The Best Air Fryer Garlic Bread (Texas Toast Style)

This easy Air Fryer Garlic Bread recipe will become a new favorite for your pasta dinners!  It’s Texas Toast style, using thick bread and a delicious garlic butter mixture. 

You know it’s 2023 when we’re talking about how to air fry garlic bread! I used my air fryer quite a bit this summer, to avoid heating up the oven. Even through the winter, I’ll keep making this homemade air fryer garlic bread because it’s just so darn easy!

I like to use my air fryer to make side dishes, especially when I’m making quick stovetop meals like spaghetti and meatballs. It just seems like a waste to heat up the oven for something so simple! But, of course I to have delicious garlic bread with my pasta, because it’s the perfect side dish.

If you aren’t a pasta fan, I think this easy recipe is a great choice for a steakhouse-style dinner! Serve with this easy Air Fryer New York Strip steak!

For this delicious air-fryer garlic bread, I used a store-bought Italian loaf. You can use another style of bread if you choose, like French bread! I have a few suggestions below. No matter the type of bread you use, I recommend cutting it into thick slices! 

In this simple recipe, the sliced bread is toasted in the air fryer. Then it’s painted with a simple garlic butter spread and air fried to perfection! 

Recipe Substitutions:

This easy recipe makes simple ingredients into something special! It’s a favorite in our household. There are several substitutions you can make to better use what you already have at home, including:

• For the bread, use sliced French baguette, sourdough or ciabatta! You can even use sandwich bread, hot dog buns or hamburger buns. I have even used leftover buns in desperate moments, and it turns out great!
• If you only have salted butter, use that! Just omit the added salt. 
• Use margarine or olive oil for dairy-free alternatives. 
• For the best flavor, I recommend using fresh garlic! But, if you don’t have fresh garlic cloves or prepared minced garlic, don’t worry. Use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or a tablespoon of garlic paste. 
• Yes, you can use fresh herbs if you have them! Use fresh oregano (1 tablespoon) instead of the dried oregano. You can also try dried basil or dried thyme.
• Use fresh parsley (1 tablespoon), or dried or fresh chives instead of the dried parsley. 
• Substitute Italian seasoning for the parsley and oregano. 

Recipe Additions: 

Customize this easy side dish by adding the following ingredients: 

• Make it a cheesy garlic bread! Sprinkle the buttered toast with mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese and/or Parmesan cheese. It’s best to do this in the last 1-2 minutes of air frying! 
• Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a spicy twist. 

Check out my favorite air fryer recipes on Blackberry Babe. 

Serving Suggestions

Serve with your favorite Italian meals! Spaghetti, lasagna or any pasta dishes with a tomato sauce work well.

This Air Fryer Garlic Bread is the perfect addition to Lasagna al Forno, Eggplant Parmesan, Baked Spaghetti Casserole,Homemade Pizza Pockets, Easy Pepperoni Pizza Casserole Recipe or stuffed peppers!

It’s also wonderful with a richer, spicier dishes like Filipino Spaghetti recipe or my Bratwurst Pasta. Or, a creamy pasta dish like this Crab Linguine Carbonara. 

This homemade garlic bread is also wonderful as a side for soup! Try it with my steak chili, or this vegetable barley soup. 

For a less traditional pairing, trying serving this garlic bread with barbecue! It’s wonderful with grilled chicken, grilled steak or barbecued pork steaks. Use the bread to soak up the extra barbecue sauce. Delicious! 

If you’re looking for other air fryer recipes to pair with this, consider my Homemade Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks!

More Tips

If your bread has a lot of holes in it, you may want to use softened butter instead. This will help everything stay in place! Just use a butter knife to spread the softened better onto the bread.

You can use bread that’s thinner sliced. But, you’ll want to adjust the cook time down by 1-2 minutes and keep an eye on it for the best results! 

Storing Leftover Air Fryer Garlic Bread

Store leftover garlic bread in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. Reheat by air frying at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2-3 minutes. 

You can also freeze any leftovers! Use a resealable Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, air fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-6 minutes. No need to thaw before reheating.

Leftover garlic bread is wonderful by itself, or made into garlic bread pizza toast!