The best garlic bread you’ve ever tasted, and it just happens to be dairy-free! This vegan garlic bread is made with roasted garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil slathered onto crusty Italian bread, then toasted to crispy perfection.
I never really thought I needed to create and share a vegan garlic bread recipe. I've been making vegan garlic bread since I was a kid. I had my own recipe, even back then: slather some bread with margarine, 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: roasted garlic. OH YES! I needed make some garlic bread with roasted garlic. Best. Idea. Ever.
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Roasted garlic is super soft, so it's easy to blend up with some herbs and olive oil to create a spreadable emulsion that takes the place of butter in this recipe. Add some raw garlic as well, and you've got garlic bread with an amazing flavor profile with just the right amount of bite to complement the mellow, slightly sweet flavor of roasted garlic.
This stuff is scrumptious! The edges get perfectly crisp while the center stays rich and buttery, with sweet roasted garlic flavor in every bite. It's perfect with everything from pasta dishes to tomato soup! It's delicious as a side dish or served alongside some marinara sauce as an appetizer.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Garlic. We're using two whole garlic bulbs, which sound like a lot, but hear me out! Roasted garlic is nowhere near as intense as raw garlic. The flavor is mild and mellow. You could eat an entire bulb of the stuff yourself without adverse effects. Two bulbs will give us just the right amount of garlicky flavor.
- Olive oil. This is what I recommend for the best flavor, although other oils like corn or vegetable oil will work, as will melted vegan butters, like Earth Balance.
- Fresh basil. While basil isn't essential, it will take the flavor of your vegan garlic bread to the next level.
- Salt.
- Red pepper flakes. These will add a bit of heat. Skip them if that's not your thing.
- Italian bread. Italian bread is traditional, but not essential. If you want to switch things up you can try another type of loaf, such as a French baguette or ciabatta.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Get ready. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Steps 2 & 3: Prepare the garlic. Remove one or two cloves, then cut the tops off of your bulbs. Drizzle each one with a tablespoon of oil and wrap it loosely in foil.
Steps 4 & 5: Roast and cool the garlic. Place the foil-wrapped garlic bulbs into the oven and let them roast until the cloves are browned and super soft. Take it out of the oven (but leave the oven on), open the foil, and let it cool when done.
Tip: You can make the roasted garlic in advance! It keeps in the fridge for about 5 days and is freezer-friendly. Be sure to store it in an airtight container. I like to keep some on hand at all times for recipes like this one and my roasted garlic hummus.
Step 6: Load the food processor. Squeeze the cooled roasted garlic bulbs into the bowl, and add the basil, the reserved raw garlic, olive oil, and salt.
Step 7: Blend. Run the machine until the mixture is smooth. Give it a quick taste and add red pepper flakes if you'd like, or some more salt, or make any other adjustments you see fit.
Tip: Since you'll be blending up a small amount of ingredients, a mini food processor works great here. 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.
Steps 8 & 9: Prepare and bake the bread. Cut your loaf of bread in half, lengthwise, then spread the roasted garlic mixture all over the cut sides. Place both halves into the oven, directly on the rack and cut sides up, and bake until golden and crispy.
Step 10: Serve. Slice your vegan garlic bread and enjoy it while it's hot and crispy!
Variations
- Cheesy vegan garlic bread. Sprinkle your loaves with some shredded vegan cheese, such as vegan mozzarella or or provolone about halfway through baking, or with some vegan Parmesan cheese just before serving.
- Herbed garlic bread. Use fresh herbs like fresh parsley, oregano, or chives in place of or in addition to the basil.
- Bread swaps. Italian bread is traditional for this type of recipe, but by no means required. Swap it out with a baguette, some rolls, or even brush the roasted garlic mixture over pita bread or vegan naan.
- Make-ahead garlic bread. Each step of this recipe up to baking can be done in advance. After slathering the garlic paste on your bread, store the loaf halves in an airtight bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake your garlic bread according to the recipe, adding about 5 minutes if the loaves have been in the fridge, or about 15 minutes if they've been in the freezer.
Tip: If you love roasted garlic, be sure to check out my roasted garlic soup, roasted garlic gravy, and roasted garlic artichoke burgers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Use your favorite gluten-free bread. Italian bread is preferable, but pretty much any variety will work.
Sure does! The ingredients will blend up to a creamy emulsion, so no butter is needed. In fact, olive oil will make it taste better.
Leftover vegan garlic bread will keep in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. It won't stay crispy, but the flavor will still be great.
Dishes to Serve with Vegan Garlic Bread
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
đź“– Recipe
Vegan Roasted Garlic Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic bulbs
- 10 tablespoons olive oil, divided (equal to ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of oil)
- ÂĽ cup fresh basil, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Dash red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 (12 ounce/340 gram) loaf Italian bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove one large or two small garlic cloves from one of the bulbs and set them aside.
- 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 the bulbs in the foil. (Note 1)
- Roast the garlic until the cloves are soft and browned, about 30 to 40 minutes.Â
- Remove the garlic from the oven, loosen the foil, and allow the bulbs to cool for a few minutes. Leave the oven on.
- When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the bulbs to extract the roasted garlic. It will be super soft. Place the roasted garlic into the bowl of a mini food processor (Note 2), along with the basil, the reserved raw garlic clove(s), the remaining ½ cup of olive oil, and salt.
- Blend the mixture until smooth. Taste-test the mixture and season it with red pepper flakes and additional salt, if desired.
- Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise, then slather the cut side of each loaf half with the roasted garlic mixture.
- Place the loaf halves 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 to 2 minutes at the end of baking.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- A garlic roaster can be used instead of foil if desired.
- If you don't have a mini food processor, either double the batch size and use a full-sized food processor (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.Â
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I do not eat butter so I was looking for a garlic bread spread recipe that gave all the flavor without the butter and this recipe delivered. Made it for my non-vegan family and we demolished the entire loaf with dinner.
I've used the extra roaster garlic cloves in mashed potatoes and it resulted in some of the best garlic mashed we've had.
Can i store the garlic paste in the fridge?
Sure! I think it should be good for 3 days or so.
Approximately how long does it take for the garlic to roast at 400F? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Oops! Just added that to the recipe - thanks for asking! About 30 to 40 minutes. :)
This should be the most popular recipe on the internet! That is how much I loved it.
I put it on some ciabatta because I didn't want to buy a whole loaf of bread. I think a couple minutes under the broiler is a must. Seriously so good. I have a left over piece but I fear I might start sweating garlic if I eat it
Yay! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks so much Jean!
I made thsi today and it was AMAZING! by far the best garlic bread i've ever eaten, and i'm a terrible cook so that's saying something
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazingggg!! My non-vegan mom said she could eat this every day and I couldn't agree more ;)
Yay!! I'm so glad you both like it!
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! I doubled the garlic and basil but only used a little over 1/2 cup oil & added the red pepper flakes. We had to put it away before we ate the entire loaf. Lol
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi there, please clarify step #11...place directly on to rack, cut side down? Doesn't the cut side have all the oil/garlic mixture? Thanks.
It's cut side up! Thanks for catching that! :)