Name: Easy Homemade Garlic Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 8 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Bread (see notes); 1 stick unsalted butter, softened; 2 teaspoons dried parsley; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe· 5 from 1 review

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This is the BEST easy homemade garlic bread recipe made with garlic herb butter! Make it in the broiler, oven, or in a skillet on the stovetop.

Overhead view of a baking sheet of golden brown garlic bread with plates of pasta and a chunk of Parmesan cheese alongside.

I am always game for making a quick batch of homemade garlic bread. It's super easy to put together, and I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand.

This garlic bread recipe is also the base for my Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches and a great alternative to my homemade skillet garlic Parmesan bread.

Jump To:

🧡 Why we love this recipe
📝 Ingredients
🔪 Featured kitchen tool: serrated knife
🥣 Substitutions and variations
✅ How to make this recipe
💡 What to serve with garlic bread
🔪 Equipment
🥡 Tips and storage recommendations
📖 Recipe

🧡 Why we love this recipe

Homemade garlic bread is so much tastier than the frozen garlic bread you can buy at the supermarket. I often freeze my homemade garlic bread (or even just the garlic butter portion) to enjoy at a later time, too.
You can make it with any bread you have on hand! I've used things like baguettes, brioche, sourdough, sandwich rolls, and even hot dog buns.
It's easily made dairy-free and vegan by using a plant-based butter alternative.
Garlic bread is the perfect side dish for so many meals!
You can cook this recipe in a variety of ways! I usually use the broiler, but it works equally well in the oven on the highest temperature, or in a skillet.

📝 Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make this homemade garlic bread (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

Bread
Unsalted butter
Dried parsley
Garlic powder
Kosher salt

🔪 Featured kitchen tool: serrated knife

For this recipe, I recommend using a serrated knife. Serrated knives (also sometimes called bread knives) come in handy for a lot of different kitchen tasks.

The blade of a serrated knife is jagged with "teeth" that allow you to cut through things in a sawing motion instead of pressing straight down. This comes in handy for delicate and soft items like bread.

A serrated knife is also great for cutting things like tomatoes nice and thin. Anything that may "squish" easily can be cut more easily with a serrated blade.

When cutting with a serrated knife, don't press down too hard on the item you're cutting. Be sure to use a sawing motion, back and forth, with the knife, applying gentle pressure, when cutting.

Serrated knives come in handy for slicing things like bread for garlic bread or sandwiches, tortilla roll-ups, a baguette for crostini, and super thin slices of tomatoes or onions for your favorite burgers. They also work great for slicing cucumbers and citrus fruit.

Just note that dicing or mincing isn't something that you should do with this type of knife. You want clean cuts through the skin with a regular chef's knife for that.

I personally like a larger bread knife that has an offset handle so you can slice all the way through a loaf of bread without having your knuckles hit the counter. I have one like that and a smaller one with a standard handle.

Overhead view of a tray of garlic bread with some cut into smaller pieces.

🥣 Substitutions and variations

There are lots of ways you can mix up this garlic bread recipe. Here are some suggestions:

Want to spice things up a bit? Feel free to add some crushed red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste to your butter mixture.
Like things cheesy? Grate some Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese into the garlic butter.
LOVE garlic? Swap out the garlic powder for some roasted garlic (maybe try it with my slow cooker roasted garlic recipe!).
Into pesto? Add a tablespoon or two in with the garlic butter instead of dried herbs and garlic.
Forgot to soften your butter? No problem! Feel free to melt it in the microwave or on the stovetop and use a pastry brush to apply it to your bread.
Follow a vegan diet? Swap out your favorite non-dairy butter and proceed with the recipe as directed.

Overhead view of a bowl of garlic herb butter with bread in the background. — Add dried parsley, garlic powder, and salt to the softened butter.

Combining ingredients for garlic herb butter in a bowl. — Stir well to combine.

Overhead view of a bowl of garlic herb butter with bread and ingredients alongside. — Garlic butter can be used for more than just garlic bread!

✅ How to make this recipe

I cannot stress enough how easy it is to make this garlic bread! You're just a few steps away from golden brown, garlicky deliciousness.

Preheat your broiler to high heat. Alternatively, you can set your oven to its highest temperature, or heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Cut your bread in half horizontally (if using a whole loaf) or slice into 1-inch thick slices.
Combine your softened butter, dried parsley, garlic, and salt in a small bowl. You can also melt your butter (see notes in the section above).
Slather the cut-side of your bread with a layer of the garlic herb butter and place, buttered-side up, on a baking sheet. If cooking in a skillet, place it into the preheated skillet, butter-side down.
Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it and rotate your baking sheet if you find that some parts are getting a lot more brown than others.

See recipe card below for full instructions.

Spreading garlic herb butter on bread to make garlic bread. — Spread a thin, even layer of garlic butter onto your bread.

Overhead view of bread slathered with garlic herb butter ready to cook to make garlic bread. — If you have extra garlic butter, be sure to save it in the fridge!

💡 What to serve with garlic bread

Homemade garlic bread is delicious with so many different meals! It's great with Italian dishes, as an alternative to bread for sandwiches, on the side of a nice salad, and it's great for dunking into soups and stews!

Some of the dishes I often serve with garlic bread include:

Baking sheet with 4 big pieces of golden brown garlic bread.

🔪 Equipment

You don't need much to whip up a batch of this delicious garlic bread.

Oven (or stovetop)
Cutting board
Serrated bread knife
Small bowl
Measuring spoons
Butter knife or spoon
Large, rimmed baking sheet (broiler-safe, don't use nonstick) - or a nonstick skillet or griddle if you're making it on the stovetop

🥡 Storage recommendations

You can store leftover garlic bread in a sealed container (or wrapped in foil) in the fridge.

Reheat leftover garlic bread briefly in the microwave, air fryer, or oven. It often doesn't need much time to get warm again. Just note that with the microwave it won't be crispy like it was when you made it fresh. If you want it crispy, go with an air fryer, oven, or toaster oven for reheating.

Garlic bread freezes beautifully! I like to spread the garlic butter on it, then place it in the freezer on a plate until frozen. I'll then put it in an airtight container or freezer bag, squeezing all the air out, until we're ready to enjoy it again.

Frozen garlic bread can be reheated without thawing. Just put it in the oven on a baking sheet at 375°F until heated through. I recommend checking it at around 10 minutes to see if it's heated through.

Once it's heated, if you want the top to get a little more brown, you can switch it to broil for a couple of minutes.

If you have extra garlic butter, you can place it in an airtight container and stash it in the fridge. You can make more garlic bread with it, or feel free to toss a little of it with some pasta, rice, couscous, or orzo. It's also a great addition to grilled meat, sautéed shrimp, and more. Don't be afraid to get creative!

Still hungry? You may also like...

¾ view of 3 assembled Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches with au jus, an Instant Pot, and shredded meat alongside. — Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Spoon pulling a serving of baked rigatoni out of a casserole dish. — Baked Rigatoni with Spinach

Platter of Skillet Garlic Parmesan Bread garnished with parsley. — Skillet Garlic Parmesan Bread

Two bowls of lasagna with garlic bread. — Skillet Lasagna

Doing some online shopping? Check out my Amazon shop page for recommendations!

Easy Homemade Garlic Bread

5 from 1 review

Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 3 Minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Print Recipe

Description

This is the BEST easy garlic bread recipe made with garlic herb butter! Make it in the broiler, oven, or in a skillet on the stovetop.

Ingredients

Scale

Bread (see notes)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

Preheat broiler to high heat.
Cut bread in half horizontally or into 1-inch thick slices.
In a small bowl, mix together butter, dried parsley, garlic powder, and salt. Slather the cut side of each piece of bread with a layer of the butter mixture.
Place bread, cut-side up, onto a large, rimmed baking sheet. Broil until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.