Freezer Garlic Bread
Buttery, garlicky slices of French bread you spread, freeze flat, and pull straight from the bag. Super handy and just the thing to round out a meal that’s missing something.
What You’ll Need
- 1 loaf French bread (Italian bread, sourdough, any type really will work, but I like French bread for its crustiness. Up to you!)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley (Dried, not fresh; it holds up better through the freeze and bake.)
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Equipment You’ll Need
- Rimmed baking sheet. You need the rim so the slices don’t slide off while they freeze.
- Serrated knife. A regular chef’s knife will crush the loaf rather than slice it.
- Freezer bag
This doubles and triples beautifully…it’s the whole point of a freezer recipe! The only real consideration is sheet pan space for the initial freeze. You need the slices in a single layer until they’re solid, so plan to freeze in batches if you’re making multiple loaves. Once they’re frozen, they bag up small and stack however you need them to.
Instructions
Make the garlic butter
Soften your butter on the counter for an hour or so before you start — not melted, just soft enough to stir easily. Melted butter will soak straight into the bread instead of sitting on top, and then you end up with greasy slices and dry spots both at once.
In a bowl, mash the butter with the minced garlic, salt, parsley, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. A fork works better than a spoon here. You want it well combined so every slice gets the same amount of garlic.
Slice and spread
Slice the French bread into pieces about three-quarters of an inch thick. Any thinner and they get brittle in the freezer; any thicker and the centers don’t heat through in eight minutes.
Spread the garlic butter on one side of each slice, all the way to the edges. This is the one place this recipe can go wrong — a bare half-inch rim around the edge bakes up dry and disappointing. Go edge-to-edge, even if it feels like too much butter.
Freeze the slices flat before packing them up
Lay the buttered slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and slide it into the freezer for an hour or two, until the butter is solid.
Don’t skip this and dump them straight into a bag — they’ll fuse into one sad garlic-bread brick and you’ll be prying them apart with a knife.
Once they’re frozen solid, transfer the slices to a freezer bag, press out the air, and label it. They’ll keep for about three months.
Bake from frozen
When you’re ready to eat, heat the oven to 375°F and pull out as many slices as you need. No thawing — straight from the freezer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden and the butter is bubbling. Use the middle rack, not the top — garlic on the top rack scorches before the bread is hot through. Watch the bread, not the timer, especially the first time you make these in your oven.
Storage Instructions
The whole point of this recipe is the freezer, so let’s start there. Once the buttered slices are frozen solid on the baking sheet, transfer them to a labeled freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. No need to thaw — they go straight from the freezer to a 375°F oven.
I freeze them in a single layer first specifically so they don’t clump together in the bag. That way you can grab 2 slices for a quick weeknight dinner or 10 for a crowd without prying frozen bread apart with a knife.
If you’ve already baked the garlic bread and have leftovers, wrap them tight in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes — the microwave will make them sad and chewy.
Best Ways to Use It
- Alongside spaghetti or lasagna (Freeze a big batch of Bolognese, and you have a freezer meal you’ll actually look forward to!)
- With a big bowl of tomato soup for dunking.
- Next to a Caesar salad for an easy lunch.
- Topped with marinara and mozzarella, then broiled, for quick garlic bread pizzas.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Sure. Just cut the salt back to about ¼ teaspoon and taste the butter mixture before spreading.
Can I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
You can in a pinch, but fresh is so much better here. Use about ¾ teaspoon garlic powder if that’s what you have. Note: my mother warned me that garlic would change color after freezing, but that has literally never happened to me!
Can I freeze the bread as a whole loaf instead of slices?
Yes! Slice the loaf in half lengthwise, spread the butter over both cut sides, freeze on a sheet pan until solid, then wrap in foil. Bake from frozen. I prefer slices though — you can pull out exactly as many as you need.
Why did my garlic burn?
Your bread was probably too close to the top of the oven. Bake on the middle rack, not the top.
Why is the butter leaking off instead of soaking in?
The butter was too warm when you spread it — softened, not melted. Melted butter just runs right off the bread and pools on the pan.
Do I need to thaw before baking?
No. Straight from the freezer to the oven.
Garlic Bread for the Freezer
Equipment
- Serrated knife
- Freezer-safe bag
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
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Instructions
- Mix the garlic butter. In a bowl, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, salt, dried parsley, ground pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir until smooth and well combined.
- Slice the bread. Using a serrated knife, slice the French bread into individual pieces of even thickness and set aside.
- Spread the butter. Spread the garlic butter evenly over one side of each slice, going all the way to the edges to prevent dry spots when baking.
- Freeze the slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1-2 hours.
- Transfer to storage. Move the frozen slices to a labeled freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake from frozen. Arrange the frozen slices on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until hot and golden brown around the edges. No need to thaw first.
Notes
Nutrition
