I’ve made my own garlic bread in the past and it’s to die for, but when do I ever need a whole loaf at once? While I probably could eat a whole loaf, I know deep down that it’s probably not a good idea (look at me being a responsible adult!). This Homemade Freezer Garlic Bread fixes that problem. Prepare the slices of garlic bread ahead, freeze them (unbaked), and then they’re ready and waiting for you whenever you get the craving, just like the kind you buy in a box at the store.
What’s So Great About Freezer Garlic Bread?
EVERYTHING. J/k, almost. It’s super fast to prepare and then you have a whole stockpile of single serving slices that are ready to pop into the oven on a moments notice. Bake two slices or ten, it’s up to you! Plus, since you’re mixing up the garlic butter topping, you know exactly what’s in there (and what isn’t), which always makes me feel good.
How Long Can You Keep Garlic Bread in the Freezer?
I usually try to use my garlic bread within three months of freezing. But if we’re being honest, it never lasts that long because it’s too good! Frozen foods undergo a slow decline in quality and flavor while frozen, so you don’t want to keep them too long, even if technically they are still safe to eat.
Homemade Freezer Garlic Bread
Servings 12 to 16 slicesIngredients
- 8 Tbsp salted butter, room temperature ($1.04)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.32)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley ( $0.30)
- 1 loaf French bread ($1.00)
Instructions
- Add the butter, olive oil, minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, and parsley to a bowl. Mix the ingredients together until they form a fairly smooth mixture.
- Slice the French bread into 1-inch thick slices (12-16 slices, depending on the size of the loaf). Add 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of the garlic spread to each slice of bread and spread it from edge to edge. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and then place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow the butter to firm up. Once firm, transfer the garlic bread to a gallon-sized freezer bag for longer storage. Store in the freezer up to three months.
- To cook the frozen slices of garlic bread, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is heated, take as many slices out of the freezer as you’d like, and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.* If you prefer a softer garlic bread without crispy edges, wrap the slices in foil before baking.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Freezer Garlic Bread – Step by Step Photos
In a bowl, combine 8 Tbsp room temperature salted butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 4 cloves garlic (minced) 1 Tbsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Mix them all up until it forms a fairly smooth mixture (a few chunks of butter are a-okay).
Take a loaf of French bread and slice it into 1-inch pieces (12-16 pieces, depending on the length of your loaf).
Place your bread slices on a baking sheet. Divide the garlic spread between your slices (about 1/2 to 1 Tbsp per slice) and spread it from edge to edge of the bread. Freeze the bread flat on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic spread is firm (if you forget at 30 minutes and come back to it hours later, that’s okay. Just don’t leave it for more than a day or it could start to dry out or absorb rogue flavors.
Transfer the frozen garlic bread to a gallon-sized freezer bag for long term storage. Always make sure to label and date your frozen goods!
To bake the frozen garlic bread, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place your frozen slices on a baking sheet and once the oven is fully preheated, transfer the slices to the hot oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the garlic bread are golden brown. If you prefer a softer garlic bread rather than one with crispy edges, you can wrap the slices in foil before baking.
Just made this and it smells wonderful and tastes great! I made my slices fairly thin, not as thick as regular garlic bread comes in the box. I will be doing this again!! Thank you!!
.
This is my favorite garlic bread recipe EVER!! I’ve made it probably 5 times in the past few months since discovering it. Instead of slicing the bread into individual slices, I slice it in half lengthwise and spread the garlic-butter mixture on the halves, which I freeze and subsequently bake. Whenever I make this it’s either for a crowd or when I’m meal prepping–the half loaf never goes to waste!
good recipice, although churning the butter took me approximately 45 minutes which was slightly misleading. i would prefer better instruction so i can conduct my satanic rituals in a more organized manner.
best,
bess
Snort! Good one!
I love this Homemade Freezer Garlic Bread, Thank you so much
Hello love the recipe but I was wondering if you could reheat this in the microwave, as I do lunch meal preps and this looks so yummy.
Yes you definitely could, you just may not get the crunch as you would in the oven.
Have been making more soups as an excuse to eat this garlic bread. So good. Thanks!
Do you put the spread on both sides of the slices?
No, I just do it on top. :)
This was really really good! I think I used slightly too much butter and salt (I was making it for half of a very small baguette), but it still tasted very nice. The only thing I would change next time is using vegetable oil instead of olive oil, but that’s only because I don’t like the taste of olive oil much, and I can still taste it even when the tiniest amount is used.
The recipe was so much tastier than any frozen garlic bread I can buy from a shop, and it also works out so much cheaper, which is always a win!
Thanks so much for the tip about freezing garlic bread. Just the info I was needing because I’ve been craving garlic bread but wondered if I really wanted a whole loaf just for myself. You’ve solved my problem and I’m going to make this (and spaghetti) tomorrow.
I love and hate Beth for this one. We’ve now had garlic bread almost every day for months because of this great idea. We get the huge po-boy bread loaves and double the recipe. AMAZING.
For anyone who wants their garlic bread ready like, right now, they can also be cooked in a skillet on low heat. Start with the butter side down for a couple minutes until toasty, then flip for another few minutes. Much faster than waiting for the oven to heat up. I can get the garlic bread done in the amount of time it takes to heat up a bowl of soup from the freezer, and within ten minutes of entering the kitchen I’m out with dinner ready.
Great tip!
Check the math. It says $3.82 per recipe but I didn’t get that when I added up your cost of ingredients. I’m trying to decide if it’s more cost effective to buy a box of premade garlic toast at Wal Mart.
Thanks for catching my math error! All fixed now.
Love every one of the fixings. Idealize declaration of fall ! Much obliged to you !
plan to make this often now, it turned out so well! Perfect as written but I also added a bit of shredded mozzarella to a few slices, really good too.
Thanks for this idea!! I grabbed a two-pack of fresh bread loaves at Costco and we quickly ate one, but the other was starting to get a bit firm. This is the perfect use for the second loaf! And now I can pay the Costco price for bread in the future (garlic bread will not last long in the freezer with my family!)