This vegan garlic bread is made with a soft, Italian loaf spread with homemade vegan garlic butter and fresh parsley that’s oven baked until crispy. Make this in your own kitchen with just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy – The epitome of a quick and easy weeknight recipe. All you have to remember to do is pull the butter out of the fridge to soften ahead of time. Serve it with my Vegan Tofu Bolognese Sauce or Easy Vegan Crockpot Lasagna Soup for a delicious, hearty vegan dinner.
- Customizable – Adjust the ingredient measurements to your family’s taste! I love parsley and use more than usual in my homemade garlic bread. If you don’t, you can use less. Similarly, my youngest brother is not a garlic fan and my mom makes him a portion of the bread sans garlic. Do what works best for you and your family.
- Extra cheesy garlic bread option! If you want to take your garlic bread to the next level, try my cheesy version (full instructions and photos below).
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Italian bread – My favorite bread to use for homemade vegan garlic bread is Italian bread. It’s nice and large, plump and very soft on the inside. French bread is typically longer, thinner and more crusty and not the best to use when making homemade garlic bread.
- Vegan butter – You can use any vegan butter you can find here. I typically like to use Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Creamery.
- Vegan parmesan – I typically use Minimalist Baker’s vegan parmesan recipe because it is easy to make with ingredients I always have on hand and I can control how salty I make it. This is the same parmesan recipe I use and recommend in my Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta Bake. If you prefer to buy a store-bought version, Follow Your Heart and Violife both make popular versions.
- garlic cloves – It is imperative to use fresh garlic when making homemade garlic bread. You will not be able to get that same pungent, sharp garlic flavor using garlic powder or garlic granules and the flavor of your bread will fall flat. Always use fresh garlic.
- parsley – I love using lots of fresh parsley in my vegan garlic bread because it really elevates the flavor! Make sure to buy Italian flat leaf parsley over curly parsley. It has a very different texture and flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
- Soften the butter to room temperature. This is a really important step and cannot be skipped. Leave the butter out at room temperature for 1-2 hours until your finger or a spatula can make an indent in the butter with zero resistance. Be careful not to let it melt too much or it will be liquid and difficult to work with.
- Prepare the garlic herb butter. Once your butter is sufficiently softened, add in the minced garlic, vegan parmesan and minced parsley.
- Fold the garlic herb butter together until evenly combined. The texture of the garlic herb butter should be very soft and spreadable, but not be liquid.
- Cut your loaf in half. Slice your Italian bread longways and lay both halves on a large baking sheet. Feel free to line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, if desired.
- Spread on the garlic herb butter. There should be plenty to spread generously on both halves.
- Bake! Bake the vegan garlic bread for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and the bread is a nice golden color.
Cheesy Garlic Bread Option
If you want to make your garlic bread extra creamy and cheesy, make this cheesy garlic bread option!
- Prepare the vegan garlic herb butter the same as you would for the regular garlic bread, but add 1 ½ cups of my Tofu Mozzarella. Whisk to combine.
- Spread it on the loaf bread and bake as usual. It may need to bake for up to 15 minutes, as the spread is a bit more liquid and creamy.
- Slice and serve with extra fresh parsley!
FAQs
Vegan butter and margarine are very similar in that both are typically made primarily from vegetable oils. Some margarines, however do still contain animal products like whey, lactose, or animal fats and therefore are not vegan friendly or dairy free. There are several versions of vegan butter available now, so always check the label!
I typically use Earth Balance butter sticks for baking because they are sold in pre-measured butter sticks just like regular butter and are really easy to work with. I have recently started baking with Miyoko’s Creamery Butter because I prefer their ingredient list and it also works well, though it is a bit softer and less stable.
Yes, garlic bread actually does best when stored at room temperature. Allow the garlic bread to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight storage container or wrapped in saran wrap.
Yes, garlic bread can be reheated in the microwave, but note that this will not make it crispy. If you want fresh tasting, crispy garlic bread, wrap the leftovers in aluminum foil and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until hot and crispy again (about 10 minutes).
Ideas to Serve Garlic Bread With
Expert Tips
- Broil it for the last couple of minutes for extra crispy garlic bread! If you like extra hot and crispy vegan garlic bread, broil the bread for the last 2-3 minutes. Make sure to watch carefully to make sure the garlic does not burn.
- Buy fresh bread. Unlike when making Overnight Vegan French Toast Casserole, you do not want to use stale bread for homemade vegan garlic bread. I try to buy a loaf of Italian bread on the same day I’m planning to use it when possible to make sure it’s as soft and fresh as possible.
More Vegan Side Dishes You Make Like
Vegan Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 1 stick vegan butter - softened (½ cup)
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoons Italian parsley - finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups tofu mozzarella - for cheesy version only
Instructions
- Soften the vegan butter 1-2 hours before needed at room temperature.
Regular Vegan Garlic Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl using a spatula, mix together the softened vegan butter, vegan parmesan cheese, minced garlic and finely chopped parsley until it forms a soft, spreadable garlic butter.
- Cut the Italian bread loaf in half lengthwise, resulting in two long halves.
- Spread the garlic herb butter evenly on both halves of the bread.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy and golden on the edges. Optional: Broil the garlic bread for the last 2-3 minutes for extra crispy edges. Watch carefully so the garlic does not burn.
- Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Cheesy Vegan Garlic Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl using a spatula, mix together the softened vegan butter, vegan parmesan cheese, minced garlic, finely chopped parsley and tofu mozzarella until it forms a loose, spreadable cheesy mixture.
- Spread mixture evenly on both halves of the bread.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy and golden on the edges. Optional: Broil the garlic bread for the last 2-3 minutes for extra crispy edges. Watch carefully so the garlic does not burn.
- Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I use Earth Balance or Miyoko’s butter.
- I use Minimalist Baker’s vegan parmesan in this recipe, but you can also opt for a store-bought version like Violife or Follow Your Heart if desired.
- Using a french bread baguette is not recommended.
- Estimated nutrition facts are for the regular vegan garlic bread.
General note about salt
Please pay attention to the type of salt called for in the recipe (if applicable). Not all salts are made equal and cannot be substituted 1 for 1. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt, you will need to cut the amount called for in the recipe by at least half.
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Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
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