Best Garlic Knots Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Easy garlic knots made from store bought pizza dough. Crunchy and flavorful on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and ready in less than 30 minutes.
As someone with extensive experience with yeast breads, I love a good shortcut when I can take it. This super easy recipe for garlic knots was born from a moment of desperation, when I didn’t have time to knead any dough, but I did have access to pre-made pizza dough and a short timeline to get an app out of the oven.
Of course, because I am who I am, I will encourage you to make things from scratch whenever I can. That’s where my homemade pizza dough comes in, if you’re looking for something quick but also completely homemade. This pizza dough is no rise and ready to use within 10 minutes, so you can still get these garlic knots done quickly.
Hollaaaa! This just got even better, didn’t it?
I’ve said so many times before that I really love making yeast breads. They’re one of my favorite things ever to make because they’re fun, and while they take a bit of time, the end result is always worth it.
And there’s so much pride in making bread from scratch!
But today, we’re keeping things mega quick. Because when I discovered that soft and fluffy homemade garlic knots could be a thing I could make as a side at dinner or our next holiday hosting, I said “forget you, yeast. Bring on the pizza dough!”
Garlic Knot Recipe Ingredients
pre-made (or homemade) pizza dough
unsalted butter
garlic
dried oregano
dried basil
salt
grated Parmesan cheese
How to make Garlic Knots
Like I mentioned, we’re using store bough pizza dough. You’ll need one pound of it. I used the kind in the tube, but you can also use one that’s already rolled out. You’ll just need to work a little bit harder to get it into equal parts.
Once the dough is out of the tube, you’ll cut it into 12 equal parts. So you’ll have 12 discs of pizza dough, all roughly the same size.
Next, roll each disc of dough into a log, about 6 to 8 inches in length. You’ll want to allow the logs to rest while you prepare the garlic butter.
BRUSH SEASONED GARLIC BUTTER ON TOP
In order to get these cutie little pizza dough garlic knots all garlic-ed up, you’re going to melt butter in a small saucepan with minced garlic. Yes, you’ll have little bits of garlic in your butter, but believe me, you’ll want this.
After it’s all melted, stir in some oregano and dried basil and let it cool down a bit while you form the bread knots.
FORM THE GARLIC KNOT
You might be wondering about exactly how to tie garlic knots at this point, because it sounds difficult, but it’s really not.
Grab the two ends of each log and “tie” a knot. You won’t truly get to put the bread into a tie because, well, it’s dough and it’s sticky and stretchy, but you’ll be able to form an overlap of dough.
One end will poke out of the top of the knot, and you can tuck the other one under the whole knot. You can also leave the bottom end sticking out if you prefer, but your knots won’t be perfectly round. Whatever floats your boat works just fine!
BRUSH THE KNOTS WITH GARLIC BUTTER
Using a pastry brush, brush your seasoned garlic butter onto the raw dough. Don’t be afraid to get some garlic chunks in there!
You only need to bake the knots for about 15 minutes, 18 minutes if you want them nice and golden brown. When they come out of the oven, give them one last brush of garlic butter before dusting grated Parmesan over all of the knots.
Easy peasy!
Dip in marinara sauce as a snack, use as a side with soup, or slice in half horizontally and make mini garlic sliders with your favorite fillers.
I wish I could say these lasted long in our house, but they didn’t. All 12 were gone in a couple days, though I did give 4 away to my brother-in-law who would eat garlic knots until his eyes fell out if he could.
Best Garlic Knots Recipe Variations
Feel free to play with the spices and/or the cheese. If you decide to use homemade dough, you can add more spices to the dough itself. To keep these dairy free, you can use olive oil in place of the butter and omit the cheese completely or use a dairy-free cheese.
What to Serve With These Quick Garlic Knots
These garlic knots go well on the side of any Italian dish. Consider using them for pizza dip or spreading them with homemade pesto.
How to Store Homemade Garlic
I worried about these garlic knots drying out after sitting at room temperature for a couple days, but keeping them covered tightly and reheating them for 10-12 seconds in the microwave brought them back to life and they were still perfectly soft and fluffy, just like they were right after they came out of the oven.
I’m totally breaking this recipe out at Easter, again at birthday parties, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It’s just too easy and too perfect not to use this recipe for garlic knots wherever I can.
So there’s your fair warning, anyone who comes to our house for holidays. Garlic knots on the menu, no matter what!
Seriously, who knew making garlic knots from pizza dough could be so easy or so tasty? I certainly didn’t, but now I do, and I’ll probably never make garlic knots from scratch even if I had all the time in the world.
So… Who’s having EASY homemade garlic knots tonight?
Quick Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) pre-made pizza dough1
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons (30g) grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Cut the pizza dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-8" long rope. Allow to rest while you prepare the garlic butter.1 pound (454g) pre-made pizza dough1
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and the garlic, then allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in the oregano, basil, and salt. Set aside.6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, 3 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Form each rope of dough into a knot: grab each end separately and form the dough into a knot by crossing the ends over, tucking one end under the other, and looping it through the hole so it pokes out of the top. You can tuck the other end under the bottom of the knot or leave it out. Place formed knot onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush each knot with the seasoned butter. Bake knots for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush an additional time with remaining seasoned butter, then sprinkle each knot with grated cheese. Serve immediately with marinara as dipping sauce or as a side. Store leftovers covered tightly at room temperature, up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 10-12 seconds before serving. Knots freeze well, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator and warm as needed.2 to 3 Tablespoons (30g) grated Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Dough: if you prefer, you can make your pizza dough from scratch.
- Make this dairy free: replace the butter with olive oil and omit the Parmesan cheese or use a non-dairy cheese in its place.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Super simple! We made them to go with a pasta dinner. Perfect. THanks!
You are so welcome 🙂
SO GOOD. Thanks for a quick recipe!
Thank YOU, Jenni!