t to fry the crostini but to crisp them.
Cutting the bread: For smaller bites, make straight cuts directly across. For longer crostini with more room for toppings, cut the bread at an angle.
Season before cooking: season with salt and pepper (or any other seasonings) liberally before baking or grilling. This will help bake the seasonings directly into the crostini.

What to Serve with Crostinis

Now that your crostinis are finished, there are lots of options to choose from to pair with them. Pick from the items below for serving.