Garlic Cheese Toast
Updated: June 9, 2024, By Swasthi
This Garlic Cheese Toast is so fast and so delicious! Whether you want to fulfil your cheese cravings or want to entertain your guests and family, this cheesy garlicky toast is the best. It is made the simplest way with easily available ingredients. Your favorite bread gets toasted with butter, fresh garlic, cheese and herbs. Finished with a sprinkle of red chili flakes.
I make this often for my hungry boys for the afterschool snack. So while making a single or double serving I use the pan or the air fryer for convenience. However for a larger batch or for the family, I use the oven as it gets done faster. This Garlic Cheese Toast goes fantastic with soups, pasta, noodles or even with roast veggies and roast chicken.
This Tomato Soup, Sweet Corn soup and Vegetable soup are some great options. When I make this for dinner, I make this Red Sauce Pasta or this Chicken spaghetti.
To make a good Garlic Cheese Toast, you need a good bread. Any kind of medium thickness bread slices work well. Very thick slices won’t melt your cheese if you are making this in a pan. Very thin slices can get too soft after the cheese melts. Avoid using very soft, light and airy bread with large air pockets.
French baguette, sourdough bread (not very crusty), brioche, ciabatta, focaccia and English muffins are some good choices for this recipe. Here are the other ingredients you need.
Ingredients
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best flavor. Using salted butter can make your cheese toast too salty since bread and cheese have some salt included in them.
- Cheese: I used mozzarella here. But you can use a combination of mozzarella for a cheesy pull and something for flavor, like Monterey Jack, Colby, Swiss or cheddar. Use block cheese and grate it yourself. Store bought pre-grated are tossed with anticaking agents so they take longer to melt and can turn rubbery.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is very crucial to this garlic cheese toast. Peel and mince fresh. Garlic powder is an alternate but the flavor won’t be the same. Apart from adding fresh garlic to the butter, for additional flavor, I also sprinkle little garlic powder. But the flavors are different with fresh and ground. You may use both if you want.
- Herbs: Parsley, chives, oregano or mixed Italian herbs go well. More importantly use what you like.
- Chili flakes and black pepper can be added for mild heat.
Garlic Cheese Toast on a Pan
- Make the garlic butter by mixing together garlic and butter. Butter the bread slices generously on both the sides. Heat a pan on a medium flame and toast the bread until crisp at the bottom.
- Turn them to the other side and reduce the heat to low. Spread the cheese, herbs and chili flakes on the hot side of bread (very important). If you want add a generous sprinkle of garlic powder. It is essential to place the cheese on the hot side of the bread else it won’t melt faster.
- Cover and cook on a lowest heat until the cheese begins to melt. You can’t get the cheese to brown in this method. Keep an eye as the bread can burn at the bottom. Alternately you can pop it in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds to melt the cheese well.
Photo Guide
Step by step Photo Instructions (Oven)
1. Add softened butter and chopped garlic to a bowl. Preheat the oven to 370 F – 190 C.
2. Whisk it up well with a fork to make a smooth garlic butter.
3. Smear the butter generously. Press the garlic chunks a bit into the bread to prevent them from falling off. Put this in the oven and bake for 7 to 8 mins.
4. While the bread toasts, grate your cheese. I avoid buying ready grated cheese since most of these have preservatives in E series added to it.
5. The garlic bread is done to golden. Bring the tray out of the oven.
6. Sprinkle cheese generously on the hot bread along with your favorite seasoning like chili flakes, herbs etc. Put back in the oven for 2 to 3 mins or until the cheese melts and begins to turn golden.
Serve cheese garlic bread hot.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Garlic Cheese Toast
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 6 slices bread (any bread of choice)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced or finely chopped
- 1 to 1½ cup cheese grated or slices (i use mozzarella)
- Salt (optional)
optional
- 1 tablespoon parsley or cilantro/ coriander leaves
- ¾ teaspoon oregano (use more if you want)
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes or coarse crushed black pepper
Instructions
- Make garlic butter by whisking together butter and minced garlic with a fork.
- Make on stovetop: Heat a pan on the stove top. Butter the bread slices and toast on one side until crisp. Flip the bread (crisp side top). Add the cheese, herbs and chill flakes. Cover with a lid and toast on a lowest flame until the cheese begins to melt. Keep checking the base to avoid burning.
- Bake in oven: Preheat the oven to 190 C or 370 F. Butter the bread on one side. Toast in the oven for 7 to 8 mins, until crisp. Layer the cheese, herbs and chili flakes on the bread. Bake for 3 more mins until cheese turns golden and melted. Adjust the time according to your oven and cheese.
- Serve garlic cheese toast hot.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Banging flavour. Easy to make. Will make my garlic bread using this recipe moving forward!
The butttered side to put dow.n on tawa ,and after dine other side to bake with the rest , without butter?
Hi,
There are 2 methods. The pan method on the stovetop and oven are different. To make on the pan on stove, you will butter both sides and toast on one side first, turn it to the other side (hot side up). Lower the heat and add the cheese. Toast on a low heat. Keep the pan covered until the cheese melts.
Very testy, i really like your recipe very much
I tried making this recipe and it was a fantastic taste!
Thank you!
Looks amazing ..will definitely try 🙂
Hope you enjoy. Thank you
I did the recipe but my way (basically i used whatever items i had in the house). I got a bowl and did your recipe but i used salted butter, leftover cheddar cheese (which wasn’t much) and i didn’t measure the garlic, i just added two pieces of it. Overall i enjoyed the little snack and so did my family. I don’t really cook and im only 12 so this recipe was helpful and easy and it helped a lot!
I think this recipe if AMAZING 🙂 (if you make it correct or a bit different but mostly like this recipe)
Hi Ridhima
Glad to know the recipe helped. Thanks for leaving a comment.
🙂
Thankyou so much for this recipe. I tried the tawa version and it came out really well.?
Glad to know Divya
Home cooking made easy! Your blog really helps. You always come as saviour. Thanks
Welcome Subha
Glad to know!
I love all the recipes and how you make it seems really simple ..I will be doing your recipes..can’t wait ..thank you .
You are welcome Michelle
Thank you so much!
Great recipe and teaching. .
Thank you
Delicious .. fast and easy. Thanks
You are welcome
Perfect
Thank you
I like the way do your site explains the recipe. Easy to understand and awesome to taste due to the tips.
Thank you
Welcome Sheetal
Thank you so much! Glad to know
Nice recipies. Very nicely explained
Thank you
Very nice and toooo much yummy to have it.?????
Thank you!
Now I can serve good breakfast to my family.
Thanks
Welcome Adrona
Simple easy to follow surly delicious not only gor kids but for adults too
Thank you
Very Tasty and easy to make .thank u Ma’am
Welcome Kavita
Hi if we don’t have chilli flakes and oregano any other option?
Hi Harvi,
Chop some green chilies and use. If you have some dried red chilies, you can pulse them in the mixer and make your own chilli flakes. Skip the oregano and use any herbs you have like fresh coriander leaves or dill leaves.
Dear Swasthi , I tried your cake recipes and pizza, all worked very well. Can you post more recipe on black forest cakes and bread. Thanks a lot.
Welcome Deepa,
Yes sure I can share the recipes. Thanks a lot for trying
🙂
It’s truely a amazing dish nd wht a combination of garlic and cheese. I love it?
Thank you Ambika
🙂