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This vegan garlic bread recipe is bursting with savory, garlicky, and cheesy flavors. Each bite is crispy, crunchy, and so delicious you’d never guess it’s completely dairy-free! It’s the perfect side dish for pasta, soup, and more.
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick & simple: Even easier than our dairy-free bread, this vegan garlic bread recipe comes together with just 7 ingredients and is ready in 15 minutes from start to finish.
- Freezer-friendly: It’s great for making ahead of time for those times when you need a comforting dinner in a pinch. Store leftovers in the freezer for up to one month!
- Allergy-friendly: Not only is this garlic bread dairy-free, but it’s also egg-free, and can easily be made gluten-free.
- Crisp & tender: Baked to golden perfection, the outside is crisp and crunchy while the inside remains fluffy and tender for an out-of-this-world eating experience.
🧄 What is vegan garlic bread?
Vegan garlic bread is one of the simplest side dishes you can make. It’s ready in less time than it takes to bake a frozen option from the store, and it’s better for you, too!
Made with all the traditional flavors you love and none of the ingredients you don’t, this recipe requires just a baguette, some dairy-free butter, a few herbs and spices, and a good dose of vegan parmesan cheese.
We love serving this bread alongside lemon garlic pasta, vegan pesto pasta, or vegan pasta salad. It also pairs well with fava bean soup and kale caesar salad. Really, the options are endless!
📜 History
The origins of garlic bread stem from the creation of bruschetta, which is believed to have first been introduced to Greece during the 15th century.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not strictly Italian! In fact, the recipe as we know it today is an Italian-American creation and resulted from the large immigration that took place in the early 20th century.
Originally thought of as a poor man’s dish, garlic bread evolved from the use of day-old sourdough bread and butter in place of hard-to-find olive oil. Not long after its creation, garlic bread exploded in popularity and is now a staple in restaurants and grocery stores all over the world!
🌱 Is garlic bread vegan?
In its inherent form, garlic bread contains butter and cheese. As a result, it is not naturally vegan. However, with just a few tweaks it’s extremely easy to make plant-based!
In our vegan garlic bread recipe, we opted for plant-based butter and parmesan to replace dairy-filled products.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Baguette: A French baguette works best to form the base of garlic bread, but any long, crusty bread loaf will do. Just be sure to check the ingredients to ensure it’s vegan-friendly!
- Vegan butter: This coats the bread, helping to create a rich flavor and hold the other ingredients in place. Look for brands like Earth Balance, Milkadamia, Miyokos Creamery, or Melt.
- Garlic cloves: Full of antibacterial and detoxification properties, fresh garlic adds a zesty punch to this recipe. If you only have garlic powder, use 1/4 teaspoon for every fresh clove.
- Parsley: The bright, herbaceous flavor of freshly minced parsley balances out the heaviness of butter and cheese. If you don’t have parsley, use cilantro or omit it altogether.
- Sea salt & pepper: For flavor enhancement. Season to taste.
- Vegan parmesan: Feel free to use homemade or store-bought vegan parmesan. We love the taste and texture of cashew parmesan, but the choice is yours!
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven, and prepare a baking tray by lining it with aluminum foil.
Step 2: Combine the vegan butter, garlic, parsley, a tablespoon of parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to incorporate the ingredients well.
Step 3: Generously spread the butter mixture on top of each piece of bread, making sure it reaches all the way to the edges.
Step 4: Place the buttered bread on the prepared baking sheet, and add an extra sprinkle of parmesan on top for good measure.
Step 5: Bake the bread for a few minutes, or until the edges appear golden brown and the garlic is fragrant.
Step 6: Let your vegan garlic bread cool for a few minutes before serving it. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this vegan garlic bread recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🍝 What to serve with garlic bread
Serve vegan garlic bread alongside some of our favorite main dishes like these:
- Pasta: Enjoy a warm slice of garlic bread alongside your favorite pasta dishes like lentil bolognese, espagueti rojo, and spaghetti with San Marzano sauce or butternut squash pasta sauce.
- Soup: There’s nothing better than dunking sliced bread into warm soup! Try this recipe with shell pasta soup, lentil soup, or split pea soup.
- Chili: Don’t be afraid to add some garlic bread to your vegan chili.
- Salad: Make all of your favorite salads even more filling with a slice of vegan garlic bread. Some of our favorite pairings include cactus salad and sweet potato black bean salad.
🌡️ Storage & reheating
If you have leftovers, follow these storage tips to keep them fresh:
- Fridge: It’s best to keep leftover garlic bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Once baked and fully cooled, wrap your bread in foil or cling wrap. Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Then, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm thawed garlic bread in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through.
♻️ Variations
- Herbs: Change the flavor profile by swapping out parsley for any other fresh herb you prefer such as oregano, thyme, or basil.
- Cheese: Replace the parmesan, or combine it with another type of vegan cheese like mozzarella for an even creamier topping.
- Caprese garlic bread: Boost the nutritional benefits of your vegan garlic bread by adding fresh tomato slices and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
- Gluten-free: Easily make this recipe gluten-free by swapping in a store-bought or homemade gluten-free baguette.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Soften the butter: For quick mixing, make sure to let your butter soften at room temperature. Otherwise, it will be hard to combine with the other ingredients and won’t coat your bread evenly.
- Use fresh garlic: Not only does freshly minced garlic contain higher levels of allicin, but it also provides a much bolder flavor!
- Use a serrated knife: Unless your baguette has been pre-sliced, you’ll want to use a serrated bread knife to slice it in half length-wise. The design is made specifically for bread with hard exteriors to achieve a smooth cut without flattening the bread.
- Keep an eye on the oven: Garlic bread can quickly burn, so keep a close eye on your oven and remove it when the color is just starting to turn brown.
💬 FAQ
Yes, using olive oil instead of butter will create an almost identical taste and is a great source of healthy fats, too.
Given that they’re from the same plant genus as garlic, chives work as a fantastic substitute. Standard store-bought chives are great. However, for an even more similar flavor, we recommend opting for garlic chives instead!
Yes, any gluten-free baguette or bread loaf can be used for this garlic bread recipe.
🍴 More bread-filled recipes
If you enjoyed this vegan garlic bread recipe, be sure to check out some more bread-filled ideas like the following:
- Dairy-free bread: A go-to homemade bread recipe that’s completely egg and dairy-free.
- Sourdough bread: The best rustic bread option that requires no kneading and is made with fermented sourdough instead of yeast.
- Gorditas de azucar: Tender and sweet Mexican griddle cakes that are similar to scones.
- Torrejas veganas: A Mexican take on French toast that uses chickpea flour to replace the standard egg batter.
The Best Vegan Garlic Bread
Equipment
- Bread knife
- Small mixing bowl
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 large baguette, sliced in half lengthwise ($1.50)
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened ($1.16)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced ($0.08)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced ($0.03)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ($0.01)
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan parmesan ($0.10)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a small bowl, combine vegan butter, garlic, parsley, 1 tablespoon vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined and the butter is soft and spreadable.
- Spread the butter mixture on each piece of bread, ensuring it reaches the edges.
- Transfer the bread slices to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with extra vegan parmesan if you’d like. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the edges appear golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes before serving. Happy eating!
Notes
- Soften the butter — For quick mixing, make sure to let your butter soften at room temperature. Otherwise, it will be hard to combine with the other ingredients and won’t coat your bread evenly.
- Use fresh garlic — Not only does freshly minced garlic contain higher levels of allicin, but it also provides a much bolder flavor!
- Use a serrated knife — Unless your baguette has been pre-sliced, you’ll want to use a serrated bread knife to slice it in half length-wise. The design is made specifically for bread with hard exteriors to achieve a smooth cut without flattening the bread.
- Keep an eye on the oven — Garlic bread can quickly burn, so keep a close eye on your oven and remove it when the color is just starting to turn brown.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
