{Olive Garden Breadsticks}

Oh man, I loved these! These breadsticks would just complete any meal really. Pasta, soup, salad…you name it. Make these as soon as you get the chance. Make sure you serve them hot out of the oven.

*These are a little more dense than Olive Garden’s. But the flavor is incredible and pretty right-on with the garlic butter. I also updated the picture, because the other one was too dark. Enjoy 🙂

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt (yes, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon, which I use every time and they turn out great.)
2 Tbs butter, softened
4-5 Cups flour

Topping:
3 Tbs butter melted
sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder

For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until its soft and easy to work with.
Let the dough rest in the bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour and then roll it out. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, ( I usually only use one) and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven)
Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.

183 thoughts on “{Olive Garden Breadsticks}”

  2. Why cooking spray for the sheet vs parchment paper? Have you tried the latter?
    I have no idea what they put in these sprays for propellant, but I know my parchment paper to be safe.

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  3. Made these today…..I got 19 breadsticks out of the batch…..I kneaded once it was mixed and I always let my dough rise covered in the oven with the light on (generates enough heat to promote rising)for an hour….I let the breadsticks rise covered in warm oven for about 45 min….took my oven about 16-18 min…..to turn golden brown….son loves the tang of the salt & garlic on top….a BIG hit!!!Thanks so much

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  4. To freeze the bread sticks, you have a couple of options: bake for half the time, cool and freeze OR bake them all the way, cool and freeze. If you take the first option, when you thaw them out, finish baking them. If you take the second option, just thaw and heat them up. If you reheat in a microwave, put them in a brown paper bag and sprinkle them with a bit of water, so they don't dry out. I don't recommend the microwave, but I will use it in a pinch.

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  5. Ok, what Olive Garden serves these. The ones local to me in DFW use Mrs. Baird's, although I don't think the kind they use are available in stores. I'm not kidding, my daughter is on a special diet and I asked the waiter to ask the cook what was in the breadsticks, he came back with Mrs. Baird's bag with the rolls in them and told me the ingredients were on the side. I just looked at him kinda shocked. Seriously I said? He just smiled.

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  6. I noticed a lot of people saying they didn't raise. Here is an important tip: never add the salt (especially not this much) until you are adding the flour. Let the water and yeast sit for ten minutes WITHOUT the salt. Pouring salt directly on top of the yeast will kill it. Salt naturally kills a lot of things. But adding it in with the flour will dilute it enough not to kill the yeast.

    These were delicious. Hope they work for the rest of yoU!!

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  7. I made these using 1/2 TBS more yeast and little less salt. I had one pan raise in the oven as directed and the other on the table. They were both very delicious but the pan that was done in the oven was dense like others have mentioned. The pan that sat on the table covered with a towel were very light and fluffy, exactly like Olive Garden's. I will be using this recipe a lot! THANK YOU!

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  8. I worked at the olive garden and made more of these bread sticks than I care to remember. The bread comes already baked. You can buy these at the grocery store. You heat them in the oven, then just brush melted butter on them and finally sprinkle on garlic powder. That's it!!! That's exactly how they're made at the olive garden – sorry to burst your bubble.
    one difference – the OG uses butter flavored oil that comes in a large plastic container.

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  9. I just made these last night and they were AMAZING!!! I actually mixed it in my bread machine -which worked great. I didn't find them dense at all, but I turned my oven off after it got a little warm, and I let them sit longer than 15 minutes. I also decreased the baking temp to 350. They were super soft and earned high points from my husband, which is an excellent compliment when it comes to bread!!

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  10. I worked at the OG too; was actually going to post the same info: liquid margarine and bottled garlic salt (MSG) are what OG tops the breadsticks with. If these are denser than Olive Garden breadsticks, that is great! OG switched brands about 9 yrs ago; they used to be much tastier/denser/chewier. Staff called the new brand “hot dog buns” (the fluffy ones you get there today).

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  11. A thought for those of you having trouble getting this recipe to rise, try checking the expiry date on your yeast, it does die after a while. If you have it in the bowl with warm water and sugar and it does not froth, your yeast is dead and will not rise the bread. Buy some new yeast 🙂 I've made it with regular active dry yeast and instant and had great results both times, only difference being you don't have to let it sit 10 minutes with instant. Make sure your water is nice and warm, if you're like me and store your yeast in the freezer, I get my tap water almost as hot as it will go, and pour it into a metal bowl (which cools it a bit) and then once my frozen yeast goes in it also cools. If your water is not warm enough it will not rise as well.

    Also… don't add the salt to your yeast while frothing. Sugar is food for yeast, salt kills it. If you don't have the right balance it will die. Best to wait until after frothing to add salt.

    Also, overkneading the dough will make it hard and dense.

    Hope these suggestions help some of you 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much for your suggestions, I just started my food blog back up after a couple years. I hope you continue to stop by and try new recipes.

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  12. p.s. I also lowered the tempurature on my oven and moved them slightly above the middle of the rack, found in my oven they were getting very brown on the bottoms before the tops got brown.

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  13. Since the name practically suggests it, I went ahead and added some chopped green olives to the dough. I also added some cheese as was mentioned here before.
    They turned out absolutely amazing, and my 3 year old son kept asking for more…

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  14. Is there a point in the process you could freeze this and then bake it later? As a single I don't want to make a whole batch at one time (if they're as yummy as OG's I may eat them ALL!)… I would like to be able to make the dough, freeze in single servings and bake as needed. Ideas?

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  16. I've had these pinned for sometime now…I call this my wonder Dough. I use the dough for everything,even cinnamon Rolls these were the best!

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  17. Do you know if you can get the marinara sauce ? With this breadsticks will be delisius i love the sauce they do at the restorant

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  18. If you want the bread sticks to be less dense use bread flour, it is ground a litte finer and has some additives like baking soda that helps the bread rise and be less dense. When you use bread flour these taste and feel like the bread sticks from Olive Garden! Thanks for the recipe!

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  20. Olive Garden does not make their own bread. It is premade breadsticks out of a package warmed up for 5 mins in oven, brushed with liquid margarine and sprinkled with garlic salt. Worked there for 8 years. in case anyone also wants to know most everything that restaurant cooks is delivered and prepared from frozen form. NOTHING is “homemade”. Unless you count mixing a bunch of cans up for the soups and sauces.

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  21. The wholesale company that made the bread sticks started out with the flour, yeast, etc. Olive Garden just gets the credit! When we say the breadsticks taste like theirs, most people can relate to that particular taste and texture and enjoyment! I thank all of you that have worked at O.G. and been disappointed to know their secrets (bags, cans, etc). We customers appreciate your work so we can enjoy the end results! With this recipe we can bring it home! Thanks to all! A great recipe and so many helpful comments!

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  28. I decided to give this recipe a try considering i'm pregnant and in the third trimester so I have nothing better to do. At first I completely failed because I used active dry yeast and didn't pay attention to the packaging. The breadsticks didn't rise and they were hard (still yummy but very dense). The second go I made sure to pay close attention only using 1/4 cup warm water (around 110 degrees) 1/2 tbsp sugar and the yeast. I let it sit for ten minutes than added 2 cups of flour. After adding the flour I added the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar and remaining 1 1/4 cup of luke warm water. Then followed your recipe to the t and they came out perfect.

    Also before baking them (after proofing) I egg washed them because I noticed the first batch didnt turn as golden brown as I liked before the bottom started getting crispy.

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  29. Making them tonight but not sure if my yeast activated correctly guess I'll just have to wait and see how they turn out ….. Also I'm going to add pramesan cheese to the butter garlic mix and see how that is 🙂 can't wait!!!
    ~Sabrina

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  32. I made them on the dough cycle of in my breadmaker. I used half whole wheat bread flour and white all purpose flour, also added a bit of gluten to help rise. In the oven now, they look delious.

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  36. I had a SEVERE case of verbal diarrhea today. I have a TON of housework to get done this weekend, but told my husband that we were having pasta for dinner tonight and that I would make breadsticks. YOUR recipe is the one I decided to make. I've already pinned it and I'm pretty sure there won't be any left by the end of the evening (only 3 people in our house). Thanks so much for sharing! 😀

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  38. Make sure your warm water is between 100 and 110 degrees. too hot and it will kill the yeast so they won't rise. And if your house is too cold they will take forever to rise. good luck, these look yummy

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  40. I have never made bread before and i love olive garden breadsticks. So this recipe is now a number 1 in our house with spaghetti!!! Thanks sooo much for the inspiration to make things “from scratch” my family is hooked!

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  41. Deb,

    How did you make these in the breadmaker? I don't have a stand mixer but I have a bread maker and a food processor. Could I use the food processor?

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  42. My 1st time making bread and these were great! I used 2 packages of the yeast like suggests by others. I also had to knead the dough by hand for about 5 or6 mins. Very good! Thank you for this! 🙂

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  43. If you want your breadsticks less dense use LESS FLOUR (and always use bread flour, if possible, for making yeast breads). I used about 3 1/2 c total and it was perfect. You want your dough to be slightly tacky to the touch. Spray your hands & the dough with a little pam or olive oil and it wont stick to you when you shape your breadsticks & it will be just as light and tender as the ones at olive garden

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  44. Just made these tonight! Although they may be a little denser than Olive Garden, if you weren't comparing to be a copy cat, they worked out really well! The seasoning really does taste like OG.

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  46. I have made these a few times and they are gone within 15 minutes of them coming out of the oven. I have failed once or twice in making them, but it was always my fault… not this recipe's.
    The things I do to make sure they turn out:

    -Like everyone said, correctly proof your yeast with a littler warmer than warm water. My husband is a biochemist AND home beer brewer, so he explained to me how the process works. The temp must be 110-114 for the yeast to proof.

    -Make sure you're doing that correctly. If your breadsticks don't rise, you've done this wrong.
    Secondly, don't add TOO much flour. I only add 3 1/2 cups of flour to my recipe, honestly. If your breadsticks are too dense, you've added too much flour.

    -Make sure you mixed your ingredients AND “kneaded” in your mixer for the extra 5 minutes. Sometimes I think the bread gets too dense because there is flour hanging out in the bottom. I always turn my mixer almost on high, then walk away and clean my kitchen. When I come back it's a great ball and always turns out fluffy.

    -Let your bread rise, for crying out loud. It has been said on here before, if you live in a cold state like I do (Minnesota) your house is probably colder than normal and you need to maybe turn your oven onto 200 or so, and let your bread rise on your stove. Or, maybe just give it some more time. Don't be impatient!

    These breadsticks are by far my favorite. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!

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  47. Omg! These are amazing! First time making any bread like product and they were a hit in my house. Thank you thank you thank you for this very easy recipe. Very delicious and turned out perfect, light and delicious.

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  48. I normally make my breadstick dough in the breadmaker, but these were just as easy, and VERY good! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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  51. Hi, I teach high school Food and Nutrition and would like to use this recipe, but I only have a 48 minute class period. Do you think we could leave the dough in the fridge overnight to rise? I have done this with other dough and it has turned out well, but I don't want to bum the class out if it doesn't work. We were just talking about Olive Garden breadsticks today so I know they will be really excited for this recipe!

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  62. DELICIOUS! THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE!!! I put olive oil instead of butter in the dough; and I made a onion powder+ground thyme+garlic salt sprinkle on top ~ gotta add a lot to get flavor, but that's okay!!! I added salt on top, as well. This next batch is just salt on top, and I may add cinnamon-sugar if I have a sweet tooth. With my leftovers, I freeze them, and sometimes make bread crumbs =D THANKS again Codee for the recipe!!!!! =D !!!!

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  63. You should probably go to your printer settings (like everyone else) and make sure you don't print ALL pages… Just print page 1-2. Its a pretty simple solution actually, but thanks Readable Eatables for adding the printer button!:)

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  64. Made these this weekend. Followed recommendations from those that commented on their experiences. I used non-metal bowls. In sm. bowl, I put lukewarm water w/sugar and used two pkts of Active Dry Yeast, I used bread flour and only used approx. 3 1/2 c. I topped mine with garlic and herb seasoning and powdered parmesan cheese. VERY GOOD

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  65. I used whole wheat flour, olive oil instead of butter, and cut back the salt a bit – and they turned out great! Thanks for this recipe! SO easy to make – will definitely make them again.

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  66. Just wanted to note that for those who might want to use self rising flour, YOU OMIT THE SALT in the recipe…SR flour has baking powder & salt in it so you don't need to add it.
    Bread flour has higher gluten than all purpose…I always use a-p flour.
    Water temps given in lot of recipes are too hot, even at 110°…I use warm tap water & never had a problem…but I've learned alot of stuff the hard way! First time I made bread, you could have built houses out of those bricks!! 🙂
    This recipe sounds great, I'm anxious to try it! Thanks!

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  67. You can make your own “Pam” spray if you don't want to use the commercial kind… Just get a spray bottle, fill half with water, half with oil (I use Grapeseed oil) and shake, then spray. If spraying a bunch, just keep shaking every once in a while. So easy, convenient, and doesn't get that sticky residue left from the commercial sprays.
    -Tiffaney

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  68. I just made these today and they were delicious. Since I have never made bread before or used yeast before, I read through all the comments and then got started. I didn't have any expectations of success because after reading the comments it seemed it was hit or miss on the dough. Luckily I hit the jackpot. They turned out great. I was nervous working with the dough, so my breadsticks look a little funky, but the taste is wonderful.

    Thanks!

    I'm thinking people probably missed on this when they used too hot of water and killed the yeast. Just a guess …. will make these again. Thanks! a.j.

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  69. I was so excited about this that I made this the very same day I found this website and read all the comments.
    Here is my conclusions after making and eating these wonderful bread-sticks!
    1. I used bread flour. I spooned my flour into my 1 cup dry measuring cup. I did not scoop it out of the bag. This makes a big difference in how much flour you end up with.
    2. I proofed my yeast (made for a bread-maker) with the warm water and sugar.
    3. I used my bread-maker dough setting.
    4. I used 1 Tbsp of salt that the recipe calls for.
    5. I made 12 sticks out of the dough.

    The dough was not too salty for me.
    The bread-sticks were too big because I made them the size of the finished sticks when I rolled them out. Then they doubled in size when they rose. Next time I would make them half the size and end up with 24 sticks.
    I melted the butter to brush on top and put garlic salt in it. I would NOT do that again. I would melt the butter, brush it on, let it rise again and then sprinkle with garlic salt. And I liked the ones that had sesame seeds sprinkled on the top.
    They warm up really good the next day wrapped in foil.
    They had a great taste over all and were not too dense for me. I can't wait to do this again.

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  71. I know when I make bread, I don't add the salt until after I have kneaded the dough and it is not sticky anymore. After you have achieved a gluten window (when you can take a small amount if the dough stretch it very thin until you can see light through it without braking or ripping.) after you do this, add the salt and knead a little more. The dough will feel stiff but that's normal! 🙂

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  73. It kind of means that as you let the yeast and sugar sit in the warm water for the ten minutes it starts to form a “froth” on the top of the water.

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  74. Where is the rating button? Because I would give this recipe 10 stars. I'm an avid and really good home cook of 40 years. I love Olive Garden, but they aren't close enough, and I wanted to re-create a soup, salad, breadstick dinner at home. I used recipes from this site and some from the OG website, but I will only comment on this one here.

    Hands down, the best breadsticks I have ever tasted. I'm not kidding. I brought in my taste testers and they know when I'm trying something new, I want the honest truth. Don't spare my feelings, I don't want to spend hours on something that was mediocre because you wanted to please me. The vote was unanimous and I was the biggest vote caster.

    I try to follow a new recipe exactly the first time and then tweak it later after I know what it's about. I did that. It's not a deviation, but the recipe didn't tell me whether to use the paddle on my stand mixer, or the dough hook. I chose the dough hook. It took some time for the initial mix, and I had to scrape it down. But after I started adding the additional flour in small increments, it looked good.

    The recipe called for 12-14 pieces and I did 14, but I think you could easily do 20 pieces, because some of mine were large.

    My results? My worst critic in the family told me these were twice as good as any they had at olive garden. Everyone else agreed, me included. I had to “salvage” 4 breadsticks so I can experiment with refridgerating/freezing them so that they can be made ahead of time for parties.

    I'm already thinking of other possibilities. A side to fish? Fresh rosmary and dill in the dough.

    But right now I have to figure out how to post this as something other than anonymous. I'm brand new to this site. I want you to know this is a real review. I'll be back, this one recipe alone was fantastic!

    My name is Karen

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  77. You proof them in a warm (175 degree) oven and when doubled you turn your oven up to 400 degrees. Don't forget to brush them with butter and salt in between the doubling in size and the actual cooking for 12-15 min.

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  78. When I was first learning to make bread, it always came out so dense! I've learned that you can either replace 1/4 cup of your flour with instant potato flakes OR replace the water with water that you have boiled potatoes in and this will help your bread as the starch from the potatoes helps protect the bubbles that the yeast makes in your bread. Don't be worried about the potato taste, either, as you cannot taste it at all.

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  79. Mine didn't turn out very pretty, but they tasted great! Will have to work harder on presentation next time. Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing the recipe and thanks for all of the helpful tips!

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  80. do you not know anything about yeast ??? its called PROOFING the yeast its PROVING the yeast is active when it foams its active the sugar activates it as does the warm water 10 minutes is standard time

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  83. You can also leave the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour (recommended). If you put them in an oven at 175, I would place a little water in a pan underneath the breadsticks. The humidity is what helps them rise.

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  84. Just made these this weekend, I found the recipe easy to follow and they turned out delicious! My husband and I both loved them! Thank you for sharing!

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  87. I made my first dough and I found that it had to much flour it did not rise much and the dough was to thick…so I started again and use less flour and they came out perfect….I have made bread before and know how the dough should feel and at what consistency maybe with all that flour the bread would had came out a bit harder more like Italian bread…just saying

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  89. Stir water, sugar and yeast yo mix and then ! it. Sugar feeds the yeast. Water just lukewarm. Yeast should be stored in refrigerator and used by the “use date” on the package. I use active dry yeast rather than cake yeast. I am not sure hos you handle that. If you have a bread machine you can put in there according to directions and stop it at dough stage when you can remove and shape into any type shape.

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  90. Some yeast goes into the flour mix. Some goes in water to proof. READ THE BACK OF YEAST PACKET FOR THE CORRECT YEAST.

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