Air Fryer Garlic Bread
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This air fryer garlic bread recipe is fast, delicious, and needs just a handful of ingredients. It’s buttery, cheesy, and one of my family’s favorite sides.
Confession: I make air fryer garlic bread at least once a week because it’s the fastest way to get perfectly crisp, buttery, cheesy slices on the table- and my partner insists it shows up anytime pasta, pizza, or well, any main protein is involved. I first started making it this way after reheating leftover Domino’s garlic bread in it (yes, this culinary school grad loves his Domino’s) and realized I could just make it myself…from scratch.
After a few rounds of testing to get the timing and bread style just right, I landed on the perfect combo: individual slices of French bread lathered with garlic butter and a sprinkle of cheese that cooks up crisp on the edges and a center that melts in your mouth. It’s so quick and reliable, it may become your family’s go-to side dish, too.
Table of Contents
Air fryer garlic bread recipe highlights
- Quick and easy. I’m talking 5 minutes.
- Best texture. Like my air fryer bread, because the air fryer circulates the heat, the bread is always crispy, but the middle is soft and fluffy.
- Works with fresh or frozen garlic bread. While I love making this from scratch, you can also use pre-frozen garlic bread.
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “I make this for every single pasta night in my house, and the kids polish it off before we even start- it’s SO good” – Simone
Key Ingredients
Here are the main components that go into this air fried garlic bread. You’ll find the full printable list with measurements in the recipe card below.
- White baguette. I like to use a baguette (French stick) as they make smaller rounds of bread and the more authentic base for the garlic butter. Of course, ciabatta or even a small sourdough loaf will also work.
- Garlic butter mix. I’m using softened salted butter, fresh garlic cloves (no dried garlic, please), and freshly chopped parsley.
- Parmesan cheese. Optional, but grating a little parmesan cheese on top of the bread before air frying takes it to the next level and gives it the gorgeous golden crunch (as pictured).
How to make garlic bread in the air fryer
Step 1- Make the garlic butter mixture.
Step 2- Spread the garlic butter on each baguette.
Step 3- Place the buttered bread in the air fryer basket.
Step 4- Air fry the garlic bread for 4-5 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Recipe tips and variations
- To avoid soggy bread, always cook the garlic bread in a single layer (the hot air needs to circulate around each piece). If needed, cook them in batches.
- Add aluminum foil or parchment paper to the base of the air fryer. This prevents the base of the garlic bread from crisping up too much. Don’t fret, though- it won’t burn through and will make clean-up even easier.
- Use other cheeses, like mozzarella, cheddar, or even goat cheese.
- Make garlic toast. My ultimate lazy hack. All you do is switch out the bread for sliced bread and air fry it as instructed.
Frequently asked questions
Frozen garlic bread takes 7-8 minutes to cook in a preheated air fryer.
As frozen garlic bread is a little thinner, I recommend air frying the entire loaf (or halved) for 6 minutes at 180C/350F.
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 180C/350F.
- Slice the baguette into 2-inch thick slices.
- In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, garlic, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
- Spread a very generous amount of garlic butter on slices of the baguette.
- Generously grease an air fryer basket and air fry the garlic bread for 4-5 minutes, or until golden.
- Repeat the process until all the bread is cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
More air fryer sides
Originally updated January 2023
This recipie is outstanding!! My half Italian boyfriend exclaimed, “This is GOOOOD!!” 🥰
I cheated and used jarred garlic and dry parsley, and grated Romano Cheese from Sam’s but the garlic toast still turned out great! I bought some “day old” sandwitch rolls from Jimmy Johns the other day for less than 50 cents each, then tossed them (prewrapped in sandwitch paper) into a large bag in my freezer. That way I was able to pull one out to use tonight: very convenient.
As suggested, I cut these rolls into thick slices, about 2 inches thick. I preheated my airfryer and lined it with a paper liner, as usual, so there was no clean up, other than throwing that liner away after the toast was removed. Cutting the rolls into such thick slices and using a paper air fryer liner made all the difference. I’m so glad I decided to follow your recipie.
I didn’t use all of the Romano Garlic Butter mixture tonight, so I put the leftovers into a few ice cube slots, then put the tray in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I plan to put them in a small, marked Ziplock Bag. This should work well to give me premixed, fresh garlic butter when I need it.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipie!!
Amazing! Sounds like you had a lot of success with this one 🙂 So glad you liked the recipe! You’ll have to let us know if you try any other air fryer recipes 🙂
I added here even more spices and it was really good. Didnt know you can make this in air fryer.
Easy to prepare and very tasty! Instead of slices, however, I cut the loaf longways and spread the butter mixture on each half and baked it in my toaster oven. Really good for making scrambled egg sandwiches for breakfast!! Thanks!
This sounds amazing. I like parmesan cheese very much. And baguette!
I need to make this for my dad. He loves bread so much.
But this would be so different for him hehe. Thanks!
That looks so delicious 😋 love garlic bread!!
Thanks, Cat!
Hi, this looks wonderful, and I’d like to make it in my air fryer, but I don’t have a basket. Mine is the ‘little oven’ style air fryer. Would it be the same, or would it make a difference in temp or time?
That is fine 🙂 It will cook just the same 🙂