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.

Grilled garlic bread sliced into pieces for serving.

Are you someone who, when grilling, wants to cook the entire meal on the grill? If so, you're going to love this recipe for grilled garlic bread. It's going to become your new favorite grilling side dish.

All you need is a loaf of French bread, melted butter, garlic powder, salt, parsley, and some shredded cheese. Your loaf of bread is sliced in half, slathered in melted garlic-infused butter, then carefully grilled over indirect heat to prevent flare-ups.

You'll love how easy it is to prepare garlic bread on the grill. Plus, grilling garlic bread adds a smoky, lightly charred flavor that pairs perfectly with your next grilled steak, chicken, or pulled pork.

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.

Brushing bread with melted butter and cooking on the grill.

Slicing your bread

Slice your entire loaf of bread in half lengthwise, creating two long pieces. Depending on the size of your bread loaf, you may want to cut each of those pieces in half so that they fit comfortably on the grill (like shown above).

The reason we're not slicing our garlic bread into individual slices yet? Simply for ease of transferring to and from the grill quickly. Plus, smaller slices of bread can slip through the grates of your grill.

How to prevent flare-ups

Fats (like butter) and the grill are not the best of friends. When cooking something fatty that drips onto hot coals, you may get a flare-up, which can be scary. How do you cook butter-drenched bread on the grill without flare-ups? Here's a few tips.

Clean your grill grates before beginning. Leftover food residue on your grill grates can cause a flare-up. Give them a good scrub before cooking your garlic bread.
Grill your garlic bread over 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).
To 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.
To 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.

Here's a few articles with more information:

A whole piece of garlic bread with grill marks, placed on a wooden cutting board.

Can I use direct heat?

Using direct heat will char your bread in a matter of seconds (trust me, we've tested it!), and likely cause some flare-ups. I do not recommend it. 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.

Make ahead and freezing

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. Or, wrap very tightly in wax paper and several layers of foil.

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.

What to serve with grilled garlic bread

Grilled garlic bread is a crowd pleaser - who doesn't love garlic bread? This is sure to be a crowd favorite at your next backyard barbecue. Here's a few main courses to serve with garlic bread:

Grilled steak
Grilled lemon pepper chicken
Pineapple shrimp skewers
Grilled vegetable skewers
Pulled pork

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