Make light, airy garlic knots at home using store-bought pizza dough and your grill or pizza oven. Perfect as a side or appetizer.
What are garlic knots?
Garlic knots are fluffy baked dough balls that are coated in a garlic butter sauce. They’re a popular appetizer at pizza restaurants similar to breadsticks.
This is an easy homemade garlic knots recipe because it uses store bought pizza dough. Look for the dough in the deli section or freezer, not the dough near the canned biscuits.
It’s important that the dough is made with yeast so the garlic balls will rise and be airy.
-
Shape Dough: Cut the dough into 12-16 equal size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Then, place on the counter and use the palm of your hands to roll them into a log. Tie into a knot.
-
Rise: Place the knots on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover. Let rise 1 hour.
-
Heat Grill: Place a pizza stone on your grill or in your oven. Set the temperature to 400F degrees. If you’re using the Ninja FlexFlame, set the function to roast/bake.
-
Bake: Transfer the knots to the preheated pizza stone, keeping them on the sheet of parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 min. They should be soft and slightly golden brown.
-
Make Sauce: While they’re baking mix the oil, butter, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, parsley and salt in a small bowl.
-
Toss: Place the baked knots in a large bowl. Pour on the garlic sauce and gently sauce to coat.
-
Serve: Dump the knots onto the parchment paper on a pan or platter. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
In place of fresh parsley, you can substitute 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
Calories: 144kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 40mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 152IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough: Use store-bought pizza dough or homemade pizza dough.
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Fresh Garlic
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt
- Marinara Sauce
Substitutions: In place of fresh garlic and fresh parsley, you can also use granulated garlic or garlic powder and dried parsley.
See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to cook garlic knots
- STEP ONE: Make sure your dough is at room temperature. Pinch off about 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of dough. Roll it into a ball. Then, roll it into a long rope shape and tie it in a knot. Repeat until you use up all the dough.
PRO TIP: If the dough sticks, dust your work surface with a little all purpose flour or bread flour. But use very little flour. Adding too much will change the consistency of the dough and will make them more dense.
- STEP TWO: Place the knots on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
- STEP THREE: Place a pizza stone in your grill or oven and set the temperature to 400F degrees. If using the Ninja FlexFlame, use the roast/bake function. Transfer the batch of garlic knots to the grill on the parchment paper. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
PRO TEMP: While I cook pizzas at higher temperatures, I like cooking the knots at 400F so they stay soft on the inside. If you raise the heat too much, they will become to crispy.
- STEP FOUR: While the garlic knots are baking, mix the olive oil, melted butter, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, parsley and salt in a small bowl.
- STEP FIVE: Once the garlic knots are baked through, transfer them to a large bowl. Pour the garlic sauce mixture on top and gently toss to coat.
How to serve garlic knots
After you sauce the homemade garlic knots, transfer them back to the parchment paper. Place on a sheet pan or platter. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
Storage
Store leftover garlic knots in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days. If you want to store them longer, keep them refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or air fryer.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Save time by using store bought pizza dough
- For the best flavor, use olive oil and butter in the garlic butter sauce
- By baking them on parchment paper, you don’t need to worry about them sticking to your pizza peel
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Garlic knots are made with 1 to 1 1/2 ounce balls of pizza dough. You can use store bought dough or homemade dough.
Roll the dough ball into a log shape. Cross the two ends over each other. Then, tuck one end under the other and gently pull tight.
The green flakes on garlic knots are fresh or dried parsley.
Dough balls are made with pizza dough. In order for them to be light and airy, you need to allow time for the yeast in the dough to rise. After forming the knots, leave them on the counter at room temperature for about an hour.
Yes. If you want to make garlic knots in advance, shape the dough into knots. Place the knots on a sheet of parchment paper and freeze them. After a quick flash freeze, you can transfer the knots to an airtight bag.
When you’re ready to bake some, remove them from the freezer the night before. Place them on a parchment lined pan covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator to thaw.
Then let them rise on the counter for an hour or until they’re doubled in size before baking.
Newest Recipes
