Just like the originals, these copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks are light, airy, and flavored with butter and garlic salt.
Olive Garden Breadsticks pair perfectly with any soup, salad, or pasta. But they’re especially delicious with our copycat recipe for Zuppa Toscana—another Olive Garden favorite!
copycat Olive Garden breadsticks
Soup is one of my favorite foods, and I eat it at least once a week.
I like pretty much every variety, from Broccoli Cheese Soup to Tomato Basil Soup. I love that there are so many different flavor combinations, and it’s always warm and comforting.
If you’re making soup for dinner, you need some fabulous bread to go with it, and that’s where these copycat Olive Garden breadsticks come in! They taste just like the breadsticks from Olive Garden.
Did you know Olive Garden serves almost 9 million breadsticks per day?! Now you can make them at home! Best of all, they’re easy to make and way cheaper than store-bought.
How to Make Olive Garden Breadsticks
YEAST. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
DRY INGREDIENTS. Add the salt, oil, and two cups of flour to the yeast mixture, and mix until combined.
Add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and only slightly sticky to the touch.
KNEAD + RISE. Knead the dough until smooth, sprinkling with flour as needed to make the dough manageable. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise for one hour, or until doubled.
The dough should be smooth and elastic after kneading. I have found this takes anywhere from 7-10 minutes. Use medium speed if you are using a dough hook with an electric mixer.
DIVIDE. After the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it into 12 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball out into a nine-inch rope, and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner.
2ND RISE. Repeat with remaining dough, using two baking sheets. Cover and let rise for one hour.
BAKE. During the last ten minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.
SERVE. Remove your homemade breadsticks from the oven and brush with melted butter then sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve warm.
Variations
We love the garlic salt taste like the Olive Garden original, but you easily change up the toppings for a new flavor.
- coat the outside with butter and powdered parmesan cheese
- before baking, sprinkle your favorite cheese on top
- make it sweet. brush with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top
What to serve with Garlic Breadsticks
Serve them hot with your favorite pasta or your favorite soup. Some of our favorites include:
recipe tips
Yeast. This recipe calls for active dry yeast, which needs to be activated in warm water with sugar before the yeast will work. To skip the time it takes to do this, simply use an equal amount of instant yeast.
Proof time. Having a bit of patience will ensure you get the best texture. The dough needs to rise twice, which can take about 2 hours of proof time.
To slow the rising process
This is handy if you have to leave the house while making the breadsticks and do not want to risk over-proofing the dough.
- Refrigerate the dough during the first or second rise, but not both.
- Whether you are chilling the dough during the first or second proof time, it needs to be covered with plastic sprayed with cooking oil to keep the dough from sticking.
- The dough can stay in the fridge for 8-12 hours.
- If you don’t wish to chill them for that long, simply remove from the fridge and allow them to double in size at room temperature.
To speed the rising process
A warm place will make the dough rise faster. There are several easy ways to proof the dough faster.
Use these methods during one or both of the proof times.
- Preheat your oven to 200°F and turn it OFF. Place the dough in a heat heat-proof bowl, cover it with a warm damp tea towel, and place it in the oven.
- Add HOT water to a bowl that is slightly smaller than the one filled with dough. Cover the bowl of dough and place it directly on top of the smaller bowl. The steam and heat coming from the water will warm the bowl of dough, causing it to rise faster.
- Cover the dough and place it near the fireplace. Check periodically to see how it’s rising.
- If using a crock pot, place the dough near it and drape a tea towel covering both the dough and the crock pot.
Breadstick dipping sauces
Change up these breadsticks by serving them alongside different dipping sauces. Use sweet or savory sauces depending on the topping added to the breadstick itself.
Storing Info
STORE. Fresh breadsticks are definitely best when eaten the same day, but they still make delicious leftovers. Store them at room temperature in a bag or container.
FREEZE the dough to be baked at a later time.
- Shape the dough into breadsticks but do not allow them to rise a second time.
- Instead, place them on a baking sheet and into the freezer. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe storage container. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
To bake, thaw completely. Spread them out on a baking sheet, spray one side of a large piece of plastic wrap with cooking oil and cover the breadsticks, oil side down.
Once the dough has thawed, remove the plastic and bake according to the recipe directions.
FREEZE baked breadsticks. Allow the breadsticks to cool completely. Place the breadsticks into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1-2 months. Reheat them in the microwave or in an oven.
For more bread recipes, check out:
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Soft Dinner Rolls recipe
- Spinach and Artichoke French Bread
- Focaccia Bread
- Sweet Cornbread
- Jalapeno Cornbread
Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe
Ingredients
Breadstick
- 1 cup and 2 Tbsp warm water
- 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3-3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Topping
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
- Add the salt, oil, and two cups of flour, and mix until combined. Add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and only slightly sticky to the touch.
- Knead the dough until smooth, sprinkling with flour as needed to make the dough manageable. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise for one hour, or until doubled.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it into 12 equal sized balls. Roll each ball out into a nine inch rope, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner.
- Repeat with remaining dough, using two baking sheets. Cover and let rise for one hour.
- During the last ten minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve warm.
Turned out perfectly -Family loved them
Yay!! That makes us so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing.
Is that all purpose flour?
Yes, all purpose works great for this recipe!
What kind of oil is used?
I typically use canola oil, but you could use vegetable oil or avocado oil or even coconut oil… whatever kind you prefer.
A wonderful recipe I use this all the time now in my customers love it
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing!
These breadsticks taste just like the ones at Olive Garden. I love how easy they are to make too!
These are better than Olive Garden’s breadsticks! So fresh, soft, and moist. My family loves these breadsticks!
I never realized how easy these would be to make at home! Love this recipe!
No need to eat out, these are just as good as the originals!! Now I just need a big bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing.
These breadsticks are delicious . Not exactly olive garden but pretty close. My picky husband loved them and even ate leftovers. Also easy.