This Garlic Bread Pizza combines the best of both worlds—crispy, buttery, garlicky bread topped with garlic butter, gooey melted cheese, pepperoni, honey and fresh basil leaves. This 20-minute dinner is a family favorite and better than take out!
Whether you're making this for a quick weeknight dinner, a game-day snack, or a fun family meal, this recipe guarantees bold flavor in every bite. One bite, and you’ll never look at garlic bread the same way again!
I keep homemade roasted garlic butter on hand in my fridge so I can whip this recipe up or add an extra layer of flavor to anything else I'm making. If you have leftover garlic confit, that makes a great spread for this pizza too!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- If you keep roasted garlic butter on hand, you an easily make these focaccia pizza in 20 minutes. It's great to keep a stash on hand to add to Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, bread, shrimp dishes and much more!
- Everyone can add their own custom toppings!
- Save money making your own over takeout. Picking up a couple pizzas has gotten quite expensive. Making your own is definitely the way to go.
Recipe Ingredients
- Focaccia Bread: Use your favorite focaccia bread from a local bakery, grocery store or homemade.
- Roasted Garlic Butter: I make my own roasted garlic butter, it's a simple recipe you can keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- Fontina Cheese: Fontina is a super creamy, melty Italian cheese that I love to use here and in my pumpkin stuffed shells recipe.
- Sharp Provolone: Sharp provolone cheese adds a little bite to your pizzas. If you're not into that flavor, you can use a regular provolone or mozzarella cheese.
- Pepperoni: Use your favorite pepperoni from your local meat market or grocery store.
- Crushed Red Pepper: I love a little spice with my pizza but feel free to leave this ingredient our of you don't like heat.
- Fresh Basil: Using fresh basil leaves on pizza adds so much flavor, much preferred over dried basil.
- Honey: Local Hive Honey is my go-to honey. I always have several bottles of their Midwest honey varietal but I love trying honey from all the different regions.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Change Out The Cheese: The sharp provolone can be switched to a regular provolone cheese, mozzarella or parmesan cheese.
- Focaccia Bread: Use your favorite loaf of crusty bread for this garlic bread pizza recipe. I've used Italian bread, baguette, a large loaf of French bread for a French bread pizza recipe or even Texas Toast. Sourdough also works and you can use leftovers to make sourdough stuffing!
- Toppings: Pepperoni is one of my favorite pizza toppings but you can try sausage, olives, pineapple, giardiniera, bell peppers, spinach or whichever favorite toppings you like on your pizza.
- Olive Oil: Sub olive oil for butter in the garlic butter recipe. This adds great flavor to these garlic toast pizzas.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Use shredded mozzarella for a creamier cheese pull or use fresh mozzarella for a lighter flavor.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Garlic Bread Pizza
Step 1: Make roasted garlic butter ahead of time.
Step 2: Slice focaccia open and spread on garlic butter!
Step 3: Add toppings to each half as desired.
Step 4: Pop in the oven to get hot and melty.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Choose a sturdy and rustic bread base, such as a focaccia bread, French baguette, Italian ciabatta, or sourdough loaf. These bread varieties provide a firm and crispy foundation for your garlic bread pizza, keeping your pizza from becoming soggy. I also use these types of bread for dipping in Marry Me Chicken Tortellini!
- Make the roasted garlic butter up to 2 weeks ahead of time. I like to make it then store it in the fridge to use at a moments notice for garlic bread pizza, garlic bread, steaks, veggies, etc.
- Dip this easy garlic bread pizza recipe in marinara sauce. I love Rao's Marinara Sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! If you have an air fryer large enough to fit Garlic Bread Pizzas then it's a great option for cooking them. Cook at 350°F for 3-5 minutes. Cheese will be melted, golden brown and bubbly, bread will be warm and toasty.
Garlic Bread Pizza can be left out for a couple hours at room temp. Just like most other foods, it needs to be kept in the fridge to stay out of the temperature danger zone to keep it safe for consumption.
Yes, you can definitely make garlic bread using pizza dough. In fact, using pizza dough for garlic bread can be a convenient and time-saving option. It's not quite the same texture but can be shaped to make a "garlic bread".
Garlic Bread Pizza can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap once prepared, but not yet cooked. This can be helpful to prepare pizzas ahead of time then bake later.
Once garlic bread pizza is cooked, it can be store in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Reheat pizza in microwave for 30 seconds at a time until hot or a 350°F oven for 4-5 minutes.
This Garlic Bread Pizza recipe can be stored in the freezer before being cooked. Prepare pizzas then double wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Keep garlic pizza bread in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Thaw in the fridge overnight then cook according to regular cooking instructions.
You certainly can. That would save even more time however, I much prefer the flavor of making my own favorite bread with homemade roasted garlic butter.
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📖Recipe
Garlic Bread Pizza
Equipment
- 1 cheese grater
Ingredients
Garlic Bread Pizza
- 1 11oz herbed focaccia bread cut in half lengthwise to make 2 pieces
- ½ cup roasted garlic butter room temp
- 5 oz fontina cheese shredded
- 5 oz sharp provolone cheese shredded
- 2 oz pepperoni
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 14 leaves fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
Make Roasted Garlic Butter
Making Pizza
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper
- Evenly spread roasted garlic butter over both halves of focaccia bread, inside of the bread facing up
- Sprinkle cheeses over the top then then top with pepperoni and crushed red pepper
- Bake 5-8 minutes until cheese is melty and hot. Top with fresh basil and a drizzle of honey
Nutrition
Garlic Bread Pizza
Equipment
- 1 cheese grater
Ingredients
Garlic Bread Pizza
- 1 11oz herbed focaccia bread cut in half lengthwise to make 2 pieces
- ½ cup roasted garlic butter room temp
- 5 oz fontina cheese shredded
- 5 oz sharp provolone cheese shredded
- 2 oz pepperoni
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 14 leaves fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
Make Roasted Garlic Butter
Making Pizza
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper
- Evenly spread roasted garlic butter over both halves of focaccia bread, inside of the bread facing up
- Sprinkle cheeses over the top then then top with pepperoni and crushed red pepper
- Bake 5-8 minutes until cheese is melty and hot. Top with fresh basil and a drizzle of honey
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