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 on Italian bread and toasted to crispy perfection.
I never really thought I needed to create and share 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 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.
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 compliment the mellow, slightly sweet flavor of roasted garlic.
This stuff is perfect with everything from pasta dishes to tomato soup! It's delicious as a side dish, or served alongside some marara sauce as an appetizer.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- 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. Alternatively, try other fresh Italian herbs like parsley, oregano, or thyme.
- 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
- Roast all but one clove of your garlic. To do this, you'll cut the top off of each bulb, drizzle it with olive oil, and loosely wrap it in aluminum foil (or place it in a garlic roaster), then pop it into the oven until the cloves are soft and golden brown.
- I have an entire post dedicated to the process of how to roast garlic, so read through it if this technique is new to you.
Tip: Roasted garlic 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.
- Once the roasted garlic has had a chance to cool, squeeze the bulb to extract the super soft roasted garlic cloves.
- Add the roasted garlic to your food processor, along with that one reserved raw garlic clove, some salt and olive oil.
Tip: 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 everything up.
- Add some basil and blend again.
- Slice your loves in half, lengthwise, then slather the cut sides with the roasted garlic mixture.
- Bake your vegan garlic bread, and then (optionally) broil it for a minute or two for some extra browning if you like.
- Slice and enjoy. Try not to eat the whole loaf at once.
Variation
For cheesy vegan garlic bread, sprinkle your loaves with some shredded vegan cheese, such as vegan mozzarella or Parmesan cheese about halfway through baking.
Make Ahead Option
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.
Leftovers & Storage
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
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Vegan Garlic Bread
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 on Italian bread and toasted to crispy perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic bulbs
- 10 tablespoons olive oil, divided ( equal to ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of oil)
- ¼ cup fresh basil, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Dash red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 loaf Italian bread
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Remove one garlic clove from one of the bulbs and set it aside.
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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. (Note 1)
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Roast the garlic until the cloves are soft and browned, about 30 to 40 minutes.
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Remove the garlic from the oven, loosen the foil, and allow the bulbs to cool for a few minutes. Leave the oven on.
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When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the bulbs to extract the roasted garlic. It will be super soft.
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Place the roasted garlic into the bowl of a mini food processor (Note 2), along with the raw garlic clove, the remaining ½ cup of olive oil, and salt. Blend until smooth.
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Add the basil and pulse the food processor until it is finely chopped.
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Taste test and season with red pepper flakes and additional salt if desired.
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Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise, then slather the cut side of each half with the roasted garlic mixture.
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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.
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Slice and serve.
Recipe 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 (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.
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! :)
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!!!
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!
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!
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!
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. :)
Can i store the garlic paste in the fridge?
Sure! I think it should be good for 3 days or so.
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.