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. 😉
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 night—no delivery required.
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 60–90 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 doesn’t 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 out—that’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
- 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
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (between 100–110°F, 38–43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) olive oil or (43g) melted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
- 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) all-purpose flour (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 don’t 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: 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 you’re 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 finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” 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 it’s 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 spray—just 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 1–2 hours or until double in size. (Tip: For a warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). 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 it’s 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 here—no 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 out—that’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 400°F (204°).
- Make the topping: 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 20–23 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 1–2 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 Guide 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.
This was very good for a novice baker. But they came out with a crust and soft on the inside. How can I make them just soft and fluffy? That would be ideal..
I needed to find a recipe for something nice and on the easier side to give in gift bags to a bunch of friends. I decided to make garlic knots and came across this recipe. Turned out delicious!! So soft and delicious. I served it with a homemade dill dip, marinara and schug. Beyond.
Definitely recommend this recipe.
Delicious to taste, but everything went wrong for me and I don’t know why! The dough rised beautifully. I formed the knot shape and left it to rest for 15minutes, came back and they had formed a blob. None the less I baked them as per the recipe and they burned after 15 minutes!! I have no idea what I did wrong. The salvaged parts were tasty and I would love to improve for my next time making them.
Hi can I prepare the knots in early afternoon and then bake them later.
Hi Andrea, we don’t recommend letting the shaped dough sit for longer than 45 minutes. You can however do a slow rise in step 3 for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator. See our pizza dough recipe notes for full instructions.
I’m not rating the recipe because I’m not happy with how these turned out…but that’s my fault, not yours. When I set the dough to rise, I think my oven was too hot (the lowest temperature my oven will reach is 170 degrees) because the dough had a slightly hard crust. (In my defense, it was a cold Michigan winter’s day .). And although I knotted them, the knots are not distinct and they seem more like lumps than knots. Does this all go back to the “too-hot rising”?
It sounds like you may have over-proofed your dough? They would not hold their shape if that happened. Trust me, I have done it myself!
Sally, Thank you for this recipe! I have a batch in the oven as I tex you. They smell good! Should gp well with my shrimp scampi tonite. I found this recipe very easy although im still doing it all by hand, I find it theraputic! Looking forward to the buzzer Thank you
Thank you for this! I improvised from my Mom’s old recipe. Instead of garlic powder, I minced 15 medium cloves of garlic, then sautéed them on med low heat using 3 TBS unsalted butter and a couple teaspoons of water. It takes frequent stirring for about 8-10 minutes and the garlic becomes straw colored and smells sweet and earthy, no bitterness! After removing the skillet off the heat, I then added 6 more TBS of butter to melt in the skillet while the cloves cooled. I strained and saved the butter out of the garlic and took out a couple of TBS of the melted butter, then added to it the minced garlic and the salt. Add this to the dough along with the bloomed yeast and sugar, just before adding the flour. The result was gorgeous flecks of garlic throughout the dough. I saved the rest of the melted butter and brushed the knots lightly before baking. After they were done, I brushed the rest of the butter on the baked knots, using it all. I only added parmesan and flaked sea salt on these. I also upped the oven temp to 450f and baked for 10 minutes. Game changer!
These are ready fir the oven and I am so excited. So easy using my stand mixer and bread hook.
I have several packets of fast rise yeast I would like to use up. What are your suggestions?
Love every recipe of yours I have tried. Thank you!
Hi Karen! We use instant yeast in this recipe, fast rise and instant are the same. You can reference our Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Bad recipe. Did not work. No flavor. Did not brown.
Trying this recipe today! They look amazing. Quick question, if I am trying to have everything done a little early, can I put the dough knots in the refrigerator? And should I do it before the second rise? Thanks! Love every recipe I’ve made of yours!!!!
Hi Margaret! Sorry we’re just seeing your question now. Letting the dough rest for a bit in the fridge shouldn’t affect the knots too much, though the dough could rise too much. We include make ahead instructions in the recipe notes as well for next time. Would love to hear how they went for you!
Absolutely delicious!!!! The directions were so clear and easy!!
I had used half the dough for the Stromboli (came out very well) challenge and froze the other half. I thawed the dough in the refrigerator overnight and then set on the counter for 30 minutes. I thought everything went well, but the knots didn’t brown very much and when I let them cook a little longer, they were very brown on the bottom. The flavor was good, but was a bit doughy on the inside and the bottoms sort of hard. I followed the recipe. Any ideas of what happened?
Hi Lesley! This sounds like it could be fixed with a few oven adjustments. (By the way, I’m not sure how I missed this question earlier in the month!) I recommend lowering the oven temperature to 375°F (191°C) and extending the bake time. A lower oven temperature should help bake the tops and bottoms more evenly– bake until golden brown on top. I hope this is helpful if you ever try them again.
Hi, I’m trying this recipe on the weekend and I’m wondering if I can use ready made pizza dough?
Hi Necia! You can make these garlic knots with 1 or 2 pounds of store-bought or homemade pizza dough. If you only need about 8 knots, freeze the other half of dough for another time.
I made these and had a blast doing it. They tasted amazing and it was my first time making any sort of bread from scratch. Must try!
Wow, soooo good! I make different types of bread here and there but wanted something different. I cannot believe how easy and delicious these were. The instructions are detailed/perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better result. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!!
Oh my! These are seriously so good. The buttery garlic on top makes them have such a yummy crisp. This is definitely a keeper recipe! Is it bad that my family already knew this is a Sally’s recipe after they tasted them…? Lol;) Your recipes are my favorite that I turn to all the time!
Hi Sally,
Tried this recipe and it came out beautifully. The bread was puffy, soft and chewy. Everyone liked it a lot. Thank you so much.
Could you tell how to replace eggs in some of your bread recopies? Like your soft cheese bread.
Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes.
Balu
Hi Balu, we don’t have much experience with egg-free baking, but we do have a section of naturally egg-free recipes that you might find helpful. We hope you find some to enjoy — thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
Love these garlic knots! Made them pretty much as described and they were wonderful! Sally’s recipes never disappoint! We ate a few and froze the rest of them. Very good!
Hi Sally! I have made these garlic knots twice and they have been delicious both times, however the flavor of the garlic was very subtle and they weren’t very buttery. What can do to maximize the garlicy taste and make them more buttery? Thanks so much 🙂
Hi Sets, thank you so much for trying these. We recently began adding garlic powder to the dough. If you ever try them again, see if that helps. The butter is only used as a topping, so feel free to add more.
I made this recipe in my bread machine and used the dough to make garlic knots. I found the dough to be very wet and had to add a few tablespoons of flour to get the consistency right. The flavor was ok, the texture was good. If I use this recipe again, I would cut back on the amount of water to avoid having wet dough.
I am a baker and I loved the recipe it was amazing the only thing I did instead of butter I crushed garlic and olive oil
These are absolutely incredible! I used bread flour and the knots held their shape beautifully. The bottoms had almost a fried texture from some of the butter running onto the pan and the insides were light, fluffy, and melt in your mouth amazing.
I would strongly recommend not following the note suggesting to make 8 rolls and a pizza…just double the batch of dough if you want both. These are so good you would regret not having a pan full 🙂
One note, I used minced garlic from a jar in my butter sauce (not a fan of garlic powder), but the garlic scorched a bit too much for my taste while baking. For my next batch, I’m going to try mixing the garlic (and maybe some parmesan cheese) into the dough to work the flavor throughout the knot and keep it from the tops to prevent burning. Another way to work around this might be to brush just butter on before baking and the seasoned butter on after, using a garlic paste instead of minced garlic, or baking on a slightly lower oven rack.
I’m not sure if it was me or the recipe– I followed it exactly, but for some reason the knots were bland and rock hard. They also didn’t turn golden brown in the oven, rather they stayed a doughy color.
Hi Allison, it sounds like the dough over-proofed, which created a crust on the exterior. When this happens, doughs don’t brown properly in the oven. If you ever try the recipe again, see if you can reduce the 2nd rise time to just 15 minutes. (More of a “rest” time than a rise time.) For the flavor, feel free to add some seasoning to the dough itself such as 1 teaspoon garlic powder or an Italian seasoning blend. Thanks for trying them.
Hello – if I am only making 8 knots and saving half of the dough, would there be any changes to rolling the dough into knots? Is it still a 16 inch rope? Thank You.
this came out perfect and it was my first time making any type of bread. would recommend
I always wonder when a recipe calls for salt, especially when baking, is it fine salt, not kosher?
Hi Linda, unless otherwise noted, I use regular fine table salt in baking. If a recipe uses kosher salt, I specify kosher.
I am a Foodie and we dine at a favorite Italian restaurant in the mountains and the garlic knots are a favorite.. Wanting to make them …I found your recipe and followed it ..They were delicious and I have already shared it .The only available yeast was Fleishmans .They are delicious
Hi Sally! Could I use whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hi Kim, You can try to use half of each flour for a heartier dough. Or you can try using this recipe for Whole Wheat Pizza Crust shaped as knots.
My first try turned out pretty good. I think I could’ve used used more butter/salt/garlic for a more intense flavour, but the dough was excellent.
The bottoms came out a bit burned and too hard and crunchy. Any tips on what I can do to avoid that next time?
Hi Stan! Sounds like your oven may run a little hot. Try using an in-oven thermometer or turning your oven down a few degrees next time.
Hey Sally! I followed the recipe exactly except that I baked for 10 minutes only since my oven generally takes lesser time and has higher temperature. The top did not brown and turned a teensy bit hard, although they came out nice, fluffy and chewy from inside. What do you think is the issue?
Hi Shruti, It was likely the oven temperature and baking time. Is your oven convection heat? If so try turning down the temperature by 25 degrees F and they still may take a shorter time so keep an eye on them.
Thank you Stephanie!! I baked them again by lowering the temperature by 30 degrees and baking for 11 minutes. Everything was perfect except I didn’t get the beautiful brown colour on top
Absolutely amazing!! Thank you it was a hit!!