This quick and easy baguette garlic bread recipe is the perfect carby side dish for almost any meal. Ready in 15 minutes and slathered in homemade garlic butter, this is a delicious garlic baguette recipe that anyone can make. 

Want ideas for serving alongside your baguette of garlic bread? Try this butterbean stew with whipped feta perfect for dipping your bread into, this hearty lentil bolognese, or this creamy butternut pasta sauce.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe. Make sure you scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact quantities and follow-along directions for making your garlic baguette.

• Baguette: I recommend using the baguettes that you need to bake at home to finish, as this ensures your bread is pliable enough to slather in your homemade garlic butter, and doesn’t overcook and turn rock hard when cooking!
  
• Garlic: This is garlic bread, after all, so use as much garlic as you can handle! I find that three cloves of minced garlic are perfect for a deep, garlicky flavor.
  
• Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can control how much salt I add to the garlic butter mixture. If you want to make this baguette garlic bread plant-based, you can use a vegan butter alternative.
  
• Parsley: Parsley complements the garlic in your garlic butter perfectly. Ideally, you’ll use fresh parsley but dried parsley will also work.
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• (optional) Cheese: Many baguette garlic bread recipes add cheese to the bread for extra cheesy indulgence. I like to use Pecorino (which is a close alternative to Parmesan but suitable for vegetarians) or mozzarella for a super stringy, cheesy garlic bread.

Ingredient substitutions

If you can’t find or can’t eat one of the ingredients mentioned above, here are a few potential substitutions:

• If you can’t find bake-at-home baguettes, any standard baguette – like a sourdough baguette, french stick, or Italian bread – will still work fine. Just keep an eye on your bread while it’s cooking to ensure it doesn’t burn before the butter has melted.
  
• If you want to make this baguette garlic bread recipe suitable for a vegan diet, you can omit the cheese (or use a vegan parmesan cheese) and replace the butter with plant-based butter. You could also mix a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with minced garlic, chopped fresh parsley, and salt & pepper and brush this over your bread.
  
• Use a gluten-free baguette to make this recipe gluten-free.
  
• If you don’t have garlic, you could use garlic powder or garlic salt for this recipe (as well as dried parsley instead of fresh) – but I would strongly recommend using fresh minced garlic if you can for maximum flavor!

Cooking: Air Fryer vs Oven

If you have an air fryer, this is the perfect recipe for cooking in it. Simply make your baguette garlic bread according to the instructions below, wrap it in foil, and bake in your air fryer for 10 – 12 minutes until the garlic butter has melted and turned the bread golden and crunchy on the outside.

However, if you don’t have an oven, don’t fear! This recipe still cooks perfectly well in the oven. Simply preheat your oven to 400F | 200C, wrap your garlic baguette in foil, and bake for 10 minutes with the foil and then another 5-8 minutes without the foil or until the bread looks golden and crunchy.

Step-by-step instructions

Again, the recipe card at the end of this post has the exact ingredient quantities and instructions for making this recipe. Here’s an overview along with some process shots for those who prefer a visual guide!

Step 1) Make your garlic butter

To make the garlic butter, start by mincing your garlic, grating your cheese, and finely chopping your fresh parsley. You can either beat the garlic, cheese, and parsley into softened butter, or simply put the garlic, butter, and cheese ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth, and then stir in the parsley.

I wouldn’t recommend blending the parsley into your garlic butter as it gives the butter a slightly green tinge!

Step 2) Prepare your baguette

Take your baguette and cut it into approximately 12 slices, pausing before you cut the whole way through your baguette so it stays in one piece. This is pictured below. Using a bake-at-home baguette is ideal for this as the bread is that bit more pliable than a ready-to-eat baguette.

Step 3) Slather the baguette with garlic butter

Take a thin knife and slather the inside of each slice with your garlic bread, as well as the top of your baguette.

Don’t worry if you accidentally break the baguette while doing this – you can use the foil to hold it all together! Ideally, you’ll coat the baguette in the garlic butter without breaking any slices off, though.

Step 4) Wrap it in foil and bake

Wrap your baguette garlic bread in foil and either place it in the air fryer at 400 F | 200 C for 10 – 15 minutes, or place it in your preheated oven for 10 minutes with the foil on, and 10 minutes with the foil removed so the top of the baguette can crisp up.

Tips and tricks for the best homemade garlic bread

This garlic baguette recipe is very beginner-friendly – the hardest step is cutting slices into your baguette without slicing it in half altogether. However, if you would like a few expert tips for taking the baguette from good to great, you could do a few of the following:

• Add extra cheese in each slice and over the top of the bread and broil for 5 minutes before serving for an extra indulgent side dish
  
• Mix the garlic butter ingredients with room-temperature butter to make it far easier to combine into a smooth and even butter
  
• Roast a whole bulb of garlic and then mash this into a paste before combining with your butter and other ingredients for an extra delicious garlic flavor
  
• Make your garlic butter ahead of time and save any leftovers for other meals, such as garlic roast potatoes.
   

Storage and reheating 

This baguette garlic bread recipe is best served immediately for the best flavor and freshest, crunchy bread.

However, if you have leftovers, you can store it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days wrapped tightly in foil. Pop in the oven or in your toasted oven to reheat for 5 minutes. 

What to serve your garlic bread with:

I can’t give you an easy garlic bread recipe without giving you some great recipes to serve it with! Here are a few suggestions for serving with your homemade garlic bread:

• Creamy Mushroom Pasta
• Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta
• Vegan Red Pepper Pasta with Spicy Fillets
• Mexican Black Beans
• Vegan Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew

FAQs

Can I toast a hard baguette?

If all you can get hold of is a hard baguette, such as a French stick or sourdough baguette, this will work fine for this garlic baguette recipe. You’ll just want to keep an eye on your baguette while cooking in case you need to remove it from the air fryer or oven earlier. 

What’s the green stuff on garlic bread?

The green stuff on garlic bread is often parsley, fresh parsley specifically. If you prefer, you can omit the parsley altogether.

What kind of bread is garlic bread made of?

 Italian bread or a loaf of French bread are both popular choices for garlic bread, as are the bake-at-home baguette options. 

What’s the best way to store garlic? 

Garlic is best stored in a dry, dark spot – similar to potatoes. Garlic is best kept out of the fridge as it does best in a cool – but not cold – setting.

Can I prepare this garlic bread ahead of time?

You can prepare your garlic bread ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator before reheating, following all the steps up until wrapping it in foil. Then, when you’re ready, cook your baguette according to package instructions.

If you have cooked your garlic baguette already, it is best served fresh and hot out of the oven!

More Recipes To Try:

Here are a few other bread-related recipes you might enjoy:

• Vegan Flatbread Recipe
• Creamy Butter Beans
• Crispy Garlic Breaded Mushrooms