The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (2024)

Many ago Tony and I started making homemade garlic bread to go with my favorite turkey meatballs.

Of course, a classic, easy spaghetti and meatballs dinner needs garlic bread for dipping so I went on a quest that involved several loaves of bread, chopped garlic, real butter and herbs. It also involved a few stomach aches (hey I’m I’m human and sometimes you can’t stop at one slice)!

But alas, we landed on a delightful, mouth-watering garlic bread recipe that’s 1000x better than the store-bought kind and that I can’t stop making.

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (1)

Everything you need to make the best garlic bread

This homemade garlic bread recipe requires super simple ingredients, so trust me when I say you’ll back to it time and time again. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

  • Bread: I like to use Italian bread or a loaf of French bread (instead of a baguette) to get those nice thick slices.
  • Butter: gotta have plenty of softened butter, which will melt into all of the bread nooks & crannies. Feel free to use salted or unsalted butter. I use 1/2 cup of butter, but you can also get away with using 1/3 cup!
  • Garlic: fresh garlic cloves (rather than garlic powder) are KEY for that true garlic flavor. The minced garlic gets roasted to perfection in the oven.
  • Herbs & spices: instead of Italian seasoning we’re adding a little fresh parsley and sea salt to bring it all together. Feel free to garnish with extra parsley or chives, too!

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (2)

Get a little cheesy

If you like cheesy garlic bread, feel free to add 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella! You’ll sprinkle it on in the last 2 minutes of baking (so that it doesn’t get too crispy on top).

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (3)

Can I make it vegan?

Of course! Simply substitute the regular butter with vegan butter and use your favorite vegan cheese (if you’re cheese-ing it).

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (4)

Easy homemade garlic bread in 3 steps

  1. Prep your pan & bread. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil, slice your bread in half lengthwise, and place the bread cut side up on the baking sheet.
  2. Make the garlic butter. In a small bowl mix the herbs and salt together with the softened butter. Spread it evenly over the top of the bread halves.
  3. Bake & serve. Bake the bread for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees F until it’s slightly golden brown on the edges. If you’re adding cheese, add it in the last 2 minutes of baking. Then cool, slice into 1-inch pieces, and devour!

Don’t forget to dip it in this AMAZINGGarlic Olive Oil Dip, or your favorite marinara sauce!

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (5)

Choose your bread crispiness

If you like crispier garlic bread, bake it for 3-5 minutes more (but watch it carefully so that it doesn’t get too toasted). If you like it softer, take it out closer to 10 minutes. You can also wrap the bread in aluminum foil before baking it if you like softer garlic bread.

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (6)

Storing tips

Store any leftovers covered at room temp for 1-2 days. Simply reheat it in your oven by wrapping it in foil and warming it for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Freeze it for later

That’s right, this homemade garlic bread is freezer-friendly! It’s such a great way to have a delicious side on hand at any time. Here’s how to freeze it:

  1. After slathering the bread in the garlic butter mixture, place the bread halves in a single layer in a freezer-friendly bag and store them in the freezer.
  2. Freeze the garlic bread for up to 3 months.
  3. When ready to eat, add the frozen garlic bread halves to your baking sheet and bake as directed — you may just need to add 3-5 more minutes.

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (7)

What to serve with this homemade garlic bread

  • 30 Minute Pasta Carbonara
  • Juicy Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Basil Sauce with Burrata
  • Garlic Olive Oil Dip
  • Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
  • Bacon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Spaghetti
  • The Best Healthy Turkey Lasagna You’ll Ever Eat

Get all of my dinner recipes hereand my pasta dishes here!

I hope you love this garlic bread recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (8)

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat

4.98 from 35 votes

Leave A Review Print Recipe

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (9)

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

ServesServes 8 servings

This is the BEST homemade garlic bread you'll ever make. It has fresh herbs, tons of flavorful roasted garlic, and is perfectly toasted. This easy garlic bread recipe is delicious served with your fav pasta dishes & comfort foods, and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian loaf or French loaf
  • 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (can also use salted)*
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • teaspoon sea salt
  • Optional:
  • ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • OR
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • For garnishing:
  • Extra parsley and chives

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Slice bread in half lengthwise and place on a large baking sheet, cut sides up.

  • In a medium bowl, mix butter, garlic, parsley and salt together until well combined. Spread evenly over bread.

  • Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the edges. If you want to add cheese, add it the last 2 minutes of baking. If you like a crispier garlic bread, bake for 3-5 minutes more, watching carefully until it is as golden as you like.

Recipe Notes

To make vegan: feel free to use a vegan butter.

See the full post for customizations and tips for storing & freezing this garlic bread!

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on January 30th, 2018, and republished on February 13th, 2023.

The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat | Ambitious Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Is French or Italian better for garlic bread? ›

French bread is a great choice for garlic bread as well. French bread has a classic soft interior, with a flaky, crispy crust, similar to ciabatta. Baguettes can also be used for garlic bread, but have a crunchier texture than Italian bread and French bread.

Why is minced garlic best for garlic bread? ›

The verdict: freshly minced garlic is the winner, obviously. We recommend staying away from the pre-minced garlic — it's missing the allicin which is key! It creates that recognizable garlicky taste. The flavor of jarred garlic is subdued and nowhere near the same as freshly minced garlic.

Is garlic bread Italian? ›

Garlic bread originated in the United States and it is a typical Italian-American dish. It probably originated after Italian immigrants started to use butter as a substitute for olive oil, which was uncommon in the United States in the first half of the 20th century.

What is garlic bread called in France? ›

Pain a L'ail

It translates to garlic bread, and it's usually made with a baguette or French loaf.

Why is bread in France so much better? ›

In France, bakers pay careful attention to where their flour is made and which grains are used in the milling process. The result is usually softer, heartier, and tastier bread than can be found in other parts of the world. French flour tends to be made with a lower ash content than the flour from other countries.

Is minced garlic in a jar as good as fresh? ›

The clear winner when it comes to these two options is fresh garlic. Jarred garlic is substantially less flavorful than fresh garlic — this could be because it's not peeled but instead, the shell is blasted off with air, plus it soaks in water or oil for who really knows how long.

Why is my garlic bread not crispy? ›

You want to make sure the butter has melted and seeped into the bread a little bit. If you don't like your bread too crunchy, remove it from the oven a little but earlier. If you're a crunchy garlic bread fan like me, you want to leave it in the oven until the edges of the bread turn golden brown.

Is it OK to eat garlic bread everyday? ›

True to form, moderation is key. Enjoying the occasional slice of traditional indulgent garlic bread is perfectly fine — good even, for the soul. Just balance it out with more nutritious choices for the rest of your meals that day, like a fiber-full salad. Consider it a special treat, not an everyday side.

What to do after eating garlic bread? ›

Eat produce like apples, spinach, or mint

If you're having a particularly garlic-heavy meal, eat apples for dessert or chew on fresh mint leaves. One study indicated that the chemical makeup of raw or heated apples, lettuce, and mint helped deodorize garlic breath. Hot green tea and lemon juice may also help.

What does garlic bread do for your body? ›

High in Nutrients –Garlic bread made from whole wheat is a rich source of key nutrients and reduces chronic inflammation. B-vitamins, trace minerals, antioxidants, and protein. Popular garlic bread ingredients that add nutrition to your slices include veggies, mushrooms, olives, and deli meats!

What's the green stuff in garlic bread? ›

Yep, the green flecks are finely-chopped parsley. Recipe after recipe calls for the addition of the herb to the top of the bread ―- and if Mary Berry says it's parsley, then parsley it surely is.

What is the fancy name for garlic bread? ›

What is another word for garlic bread?
garlic baguettegarlic ciabatta
garlic loafgarlic naan
garlic toast

Is all Texas toast garlic bread? ›

Texas toast is prepared by spreading butter on both sides of the bread and broiling or grilling it until it is a light golden brown. Commonly, garlic is added to the butter, yielding a form of garlic bread. The toast may include cheese on one or both sides, similar to an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich.

Does French bread taste different than Italian bread? ›

The dough for French bread is enriched with copious amounts of unsalted butter and eggs which brings out its sweetness. On the other hand, Italian bread is usually on the savory side and paired with tomatoes, cheese, and pork. The famous Carasau bread, for instance, is commonly eaten with lunchtime meals.

Is garlic bread an Italian starter? ›

Why would you have garlic bread as a starter or a side for you main pasta dish? Okay, okay. It's not traditional in Italy, but it's an Italian-American tradition and it's very tasty when done right.

What kind of bread is garlic bread made of? ›

This is a versatile recipe, as readily made with thin baguettes, as it is with rustic sourdoughs and airy Italian loaves. Cutting the bread like a Hasselback potato keeps the butter from seeping out and allows the garlic to infuse the bread with its flavor without scorching.

What is the most popular Italian appetizer? ›

Perhaps the most popular Italian appetizer, antipasto is a dish made up of a variety of different Italian favorites. Even throughout different regions of Italy, an antipasto appetizer contains different kinds of meats, cheeses, and vegetables.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Margart Wisoky

Last Updated:

Views: 6487

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Margart Wisoky

Birthday: 1993-05-13

Address: 2113 Abernathy Knoll, New Tamerafurt, CT 66893-2169

Phone: +25815234346805

Job: Central Developer

Hobby: Machining, Pottery, Rafting, Cosplaying, Jogging, Taekwondo, Scouting

Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.