Homemade garlic bread is the perfect pairing for pasta dinners! Crispy, golden brown, and buttery, you’ll love the garlicky aroma that fills your kitchen while you’re baking it.
Maybe you usually buy frozen garlic bread, or the fresh kind they sell in the bakery section at the grocery store, but after you try homemade, you’re never going to buy it again.
It’s so easy and it tastes much better than store-bought because it’s made with fresh garlic.
Even though it’s adding more carbs to an already carb-heavy dinner, how can you resist serving lasagna, spaghetti, and other pasta dishes without a crusty piece of garlic bread on the side?
I mean, you’ve got to have the bread to soak up the sauce that’s left behind, right?!
Garlic Bread
The next time you make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta, Lemon Spaghetti with Artichokes, or Penne alla Vodka, be sure to pair it with a batch of this homemade garlic bread!
Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Soft French bread – Don’t use a baguette! Baguettes are much crustier than what you want for homemade garlic bread. You need bread that has a crust that’s chewy, rather than thick and crisp.
- Butter – Both salted or unsalted will work here. Let it soften so you can mix in the other ingredients and spread it easily without tearing the soft bread. Learn how to soften butter quickly here.
- Garlic – If the garlic cloves are especially small or especially large, use your judgment here. Three cloves works if you’ve got an average-sized head of garlic. Learn how to mince garlic!
- Fresh parsley leaves – Pat the leaves dry before you chop them and mix them into the butter.
Dietary Note
If you’re sensitive to dairy, you can replace the butter with a plant-based butter spread.
Directions
- Prep – Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine – Mix the softened butter with the garlic and parsley in a small bowl.
- Assemble – Cut bread in half lengthwise and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the garlic butter evenly over the cut sides of the bread.
- Bake – Bake the garlic bread for 10 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then cut it into slices before serving.
Tips
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If you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, you can substitute freeze-dried parsley flakes or dried parsley. It’s not as flavorful, but it will work in a pinch.
- For cheesy garlic bread, you can add grated Parmesan cheese to the butter mixture, or sprinkle it over the top of the bread after adding the butter.
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Prefer your garlic bread extra soft on the inside? Instead of cutting the bread lengthwise, cut the bread into slices but don’t slice all the way through the bottom. Slather the garlic butter between the slices, wrap the bread in foil, bake, and then pull the bread apart to serve.
Shortcut
You can use jarred minced garlic or garlic powder instead of fresh; it’s not ideal, but it will save you a little bit of prep time. You’ll need 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder for this recipe.
Variations
- For added flavor, you can sprinkle on some Italian herbs like oregano, basil, or thyme—or just use Italian seasoning. You can also add red pepper flakes to the butter mixture for an extra kick!
- Use roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic, which gives garlic bread a completely different flavor—the garlic is much more mellow and slow-roasting caramelizes it, adding a lot of depth.
How to Store
- Room Temperature – If you don’t finish the garlic bread in one sitting, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
- Freeze – You can also wrap garlic bread in plastic wrap or foil, place it in a freezer bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Reheat
- Reheat in a 350ºF oven; wrap the garlic bread in foil and bake it for about 15 minutes. If the bread was frozen, it will need about an extra 5 minutes in the oven.
Leftover Idea
Use leftover garlic bread as a base for pizzas and open-faced sandwiches. Top the bread and put it in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts and the bread is toasty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Garlic bread should be soft on the inside and crispy on the edges—but that doesn’t mean the middle should be soggy. Use a 24-inch loaf of French bread for this recipe and you’ll have the perfect amount of butter. If you use a smaller loaf, you’ll need less butter to keep the bread from being over-saturated.
Although garlic bread is associated with Italian food, it’s usually made with French bread! You can make it with Italian bread if you’d like, but Italian bread loaves are wider than French bread.
Yes, it is safe to eat garlic that has sprouted, but the flavor won’t be as good; sprouted garlic is not as sweet and it has a distinct, sharp flavor. So even though you can eat it and you won’t get sick from it, I wouldn’t recommend using it for homemade garlic bread.
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More Simple Side Dishes
Garlic Bread
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic and parsley.
- Cut bread lengthwise in half and place on baking sheet. Spread evenly on the open face of bread.
- Bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and cut into 1.5” slices to serve.
Julie’s Tips
How to Store
- Room Temperature – If you don’t finish the garlic bread in one sitting, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
- Freeze – You can also wrap garlic bread in plastic wrap or foil, place it in a freezer bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in a 350ºF oven; wrap the garlic bread in foil and bake it for about 15 minutes. If the bread was frozen, it will need about an extra 5 minutes in the oven.
Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
