These homemade garlic knots are extra soft and fluffy, and use a dough almost identical to this reader-favorite pizza dough. Top with flavorful garlic herb butter before AND after baking. And use my detailed instructions, video tutorial, and step-by-step photos below to help with the shaping step.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
These are the BEST garlic knots. I’m knot even kidding. ๐
Tell Me About These Garlic Knots:
- Made from an easy homemade dough
- Leftovers freeze beautifully
- Super soft and fluffy
- Golden brown
- Extra garlic butter
And I know you’ll appreciate this too: You can use the entire batch of dough for 16 knots or you can use half of the dough to make a pizza or stromboli, and then have 8 knots on the side. Perfect for pizza nightโno delivery required.
One reader, Michelle, commented: “These were perfect! Brushing on the garlic butter before baking makes such a difference. These are near foolproof! So fluffy and delicious! โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Catie, commented: “My husband agreesโbest garlic knots ever! This recipe works! โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Rachel, commented: “Who knew I could make garlic knots from scratch? Simple recipe to follow and sooo good! My whole family approves! Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s a keeper! โ โ โ โ โ “
Garlic Knots From Pizza Dough
You can make these garlic knots with 1 or 2 pounds of store-bought or homemade pizza dough. Today’s dough is almost identical to my homemade pizza dough, which yields about 2 pounds of dough. You can make 16 knots or 1 pizza + 8 knots. If you only need about 8 knots, freeze the other half of dough for another time. You will want to make these garlic knots again.
- Besides garlic knots and pizza, you can use this dough for cheesy breadsticks, pepperoni pizza rolls, and ham & cheese pockets too! So versatile.
Compared to my pizza dough, I add 1 extra Tablespoon of olive oil for a little extra flavor and richness. Sometimes for extra flavor I use butter instead, similar to what I do when making homemade breadsticks. Either one works. (Melted butter in the dough is convenient because you also need melted butter for the topping.)
Even though store-bought dough is convenient, I encourage you to try homemade dough. The dough requires so few ingredients, and about 60โ90 minutes of rise time.
You need flour, yeast, sugar, water, salt, and olive oil (or melted butter). I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star. If you’ve been baking my yeast breads for a while, you know I swear by it! Its careful formula strengthens dough and makes working with yeast simple.
Let Me Show You How to Shape Garlic Knots
Start by making and kneading the dough. (Reference my How to Knead Dough video tutorial as necessary.) After the dough rises, punch it down to release the air. Then begin shaping the dough. If you know how to tie a knot, you can shape garlic knots.
- Shape into a 16-inch log: Using your hands, shape the dough into a 16-inch log. No need to use a rolling pin because this doesnโt need to be perfect.
- Cut into 16 strips: Cut the log into 16 1-inch strips.
- Roll each strip into an 8-inch rope.
- Tie the rope into a knot.
Here are step-by-step pictures of the shaping process. It’s a lot easier than it seems, and you don’t need any special tools.
Shape each strip into knots:
You can tuck the ends underneath the knot or leave them outโthat’s totally up to you. The ropes are longer when making soft pretzel knots, but tying the knot is the same.
Let the shaped knots rest for about 30 minutes before brushing with butter and baking.
Garlic Herb Butter
Right before baking, generously brush the knots with garlic herb butter. Simply combine melted butter, fresh minced garlic or garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- If you can’t find a spice labeled “Italian Seasoning” in the spice aisle, use dried oregano, dried basil, and/or dried parsley instead.
Bake the knots until golden brown and experience the lofty smell of garlic throughout the kitchen. Everyone (um, even your neighbors) will know what’s on the menu tonight!
Flavor Tip: Save some of the garlic butter to brush onto the knots as they come out of the oven, then top each with fresh parmesan and chopped parsley. The parmesan and parsley are completely optional, but make an awesome garnish. This is your happy place:
More Surprisingly Simple Homemade Bread:
- Sandwich Bread
- Whole Wheat Bread
- Homemade Cheese Bread
- Dinner Rolls
- Focaccia
- Homemade Garlic Bread
- Soft Pretzels & Soft Pretzel Knots
Homemade Garlic Knots
- Prep Time: 3 hours (includes rising)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 knots
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Follow these detailed instructions for super soft and flavorful homemade garlic knots. Review video tutorial and recipe notes below before beginning.
Ingredients
Homemade Dough
- 1ย and 1/3 cups (320ml)ย warm water (between 100โ110ยฐF, 38โ43ยฐC)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeastย (1ย standard packet)*
- 1 Tablespoonย (13g)ย granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) olive oil or (43g) melted butter
- 1 teaspoonย salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
- 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
Topping
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 garlic cloves, minced; or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- optional after baking: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- optional after baking: 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you donโt have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
- Add the olive oil (or butter), salt, garlic powder, and half of the flour. Beat for 15 seconds, then add the remaining flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
- Knead the dough:ย Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If youโre new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your fingerโif it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a โwindowpane testโ to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until itโs thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick sprayโjust use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1โ2 hours or until double in size. (Tip: For a warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150ยฐF (66ยฐC). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When itโs doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
- Shape the dough: Use the video tutorial and step-by-step photos as your guide for this step. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Using floured hands on a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into a 16×5-inch (13x41cm) log. (5-inch width really isn’t as important as the 16-inch length hereโno need to be exact.) Using a very sharp knife, pizza cutter, or bench scraper, slice into 16 1-inch strips. Roll each strip into 8-inch ropes. Tie each into a knot. You can tuck the 2 ends of the knots underneath or leave them outโthat’s up to you. Arrange the knots on 2 baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Lightly cover the shaped knots and let them rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes. They will slightly puff up during this time, producing softer rolls.
- Towards the end of the rise time, preheat oven to 400ยฐF (204ยฐ).
- Make the topping:ย Stir the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt together. Brush on the knots. Reserve some of the topping for when the knots come out of the oven.
- Bake for about 20โ23 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush the warm knots with remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and/or parsley, if using.
- Serve plain or with marinara sauce for dipping.
- Cover and store leftover knots at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze baked and cooled knots for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter, then reheat as desired. (I usually just microwave them for a few seconds.)
Notes
- Freezing Dough or Overnight Dough Instructions: See Pizza Dough recipe for details; the doughs are almost identical.
- Freezing Unbaked Shaped Knots: Instead of freezing the dough as a whole, you can freeze the shaped knots before baking them. Shape the knots as directed in step 4. Arrange on a lined baking sheet. Freeze, uncovered, for 1โ2 hours. Remove from the freezer. At this point, knots should be frozen and no longer sticky. Place them into a freezer-friendly container or zipped-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter. Bring to room temperature, arrange on 2 lined baking sheets, cover lightly, and allow to rest/rise for 1 hour before continuing with step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Dough Scraper | Pizza Cutter | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush
- Dough: You can make these garlic knots with 2 pounds of store-bought or homemade pizza dough. This recipe yields just about 2 pounds of dough, which is enough for 16 knots or 1 pizza + 8 knots. If you only want to make 8 knots, punch the dough down as directed in step 4. Cut in half. Use the other half of the dough however you’d like or freeze for later. Shape into an 8-inch log and cut into 8 1-inch strips. Continue with the recipe as directed.
- Garlic Powder: I now add a little garlic powder to the dough. You won’t see that addition to the dough in the recipe video, but it adds a little extra flavor. Highly recommended.
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead. The 1st rise time may take a little longer. Reference my Baking With Yeast Guideย for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Italian Seasoning: If you can’t find a spice labeled “Italian Seasoning” in the spice aisle, use dried oregano, dried basil, and/or dried parsley instead.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I genuinely cannot believe how poor this recipe was for me. I followed the instructions to the letter, yet my dough remained unmanageable. Far too sticky to knead, even with a mixer. I tried letting it to longer and it only got stickier. I added nearly an extra cup of flour trying to get it workable. It got stickier. Eventually it got to the point I had to give up and toss it – and even that was a nightmare. My mixing bowl was nearly ruined by how sticky this dough had become. I’ve used recipes from this site before with success so I don’t know what happened here. But I urge any others attempting to follow this one to reconsider. Absolutely the worst experience I’ve had in 10+ years of baking.
Thanks for the feedback, Chris. I wonder how the dough kept getting stickier as you added more flour. I always find that when I am using a stand mixer to knead, I usually need to add more flour to the dough vs. when I knead by hand. Did you accidentally add more water than what was called for? Sorry you had such a poor experience.
My family loved these! I followed the recipe as written and they turned out perfect. They were golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside.
First recipe from this site I didnโt love, the knots were a little bland and the bottoms burned. Not sure if it was the 20 min or the 400 degree oven. Never have issues with oven running hot . Not sure Iโd try these again unfortunately. My son did enjoy them!
This recipe is terrible. I Wasted 4 cups of flour and really nice olive oil just for the dough to turn out way too sticky no matter how much flour I added. I Followed the directions exactly, spooned and leveled the flour, add half first, etc. Genuinely the worst recipe I’ve followed so far.
My 13 year old son showed this recipe to me as he loves garlic knots . Already made it 3 times within a week. He totally loves it . Thank you for the recipe. I have also made your chocolate cake which is delicious.
would you have to change anything if you added cheese?
Hi Katie, no other changes needed.
I loved this recipe! I felt very intimated at the thought of making bread (especially for a large thanksgiving party), but the recipe was very easy to follow.
I left off the 4 star rating in my original comment.
These turned out very good looking and delicious. The dough was very wet and never looked like the tight dough in the video even with lots more kneading and a little added flour but still worked out. I kneaded in a stand mixer for easily 20 min and still had to add about 4 teaspoons of flour. I then kneaded by hand for about 7 minutes and it looked pretty good but the dough was still a little relaxed. The first rise was large and the cutting and knotting went well. The knots rose a good amount on the sheet pans. I swapped and rotated pans after 10 minutes in the oven. 11 more minutes after that. I did have to melt about 2 tbsp more butter to make sure I had enough garlic, butter, and seasoning to brush on when they came out of the oven. I recommend adding flaky sea salt on top with cheese and parsley since the first bite was a little bland. The added salt made a big difference in flavor.
Such a good recipe. I ran out of all purpose flour so I had to use about 1 cup of bread flour but they turned out so soft and airy definitely recommend adding that bread flour!
The recipe was very informative. I am an amateur baker, and I tried this and it was very easy to follow. The knots came out a little harder than I expected, I had to put it in the oven for longer, about 30-35mins as they weren’t turning golden brown. Could this be reason for them turning out slightly harder?
Definitely could be!
Weโre dairy free. Is there something other than butter I can brush on the knots?
Hi Hannah, what about a plant-based butter like Earth Balance? That would likely be the best swap to give you the most classic garlic knot taste. You could skip the butter topping, but then the knots will be plain and not like signature garlic knots.
Can I just add the flour and yeast and then the water? I have been baking breads in the same way, so I wanted to ask that can it work with the garlic knots too?
Yes, and be sure to use instant yeast if doing it that way.
So disappointed. Followed directions exactly. The dough rose nicely ( at least it looked like it did). Went to punch the dough down and it was a soupy mess. I have no idea what went wrong.
These came together beautifully. However, the bake time is off by at least 10 mins. I checked them at 18 mins. and I had bread stick knots. They were tasty but not what I wanted. I froze some of the dough and baked them for 11 mins and they perfect.
Hi Cynthia, bake time can vary depending on your oven, especially if your oven runs hot (we recommend using an oven thermometer to check) or if you bake on the convection or fan setting (if so, we recommend lowering the temp by 25ยบF). Thank you for trying this recipe!
These turned out so great! I used Aldi rapid rise yeast. Weater being warm and humid, they rose in about 35 min. The dough was a dream to work with. Because of other reviews, I baked these at 385 convection. I only baked them for 17 minutes. They came out a little crunch on top, but tender on the inside. I also blitzed up some fresh garlic shapes in butter and oil
I cut them open and slathered it on. So delicious. My first time using my garlic scapes. I hope you try this recipe Happy baking.
Great recipe, made this just yesterday and I had to restrain myself and my husband from scoffing the entire batch. Super delicious, will definitely be making these again.
Iโve failed to make any type of bread in my life, this is literally the only bread recipe Iโve ever successfully made, and was really quick and easy to make! Turned out delicious! This 30 minutes gave me the best bread Iโve ever made!
I haven’t made the recipe yet but i wanted to give some to my friend and eat them throughout the week, do you think freezing the finished garlic knots and then microwaving them after would be okay?
Hi Michelle, absolutely!
They tasted really great, my only problem was that when I put them in the over at 400 and set a timer for 20 min they were black and so I only cooked them for 8 minutes
I’ve made these a few times now, and this recipe is my absolute go-to! Where I’m from our yeast packets come in 8g sizes, so I’ve had to measure out 1g out of the package each time I make them, but it’s absolutely worth it. Adding some cheddar before shaping the dough also makes them even better!
Perfect. This was exactly what I needed for my daughter’s birthday. Almost as fast as a box mix, but way yummier. I doubled the batch, and I did sub oil for half the butter.
This recipe was such a hit tonight with my homemade lasagna! They were soft and billowy and I must tell you that itโs my first time making bread! Thanks so much!
Tried this recipe tonight and they turned out AWESOME! My husband inhaled 2 as soon as they were cool enough to eat and went perfect w some made from scratch sweet Italian sausage tomato sauce and ravioli! Will for sure have this recipe in my rotation& ditching the frozen garlic bread! Only thing I tweaked was using unbleached bread flour instead of AP, had to add a couple more tbs of butter to the mix for the after bake topping and I turned the temp down to 375 due to my oven running on the warm side.. but these were like garlicky clouds of heaven!
The ratio of liquid to flour is not correct. I had to add a 1/4 of flour while mixing and after rising it was terribly sticky. Ratios need to be checked.
Not great, very bland and heavy, wonโt be making them again.
This was a new recipe for me and it was really fun and satisfying to make. However, they turned out with a pretty hard outer crust and were a little hard to eat. They tasted fantastic though!
These were perfect! Brushing on the garlic butter before baking makes such a difference. These are near foolproof! So fluffy and delicious!
Thank you for posting this recipe and for the time it takes to maintain this site. Sadly, this recipe did not work for me. I weighed my flour and had to add significantly more to get the right consistency for kneading. The rolls came out heavy, and much harder on the outside than I prefer, and somewhat bland, like the dough needed more.salt. I think all these problems were caused by too much water in the recipe. The ratios were just off. I don’t think Ill make this recipe again.
It worked pretty great for me, I love these garlic knots
Decent roll, but not really a garlic knot. Bland. That Red Star yeast doesn’t work well for me. Too salty.