Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
Enjoy warm buttery Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks at home, anytime you want! This simple recipe will have you baking batch after batch!
Why We Love Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
- There’s nothing better than warm, freshly baked bread, deliciously slathered in melted seasoned garlic butter!
- Creating the dough for these Olive Garden breadsticks is really simple. You can stick to making this breadstick recipe as-is, or add different seasonings and cheeses for a delicious twist!
- Whether you’re serving pasta or another of your family’s favorite dishes, there’s always a need for soft and incredibly flavorful breadsticks.
- Just a few pantry ingredients are all you need to make this mouth-watering Olive Garden breadstick recipe. Plus, you get to knead the dough and roll out the breadstick logs, making these tasty breadsticks fun to make too!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Olive Garden Breadsticks
WET INGREDIENTS: Warm a little over one cup of water to about 110 degrees F and set out the olive oil.
DRY INGREDIENTS: To make these breadsticks you will need active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and sea salt.
TO MAKE THE TOPPING
WET INGREDIENTS: You will need melted unsalted butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Season the breadsticks with a combination of garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning.
How to Make Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 In a small bowl combine the yeast, water, and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and stir. Allow this mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes until activated and foamy.
STEP 2 Add 3 cups of flour, the rest of the sugar, and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and stir. Pour the yeast mixture and oil into the mixer and stir on medium-low speed until a dough forms.
STEP 3 Continue stirring the dough until it cleans (no longer sticks to) the sides of the bowl. If needed, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough cleans the sides, up to 1/2 cup. Turn the speed up to medium-high and knead the dough for 7 minutes.
STEP 4 Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.
STEP 5 Spray two baking sheets with non-stick spray and set aside. Empty the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch the dough down to release the air. Divide the dough into 2-ounce portions, which should be around 15 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then into ropes and place the ropes on a baking sheet, careful not to let them touch. Cover the baking sheet with a towel and let them rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours.
STEP 6 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together the butter, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning.
STEP 7 Brush half of the seasoned butter over the breadsticks. Bake the breadsticks for 11-14 minutes, until golden brown.
STEP 8 After removing the breadsticks from the oven, immediately brush them with another coating of the seasoned butter and sprinkle grated parmesan over them. Serve the breadsticks warm with your favorite meals!
Tips & Tricks
- Fresh warm breadsticks are the best so be sure to warm up leftover breadsticks in the microwave for about 15 seconds. You can also reheat the sticks in the oven, wrapped in foil at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes.
- When re-heating breadsticks right from Olive Garden, do not microwave them in the bag, rather pop the bag of breadsticks into the oven at 350 degrees F, and heat for 5 minutes, or place the bag in the air fryer for 5-6 minutes, also at 350 degrees F.
- Add other seasonings like onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning to the flour to incorporate them right into the dough. Toss in diced jalapenos for a tasty kick!
- Cheesy breadsticks are a total treat and you can choose to add cheese to the top of the breadsticks right out of the oven or mix it right into the dough! Parmesan, mozzarella, pepper jack, provolone, and Gruyere are all delicious choices that can be added when the yeast and oil are added.
- Store your breadsticks in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days or in the fridge for up to a week. Breadsticks can also be frozen for up to three months.
Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe FAQ
Why do Olive Garden breadsticks taste so good?
Olive Garden breadsticks are so addictive because the delicious flavor is not only a topping but also baked into the breadsticks! Before the breadsticks go into the oven they are brushed with a butter and garlic salt mixture and when they come out of the oven the sticks are brushed again with the same mixture, making the breadsticks incredibly flavorful. Also, breadsticks are being baked constantly at the restaurant, which means you’re getting a fresh batch each time you go!
What breadsticks does Olive Garden use?
The breadsticks that Olive Garden is so famous for are not actually made at the restaurant. The breadsticks are supplied by Turano Baking Company, which has made Olive Garden’s breadsticks for years. However, the magical garlic butter sauce is applied to each breadstick at the restaurant, giving the breadsticks their signature Olive Garden flavor.
Does Olive Garden use real butter on their breadsticks?
Olive Garden breadsticks are a treat for vegetarians, vegans, and those with dairy allergies! There are no animal products in either the breadsticks or the “butter” sauce that is brushed on the breadsticks. The company uses margarine in its recipe, which makes both its breadsticks and breadstick topping vegan.
If you’re curious about the calories, Olive Garden breadsticks have 140 calories per breadstick with the topping or 130 calories without the topping. My homemade version has 163 calories per breadstick, the difference mostly being due to using actual butter in the topping.
Other Recipes You May Like
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- Milk and Honey Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Garlic Knots
- Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks
Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
Ingredients
Breadsticks
- 1 ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Topping
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Place the warm water, yeast, and ½ tablespoon of sugar into a small bowl, and stir together. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy, and the yeast is activated.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Add the activated yeast mixture and oil to the bowl. Mix on medium-low speed until a dough starts to form, scraping down the sides as needed. Continue to mix until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. If it is not cleaning the sides, begin to add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it does (up to ½ cup more flour total).
- Once the sides of the bowl are being cleaned by the dough, turn the stand mixer speed ti medium-high. Knead for 7 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
- Lightly spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around so the dough is coated in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- Spray two baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Transfer the breadstick dough to a lightly floured work surface and punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 2-ounce portions. Roll each portion into a ball. (I got 15 pieces, but amounts may vary depending on how much flour is used.)
- Roll each dough ball into a long rope and then place them on the prepared baking sheets, so that they are not touching. Cover the breadsticks with a clean kitchen towel and allow them to rise again until doubled in size for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning. Brush the breadsticks with half of the garlic butter.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush the breadsticks with the remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top and serve warm.
Notes
- These breadsticks are best served warm. You can re-warm them in the oven for a couple of minutes or in the microwave at 15-second intervals.
- Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.