This simple vegan garlic bread is a mouth-watering side dish or appetizer for any Italian meal! It takes only 20 minutes from start to finish. Crisp on the outside, warm and buttery on the inside. Bread perfection!
My kids are crazy about French baguettes. Nearly every time I go to the grocery store, I bring back a baguette for the kids and it is gone in a day! Their favorite way to enjoy it is toasted with butter.
Today I decided to elevate the standard French baguette for the kids by making simple vegan garlic bread. We don’t have garlic bread on a regular basis. It’s something I typically reserve for dinner parties or a special pasta night, but with this simple recipe, you can enjoy it any time of the week!
It’s super easy to make, only requires a handful of ingredients, and takes about 20 minutes to make! Homemade garlic bread never tasted so good!
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💗 Why You’ll Love this Vegan Garlic Bread
- Easy and Quick
- Simple Ingredients
- Crunchy and Crisp Crust
- Warm and Buttery Center
- Fresh Herbs
- Vegan and Dairy-Free
🥖 Ingredients and Notes
French Baguette: Get a fresh baguette from your local bakery or grocery store. Yes, you can make your own baguette, but this is a simple recipe, and a fresh bakery baguette is inexpensive and naturally vegan.
Vegan Butter: Earth Balance vegan butter sticks are my preferred butter to use. However, Miyokos is another good brand.
Fresh Garlic: I used 4 garlic cloves. You can use more or less depending on how much garlic you like.
Fresh Parsley: Be sure to use fresh parsley if possible. It adds a nice herbal flavor and a burst of greenery.
Salt: If your butter is already salted you can skip this ingredient. Or use more or less to taste.
📋 Vegan Garlic Bread Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Finely chop the parsley, and mince the garlic.
Step 2: In a medium-sized bowl, add the vegan butter, salt, chopped parsley, and minced garlic. Blend with a fork.
Step 3: Slice the baguette down the center, but not all the way through. Using a spatula, spread the garlic butter evenly on both sides of the bread.
Step 4: Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Optional: Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 10 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown on the outside.
💭 Expert Tips
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature. If you plan to make this in the evening, place your butter on the counter in the morning.
- Use fresh parsley.
- Don’t add salt to the butter if your butter is already salted.
- Use day-old bread. Since you’ll be baking the bread again, in the oven, it helps to retain its density.
❓ Recipe FAQS
Garlic bread is one of the most delicious appetizers or side dishes. It is an iconic classic dish, so where did it first originate? It is thought that it first originated in ancient Rome, and was inspired by bruschetta.
The best type of bread to use to make garlic bread is baguette-style bread, such as a French Baguette, or ciabatta bread. There are many different types of baguettes available for purchase. Some baguettes are crustier, and some are softer. The type you use depends completely on your preference. If you want soft garlic bread, use softer bread, to begin with. It will not become crispier in the oven. It will remain soft. The same goes for crispy bread. If you want your vegan garlic bread to have a crispy finish, use denser crispier bread. Most baguettes are approximately 24 inches or 2 feet long. This is a good size to serve 6-8 people.
You can wrap it up and enjoy it later. However, if you want to repurpose it, I have a few suggestions. You can use it to make garlic croutons, by cutting the bread into bite-sized pieces and toasting it in the oven at 375 F for 15-20 minutes. You can also spread marinara sauce on the bread, and sprinkle it with some vegan cheese for a variation on bruschetta.
If you want to make this gluten-free you’ll have to start with a gluten-free loaf. Against the Grain and BFree make gluten-free baguettes. You can find these at Whole Foods or other grocery retailers, and you can order them online.
📖 Variations
Make it Cheesy: Make this vegan garlic bread cheesy by adding some vegan mozzarella, or vegan parmesan cheese after you spread the garlic butter.
Make it Herbal: Add more fresh herbs to the garlic butter mixture such as chives and fresh basil, and a touch of black pepper.
Without Vegan Butter: While I highly recommend using vegan butter with this recipe, you can swap it out for equal parts olive oil.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
This vegan garlic bread makes an excellent side dish to all your favorite Italian meals such as vegan lasagna, mushroom pasta, vegan lentil ragu, and so many more. There isn’t a pasta dish it doesn’t pair well with! It also tastes delicious dipped in a hearty homemade marinara sauce and is a nice accompaniment to a simple minestrone soup or side salad.
❄️ Storage
Store leftover pieces in an airtight container. I recommend wrapping leftovers in foil, and placing them in a large plastic bag, or glass container.
When ready to enjoy again, place back in the oven wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes at 375 F.
🥘 More Vegan Comfort Foods!
Recipe
Vegan Garlic Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French Baguette
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Finely chop the parsley
- In a medium-size bowl, add the vegan butter, salt, chopped parsley and minced garlic. Blend with a fork.
- Slice the baguette down the center, but not all the way through. Using a spatula, spread the garlic butter evenly on both sides of the bread.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 10 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown on the outside.
Video
Notes
- Make sure butter is at room temperature. If you have the plan to make this in the evening, place your butter on the counter in the morning.
- Use fresh parsley.
- Don’t add salt to the butter if your butter is already salted.
- Use day-old bread. Since you’ll be baking the bread again, in the oven, it helps to retain its density.
- Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Reheat in the oven wrapped in foil at 375 F for 10 minutes.
Shashi at Savory Spin
We are trying to be more plant based here and this will fit into spaghetti night beautifully – thanks so much!
Heather Johnson
delicious – and yes – i doubled the garlic because i love it!! hahahaha so yum!
rebecca
how have I not thought of slicing bread down the center like this? this recipe looks so easy and flavorful
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
It was so delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Mariana
Bread is always the best compliment for other recipes I made it and it was perfect so I’m going to use it a lot.