Baguette Garlic Bread is a super easy side that pairs well with everything from pasta to steak to seafood. Just wait until you bite into a crispy slice of baguette dripping with garlic butter!
I’ve been making garlic bread using a baguette for years, and never grow tired of the sound of the knife cracking through the crust of the baguette as the scent of garlic wafts up.
It’s a must-have served with Spaghetti Alfredo, Pan-Seared Filet Mignon, and No-Wine Shrimp Scampi to name a few favorite pairings.
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Why Make This Recipe
- Quick and easy—you don’t even need to chop garlic cloves!
- Perfect with all sorts of main dishes
- Tastier than store-bought garlic bread, with no unpronounceable ingredients.
🥗 Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use salted butter instead, but then dial back the kosher salt by about half. Taste, and add more salt as needed.
- Garlic Powder: If you are a garlic bread purist, feel free to replace with minced or grated fresh garlic cloves instead. Just make sure they are very finely chopped or grated because otherwise you can get an unpleasant bite of garlic in a bite.
- Dried Italian Herbs: A premixed Italian herb blend works here, but also feel free to substitute dried basil, dried oregano, and even herbes de provence.
- Baguette: If you can’t find a baguette in your grocery store or bakery, look for regular French bread or an Italian loaf.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together ½ cup softened butter, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon dried Italian herbs in a bowl until well combined.
Cut a baguette in half, lengthwise. Use a rubber spatula to spread the butter mixture in an even layer on both sides of the baguette.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then place both halves of the baguette on the sheet. If they are too long to fit, cut them in half.
Put baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until butter has fully melted and the baguette is browned at the edges.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Garlic Bread Baguette
This garlic bread is really best eaten the same day you make it. But, if you have leftovers that you want to store, wrap them in foil or plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Reheat in a toaster oven or air fryer before serving. You can also reheat in a 375-degree oven for 5-10 minutes. (Reheating in the microwave won’t give you the same crunch!)
Garlic butter keeps very well in both the refrigerator and the freezer. If you have extra (or want to make a double batch), you can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
You can also scrape it onto a piece of parchment paper and roll it into a tube, then store the parchment tube in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Can you make this homemade garlic bread baguette in advance?
While I wouldn’t recommend making the actual garlic bread in advance, you can definitely make the compound butter in advance. Mix all of the ingredients, then cover and keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use. Take garlic butter out of the refrigerator and allow to soften before continuing with the recipe.
Yes, you can, though you would need to cut the baguette into slices before buttering them individually. Then arrange in a singer layer on the air fryer basket and air fry for 5 minutes or so at 350 degrees. You will likely have to do two or three batches to bake the whole baguette.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Want to make a cheesy garlic bread baguette? Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese over the butter and bake as directed. Or, amp up the herbs by using this Garlic Herb Compound Butter with this recipe.
In France, a well-done baguette is called “bien cuite”—meaning, very well toasted. For this recipe, I’d recommend a softer baguette since ones that start off with a very well-baked crust can be too hard after baking in the oven for this recipe. So look for a baguette that is lighter colored.
If you want slices that are ready to go as soon as you take them out of the oven, slice baguette diagonally into 1-inch slices before buttering (don't cut baguette in half down the middle). Then butter each slice, arrange on sheet pan, and bake.
If you like a softer garlic bread (or you are starting with a particularly crunchy baguette), put the two halves of the baguette back together after spreading with butter and wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until butter has melted.
On the other hand, if you want very crunchy baguette garlic bread, you can broil the garlic bread for a couple of minutes, until the top has browned a bit.
What to Serve with Garlic Baguette
Almost anything goes with this delicious side dish. Serve it with a bowl of soup, like this Spiced Carrot Lentil Soup or this Tuscan White Bean Soup. Pairing with this Instant Pot Chicken Soup is an instant classic!
Serving it with a rotisserie chicken makes for an easy meal, or try it with these Chicken Parm Meatballs or these Zucchini Turkey Meatballs.
Or, serve with spaghetti tossed with this Easy White Wine Sauce or a savory Pepperoni Lasagna. You can't go wrong pairing it with a classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce either. Or try one of these pasta dishes:
If you try this garlic baguette recipe, we would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to us.
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Baguette Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 baguette
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Stir together butter, garlic powder, salt, and Italian herbs in a bowl until well combined.
- Cut baguette in half, lengthwise.
- Use a rubber spatula to spread the butter mixture in an even layer on both sides of the baguette.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then place both halves of the baguette on the sheet. If they are too long to fit, cut them in half.
- Put baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until butter has fully melted and the baguette is browned at the edges.
Notes
This garlic bread is really best eaten the same day you make it. But, if you have leftovers that you want to store, wrap them in foil or plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Reheat in a toaster oven or air fryer before serving. You can also reheat in a 375-degree oven for 5-10 minutes. (Reheating in the microwave won’t give you the same crunch!) Expert Tips:
Want to make a cheesy garlic bread baguette? Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese over the butter and bake as directed.
If you like a softer garlic bread (or you are starting with a particularly crunchy baguette), put the two halves of the baguette back together after spreading with butter and wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until butter has melted.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this baguette garlic bread recipe, tag us @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because we’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Lupe says
Crunchy and delicious and irresistible!!!
Molly Pisula says
So glad you loved this! Thanks so much for commenting.
Fedora says
The aroma of garlic and butter wafting from the oven as this baguette bakes must be irresistible. The crispy crust and soft, buttery interior make it the perfect side dish or appetizer for any meal.
Molly Pisula says
Yes, it smells like heaven!