Herbed garlic bread is a classic side dish that pairs perfectly with any Italian meal ( I mean hello homemade pasta alla vodka sauce). It's loaded with buttery, garlicky flavor with a generous helping of fresh herbs that just amplify the garlic even more. No judgment if you straight up eat the garlic bread as its own dinner, I've been there.
This recipe is one of those timeless sides that can adapted and modified to meet all taste buds. What's great about this herbed garlic bread is the simplicity of making the garlic butter, slathering it on the bread, and then baking. Literally that's it.
TL; DR Recipe Summary
- Cook Level: Easy/Beginner
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Taste: Herby, crusty, buttery, garlicky.
- With minimal ingredients, this is a fool-proof recipe that can be thrown together in a pinch.
- Best Served With: This would be fantastic served with my rigatoni fiorentina, chicken scampi, one pot garlic parmesan pasta, or my Italian chicken meatballs.
Jump to:
Trusted Tips and Key Reminders
- If there are some clumps when blending the butter, herbs, and garlic together, it is okay! The butter will melt nicely as the bread bakes anyway.
- Use a room temperature to very soft butter before adding to the food processor with the herbs. The butter will blend a lot easier.
- Bake the bread, then turn the oven to broil for 1-2 minutes to get the bread a little crispier.
The Main Ingredients
- Italian Bread - the fresher, the better. I like fresh Italian bread for baking as it's not super stale already, but it has a little bit of chew in the center.
- Butter - all the butter is needed here.
- Garlic - remember to add this, because when I tested this recipe again, I forgot the garlic, but honestly, it's pretty amazing without!
- Fresh oregano - fresh oregano just tastes amazing in this recipe!
- Fresh Basil - basil is a staple herb for my garlic bread.
- Fresh Thyme - not entirely necessary, but gives another added flavor profile.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Recipe Swaps and Substitutions
- Bread - swap out for a gluten free bread of your choice.
- Butter - you can easily use a plant butter or vegan-friendly butter like Wesson or Miyokos
- Herbs - if you don't (or can't find) like oregano or thyme, simply leave out and use basil! It's just as delicious.
How to make herbed garlic bread
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º and prepare a baking sheet. Take the Italian loaf and slice in half lengthwise, then set on the baking sheet. In a food processor, add the butter, garlic, and fresh herbs. Blend until almost all the butter has softened and combined with the herbs and garlic.
Step 2: Taking the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread the herbed garlic butter evenly across both sides of bread. Place in the oven to bake for 15-20 or until the butter melts and the sides of the bread gets golden and crisp. Slice into even pieces.
How do I store this recipe? Can I freeze it?
This recipe can be made and stored in a tightly sealed container or ziplock bag and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat by preheating the oven to 300º and heating the bread for 10 minutes.
Free free to also freeze this! Add the garlic bread to a freezer-safe container or bag and thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat as directed above.
Looking for a delicious recipe to pair this with? Check these out!
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Best Herbed Garlic Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 spatula
- 1 cutting board
- knife
Ingredients
- 1 large italian bread or baguette
- 5 tablespoon butter salted
- 3 oz fresh basil
- 2 oz fresh oregano
- 2 oz fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º and prepare a baking sheet.
- Take the Italian loaf and slice in half lengthwise, then set on the baking sheet.
- In a food processor, add the butter, garlic, and fresh herbs. Blend until almost all the butter has softened and combined with the herbs and garlic.
- Taking the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread the herbed garlic butter evenly across both sides of bread.
- Place in the oven to bake for 15-20 or until the butter melts and the sides of the bread gets golden and crisp. Slice into even pieces.
Roberta Franco says
This garlic bread was the best garlic bread I've made at home. I love the use of herbs too. Gives it a lot of flavor. Went well with ravioli I made for the kids. Well done!
Nancy says
I just made this recipe the other night to go along with spaghetti and meatballs and my family absolutely loved it. We added a little mozzarella cheese to one of the sides of the bread, and even without the cheese, the herbs were so delicious!