You don’t need to use butter (or any dairy products) to make incredible homemade garlic bread. In fact, this particular recipe is absolutely delicious and you would never notice that it wasn’t made “traditionally.”
Using flavourful extra virgin olive oil and prepping the garlic in two different ways to concentrate the flavour, this garlic bread comes together in about fifteen minutes total and it is the perfect accompaniment to any Italian feast – from pasta e fagioli to shrimp scampi.
So if you’re been wondering how to make a butter-free garlic bread or if it’s even possible, you’ve come to the right place! This recipe is easy and delicious and is sure to be a hit and cause serious cravings once you’ve eaten it.
How to Make Garlic Bread without Butter
This recipe is super easy and comes together in under twenty minutes, so it’s a great option for a last-minute side dish or appetiser.
The first step you need to do is preheat your oven and sheet tray. Pop a sheet tray in the oven while you preheat it to 200°C (400°F).
While the oven (and tray) is preheating, split your baguette half length-wise. Depending on the size of your bread and tray, you may need to cut it in half width-wise, as well.
Using a pastry brush, dab a bit of olive oil evenly across the cut sides of your bread.
Once the oven and tray have been preheated, remove the tray from the oven and place your bread halves cut-side down on the hot tray.
Cover the tray with foil and transfer to the oven for about ten minutes – just until the bread softens and gets golden and toasty on the cut side.
While your bread is toasting, it’s time to prep your garlic oil. Thinly slice a few cloves of garlic and add it to a small saucepan. Pour over a bit of extra virgin olive oil and set the pan over medium-low heat.
Allow the oil to slowly heat up, agitating the garlic slices every so often, and cook until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to toast and turn light golden brown, this should only take about five minutes. This will infuse the oil with a garlic flavour and cause the slices to sweeten and mellow.
While the sliced garlic is cooking and infusing, grate another few cloves of garlic into a small heat-proof bowl using a rasp-style grater.
Add some chilli flakes to the bowl if you want a bit of a kick along with some flaky (or simply coarse) sea salt.
The grated garlic will add a significant garlicky punch to your garlic bread but it won’t overpower it.
As soon as the sliced garlic has turned a pale golden brown, pour the oil over the grated garlic and chili flakes. Use a small spoon to stir to combine.
Remove your toasted bread from the oven. Take off the foil (but keep it to use in just a minute!) and flip the bread slices over. Evenly spoon the garlic oil mixture over the cut sides of the bread so that everything is equally-distributed.
With the bread cut side up this time, cover the sheet tray with foil once more and put it back in the oven for another five minutes, just to ensure everything is thoroughly heated through and the flavours are homogenous. You can use this time to chop up a bit of parsley if you’d like.
Pull the garlic bread with olive oil out of the oven and sprinkle your chopped parsley over it.
If you want to make garlic bread without parsley, you can very much skip this step and still have an excellent final result!
Now, cut your bread into slices and serve (and enjoy!).
Garlic Bread Without Butter
Ingredients
- 1 large baguette or French bread loaf split in half length-wise
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic 3 thinly slice & 3 grated
- ¼ tsp chili flakes optional
- ½ tsp flaky or coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and place a large sheet tray in the oven while it is preheating.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the cut sides of the bread with 15ml (1 tablespoon) of the olive oil. Once oven is preheated, remove the sheet tray and place the bread – cut side down – on the preheated tray. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the bread is in the oven, add the 3 cloves of sliced garlic to a small saucepan. Pour over remaining 45ml (3 tablespoons) of olive oil and set over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic in the oil, swirling frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and lightly toasted and golden brown – about 5 minutes.
- While the garlic slices are cooking, grate the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into a small, heatproof bowl. Add the chilli flakes, if using, and the salt. Once the toasted garlic is finished, immediately pour the oil over the grated garlic mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Remove the bread from the oven and remove the foil (set aside for later). Flip the bread over and evenly spoon the garlic and oil over the toasted bread halves. Cover the sheet tray with foil again and place in the oven for a further 5 minutes
- Remove from the oven, top with parsley and slice into smaller pieces. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Making homemade garlic bread without butter is super easy and the result is absolutely delicious. Whether you’re looking for a vegan option or forgot to pick up butter at the store, you may never go back to a butter-based garlic bread again!
Are you looking for a vegab garlic bread? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
After infusing the olive oil with the sliced garlic, when I pour the oil onto the grated garlic, do I include the cooked sliced garlic too or only the infused oil?
Hi Viv, you can include the sliced garlic, as well 🙂