Best Garlic Bread

slices of garlic bread topped with herbs.

5 from 2 votes

If you're on the hunt for the perfect garlic bread recipe, look no further! This is my go-to– buttery, soft center, and crispy edges. Made with just 7 ingredients like butter, garlic, fresh herbs, and parmesan cheese. I recommend prepping ahead to stock your freezer so you always have fresh homemade garlic bread when you need it!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Sides

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Christina

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread sliced in half
¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1-2 cloves garlic grated
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup parmesan cheese
⅓ cup fresh herbs chopped (basil and/or parsley)
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Set aside a baking sheet and two sheets of aluminum foil (used later to wrap the bread.) Slice the bread lengthwise and in half (if longer than your baking sheet.) Place the bread on the baking sheet, inside facing up, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together the softened butter, garlic, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, herbs, and salt. Spread the butter mixture evenly over each piece of bread and place the bread back together.
Wrap each loaf with the aluminum foil and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully unwrap the bread and place inside up on the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until golden brown. Add an extra 1-2 minutes for additional browning.
Remove from the oven and cut into slices. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the herb butter and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or make the bread through step 2, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Freezing Instructions: This garlic bread freezes wonderfully up to 3 months. Prepare through step 2 and wrap tightly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed or bake from frozen– wrapped in aluminum foil for 15-18 minutes and unwrapped for 5-8 minutes.
Bread: You want a good quality bread like French bread, baguette or an Italian bread. I recommend using the French bread or Italian bread over the baguette as the baguette will be crispier.
Garlic: There's no skimping on the garlic here! The recipe calls for 1-2 garlic cloves– if they are standard size (not the tiny pieces), you can use two. I recommend starting with one since we're grating the garlic, it's much more potent than minced or sliced. You can also use just 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder without fresh garlic.
Butter: If you're using salted butter, omit the salt listed in the recipe otherwise the herb butter will be too salty.
Herbs: Using fresh herbs like basil and parsley are recommended, but you can easily substitute with 2 teaspoons dried basil and 1 teaspoon dried parsley.

Nutrition