Pesto Garlic Bread
Last Updated on September 28, 2021 by Betty Davies
This delicious pesto garlic bread is so quick and easy to make and is perfect served alongside your favorite dishes, or as a tasty appetizer. It takes minutes to prep with just 4 ingredients. Garlic butter and pesto is spread on to a ciabatta loaf and oven baked for crispy edges and soft and fluffy middle.
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Whenever there is some garlic bread on the menu, I just can not resist it! Carbs and garlic are a match made in heaven!
The flavor of this bread side dish is amped up with the addition of pesto, making it perfect to serve alongside your favorite Italian dishes like pizza and pasta.
Trust me, this is one delicious bite that you won’t want to share!
Be sure to try my Cheesy Garlic Bread and Pizza Dough Garlic Balls too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Quick and easy: It takes no more than 5 minutes to make this recipe before it gets baked in the oven. It’s hands off and can be baked while you are waiting for your pasta to cook.
- Simple ingredients: You only need 4 pantry staples to make this recipe, so you have no excuses!
- Versatile: This is a delicious side dish to serve with our favorite mains, or serve up as an easy appetizer with your favorite dips.
Ingredients
- Bread: I made this pesto garlic bread with ciabatta, it gets crispy on the outside and stays soft and fluffy in the middle. A French baguette would also work really well.
- Butter: I prefer to use salted butter, but unsalted will work well too as there’s salt in the pesto. Soften the butter before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic cloves for the best flavors. In a pinch, you can use a teaspoon of garlic powder, but fresh is definitely best.
- Pesto: I made this recipe with my pistachio pesto and my lemon pesto would work great too. Any store bought pestos can also be used.
How to make pesto garlic bread
Be sure to scroll down for the whole recipe!
- Mix together the butter, garlic and pesto (photo 1).
- Spread over the bread and bake til golden brown (photo 2).
Recipe Variations
This pesto garlic bread is a pretty simple recipes, but you can easily mix it up by using different kinds of pesto and breads. Adding some shredded cheese to the top is not a bad idea either!
If you are vegetarian, be sure to use a pesto with a rennet free parmesan, and make it vegan bu using a plant -based butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
This side dish is best served as soon as it’s baked, but you can mix together the pesto spread ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge.
If you have leftovers, they will keep well for a couple of days and can be reheated in the oven or in the air fryer.
Yes! If you have an air fryer, then that’s a great method to cook the bread and quicker than oven baking. Place the bread into a preheated air fryer at 360F and cook for 3 to 5 minutes til it’s done to your liking.
If you have a larger loaf, then freezing may be a great option. Spread the pesto garlic butter on the bread as per the recipe, but don’t bake it. Freeze the slices solid on a baking sheet and then transfer to a air tight container or freezer bag. You can cook the garlic bread straight from frozen, it will just take a couple of extra minutes cooking time.
Serving Suggestions
This pesto garlic bread is great to serve as an easy appetizer alongside some dips like ranch or garlic and herb. As a side dish, it’s great with pastas, pizzas and all of your favorite Italian style meals. Try it with:
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Soften your butter so that it’s easy to combine with the pesto and garlic. Take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to make this recipe, or very gently heat in the oven on a low heat, but don’t melt it.
- It’s totally ok if there are still a few lumps in the pesto and butter mix as the butter will melt when the bread is baked.
- Keep your eye on the bread when you are baking it in the oven as it will start to brown quite quickly.
More Garlic Recipes
If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating and a comment below!
Pesto Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread
- 1 stick salted butter softened (4oz / 115g)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons pesto
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 200c.
- Cut the ciabatta loaf in half widthways across the middle, then slice each piece in half through the middle. Place on a lined baking sheet.
- Mix together the butter, minced garlic and pesto in a bowl.
- Spread the butter mix over the cut sides of the ciabatta.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes til the edges are brown and crispy.
- Serve with a garnish of parsley if you like.
Notes
- Soften your butter so that it’s easy to combine with the pesto and garlic. Take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to make this recipe, or very gently heat in the oven on a low heat, but don’t melt it.
- It’s totally ok if there are still a few lumps in the pesto and butter mix as the butter will melt when the bread is baked.
- Keep your eye on the bread when you are baking it in the oven as it will start to brown quite quickly.
- Nutritional values are an estimate only.
