Cheesy Air Fryer Garlic Bread

Name: Cheesy Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 10 slices French bread; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (soft, room temperature); 2 tablespoon cream cheese (soft, room temperature); 1 teaspoon garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon dry parsley flakes (plus more for garnishing); 1 teaspoon dry oregano; pinch salt (adjust to taste); ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (adjust to taste); 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded); ¼ cup parmesan cheese (shredded, optional); 1 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped, optional, for garnishing)

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This Easy Cheesy Air Fryer Garlic Bread is the perfect side with your pasta, soup, or simply as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce. It is crispy on the outside and creamy, cheesy, soft in the middle. Ready in 15 mins and totally irresistible!!

Six pieces of cheesy air fryer garlic bread on a lined baking sheet.

About The Recipe

Cheesy Air Fryer Garlic Bread is an easy appetizer or snack recipe that is super simple to make and comes together with just a few ingredients. It's a no-fail and a crowd-pleaser recipe.

Although typically made in the oven, now you can bake garlic bread in the air fryer making it so quick and easy.

To make this cheesy air fryer garlic bread, slather French bread slices in homemade creamy garlic butter, top with cheese, and then air fry (or bake) them until soft in the middle and golden-brown and crispy on the edges.

This air fryer garlic bread is great on its own or with marinara or a dip of choice. It also pairs perfectly as a side with pastas and soups to make it a wholesome meal.

Once you make this garlic bread at home am sure you will never go back to the store-bought ones.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients for Air-fryer Garlic Bread laid out on white surface

French bread: I prefer using pre-sliced French bread from the grocery store bakery for this recipe. You can also use Italian bread, French Baguette, Ciabatta Bread, or thick slice or sandwich bread.

Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature so it's easier to mix. You can also use salted butter, just adjust the amount of salt added accordingly.

Cream cheese: This is the secret ingredient that makes all the difference and gives the garlic bread an extra creamy texture. I use full-fat cream cheese as it is richer in flavor, but you can use a reduced-fat one if you prefer.

Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic for this recipe. The amount of garlic can be varied as per one's liking. Substitute with garlic powder if fresh is not available.

Herbs: Dry herbs like parsley, oregano along with some fresh cilantro for garnish. You can also substitute oregano with Italian seasoning if that is what you have at hand.

Salt and pepper: Added to taste. You can totally chop up some green chilies or add some red chili flakes to taste.

Cheese: I prefer a combination of Mozzarella and parmesan for the garlic bread recipe. Mozzarella has a low melting point and creates those wonderful cheese pulls. Having said that you can use any cheese that melts well like for the video I have used a Mexican cheese blend that was stocked in my fridge.

Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements of ingredients.

How to make Cheesy Garlic Bread in Air Fryer (Step by Step Method)

Prep the bread by slicing the loaf into ½ inch thick slices using a sharp serrated bread knife. I have used pre-sliced bread. Keep bread covered to prevent it from drying.

Steps showing making of creamy Garlic Butter

1 to 3 - To make creamy garlic butter, in a small mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and cream cheese with garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. If the butter and cream cheese are not soft, microwave for 10 seconds so they are easy to mix. Mix well until well combined.

4 - Spread the garlic butter evenly on one side of each bread slice.

4 Steps for air frying cheesy garlic bread

5 - Place the garlic bread in the air fryer basket in a single layer.

6 - Air fry at 370°F for 4-5 minutes, until the toast is golden and crispy around the edges.

7 - Sprinkle the cheese evenly on all slices.

8 - Air fry for another 2-3 mins or until the cheese has melted with slightly golden spots.

Sprinkle some dry parsley and cilantro for garnish. Cheesy Air Fryer Garlic Bread is ready to serve.

Oven-Baked Cheesy Garlic Bread

If you don't have an air-fryer, you can still make this garlic bread in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

4 Steps for Making Cheesy Garlic Bread in Oven

9 - Prepare the garlic butter and bread as per the above instructions.

10 - Place the bread on the lined baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 10 mins.

11 - Remove from the oven and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on all slices. Bake for another 10 mins or until the cheese has melted. Alternately broil for 2-5 minutes, until the edges are a toasty golden brown and the cheese has nice golden spots.

12 - Remove from the oven and sprinkle some dry parsley and cilantro. Oven-Baked Cheesy Garlic Bread is ready to serve.

Four pieces of garlic bread served next to a bowl of ketchup.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving garlic bread fresh and warm as a side with pasta or soup to make a cozy meal. My kids also love it as their afterschool snack just on its own or with a side of ketchup.

You can also serve this cheesy garlic bread as an appetizer with a side of marinara sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Recipe Tips

I have used french bread for this recipe but you can use any bread of choice. For crispy garlic bread, my recommendation is to use French Loaf, Baguette, or Ciabatta Bread. But sandwich bread can also be used when that is all you have.

Adding cream cheese to the butter mixture makes it more creamy and cheesy but you can also use just butter.

For a lighter version, skip the cream cheese and butter and use olive oil instead, keeping the rest of the ingredients the same.

I have used dry parsley for this recipe but you can also use fresh parsley.

Freshly minced garlic will provide the best flavor but you can substitute with garlic powder if fresh is not available.

If you don't prefer cheesy garlic bread, simply skip the cheese or add some parmesan cheese to the garlic butter itself.

For crispier garlic bread, air fry (without cheese) for 5-6 mins. The time may vary based on the air fryer model.

Six slices of cheesy garlic bread next to a small bowl of tomato ketchup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make air fryer garlic bread ahead of time?

Garlic bread is best served straight out of the oven or air fryer. You can make the garlic butter mixture a couple of days ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge. That way it is quick to whip up garlic bread when you crave it.

How to store leftover garlic bread?

Leftover garlic bread can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, air fry at 370° F for 2-3 mins until warm and crispy.

Can you make it gluten-free?

To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use GF bread.

How to make Vegan Garlic Bread?

To make vegan garlic bread, replace the butter, cream cheese, and cheese with vegan substitutes or simply skip the cheese, cream cheese, and butter and use olive oil instead.

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Four slices of garlic bread stacked on top of each other.

Hope you enjoy this Cheesy Air Fryer Garlic Bread!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate it by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!

Update Notes: This post was originally published on Oct 29, 2014, but was republished with, step-by-step instructions, tips, and a video in March of 2022.