Make a batch of grilled garlic bread next time you're cooking dinner on the grill. Brushed with melted garlic-infused butter and topped with melted cheese, this garlic bread has a smoky flavor and perfectly charred edges.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Your favorite buttery, cheesy garlic bread with a smoky, lightly charred flavor.
Easy addition to the grill: Grilled over indirect heat and ready in about 5 minutes!
Serves: 8 people
Similar to: Cheesy Garlic Bread, Garlic Bread Pizza, and Garlic Bread Dip
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Bread - I recommend using a long, thin loaf of bread like French bread (pictured above), Cuban bread, or even ciabatta. Take a trip to your local bakery (like a grocery store bakery) for a loaf of fresh bread. Any loaf that's not too thick works best.
- Melted butter - Can be substituted with olive oil if desired, but butter (or ghee/clarified butter) will add the best flavor.
- Seasoning - Garlic powder, salt, and parsley add flavor and color to your garlic bread. I recommend using garlic powder because tiny bits of garlic burn easily on the grill. Garlic powder adds garlic flavor evenly across every inch of your bread.
- Cheeses - I used a combination of freshly shredded mozzarella and freshly shredded parmesan cheeses. You're welcome to use any melty cheese you have on hand, like sharp chedder or monterey jack. Freshly shredded cheeses (from a block) will add the best flavor and texture, and melt easily. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-clumping powders and can add a grainy texture when melted.
How to grill garlic bread
- Slice French bread into quarters.
- Brush with seasoned, melted butter.
- Grill over indirect heat for 1-3 minutes (or until lightly charred at the edges).
- Flip and top with cheese, grilling until melted.
Tips and tricks
Slice bread into large pieces for grilling - The reason we're not slicing our garlic bread into individual slices yet? Ease of transferring to and from the grill quickly. Smaller slices of bread can slip through the grates of your grill.
Use indirect heat - Bread is delicate and doesn't need much time to toast. Your garlic bread can cook entirely over indirect heat (meaning not directly over hot coals).
Set up a charcoal grill for indirect heat - Pile your hot coals into one half of the grill, leaving the other half empty. Grill your garlic bread on the empty half of the grill. Or, leave space around the edges of your grill to place your garlic bread. You get enough heat to toast the bread, but without the hot coals underneath to cause a flare-up. If needed, spread your coals out once the garlic bread is done.
Set up a gas grill for indirect heat - Preheat your grill normally, then turn off the burners directly below where you plan to cook your garlic bread.
Frequently asked questions
No. Using direct heat will char your bread in a matter of seconds and likely cause some flare-ups due to the melted butter. If you'd really like to slap your garlic bread directly over some hot coals, or slide your bread over to get good grill marks, take extreme care and do not walk away! Set your bread down on the grill, watch it, and be ready to move it quickly.
Assembled garlic bread can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours (depending on the freshness of your bread) before grilling.
Garlic bread can also be frozen for up to six months when stored in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container. Frozen garlic bread needs to be thawed before grilling. Transfer to the refrigerator about 4-5 hours before grilling, or transfer to the counter top to thaw for about an hour.
A loaf of French bread from a bakery is ideal, but can be substituted with Cuban bread or ciabatta.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Grilled Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat, about 375 to 400℉. For a charcoal grill, pile your hot coals into one half of the grill, leaving the other half empty for indirect heat cooking (or leave space to place your bread around the edges of the grill). For a gas grill, preheat your grill normally, then turn off the burners directly below where you plan to cook your garlic bread. If needed, clean your grill grates.
- Slice the loaf of French bread horizontally into two long pieces. If your bread is too long to fit on the grill as is, cut each of these pieces in half.
- In a bowl, add melted butter, garlic powder, parsley, and salt, stirring to combine. Brush melted butter over the cut sides of the bread.
- Wipe grill grates lightly with oil, then place bread face down onto grill grates over indirect heat. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes, watching carefully, until bread has browned to your liking. Flip bread over and top with shredded cheeses.
- Cover with lid and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from heat, cut, and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Bread substitution: A loaf of French bread is about 2 feet long (60 centimeters). French bread can be substituted with Cuban bread or ciabatta.
- Be careful: Buttered bread will char very quickly over direct heat. If you'd really like to get good grill marks on your garlic bread, carefully move bread to direct heat, watch carefully (do not walk away), and remove as soon as bread begins to char, or any flare-ups occur.
- Storage: Garlic bread (before or after grilling) can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours (depending on the freshness of your bread loaf), or stored in the freezer in a tightly sealed container (or wrapped tightly in wax paper and foil) for up to six months. To thaw, return to refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours, or to the counter top for 1 hour.
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