Garlic bread made with cheap white baguettes will always have my heart! Mmm.... That crunchy golden outer crust with a meltingly soft garlic-buttered interior. It might not be the fanciest dish around, but it always tastes glorious. I promise you , once you make your own home made vegan garlic bread, you will never want to have any other type! Even better, it is easy to make in the air fryer or in the oven!
This type of garlic bread is not going to win culinary prizes, but that's not what it's for. It's for making on a cold winter's night, for dunking into soup, or to mop up the juices from cozy bean stews you're making.
If you want a fancy schmancy made-from-scratch garlic bread to impress at a dinner party, check out my Triple Garlic Flatbreads. But if you're making one of my stews, like this Vegan Bean Stew with Borlotti Beans or a cozy soup Pumpkin Soup without Cream or this Swede (Rutabaga) and Carrot Soup, then this is the bread you want. It will soak up those juices and you will all end up fighting over the last piece.
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🧄Ingredients
Making this garlic bread only requires a few simple ingredients.
- Baguette or French Stick: The cheap half sized baguettes that you buy partially baked at the supermarket are perfect for this. I also find that a full bageutte can be cut in half and works well, or the smaller 'baton' style baguettes also work. One of the half French sticks serves two adults when served with a stew or soup.
- Vegan Butter: Use your favourite brand of vegan butter.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I add a little extra EVOO to make the butter more spreadable, but it's optional.
- Fresh Garlic: The absolute star of the show. 4-5 cloves per half sized baguette seems to be about right.
- Fresh Parsley: Again optional, but I love the extra little pop of colour and herby freshness.
- Flakey Sea Salt: Maldon sea salt is my favourite.
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
Garlic bread is super easy to make, just follow these easy steps.
1.Finely chop the garlic. You can use a garlic press if you like. Then mix the vegan butter, oil, salt and parsley together with a fork.
2.Cut the baguette so it's 'hassleback' style. This means you make slices, but don't cut all the way through. This makes it easy to smear the garlic butter right in, without it going everywhere.
3.Using a teaspoon, smear garlic butter into every cut of the bread.
4.Either place the bread into your airfryer at 180 C/356 F for 6-7 minutes, or wrap in foil and oven bake at 180 C/356 F for 10-15 minutes.
Hint: Wrap your garlic bread in foil if cooking in the oven, as it takes longer. This keeps the bread moist and fluffy. I like to semi wrap the bread in foil when in my airfryer, as it cooks rapidly and doesn't seem to dry out as much.
🌿Variations & Substitutions
If you want to change up, or elevate your garlic bread game, here are some ideas.
- Gluten Free - choose your favourite gluten free bread.
- Roasted Garlic-Roast whole heads of garlic first in your air fryer or in the oven. Squeeze out the squishy garlic and use that along with some fresh garlic to create the garlic butter.
- Spicy -Add chilli, or some harissa to the garlic butter.
- Cheesy - Add vegan parmesan, or just pop little slices of your favourite vegan cheese in between the slices of baguette along with the garlic butter.
🔪Equipment
This recipe is great made in an air fryer. I love my Ninja Foodie Grill and Air fryer, so can personally recommend that! Otherwise you can just use your oven. Either method will create delicious garlicky bread!
🥫Storage
Make the vegan garlic baguette ahead of time and freeze it whole. You must do this before you cook it though! Wrap it up in foil, then when you are ready to cook it, simply pop it in the oven or air fryer, and cook from frozen, unwrapping the foil half way through.
You can also make the garlic butter in a large batch and have it on hand to use as needed (It's great on veggies too). This will keep for 2-3 weeks in a sealed container in the fridge.
❗Top tip
If you want a crunchier, crustier garlic bread baguette, cook it a little longer. If you're more into a soft squishy garlic bread, take it out a few minutes earlier.
❓FAQ
Yes, you can make the garlic bread ahead of time, wrap it up, then freeze it. When you want to eat it, unwrap and cook it whole in the oven or the air fryer.
I like the cheap finish at home baguettes (french stick bread) that you buy in packets at the supermarket. You can also use regular baguette from the bakery. Either taste delicious.
If you can find gluten free baguettes, then yes. Alternatively, smear the garlic butter on your favourite gluten free roll or sliced bread and toast for a little while in the oven.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Garlic Bread in Air fryer or Oven
Equipment
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- ½ baguette (Use a small baton style, or half a whole baguette per two people. )
- 100 g (½ cups) vegan butter
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 g (2 ½ tablespoon) fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
Instructions
- If you are using your oven, pre-heat it to 180°C/356°F
- Peel the garlic cloves, then very finely chop them up. You can use a garlic press, or just chop. A little bit of salt mixed in with the garlic will help it pulverise well.5 cloves garlic
- Finely chop the parsley.10 g fresh parsley
- Mix the butter, oil, salt, garlic and parsley in a bowl with a fork until mashed up and incorporated together.100 g vegan butter, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt, 10 g fresh parsley
- Slice the baguette 'hassleback' style- nearly slice it through to the base but not quite (see images in how-to section in main post)½ baguette
- Smear teaspoons of the garlic butter in between each slice, making sure to get the butter all the way in!
- If using the oven, wrap the garlic bread in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- If using the airfryer, put the garlic bread onto a piece of foil, then place in the air fryer for 5-8 minutes.
- Serve immediately!
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