The BEST Garlic Bread You’ll Ever Have!

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Here’s the BEST recipe for homemade garlic bread! It starts with softened butter, minced garlic, parsley, and a few other ingredients. Spread the garlic butter all over rustic bread and bake until the whole house smells amazing!

Making garlic bread at home isn’t hard.

But making amazing garlic bread that is downright perfect, takes a little bit of trial and error! Trust me, there aren’t going to be any leftovers with this one!

Luckily for you (and definitely for me) I’ve gone ahead and done all the testing and retesting for us and came up with the absolute best garlic bread recipe! It was hard work, but someone had to take one for the team 😉

It all started on my birthday. We had gone out to a super popular Italian restaurant in town. And the first thing that I ordered on the menu was, of course, the truffled garlic bread. I had seen it all over my instagram and I was ready to make a meal out of it.

Holy cannoli! It was the perfect toasty bread. Golden brown and exploding with flavor, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, garlic, and fresh parsley. Their version also came with a scoop of creamy ricotta and tons of shaved Grana Padano on top. Ricotta and garlic bread are amazing for a special occasion. And you know that carbohydrates don’t count on your birthday and all!

My homemade version is inspired by that but when I want garlic bread on a weeknight to serve alongside my bowl of pasta or homemade soups, I want a straight-up crispy baguette rubbed down with parsley garlic butter and served alongside a boatful of marinara sauce!

If calories weren’t a thing, I would honestly eat garlic bread every single day of my life.

Ingredients for homemade garlic bread:

Bread: You can use a few different kinds here. I really like using a Rustic Italian Loaf for this recipe. However french bread from the grocery store will also work. Just be sure to use a 16-ounce loaf (or two 8 ounce baguettes) for this amount of garlic butter.
Butter: I use unsalted butter for my homemade garlic bread. During recipe testing, I tested the garlic butter with 8,10,12 and even 16 tablespoons of butter. Ultimately, I decided that 1 stick of butter is the ideal amount for a 16-ounce loaf of bread. For me, the butter has to be there but I don’t want it to make the bread excessively greasy!
Garlic: You’ll need a few fresh garlic cloves for this recipe – please, none of the stuff that comes pre-minced in a jar! Real garlic bread deserves a bit of freshly minced garlic. You can also run the clove through a garlic press if you’d like but I find fresh mince garlic yields the best results.
Seasonings: You’ll need regular kosher salt and garlic powder. We’re doubling up on the garlic and using both fresh garlic and garlic powder to give it the most garlicky flavor! You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes, oregano, or basil if you like a little heat. I’m a purist and usually don’t.
Parsley: I use a tablespoon of fresh parsley for this recipe to give it that fresh herbs flavor and a pop of green color. You can also use dried parsley, but I find that it does tend to darken in the oven and doesn’t really add too much flavor.
Grated Parmesan: a bit of grated parmesan just gives the bread a deep nutty flavor. You can also use Grana Padano if you happen to have that on hand. Sprinkle it right into the garlic butter so that you get a tiny bit in each bite. You won’t be able to make out that there’s parmesan in here, but it does help boost all the other flavors in this recipe.
White Truffle Oil: This is the secret ingredient that makes my garlic bread UNFORGETTABLE and luxurious. The white truffle oil makes the garlic flavor more pronounced and just amps up all the other flavors. It totally feels like fancy garlic bread from your favorite Italian takeout without having to pay the big bucks. If you happen to have black truffle oil at home, you can swap it for white truffle oil here.

Instructions for how to make the best garlic bread:

Start the prep. Start by placing a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Most recipes broil the garlic bread under the broiler for a few minutes. Personally, I prefer to toast it at a lower temperature. This allows the garlic flavor to mellow out, the butter melts and slowly disperses throughout the bread. The parmesan becomes nutty and golden and the bread gets crisp around the edges while maintaining a slightly soft and chewy center. Can you tell I’m passionate about this?
Make the garlic butter mixture. Add the softened butter, minced garlic, kosher salt, garlic powder, parsley, parmesan, and white truffle oil to a small bowl. I like to use a fork to melt and mix the ingredients. You want the butter to take it all in. Really get in there and take your time and mash it well. You want the minced garlic to be completely coated in the butter so that it doesn’t burn in the oven. Divide the butter mixture into two and spread this on the two halves of the bread. Place the loaves on a rimmed baking sheet. You can line it with foil to make for easier cleanup if you’d like.
Bake and serve. Bake the garlic bread in the ballpark of 11-15 minutes. The total time will depend on how long it takes to get golden around the edges and the butter melts completely. I don’t like the center to have too much color, so for me, 13 minutes is the sweet spot. Keep in mind that the type of bread that you use will also play a role in how long it takes to bake the bread. I find that french bread browns a lot faster than a rustic Italian loaf. When the bread is golden, remove it from the oven and cut it into slices with a serrated knife. It’s seriously the perfect side dish to any meal!

FAQs about homemade garlic bread:

Can I just toss the ingredients in a food processor and pulse?

You can, and though it will shorten the prep time, I find that it can be a bit tricky to not over pulse. During recipe testing, I tried making a batch of garlic butter in the food processor and found that you can very easily overwork the mixture and end up with green garlic bread! This happens because the parsley gets overworked and the butter adapts that green hue. But it does work if you don’t mind the color!

Can you make a double batch of the garlic butter and keep it in the fridge for quick weeknight garlic bread?

Yes, you can absolutely double the ingredients in the garlic bread recipe and keep the garlic butter in the fridge for later. I do suggest bringing the garlic butter to a spreadable temperature so it doesn’t tear through the bread when spreading. Prepared garlic butter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Can I butter loaves of bread and pop them in the freezer to bake later?

You can! I would butter the bread, put it back together, wrap it in aluminum foil, and then freeze in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag until you’re ready to bake. I do suggest allowing the bread to thaw in the fridge so that you can pull it apart and bake it.

How can I turn this into cheesy garlic bread?

You can always top the bread with a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese before popping it in the oven. The baking time may vary a bit, so make sure to keep an eye on it. The cheese will add a bit more protein to the whole thing too!

baked bread on white marble with tea towel and knife

What to serve garlic bread with:

Yield: 10 servings

The BEST Garlic Bread You'll Ever Have!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Here's the BEST recipe for homemade garlic bread! It starts with softened butter, minced garlic, parsley, and a few other ingredients. Spread the garlic butter all over rustic bread and bake until the whole house smells amazing!

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce loaf) Italian or French bread
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons grated parmesan (or grana padano)
1 tablespoon white truffle oil

Instructions

PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Slice the bread in half lengthwise, making sure both portions are roughly the same size.
GARLIC BUTTER: In a bowl, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, salt, garlic powder, parsley, parmesan, and white truffle oil. I like to use a fork to really mash the ingredients into the butter.
SPREAD: Divide the butter mixture into two and spread on the two halves of the loaf. Place the loaves on a rimmed baking sheet. You can bake this right away or refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake.
BAKE: Place the bread in the oven and bake for 11-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked to your liking. If you bake from the fridge, the garlic bread may take a few minutes longer to brown! Slice and serve warm.

The BEST Garlic Bread You’ll Ever Have!

Ingredients for homemade garlic bread: