The Top 5 Alternatives to Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are an essential pantry staple for a plethora of recipes, ranging from meatloaf and meatballs to chicken cutlets, fish sticks, creamy pasta meals, large salads, and much more, for many home cooks.

However, what occurs if you open your cabinet and discover that your breadcrumbs container is empty? No matter what recipe you’re preparing, you’ll receive the required crunch, flavor, and texture if you know what to do in place of breadcrumbs when you run out at home or if you want to avoid using breadcrumbs in your recipes to adhere to a gluten-free diet.

Even if all you need to make a batch of breadcrumbs at home is a food processor and a loaf of stale bread, it’s still vital to know what other options you have in case you run out of bread. See our advice for the top 5 breadcrumbs alternatives to use when mixing your meatball mixture, adding texture to your chicken, or crumbling it over a salad.

1. Oats

Your pantry’s tin of oats, which occasionally serves as your breakfast, is no longer reserved for breakfast. When making meatballs or meatloaf, breadcrumbs are needed to combine the meat, eggs, and seasoning; however, you can use oats for breadcrumbs if you don’t have any on hand. To acquire the perfect texture to serve as your binder for an excellent dish, either grind them up or leave them whole.

2. Nuts

Crushed nuts will give your meatballs, coated chicken cutlets, or homemade mac and cheese more taste and texture, as well as nutrition. You can use them in place of breadcrumbs. The ideal nuts to offer the proper flavor and texture are cashews, walnuts, pecans, and almonds. They are also gluten-free, which is great if you’re following a paleo or low-carb diet.

3. Cornflakes

Remember that unsweetened cornflakes work well as a substitute for breadcrumbs in almost any recipe, even if you’ve been eyeing that box of cornflakes in your pantry for months and are about to throw it out. In a food processor or blender, grind up your cereal, then use it just like breadcrumbs to add more crunch or as a binder.

4. Chips or Crackers

Crushed potato chips or crackers are a terrific gluten-free alternative to breadcrumbs. They add just the right amount of flavor and crunch to chicken cutlets, meatballs, fish sticks, or just much anything else you can think of. You may use them salt-free or flavored. To avoid having a salt bomb in your dish, remember to balance the remaining salt when using a salted type.

5. Pretzels

Once you break up that package of pretzel sticks, you’ll have a crispy, salty coating for chicken cutlets, a crisp salad topping, or a terrific binding agent for meatloaf. Your favorite salty snack for the afternoon is also surprisingly flexible. To reduce the quantity of salt in your meal, use pretzels without salt.

Read Also: The Top 5 Alternatives to Whole Milk