Homemade Garlic Bread

Homemade garlic bread is oh-so-easy to make, and it tastes so much better than the kind you buy at the grocery store! Here’s how to make it.

If you’ve never had homemade garlic bread before, you’re in for a treat. When you combine freshly baked bread (you can make your own French bread or buy it from a bakery) with garlic-infused butter, magic happens! No pasta dinner is complete without a slice of garlic bread, and once you try it, this homemade garlic bread recipe will be your go-to.

(BTW, if you love garlic butter, then you’re going to love my recipe for Garlic Butter Steak Bites!)

Easy Garlic Bread Recipe

Making your own garlic bread really takes only a few minutes more than heating up store-bought garlic bread—and not only does it taste better, it’s also more affordable to DIY it. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can double the recipe and make one for now and another to stick in the freezer for later.

While some garlic bread recipes use garlic powder for the garlic butter, I’m definitely a fan of using fresh garlic instead. Fresh garlic cloves are much more pungent, which means you get a garlic bread for true garlic lovers!

Ingredients

• Butter – Use a high-quality butter. I like the Irish butter from Aldi. (See my fave picks from Aldi.)
• Garlic cloves
• French bread – You can Italian bread, sourdough, or other breads too, but I like using French bread because it’s soft in the center and it has a nice crusty exterior without being too crusty.
• Fresh parsley

How to Make Homemade Garlic Bread

1. Make the Garlic Butter

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. In a small bowl, combine the butter and minced garlic cloves.

2. Prepare the Bread

Cut the bread in half lengthwise and brush the garlic butter mixture over the cut sides. Top the bread with parsley, then place the bread cut-side-up on a baking sheet.

3. Bake

Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes, then broil for about 2 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Garlic Bread

Wrap any leftover garlic bread in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 days. It’s best reheated in the oven at 350ºF, although it can be warmed up in the microwave too.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some of the dishes I usually serve with homemade garlic bread:

• Cheesy and Easy Lasagna With Meat Sauce
• One-Skillet Creamy Tomato Italian Sausage Pasta
• Baked Chicken Parmesan
• Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
• Instant Pot Spaghetti

FAQ

Is garlic bread really Italian?

Well, garlic bread is often served with Italian foods, but it’s actually not Italian—it was first made in the United States. Consider it an Italian-American invention.

Is garlic bread made of garlic?

It’s not made of garlic, but it is made with garlic. Garlic bread is made with either garlic powder or fresh garlic cloves. The garlic isn’t baked into the bread, but instead infused into the butter.

What can I use instead of parsley for garlic bread?

You can skip the parsley if you’re not a fan (or don’t want to buy a bunch at the grocery store). Dried oregano or Italian seasoning can be used instead.

More Bread Recipes to Try

• 1-Hour Soft Dinner Rolls
• Easy Homemade Biscuits
• Homemade Cornbread
• Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
• Butterswim Biscuits