These buttery golden Garlic Knots are a simple and delicious appetizer made from pizza dough and flavored with herbs, Parmesan cheese, and of course, lots of garlic! These tasty bread bites are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and they practically melt in your mouth. They’re the perfect complement to any pasta dish or your favorite pizza recipe. They’re also great to serve on their own as a satisfying hot-from-the-oven snack served with a marinara sauce for dipping!
Looking for more great bread appetizers? Try our Bruschetta Caprese or our Air Fryer Easy Garlic Bread. Or are you looking to make a great pizza then try our Homemade Pizza Sauce!!
Garlic Knots are often served as an appetizer or side dish in Italian restaurants and are a perfect complement to pizza and pasta dishes. Interestingly, they’re believed to have originated in Italian-American pizzerias as a way to use up leftover pizza dough.
But you don’t have to go out to a restaurant to enjoy a delicious garlic knot. They are surprisingly easy to make at home! Plus, when you make homemade garlic knots, you can customize them with different seasonings and cheeses and make them just how you like them.
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Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set, Stackable
What is in Garlic Knots?
Besides making your own dough as below (and highly suggested), you can also buy pizza dough if you are in a hurry or in a pinch for time, or you can use our bread machine pizza dough recipe. Don’t use a thin-crust pizza recipe, as your garlic knots will not be nearly as good.
You may have all these ingredients already in your pantry and fridge. If not, they are very easy to find at your local grocery store.
Ingredients
Dough
Warm water
Instant yeast
Granulated sugar
Melted butter
Salt
Garlic powder
All-purpose flour
Garlic Butter
Butter melted
Garlic cloves, minced
Italian seasoning
Salt
Topping
Grated Parmesan
Chopped fresh parsley
How to Make Garlic Knots
In our dough recipe, we added garlic powder for extra flavor and swapped out the olive oil for melted butter. You’ll love it!
Once you’ve made your dough and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until doubled in size, you’re ready to make garlic knots!
To make the dough easier to work with, separate the dough into two equal balls. Working with one ball at a time on a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into an 8-inch log.
Then, cut the dough into eight 1-inch strips. You can use a bench scraper, as pictured above, or a sharp knife.
Take one strip of dough at a time, stretch it into an 8-inch rope, then tie the rope in a knot. You can leave the ends of the dough hanging out or tuck them underneath.
Repeat until you have 16 garlic knots. Place the knots onto two parchment-lined baking sheets (8 knots on each). Let them rise for another 30 minutes.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and whisk together melted butter, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and minced fresh chives. If you like them a little bit spicy, go ahead and add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes as well!
When the dough knots have risen, brush the melted butter mixture over the top of each knot. Reserve some of the butter mixture to add after the knots have baked.
The knots are done when they begin to turn a beautiful golden color. Remove them from the oven and brush on the remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley. These are best served warm out of the oven.
What to Serve With Garlic Knots
Garlic Knots make a great snack and a great appetizer. If you are serving them as a snack, they taste delicious with a marinara sauce for dipping. A big platter of homemade garlic knots with a dipping sauce will be the hit at any party or gathering, I promise!
What to Serve with Garlic Knots?
If you want to serve Garlic Knots as part of a meal, you can serve them with a variety of pasta, pizzas, or even soup and salad. Here are some of our favorite recipes to serve with Garlic Knots:
Recipe Pro Tips!
Here are some suggestions to make the best Garlic Knots around!!
- You can save some of the garlic butter or make extra and give them a little brush as they come out of the oven; this is highly recommended.
- Use the toppings of the Parmesan cheese and parsley, as it just makes the knots even better.
- Besides using the marinara sauce, which is great if you are serving them as an appetizer!! You can also dip to your heart’s content in pasta, soups, stews, and more.
- You can store them in an airtight bag and keep them on the counter for 2-3 days.
- They also freeze beautifully in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months.
- The unbaked knots can also be frozen by first freezing for 2 hours on parchment-lined baking sheets. Then freeze in the same fashion as above. Thaw on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered in plastic wrap for about 2 hours on a countertop. In this time, they will thaw and rise again. Bake as per the recipe.
WANT MORE GREAT BREAD RECIPES?
Here are a few of our absolute favorites, just as easy as these amazing Garlic Knots. Some sweet and some savory.
Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Garlic Butter
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Marinara Sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small glass bowl or measuring cup, stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until it starts to foam.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, and garlic powder. Pulse to combine. Then, pour in the yeast mixture and the melted butter. Knead on a low speed for about 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and tacky.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (about 60 to 90 minutes).
- Separate the dough into 2 equal balls. Working with one ball at a time on a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into an 8-inch log. Cut the dough into eight 1-inch strips. Repeat with the remaining dough ball.
- Take one strip of dough at a time, stretch it into an 8-inch rope, then tie the rope in a knot. You can leave the ends of the dough hanging out or tuck them underneath. Repeat until you have 16 knots.
- Place the knots onto two parchment-lined baking sheets (8 knots on each). Let them rise for an additional 30 minutes on the sheet pans.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the Garlic Butter mixture. Whisk together the melted butter, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- After the knots have risen, brush on the Garlic Butter mixture (reserving some of the mixture for after the knots come out of the oven). Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and brush on the remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping.
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