Roasted Garlic Vegan Garlic Bread

The best garlic bread you've ever tasted, and it just happens to be vegan! The trick: whip up mellow roasted garlic and olive oil to create a creamy, flavor-packed emulsion, slather it on crusty Italian bread, then toast to crispy perfection.

So I never really thought I needed a recipe for vegan garlic bread. I've been making vegan garlic bread since I was a kid. I had my own recipe: slather some bread with vegan butter (I called it margarine back then), sprinkle with garlic salt, and broil.

Sound like your recipe? It probably sounds like everyone's recipe. And hey, it's not bad. It's vegan by default, assuming the margarine you used was dairy-free.

But then one day it hit me: I should make some garlic bread with roasted garlic. Best. Idea. Ever.

Okay, so here's how this one works! You'll need to roast some garlic first. If you're new to garlic roasting, don't be alarmed by the fact that this recipe calls for two whole (large!) garlic bulbs. Roasted garlic is nowhere near as intense as raw garlic. In fact, the flavor is super mellow. So mellow that I threw a single raw garlic clove into the mix. And you know what? That one raw clove adds more bite than the two whole roasted bulbs.

How to Roast Garlic

Cut the top off of your garlic bulbs, so the cloves are exposed, then drizzle with olive oil, wrap loosely in foil, and roast away. It's done when the cloves are nicely brown and super soft.

How to Make Vegan Garlic Bread

Add the roasted garlic to your food processor, along with that one raw garlic clove, some salt and olive oil. Since you'll be blending up a small amount of ingredients, a mini food processor works great here. I used this little Ninja. If you don't have one you can just mash the roasted garlic with a fork, mince the raw garlic, and mix everything by hand.

Blend it up.

Then add some basil. This is totally optional, but very delicious.

Slice your loves in half, lengthwise, and slather with the roasted garlic mixture.

Bake it up, and then broil for a minute or two for some extra browning if you like.

Slice and enjoy. Try not to eat the whole loaf at once.

Tips for Making Amazing Roasted Garlic Vegan Garlic Bread...

• If you're opposed to cooking with foil, try a garlic roaster.
• Roasted garlic is freezer friendly, so every time I make it I roast a few extra bulbs for later. Wrap each bulb in plastic, then stick them all into a freezer bag and seal it tight.
• The garlic bread is also freezer friendly, and the best way to freeze it is before baking. Wrap the loaf in plastic, then stick it in a large freezer bag. Thaw it out on the day of serving, and bake according to the recipe. (<-- This is awesome for using up leftover Italian bread that would otherwise go to waste!)

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5 from 4 votes

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Roasted Garlic Vegan Garlic Bread

The best garlic bread you've ever tasted, and it just happens to be vegan! The trick: whip up mellow roasted garlic and olive oil to create a creamy, flavor-packed emulsion, slather it on crusty Italian bread, then toast to crispy perfection.

Course Side

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Bread, garlic, italian, side dish

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 16 slices

Calories 158 kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

• 2 large garlic bulbs
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ¼ cup fresh basil, optional, or parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Dash red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 loaf Italian bread

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

2. Remove one garlic clove from one of the bulbs and set it aside.

3. Cut the tops off of your garlic bulbs, then arrange each on a sheet of foil. Drizzle each with a tablespoon of olive oil, then loosely enclose in the foil.

4. Roast the garlic until the cloves are soft and browned, about 30 to 40 minutes. 

5. Remove the garlic from the oven, loosen the foil, and allow the bulbs to cool for a few minutes. Leave the oven on.

6. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the bulbs to extract the roasted garlic. It will be super soft.

7. Place the roasted garlic into the bowl of a food processor (preferably a mini one - see note), along with the raw garlic clove, ½ cup of olive oil, and salt. Blend until smooth. 

8. Add the basil and pulse the food processor until it is finely chopped. 

9. Taste test and season with red pepper flakes and additional salt if you like.

10. Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise, then slather the cut side of each half with the roasted garlic mixture.

11. Place the loaves into the oven, directly on the rack, cut side up. Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy. Optionally, place the loaves under the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the end of baking.

12. Slice and serve.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have a mini food processor, either double the batch size (you can freeze half for later) or mince the raw garlic, chop the basil, and mash the roasted garlic with a fork, and then mix everything together by hand. 

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Garlic Vegan Garlic Bread

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 158 Calories from Fat 88

% Daily Value*

Fat 9.8g15%

Saturated Fat 1.5g8%

Sodium 249mg10%

Potassium 34mg1%

Carbohydrates 15.4g5%

Fiber 0.8g3%

Sugar 0.3g0%

Protein 2.7g5%

Calcium 20mg2%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.