The Best Garlic Knots

Make your next at-home pasta, pizza, or soup dinner extra special with a batch of the best garlic knots. These fluffy, buttery knots are packed with herbs and garlic for a flavorful addition to any meal. 

If you love bread and rolls and biscuits as much as I do, you’re in for a treat today.

These garlic knots are SO delicious. They’re also pretty easy to make, so they’re actually something you can throw together on a weeknight. 

The dough only needs to rest/rise for 40 minutes total; with shaping and baking time, they’ll take you just over an hour from start to finish, with most of that being hands-off time. 

Which means you can get the rest of your dinner ready while these little beauties are rising and baking. Maybe a big pot of soup or pasta? There are no wrong answers when garlic knots are involved.

WHY THESE GARLIC KNOTS ARE THE BEST

Do you ever treat yourself to a batch of buttery garlic knots when you order pizza? 

Garlic knots are typically made with pizza dough that’s tied in small knots, then finished with garlic butter before serving.

I love garlic knots and wanted my homemade version to be extra delicious, so I did a few things to make these the BEST garlic knots:

1. I added some bread flour to my 30-minute pizza dough recipe to make sure these knots have just the right balance of fluffiness and chewiness to them.
2. I included garlic powder in the dough to give it extra flavor.
3. I brushed the knots with garlic-herb butter TWICE: before AND after baking. That’s right, there’s no shortage of flavor with these babies!
4. This step is optional but recommended: I finished them with a little bit of parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. 

The knots are soft and fluffy but still have a bit of that chewy bite you are used to in a pizza crust. And they’re absolutely popping with flavor. They’re incredible on their own or dipped in quick marinara sauce.

Serving suggestions

Obviously these homemade garlic knots are a great addition to any pizza night.

They’re also perfect for serving alongside pasta, whether it’s fettuccine alfredo, American goulash, or Italian sausage and kale pasta.

And don’t forget about soup! From lasagna soup to zuppa toscana to beef and barley stew, garlic knots are great for dipping into your favorite soups and stews.

Speaking of dipping, try them as a dipper for pizza dip or olive oil herb dip.

They even make a great substitute for parker house rolls at a big holiday dinner!

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE GARLIC KNOTS

Don’t be intimidated by the yeast in this recipe. If you’ve never made yeast dough, this is a great one to start with. Plus, it’s pretty quick to make so you’ll have homemade garlic knots on the table in no time.

Ingredients you’ll need

For the garlic knot dough, you will need:

• 1 cup bread flour
• ¾ to 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 envelope instant yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoons
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅔ cup warm water (about 110°F)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

If you don’t have bread flour on hand, you can make the whole recipe with all-purpose flour instead. The knots will still be delicious!

Make sure you use instant yeast for this recipe, not active dry yeast. 

For the garlic-herb butter, you will need:

• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced or grated
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Make sure you very finely mince or grate your garlic; you want to make sure it gets evenly incorporated into the butter and you don’t want any big pieces of it to burn in the oven.

If you want to add a bit of heat to your knots, add a pinch of crushed red pepper to the butter. This is totally optional; feel free to leave it out if you don’t like spice!

Making the dough and butter

To make the dough, add the bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and garlic powder to a large bowl. Add the warm water and the olive oil and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. 

Gradually add the all-purpose flour. You will add just enough of it to make a soft dough that forms a ball but is still slightly shaggy.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, adding additional flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will take about 8 minutes so be patient and give it the time it needs!

After kneading the dough, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter. Add the garlic, herbs, and red pepper flakes, if using. Let this infuse while you shape the knots. 

Shaping and finishing the knots

Don’t be freaked out by the idea of shaping your garlic knots. It’s not too hard and even if they don’t look perfect, they’ll still taste delicious!

Divide your rested dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 7-8 inches long.

Gently tie the rope into a knot, just like you’d do if you were tying your shoes. Don’t worry if the knot isn’t perfect; as the dough rises, a lot of imperfections will disappear. 

Place the knot on a lined baking sheet and repeat for all of your dough pieces.

Cover the pan loosely with with a clean kitchen towel and let the knots rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 30 minutes, or until the knots have doubled in size. 

Once risen, brush the knots gently with about half of the garlic butter, re-warming it if necessary to melt it again. Bake the knots for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Immediately after pulling them from the oven, brush the tops with the rest of the garlic butter. If desired, sprinkle the tops with parmesan cheese and a little fresh parsley.

STORAGE AND REHEATING

If you have any leftover garlic knots, let them cool completely before storing them in a zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.

You could also freeze them in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 2 months. Let the knots thaw at room temperature for an hour or two.

If you’d like to reheat your garlic knots, I recommend doing so in the oven. Microwaving them could make them tough, so the oven is the way to go. (A toaster oven would also work if you have one.)

Wrap the knots loosely in foil and place them in a 350℉ oven for 7-10 minutes or until warmed through. 

RECIPE FAQS

Could I make these garlic knots with pre-made pizza dough?

While I think the dough for this recipe is one of the things that makes these the best garlic knots, you can totally make them with your favorite pre-made pizza dough.

Let 1 pound of pizza dough come to room temperature before dividing it and shaping it into knots as directed in the recipe. If you use pre-made dough, you may want to add an extra clove of garlic to the butter since you won’t have the garlic powder in the dough.

How do I know how warm the water is when making the dough?

One of the most useful tools in my kitchen is an instant-read thermometer. It’s the most accurate way to measure the temperature of the water before adding it to the dough.

If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, use the inside of your wrist to gauge the temperature of the water. You want it to feel quite warm but not hot on your wrist.

What’s the best way to knead the dough for these garlic knots?

Sprinkle a clean countertop with all-purpose flour. Place your dough on the floured surface.

Use the base of one palm to push the dough away from you, then use your other hand to fold the dough back over itself and turn it 90 degrees. Repeat this process for about 8 minutes, adding more flour to the countertop if needed if things get too sticky.

The more you practice the kneading motion, the easier it will become. Kneading does take time, so don’t try to rush it; it’s important for building structure in your dough and giving these garlic knots their beautiful texture.