These pizzeria style garlic knots are made from store-bought pizza dough, rolled in a combination of olive oil, parmesan, and herbs, and twirled up into little knots for the perfect bite of buttery, cheesy, garlic bread. Swap in vegan parm for an easy vegan/dairy-free version and serve these as a fun appetizer with marinara or serve on the size with your next dinner!
Sometimes you just need some carby goodness in your life, and these garlic knots do not disappoint.
I spent nearly a decade of my life working at a pizza place, and yet it wasn’t until after I had left the pizza shop that I was introduced to the beauty of the garlic knot. It seems like a cruel twist of fate that, for all those years, I had the ingredients sitting right in front of me, ready to turn into garlic knots in a matter of moments, and yet did not take advantage of my situation.
So, to make up for lost time, I’ve been experimenting with homemade garlic knots in my own kitchen, and am happy to report that they are just as good as the ones you can get from your favorite pizza place (maybe even better!!), and require very minimal effort for a whole lot of bread + cheese reward.
These golden, buttery, garlicky bites of pizza dough are made extra quick + easy thanks to pre-made pizza dough. Feel free to make your own in advance, or just grab a bag of it from the grocery store (we find tasty whole grain options at both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods) to make life even easier.
Let’s make garlic knots, shall we?
Olive oil gets mixed with salt, lots of crushed fresh garlic and dried Italian herbs.
Pizza dough gets cut into 6 large or 12 small balls and rolled into logs by hand.
Dough logs get dunked into olive oil, then rolled in a plate of parmesan and twirled up into a knot (much like tying a knot- cross, tuck under, and press)
Dough knots get nestled into a baking dish, drizzled with any remaining oil/garlic mixture, and baked for a hot minute (aka 15-20 at high heat) until golden and fragrant.
All that’s left to do is pull them out, dunk them in sauce, and let your eyes roll back into your head as you enter pure garlic knot bliss.
Trust me, it’s the right thing to do.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below or share a picture of your garlic knots with me on Instagram. I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen! Happy baking, friends!
- 1 lb pre-made pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (or any combination of oregano, parsley, and basil)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Take out a large baking dish (like a 9x9 square, 7x11 rectangle, 10-inch cast iron skillet or casserole dish, etc) and set it aside.
- 2. For small, bite-sized garlic knots, cut pizza dough 12 even pieces. For larger, dinner roll-sized garlic knots (shown in pictures), cut pizza dough into 6-8 pieces. (I find it easiest to do this by slightly flattening it into a disc and cutting it into wedges like a pizza), then rolling each piece into a small ball. Roll each dough ball into a rope/log between the palms of your hands, about 6 inches long each.
- 3. Pour parmesan cheese into a large, shallow dish (large/long enough to fit the dough ropes into). Then, grate garlic on a microplane or press it through a hand-held garlic press (or chop very, very finely on a cutting board) and place it in a similar large/long shallow dish with the oil, herbs, and salt. Stir to fully combine.
- 4. Place a dough rope into the oil, turning to coat with garlic and herbs, then place it into the parmesan, again turning to coat. Pick up the dough rope to let any excess parmesan fall off, and stretch it with your fingers to about 10 inches long before tying it into a knot (stretch the dough rope out in a straight line, cross the two ends over each other, then tuck the ends under the dough ball). Place the finished garlic knot into your baking dish, then repeat with all remaining dough logs, leaving at least 1 inch of space between each in the pan.
- 5. Once finished, drizzle any remaining olive oil over the top of the garlic knots, and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature with marinara for dipping. Leftovers technically keep for up to 3 days at room temperature, though I highly doubt you will be able to resist eating them all fresh from the oven.