Easy Garlic Breadsticks

These Easy Garlic Breadsticks are soft, fluffy, buttery, and loaded with garlic and Parmesan flavor. The shortcut is frozen dinner roll dough, so you get warm, homemade-style breadsticks without mixing, kneading, or making yeast dough from scratch. They are perfect with pasta, soup, salad, or a bowl of marinara for dipping.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need four ingredients to make these garlic breadsticks.

• Frozen dinner rolls – I usually use Rhodes Dinner Rolls, but another brand of frozen yeast roll dough will work too. Thaw the dough according to the package directions before shaping.
• Butter – Melted salted butter gives the breadsticks plenty of flavor and helps the garlic and Parmesan coat every side.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic, garlic paste, jarred minced garlic, or garlic powder can all work depending on what you have.
• Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan has great flavor, but the finely grated Parmesan from the can works well here too.

Ingredient Additions and Substitutions

The basic butter, garlic, and Parmesan combination is all these breadsticks really need, but you can easily change the flavor.

• Garlic powder: No fresh garlic? Stir garlic powder into the melted butter instead.
• Italian seasoning: Add a little dried Italian seasoning to the garlic butter for extra herb flavor.
• Parsley: Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley over the baked breadsticks.
• Mozzarella: Add a little shredded mozzarella with the Parmesan if you want cheesy garlic breadsticks.
• Extra Parmesan: Sprinkle additional Parmesan over the tops before baking.
• Olive oil: You can replace some of the melted butter with olive oil, although I prefer butter for the flavor and soft texture.
• Homemade dough: If you don’t want to use frozen rolls, use the dough from our Homemade Dinner Rolls or our Homemade Breadsticks.
• Extra garlic butter: For even more buttery garlic flavor, brush a little additional melted garlic butter over the breadsticks as soon as they come out of the oven.

I don’t recommend using garlic salt in place of the garlic. Between the salted butter and Parmesan, the breadsticks already have plenty of salt and can quickly become too salty.

How to Make Easy Garlic Breadsticks

1. Thaw the dough and prepare the pan. Thaw the frozen rolls according to the package directions. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the melted butter and garlic, then pour the mixture evenly over an 11 x 17-inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the butter.

2. Shape and coat the breadsticks. Roll each piece of dough into a rope about 5 to 6 inches long. Place each breadstick in the garlic butter mixture and turn it over so both sides are coated.

3. Arrange and rise. Arrange the breadsticks in two rows of 12 and sprinkle with additional Parmesan if desired. Let them rise for about 30 minutes, or until the dough looks soft and puffy.

4. Bake until golden. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the breadsticks are lightly golden and baked through in the center. If the tops are browning before the centers are done, loosely cover the pan with foil and continue baking, checking frequently.

How to Make Olive Garden-Style Breadsticks

If you want these to look a little more like Olive Garden breadsticks, roll the dough into longer, thinner ropes and leave more room between each one.

The extra spacing lets the sides brown instead of baking together into softer pull-apart breadsticks.

Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may need to bake fewer breadsticks at a time so they have enough room to rise.

Then serve them with Zuppa Toscana, Pasta e Fagioli Soup, or Crockpot Chicken Alfredo for an easy Olive Garden-inspired dinner at home.

Recipe Tips

• Thaw the rolls completely. The dough should be soft and easy to roll into ropes. If it is still frozen or very cold in the center, it won’t shape or rise as evenly.
• Follow the package thawing directions. Different brands and thawing methods can take different amounts of time.
• Don’t count thawing as hands-on prep. Most of that time is simply waiting for the frozen dough to soften.
• Make the breadsticks the same size. Keeping them around 5 to 6 inches long helps them bake at the same rate.
• Don’t overwork the dough. Roll it gently into ropes rather than repeatedly kneading or stretching it.
• Coat both sides. Turning each breadstick in the butter, garlic, and Parmesan gives you more flavor all the way around.
• Give them room to rise. They will get noticeably puffier during the 30-minute rise.
• Use the rise as a guide, not just the clock. A cold kitchen may require a little extra time. The dough should look soft and puffy before it goes into the oven.
• Watch for golden edges. The breadsticks should be lightly golden on top and bottom and no longer doughy in the middle.
• Tent with foil if needed. If the tops brown too quickly, loosely cover them with foil while the centers finish baking.
• Brush with butter after baking. This is optional, but a light coating of garlic butter on hot breadsticks makes them even softer and more flavorful.
• Serve them warm. Breadsticks are at their softest and fluffiest shortly after they come out of the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make Ahead and Storage

These breadsticks are best warm from the oven, but they also work surprisingly well for parties and make-ahead meals.

Make ahead: Bake the breadsticks as directed, let them cool completely, and store them in an airtight container. Warm them just before serving.

Room temperature: Store cooled breadsticks in an airtight container or zip-top bag for about 2 to 3 days.

Refrigerator: You can refrigerate them for a few additional days, although bread tends to dry out more quickly in the refrigerator.

Freeze: Place completely cooled breadsticks in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheat: Wrap several breadsticks loosely in foil and warm them in a 325°F oven until soft and heated through. For one or two breadsticks, a few seconds in the microwave works too.

Freeze homemade dough: If you are making your own dough using our dinner roll recipe, you can shape the dough and freeze it before the rise. Once frozen solid, transfer it to a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw and allow it to rise before baking.

More Bread and Dipping Sauce Recipes

If you have a little more time and want to make your breadsticks completely from scratch, try our Homemade Breadsticks. They are based on the bread twists I loved when I worked at Pizza Factory and are still one of my favorite homemade bread recipes.

And don’t forget the dipping sauces!

Appetizers

Marinara Dipping Sauce

Dressings

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Italian

Pomodoro Sauce

Italian

Homemade Alfredo Sauce