Easy Garlic Bread

Our family’s favorite garlic bread recipe delivers crisp edges and a soft, buttery, garlicky center. It’s easy to make, and you can even prep it ahead of time.

We’ve made this garlic bread more times than I can count. It’s always a hit at our table, and I have a feeling it’ll be a favorite at yours, too, once you see how easy it is. We love it next to spaghetti, lasagna, Italian meatballs, and more!

Stop buying store-bought garlic bread. Homemade is so much better. Ours is extra delicious thanks to one little trick: wrapping the bread in parchment or foil so you get that soft, warm, buttery center. If you’re looking for more, try our roasted garlic bread next.

Key Ingredients

• Bread: I prefer a French or Italian loaf for garlic bread. Look for it to be a little crusty on the outside with a soft center. Ciabatta, a country loaf, or even simple French bread are excellent choices.
• Butter: I use salted butter and add a pinch more salt, but unsalted butter works, too (I’ve included a tip for adding extra salt below the recipe). You’ll spread the garlic butter over the bread, so make sure it’s softened.
• Garlic: I’m generous with the fresh garlic in my garlic bread spread. Mince it finely, grate it on a microplane, or use a garlic press. You can also swap for roasted garlic if you prefer.
• Herbs: Add some color to the butter with fresh chopped parsley or basil. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, just leave them out.
• Cheese: This is entirely optional, but my family loves cheesy garlic bread. So, we usually sprinkle on some grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make the Best Garlic Bread

Tip 1: Make the garlic butter spread. Now remember, you’ll want to start with softened butter for this, so that it’s easy to stir the garlic and herbs into it. Add your butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper to a bowl and stir really well. Taste it, then add a bit more salt if you think it needs it.

Tip 2: Slice the whole loaf lengthwise. Using a bread knife, slice the loaf in half to make two long pieces (like a big sandwich). Place each half cut-side up, then spread with the garlic butter. Really do your best to get the garlic butter all the way to the edges so every bit of the bread gets soaked in garlicky flavor.

Tip 3: Wrap the loaf. Put the two halves back together to make the loaf again, then wrap in foil or parchment paper. This is my best trick for garlic bread. Wrapping keeps the bread soft in the middle and crispy around the edges.

Tip 4: Bake wrapped until the butter melts. Place your wrapped loaf on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the butter melts throughout the bread. This also mellows and sweetens the garlic.

Tip 5: Unwrap and bake for 5 minutes. We want a little crispness, so unwrap and place the halves cut side up again. Add cheese (if you’d like to), then continue baking until the cheese melts and the edges of the bread take on a little crispness and color.

Serving Suggestions

This homemade garlic bread is one of those things that just makes any meal better. We love it with all our favorite Italian-American dishes, like vegetable lasagna, turkey meatballs, spaghetti and meat sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, shrimp scampi, and bolognese. It’s also amazing dipped into this homemade pasta sauce!

We also love serving it alongside soups and salads. It’s perfect with creamy vegetable soup, roasted tomato soup, or roasted butternut squash soup. And you really can’t go wrong with Caprese salad or Caesar salad.