Indulge in a hot, fresh slice of this 15 minute air fryer garlic bread. It's perfectly toasted and golden brown on the outside, while soft and pillowy on the inside. Pair this garlicky treat with your favorite pastas, soups, proteins, and more.
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📋 About the Recipe
- Quick and easy - This easy air fryer garlic bread recipe is ready from start to finish in 15 minutes. It's one of the best things to whip up when you're short on time or need a hearty side to serve with your favorite pasta.
- Healthier than Texas toast - If you're accustomed to purchasing frozen Texas toast, switching to a healthier option like this homemade version is a great way to avoid preservatives and unnecessary ingredients in your diet without much effort.
- Kid friendly - The whole family will love this buttery garlic bread. It's one of those favorite recipes everyone looks forward to. If your kids prefer a less garlicky bread, go light on the garlic or skip it altogether on one portion of the loaf.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Bread - The best delicious garlic bread is made with fresh bakery style loaves. Look for a French baguette, Italian bread, or dinner rolls. If desired, you can re-purpose my Challah recipe too!
- Oil and butter - I love making my garlic butter spread using a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and melted unsalted butter because it lightens up the buttery spread while keeping the toast moist and golden brown.
- Garlic - When making homemade garlic bread, it is imperative that you use fresh garlic over jarred. Jarred garlic is processed with tons of preservatives in order to keep it fresh, resulting in lack of flavor and quality. The best way to go is fresh, minced garlic.
- Seasoning - Keep it simple and use a blend of dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper. If needed or preferred, swap the dried basil and dried oregano with 1 ½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Oven method - If you don't have an air fryer or are using it to make another side dish such as Air Fryer Zucchini, you can make this homemade garlic bread in the oven instead. Bake the garlic bread on a baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Keep a close eye on the bread to prevent burning.
- Make cheesy garlic bread - After recipe step 3, sprinkle the garlic bread with shredded mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese and bake as usual until the cheese melts. Enjoy the garlic cheese bread immediately while fresh.
- Use softened butter - If you prefer to make your crispy garlic bread with softened butter, swap the melted butter with softened butter to form a homemade garlic butter spread.
📓 Instructions
- Cut the loaf of bread. Cut the loaf of french bread to fit the length of your specific air fryer basket or tray, but keep the loaves as long as possible. Cut each loaf in half lengthwise to create two long open faced halves.
- Combine the butter mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, melted butter, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, salt and black pepper until well combined.
- Brush the oil and garlic mixture onto each piece of bread. I find this easiest to do using a pastry or basting brush.
- Air fry. Place the split loaves in a single layer in the air fryer with the oiled side facing up. Air fry for 5 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the garlic is fragrant.
- Serve. Cut the fresh garlic bread into thick slices and serve immediately as desired. We love it as is, but you can also serve sprinkled with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.
❄️ How to Store
To store: Leftover garlic bread will keep best at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. Enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
To freeze: If you won't be able to eat leftover garlic bread within 3 days, it can be frozen for longer storage. To do so, allow bread to cool completely before placing in a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 1 month.
To reheat: Garlic bread will reheat best in the air fryer. Start with cooking the bread for 2 to 3 minutes at 350 degrees F. Frozen garlic bread can be reheated for 3 to 4 minutes, or until warmed through and crispy again.
🔍 Recipe FAQs
Yes, it is safe to use tin foil in most air fryer models, but it is not necessary or recommended. In order for an air fryer to work properly, the air needs to be able to circulate around the food. If you place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of your air fryer, it prevents the air from circulating properly. Instead, place the bread directly in the air fryer basket.
This easy side dish pairs well with your favorite pasta dishes, healthy soups, or additional side dishes like Instant Pot Asparagus. Some of my favorite dishes to serve this crusty bread with are classic spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta, Pink Sauce Pasta, or this Mediterranean Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta.
Store leftover bread at room temperature. If you refrigerate the bread, it will cause the bread to become much more dense and dried out.
💭 One More Tip
Don't overcrowd the air fryer. In order to make the edges of your garlic bread crispy, it is important to keep the bread in a single layer and give it enough room to allow the air to circulate. If necessary, opt to cook the garlic bread in batches or use my alternative oven method, as desired.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf french bread (or 2 smaller loaves)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (about 4 to 5 garlic cloves)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the bread to fit the length of your air fryer, but keep it in long loaves. Cut each loaf in half lengthwise to create open faced loaves.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, melted butter, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper.
- Using a pastry or basting brush, brush the oil and garlic mixture evenly on top of each piece of bread.
- Place the split loaves in the air fryer with the oil side facing up. Air fry at 370 degrees F for 5 minutes. You might need to cook the bread in batches if all of it does not fit in a single layer.
- Remove the bread from the air fryer and cut into even-sized slices.
Notes
- Make sure to use fresh garlic for the best flavor!
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer. If you do, the bread will not cook evenly.
Nutrition
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Stacy says
So so good! I love how easy it is to make this garlic bread any time we have spaghetti for dinner. I also love that it’s healthier than store bought or frozen kinds.
Alana Lieberman says
Isn't it the best? Thanks for giving it a try!