Just like the originals, these copycat Olive Garden breadsticks are light and airy on the inside, and flavored with butter and garlic salt on the outside. You can never eat just one!
These 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
Who else is excited about soup season? Soup is one of my favorite foods, and I like to eat soup 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.
Of course, 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, but even better, because 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
DOUGH. You’ll start by mixing up a simple breadstick dough. If you have a stand mixer, it makes the kneading part a little easier, but you can definitely mix the dough up by hand, too! Once it’s mixed, let it rise about one hour, or until it has doubled in size.
(Note: The dough should be smooth and elastic after kneading is done. 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. Next, divide the dough into twelve equal sized pieces that are about two ounces each. If you’re OCD like me, you can use a kitchen scale. I actually ended up with thirteen breadsticks, based on that two ounce weight. The more the merrier! 🙂
ROLL. Roll each piece of dough out into a long rope (about nine inches long) and place 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. They totally don’t have to be perfect. Even if they’re a little wonky, they’ll still turn out delicious.
RISE. Cover the breadsticks and let them rise for about one hour. During the last ten minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 425.
BAKE. Bake the breadsticks 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown, then brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt. If you don’t have garlic salt, you could mix some garlic powder and regular table salt together, but I love how much flavor the garlic salt adds. Yum!
SERVE. Serve them hot with your favorite pasta or soup. Some of our favorites include:
Variations and Storage
Variations: We love the garlic salt taste like Olive Garden has, 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
- Brush with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top
Another way to change up these breadsticks is to serve them alongside different dipping dishes. You can use sweet or savory sauces depending on the flavor of topping you decided to add on the breadstick itself.
Storage: Fresh breadsticks are definitely best when eaten the same day, but they still make delicious leftovers, Just store at room temperature in a bag or container.
Freezer: You can either freeze these breadsticks in dough form to be baked later or after they have been baked.
- Dough: Shape the dough into the 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. When you’re ready to use them you’ll need to thaw them completely before baking. 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 recipe directions.
- Baked: 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:
Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe
Just like the originals, these copycat Olive Garden breadsticks are light and airy on the inside, and flavored with butter and garlic salt on the outside. You can never eat just one!
Ingredients
Breadstick
- 1 cup and 2 Tbsp warm water
- 1 1/4 tsp yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp oil
- 3-3 1/4 cups flour
Topping
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
Instructions
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit 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 one hour, or until doubled.
- After the dough has rise, 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 one hour.
- During the last ten minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 425. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve warm.
I have been wanting to try a good Olive Garden copycat breadstick recipe! This is just the ticket! Totally putting these on the menu!
I hope you like them!! Let me know!
I made these for dinner last night and ate them for breakfast this morning. They were delicious! This recipe is a keeper!
Woohoo! So, glad you liked them! Thank you for sharing!
I made these today and they turned out awesome. Just like Olive Garden’s according to my husband. I know my company tonight will love them as well.
Yay! I hope your company loves them too!
Every time I bake bread it come out like a brick. I need a tip. Yeast dies in hot water, won’t activate in cold water? What happens if one skips the second rise and goes right to bake?
I’m gonna try you directions. Wish me luck.
I’m not sure..I haven’t tried! Good luck & I’d love to know how they turn out!
water should be at 110 degrees for proofing yeast, warm, not hot. And don’t put your salt directly in with the yeast, salt retards/kills the yeast, so I generally put the salt in with the flour. Hope that helps.
Never use hot water water to activate yeast should he between 85-90 degrees warm not hot
Are they really 701 calories each?
Curious about calorie count also? Olive garden sticks are ~140 calories each.
FIGURING HIGH, I CALCULATED 2,052 CALORIES FOR THE WHOLE RECIPE. DIVIDED BY 12, THAT’S APPROX 171 CALORIES PER BREADSTICK. TO REDUCE CALORIES, I SPLIT THE RECIPE INTO 18, OR 114 CALORIES.
Made these tonight to go with Pasta e Fagioli. They were awesome!! My family said they were just like Olive Garden. It is definitely a keeper. Thank you for the recipe ????
You are welcome! That sounds good! I am glad your family liked them 🙂 Thank you!
It’s says 3-3 14 cups of flour. Is that 3 cups to 14 cups of flour? Help!
It’s 3 – 3 1/4 cups of flour.
Thanks Kara!!
I’m still confused. Is that 3 and 3/4 cups flour?
No, that means use between 3 cups of flour and 3 and 1/4 cups of flour. Yeast recipes are never exact, you have to add enough flour to make a soft dough. So you may need more than 3 cups to get the right consistency. Hope that helps!
i don’t understand about the flour, is that 3 cups of flour and 3 1/4 cups of flour, please help, i want to make these bread stick, thank you lonna harris
It is 3 to 3 1/4 cups total. Start at 3 cups, then you may need to add 1/4 cup more. Hope that helps! 🙂
Try this recipe today for Father’s Day fantastic worked out exactly like Olive Garden easy to make if I can make it anyone can if you want a decent bread p please try this recipe it’ll be worth your wild.Can’t wait to make another batch
Thank you so much for sharing that!! I am happy to hear you liked them 🙂 We love them too!
What type of flour did you use??
I work at Olive garden, the bread sticks were bags that were warmed then had a butter sauce and garlic salt put on them , that’s it!
LOL! Doesn’t sound appetizing that way! Thanks!
Will like To do it ,but not sure of the amount of FLOUR is it 14cups
I added the dash in there..it’s 3-3 1/4 cups 🙂
Plz answer my quEry
Which yeast did u use is it instant “saf” or normal ?
Thanx
I would use the active dry yeast. I hope that answers your question 🙂
So between 3 and 3-1/4 cups flour. Is that All Purpose flour or Bread flour?
All-purpose 🙂 Hope you like them!!
How can I make these gluten free and can rapid rise yeast be used?
Love it thank you
You are so welcome 🙂
I made these last night to accompany the zuppa toscana soup I made and they were great! I’d never made bread sticks, or bread of any kind before and was a little intimidated by it, but these were super simple and turned out wonderful. my husband and i agreed that they are better than olive garden bread sticks, and my house smelled wonderful after baking them. thank you for the recipe!
I am so glad to hear that!! I am happy that you gave them a try & liked them 🙂 Thank you!
Great????
Thank you so much!!
Are you using instant yeast? What kind of flour do you use for this RECIPE? Thank you
Yes, instant yeast & just regular flour 🙂 Enjoy!
What means 11/4 for the yeast?
1 and 1/4 teaspoon
Going to try these very soon. Yum
Hope you like them, as much as we do!
THis was a good Recipe but the breadsticks WEREN’T As airy as the ones at olive garden. I would recommend Adding extra yeast to get make them LIGHTER. Going to try that next time I make them.
Thank you for trying them 🙂
wow how do you find time for YOURSELF? I could never do all that in one day, I might do it in a week, ty for your recipes going to try these bread sticks they look so yummy
They are super yummy! Hope you like them 🙂
Excellent
Thank you 🙂
I made these for tonight’s supper … fairly easy and very good!
Glad you liked them! Thank you for letting me know!
Have you ever frozen tHem? For examPLe, cook bit remove, cool and Then freeze, thawing anD browning when ready to use?
I personally have not, but you should be able to 🙂
SO glad you shared this recipe! These are so addicting!! We usually have some kind of bread with our meals & everyone loves these!
These are so addicting! I always have to double sometime triple the recipe. The go so fast!
You better believe that I’ll be making these asap! So soft & so yummy!! yay for making them at home!
These are really good and easy. I like to make a double batch and keep some in the freezer.
We like bread in a loaf, in a roll, in a stick. If you like the bread sticks at olive garden you will like these.
So I tried out youR recipe 2 times today and They didn’t turn out good at all. I followed the recipe exactly, even made sure the water was at 110 degrees. It seemed that using the 1 cup + 2 tbs warM water Was not enouGh. The ending dough wasn’t soft and slightly sticky to the touch. Instead, it was lumpy and kind oF dry even after using only 3 cups oF flour. Needless to say, the Breadsticks came out very doughy on the insidE, not at all liGht and soft. So, can you tell me whatI’m doing wrong? Should I add more water? And iF yes, how much? Also, you said you used the dry active yeast, and then later said you used the instant yeAst with regular flour. Can you tell me which I should use? I used the active dry kind foR my 2 tries. Would love to get this recipe righT, would really appreciate your help. I Don’t know how all your other reviewers are having success with your recipe and I ‘m not, especia since I’m following it to the t, and I mean the t. SoRry For all the caps, couldn’t turn it off somehow
WILL TRY THIS LATER TO GO WITH MY ZUPPA TOSCANA. WAS WONDERING WHAT OIL YOU USED? ALSO, JUST TO MAKE SURE, IS RAPID RISE INSTANT YEAST OK TO USE? THANKS!
This recipe is from a contributor, but I would think canola oil or olive oil. Really, you can use different oils. And, yes that yeast should be ok 🙂
Thank you krystyn! Made this last night and my husband loved it so much he almost finished it haha! The breadsticks were so soft. Definitely a keeper recipe.
I love hearing that! They are addicting! Thank you!
I have tried so many copycat recipes for olive garden breadsticks and this is the easiest and most like the originals! They’re SO good and soft.
Awe, I am so glad you think so 🙂 I am glad you tried them!