This simple recipe for Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks makes buttery, garlic-scented, and chewy breadsticks that are utterly addictive!
Yield:
12 breadsticks
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Buttery and garlicky, AKA amazing!
Texture: These breadsticks have a bit of a golden crust but are soft and fluffy inside yet chewy throughout.
Ease: Really easy! Homemade breadsticks may sound intimidating but there's only a handful of ingredients and I've included step-by-step photos so you know exactly how to make them.
Appearance: Mouthwatering.
Pros: Have Olive Garden breadsticks at home whenever you want!
Cons: These are dangerously addictive.
Would I make this again? Mhmmm.
So it’s almost 8am on this Friday morning and I realized I had schedule this post to go live at 3am, like I always do with my posts, but had completely forgotten to write anything before my “recipe rundown.” I didn’t write anything really to introduce you to these copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks or anything else at all. Whoops. Blogger fail. In over four and a half years of blogging, I don’t think I’ve ever done this before so that’s good at least.
It has totally been one of those weeks. I’ve been making the dumbest mistakes. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen I dropped a tin of cinnamon rolls upsidedown on the ground. Yesterday I made chocolate cupcakes and didn’t love how they turned out, so I baked another batch. The second batch somehow tasted like dirt. Yet despite all these little fails, I’ve been feeling really creative and inspired and have been brainstorming fun things to do next year. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Hopefully I don’t hurt myself in the process.
The dough recipe only has six ingredients! Get your ingredients and your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook ready to go. You can make this dough by hand, just get ready to knead for about 10 minutes.
Mix your wet ingredients in the bowl of the mixer and add some of the flour. Turn the mixer on low and add the remaining flour, mixing until incorporated.
Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for about 7 minutes.
The dough should be smooth and elastic after kneading. This dough is such a breeze to work with!
Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Once doubled, your dough is ready to be portioned and formed into breadsticks!
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. This is made easy and precise with a scale, each portion should weigh 2 ounces. You don’t have to use a scale but it makes things easier!
Roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch log shape. The logs don’t have to be perfect, they’ll puff up a bit during the second rise.
Cover again with plastic and let the dough logs rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake in a 400°F oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
As soon as the breadsticks come out of the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the salt and garlic powder mixture. Serve warm. Be careful, these are ADDICTIVE!
This simple recipe for Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks makes buttery, garlic-scented, and chewy breadsticks that are utterly addictive!
Ingredients
For the dough:
1cupplus 2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2teaspoonsinstant yeast
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
3tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted
1 3/4teaspoonssalt
16ounces(about 3 1/3 to 3 1/2 cups) bread flour
For the topping:
2tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
1/4teaspoongarlic powder
Directions
In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and butter. Add in the salt. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and begin to gradually add the flour on low speed. Increase speed to medium and knead the dough for about 7 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Divide the dough into 12 (2 ounce) portions. Roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch log. Place the dough logs on nonstick baking mat or parchment-lined baking sheets, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush with melted butter. Combine the salt and garlic powder and sprinkle evenly over breadsticks. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
*When it comes to bread baking, weighing your flour will always ensure the best and most consistent results. If you like to bake, consider investing in a kitchen scale if you don't already have one, it makes a big difference!*Want to prep the dough ahead of time? Check out my free Make-Ahead Baking Guide and follow the directions for making yeast dough in advance!
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I made these yesterday. They were excellent. Tender and tasty. Easy dough to work with. I needed to add a tablespoon more water because I live in a dry area. I will make them again.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 18, 2022 at 2:35 pm
Hi Lori! We haven’t tried that with this recipe, but it might work! Otherwise, Tessa has lots of delicious roll recipes here – you could just finish any of those with garlic herb butter, so they taste more similar to these breadsticks, if you like!
Hi Denise! I don’t see on our end that you signed up for the guide – once you’ve entered in your email address, it should take you to a screen that says thanks for signing up and to check your inbox. Can you try again? If it still doesn’t work, try a different browser to see if that helps. If you still experience issues, please email [email protected] for more help.
This recipe is a keeper! Just made this bread tonight to pair it with my homemade zuppa toscana soup. The family truly enjoyed the delicious food. Thank you!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— August 15, 2022 at 8:50 am
Hi Casara! We never claimed that these breadsticks were vegan. Our website does not make vegan recipes; we just make really, really delicious recipes – and this is no exception! You could try making these with a vegan butter and see if it works, but as we have not tried that, I cannot guarantee the results will be as good as the original recipe as written. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions – we are always happy to help 🙂
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— August 4, 2022 at 1:28 pm
Hi Elaine! It can be made without a stand mixer, but, like any bread, it’s going to take a lot of kneading by hand and a lot of elbow grease to get the dough to the right consistency (smooth and elastic). If you’re up for the challenge, go for it! Let us know how it goes 🙂
I made these hand-kneaded and it turned out fine! Plus I got a work out. Didn’t have time to let them rise a second time for the full hour but it was okay.
I have never made any sort of bread in my life so the fact these turned out incredible the first attempt is a miracle. These breadsticks taste amazing! They taste just like Olive Garden but at the same time better. Truly delicious!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— July 21, 2022 at 2:02 pm
Hi Lauren! Yay – I’m so happy this recipe was a delicious success – and good for you for tackling your first-ever bread!!! I hope you continue to bake and experiment – it seems like you’re good at it 😉 Please feel free to reach out to our team anytime you have questions – we are always more than happy to help!! I can’t wait to see what else you make! Happy baking 🙂
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— June 27, 2022 at 7:57 am
Hi Mark! We haven’t tested making this recipe ahead, so we cannot guarantee the same wonderful results, but my advice would be to let the dough rise once, shape the breadsticks, and then cover well with plastic wrap (but not too tightly, as they will continue to rise in the fridge, but much slower; you just don’t want the dough to dry out in the fridge!). Pull them out of the fridge a little before you’re ready to bake, and ensure they have had their full second proof. The second proof could take awhile, or not much time at all – it all depends on the ambient temperature in your kitchen (they are fully proofed when an indentation made with your finger into the dough remains). Proceed with the recipe as written. I wouldn’t let the dough sit in the fridge for more than 24 hours (overnight is best). I hope that helps! Let us know how they turn out!
I made a vegan version of these breadsticks by using olive oil in the dough and Earth Balance for the topping. My family and I loved the breadsticks. My husband said they were the best breadsticks he’s ever had.
I’ve never made bread sticks in my life and I tried this recipe today. It was very easy to follow, very easy to make and they are delicious. I actually like the texture of these more than olive gardens. Thank you for posting this recipe for us!!!
Maybe it’s cuz I’ve never been good at making bread, or maybe it’s cuz I used AP Flour instead of Bread Flour, or maybe even it’s cuz I transferred it to another plate while it was rising.
But one thing’s for certain. It wasn’t a hit at my house. They had a weird kinda crumbly crispiness on the crust, but weren’t browned at all. They had a subtle taste that wasn’t pleasant.
There’s still a reason this isn’t 1-2 stars though. The inside was fluffy just as promised, and the garlic salt kinda just washed out that weird taste.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— June 7, 2022 at 8:53 am
Hi Emma! I think you self-diagnosed a lot of the issues you had here! Firstly, using all purpose flour instead of bread flour will generally result in less-than-perfect bread. The extra protein content in bread flour gives your bread structure, and as you (or your stand mixer!) knead the dough, you activate the gluten. Gluten provides the essential structure to breads, allowing the dough to stretch and expand as it rises! It’s also easy to under-knead bread, especially when using all purpose flour, as the lower protein content means it will take longer to build structure. This could definitely account for the odd exterior texture you mentioned. Tessa talks about the importance of proper kneading, and how to knead, in this post here!
Moving the dough part-way through the rising/proofing process can also mess with the final outcome. If you moved the dough, you knocked some of the air out and it probably needed a lot longer to proof properly after that move.
Another possibility is your ingredients; do you measure by volume, or weight? If you measure by volume, it’s so easy to add too much flour (or other ingredients) to a recipe. Baking really is a science, and too much or too little of anything can throw off the chemistry. Tessa talks about how to best measure your ingredients in this recipe here!
There are honestly several other things that could have gone wrong. Your yeast could be old. Your water could have been too hot at the very beginning and it killed the yeast. Your oven wasn’t hot enough when the bread hit the oven. It’s so hard to know for sure what went wrong here without baking alongside you, but I hope this does not discourage you from trying again! Successfully baking bread is one of the most rewarding baking experiences, and the end result will taste even better for it!
I hope something here helped you, and that you give these breadsticks another try sometime! Please reach out if you need any further help troubleshooting! Happy baking 🙂
Hi, these taste amazing! If I need to make the dough in advance of when I need the breadsticks ready for (ie dough will need to be made on the morning but won’t want the breadsticks until evening time) would it be ok to let them rise for longer or could they be refrigerated before being cooked? And if so would they go in the fridge before rising or after? I’m wanting to prepare the dough then be able to leave it until evening and when I come home just throw it straight in the oven but not sure how it would work.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— May 16, 2022 at 2:04 pm
Hi Zoe! So happy you love this recipe! I would definitely refrigerate your dough, rather than letting it rise for that much longer. Dough will continue to rise in the fridge, but much slower than at a warmer temperature. We haven’t tested making this recipe ahead, so we cannot guarantee the same wonderful results … but my advice would be to let the dough rise once, shape them, and then cover well with plastic wrap (but not too tightly; again, they will slowly continue to rise; you just don’t want them to dry out in the dry fridge!). Pull them out of the fridge a little before you’re ready to bake, and ensure they have had their full second proof. The second proof could take awhile, or not much time at all – it all depends on the ambient temperature in your kitchen. Once they have appropriately risen, follow the baking instructions per the recipe. I hope that helps! Let us know how they turn out!
So good!! These breadsticks were a hit! They were tender, fluffy, just the right texture. They were declared as “Better than Olive Garden’s” by my OG obsessed husband. We’ll be making again!! Thanks fit an awesome recipe!
I made these using my bread machine. I turned my oven to 170 then turned it off to do the 2nd rise. These turned out great. I am making them again but into sub size buns for meatball subs. Definitely worth making over and over
Hi Alexandra! We’ll typically use a bench scraper to divide the dough into the 12 portions, which deflates the dough on its own, but you’re welcome to punch down the dough if you prefer 🙂 Can’t wait for you to try these, let me know if you have any other questions beforehand!
Love this recipe. The first time I followed the recipe exactly. The next time I used Rapid Rise Instant Yeast and skipped the first rise. As soon as the dough was mixed I rolled it out into a 7” x 12” rectangle and using a pizza cutter cut it into 12 – 1 inch strips. They came out delicious and I saved myself a lot of work b
These are amazing! Best homemade breadsticks I have ever had and way better than anything you can buy at the store! I didn’t have a scale to measure the weight of the breadsticks, so mine ended up being shorter and fatter, but that didn’t matter! They are so soft and light, just like the Olive Garden ones. It was also a really easy recipe and I say this as I held my 14 month old the entire time I made them because he was sick and didn’t want to be set down! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Love this recipe. Have been told by guests that they taste better than Olive Garden. The first time I followed the directions exactly. The second time, I pressed dough out to a 7 x12 rectangle, I used a pizza cutter and cut 1” strips. The breadsticks had a much nicer appearance.
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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I made these yesterday. They were excellent. Tender and tasty. Easy dough to work with. I needed to add a tablespoon more water because I live in a dry area. I will make them again.
So glad to hear that, Karen!
I was wondering if these can be made into rolls?
Hi Lori! We haven’t tried that with this recipe, but it might work! Otherwise, Tessa has lots of delicious roll recipes here – you could just finish any of those with garlic herb butter, so they taste more similar to these breadsticks, if you like!
These breadsticks are amazing! I have made them many times.
Tried to get the free beginner’s quick guide to bread, but when I put in my email & clicked the link, it did nothing. How can I get this quide?
Hi Denise! I don’t see on our end that you signed up for the guide – once you’ve entered in your email address, it should take you to a screen that says thanks for signing up and to check your inbox. Can you try again? If it still doesn’t work, try a different browser to see if that helps. If you still experience issues, please email [email protected] for more help.
tried and loved recipe. it has become a staple in our house.
First time making these and they turned out great! I do need to work on my rolling skill though. Lol
This recipe is a keeper! Just made this bread tonight to pair it with my homemade zuppa toscana soup. The family truly enjoyed the delicious food. Thank you!
Amazing!!! We made them 1.5 oz rather than 2 after the first time. 2 oz was just a bit large. So yummy!!!!!
Olive Garden breadsticks are vegan and these most certainly are not.
Hi Casara! We never claimed that these breadsticks were vegan. Our website does not make vegan recipes; we just make really, really delicious recipes – and this is no exception! You could try making these with a vegan butter and see if it works, but as we have not tried that, I cannot guarantee the results will be as good as the original recipe as written. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions – we are always happy to help 🙂
Wondering if this recipe is doable without a standing mixer?
Hi Elaine! It can be made without a stand mixer, but, like any bread, it’s going to take a lot of kneading by hand and a lot of elbow grease to get the dough to the right consistency (smooth and elastic). If you’re up for the challenge, go for it! Let us know how it goes 🙂
I made these hand-kneaded and it turned out fine! Plus I got a work out. Didn’t have time to let them rise a second time for the full hour but it was okay.
So glad to hear they worked out well, Hannah!
I have never made any sort of bread in my life so the fact these turned out incredible the first attempt is a miracle. These breadsticks taste amazing! They taste just like Olive Garden but at the same time better. Truly delicious!
Hi Lauren! Yay – I’m so happy this recipe was a delicious success – and good for you for tackling your first-ever bread!!! I hope you continue to bake and experiment – it seems like you’re good at it 😉 Please feel free to reach out to our team anytime you have questions – we are always more than happy to help!! I can’t wait to see what else you make! Happy baking 🙂
Can I make this ahead is time and refrigerate the dough before baking?
Thank you
Mark
Hi Mark! We haven’t tested making this recipe ahead, so we cannot guarantee the same wonderful results, but my advice would be to let the dough rise once, shape the breadsticks, and then cover well with plastic wrap (but not too tightly, as they will continue to rise in the fridge, but much slower; you just don’t want the dough to dry out in the fridge!). Pull them out of the fridge a little before you’re ready to bake, and ensure they have had their full second proof. The second proof could take awhile, or not much time at all – it all depends on the ambient temperature in your kitchen (they are fully proofed when an indentation made with your finger into the dough remains). Proceed with the recipe as written. I wouldn’t let the dough sit in the fridge for more than 24 hours (overnight is best). I hope that helps! Let us know how they turn out!
I made a vegan version of these breadsticks by using olive oil in the dough and Earth Balance for the topping. My family and I loved the breadsticks. My husband said they were the best breadsticks he’s ever had.
So happy you enjoyed these breadsticks, Sonja!!
Delicious!
I’ve never made bread sticks in my life and I tried this recipe today. It was very easy to follow, very easy to make and they are delicious. I actually like the texture of these more than olive gardens. Thank you for posting this recipe for us!!!
Woohoo! So happy to hear that, DJ!!
This recipe isn’t the best.
Maybe it’s cuz I’ve never been good at making bread, or maybe it’s cuz I used AP Flour instead of Bread Flour, or maybe even it’s cuz I transferred it to another plate while it was rising.
But one thing’s for certain. It wasn’t a hit at my house. They had a weird kinda crumbly crispiness on the crust, but weren’t browned at all. They had a subtle taste that wasn’t pleasant.
There’s still a reason this isn’t 1-2 stars though. The inside was fluffy just as promised, and the garlic salt kinda just washed out that weird taste.
My question: What did I do wrong?
Hi Emma! I think you self-diagnosed a lot of the issues you had here! Firstly, using all purpose flour instead of bread flour will generally result in less-than-perfect bread. The extra protein content in bread flour gives your bread structure, and as you (or your stand mixer!) knead the dough, you activate the gluten. Gluten provides the essential structure to breads, allowing the dough to stretch and expand as it rises! It’s also easy to under-knead bread, especially when using all purpose flour, as the lower protein content means it will take longer to build structure. This could definitely account for the odd exterior texture you mentioned. Tessa talks about the importance of proper kneading, and how to knead, in this post here!
Moving the dough part-way through the rising/proofing process can also mess with the final outcome. If you moved the dough, you knocked some of the air out and it probably needed a lot longer to proof properly after that move.
Another possibility is your ingredients; do you measure by volume, or weight? If you measure by volume, it’s so easy to add too much flour (or other ingredients) to a recipe. Baking really is a science, and too much or too little of anything can throw off the chemistry. Tessa talks about how to best measure your ingredients in this recipe here!
There are honestly several other things that could have gone wrong. Your yeast could be old. Your water could have been too hot at the very beginning and it killed the yeast. Your oven wasn’t hot enough when the bread hit the oven. It’s so hard to know for sure what went wrong here without baking alongside you, but I hope this does not discourage you from trying again! Successfully baking bread is one of the most rewarding baking experiences, and the end result will taste even better for it!
I hope something here helped you, and that you give these breadsticks another try sometime! Please reach out if you need any further help troubleshooting! Happy baking 🙂
Far and away the best breadstick recipe Ive tried. Soft and pillowy, great flavor, and couldn’t be easier to put together.
Hi Betty! I’m so happy you loved this recipe! Happy baking 🙂
Hi, these taste amazing! If I need to make the dough in advance of when I need the breadsticks ready for (ie dough will need to be made on the morning but won’t want the breadsticks until evening time) would it be ok to let them rise for longer or could they be refrigerated before being cooked? And if so would they go in the fridge before rising or after? I’m wanting to prepare the dough then be able to leave it until evening and when I come home just throw it straight in the oven but not sure how it would work.
Hi Zoe! So happy you love this recipe! I would definitely refrigerate your dough, rather than letting it rise for that much longer. Dough will continue to rise in the fridge, but much slower than at a warmer temperature. We haven’t tested making this recipe ahead, so we cannot guarantee the same wonderful results … but my advice would be to let the dough rise once, shape them, and then cover well with plastic wrap (but not too tightly; again, they will slowly continue to rise; you just don’t want them to dry out in the dry fridge!). Pull them out of the fridge a little before you’re ready to bake, and ensure they have had their full second proof. The second proof could take awhile, or not much time at all – it all depends on the ambient temperature in your kitchen. Once they have appropriately risen, follow the baking instructions per the recipe. I hope that helps! Let us know how they turn out!
So good!! These breadsticks were a hit! They were tender, fluffy, just the right texture. They were declared as “Better than Olive Garden’s” by my OG obsessed husband. We’ll be making again!! Thanks fit an awesome recipe!
I made these using my bread machine. I turned my oven to 170 then turned it off to do the 2nd rise. These turned out great. I am making them again but into sub size buns for meatball subs. Definitely worth making over and over
YUM! That sounds amazing, so happy you love this recipe!
Hello,
I feel so excited to try this recipe. Quick question: o you punch down your dough after the first rise before you weigh and shape the breadsticks?
Blessings!
Alexandra
Hi Alexandra! We’ll typically use a bench scraper to divide the dough into the 12 portions, which deflates the dough on its own, but you’re welcome to punch down the dough if you prefer 🙂 Can’t wait for you to try these, let me know if you have any other questions beforehand!
Love this recipe. The first time I followed the recipe exactly. The next time I used Rapid Rise Instant Yeast and skipped the first rise. As soon as the dough was mixed I rolled it out into a 7” x 12” rectangle and using a pizza cutter cut it into 12 – 1 inch strips. They came out delicious and I saved myself a lot of work b
Thanks for your tip about rolling out the dough and cutting with a pizza cutter. They were beautifully delicious!
These are amazing! Best homemade breadsticks I have ever had and way better than anything you can buy at the store! I didn’t have a scale to measure the weight of the breadsticks, so mine ended up being shorter and fatter, but that didn’t matter! They are so soft and light, just like the Olive Garden ones. It was also a really easy recipe and I say this as I held my 14 month old the entire time I made them because he was sick and didn’t want to be set down! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Aw, yay! So glad this recipe was easy to make and delicious too! Hope your child feels better soon
Best breadsticks. I make them all the time and they come out perfect every time!
Love this recipe. Have been told by guests that they taste better than Olive Garden. The first time I followed the directions exactly. The second time, I pressed dough out to a 7 x12 rectangle, I used a pizza cutter and cut 1” strips. The breadsticks had a much nicer appearance.
Woohoo, the ultimate compliment! So glad everyone loved them 🙂 And great idea about using a pizza cutter!
Wonderful! Dumped everything in my bread maker. Set it on “dough.” Once that was done followed the rest of the recipe instructions.
So happy you loved this recipe!