Quick Meals

Garlic Knots: The Bread That Ends Friendships (Over the Last One)

2 min

Cook the minced garlic in the melted butter for one minute, no longer, until it just smells nutty and sweet. Past that it browns and turns bitter, and you can't take it back. I use store-bought pizza dough here because the knots are the easy part: roll a 12x8 rectangle, cut sixteen strips, tie each into a loose knot with the ends tucked under. The other thing that matters is timing. Toss the knots in the garlic butter while they're still hot from the oven, so they drink it up instead of letting it pool at the bottom of the bowl.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

Garlic knots are a New York thing, born in the pizzerias of the outer boroughs sometime in the 1970s. The usual story is that they started as a way to use up leftover pizza dough scraps and edge trimmings, knotted up and brushed with the same garlic oil already sitting by the oven. Whether that's exactly how it happened, the dough-scrap logic still holds, which is why a pound of plain pizza dough is all you need.

Garlic knots are proof that simple things done right are unstoppable.

Take pizza dough. Tie it in a knot. Bake until golden. Then drown it in garlic butter, Parmesan, and parsley. That’s it. That’s the recipe. These disappear in about four minutes flat, so make extra.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1 1

Prep & Preheat

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Lightly flour a surface. Roll pizza dough into a 12×8-inch rectangle.

2 2

Make the Knots

Cut dough into 16 strips (each about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long).

Tie each strip into a loose knot. Tuck the ends underneath.

Place knots on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

3 3

Make the Garlic Butter

While knots bake, melt butter in a small pan over low heat.

Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant (don’t burn it).

Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and salt.

4 4

Toss & Serve

Transfer hot knots to a large bowl. Pour garlic butter over them. Toss to coat.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss again.

Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping.

Summary

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Bake Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 16 knots | Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Best fresh and hot. Store leftovers (ha!) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in an air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or in an oven. Never microwave—they turn into rubber.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

10 minutes

Cook

15 minutes

Total

25 minutes

Yield

16 knots

Ingredients

Makes 16 knots.

For the Knots:

1 lb store-bought pizza dough (or homemade)
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Garlic Butter:

6 tablespoons salted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1
Prep & Preheat. Prep & Preheat. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment. Lightly flour a surface. Roll pizza dough into a 12×8-inch rectangle. 2 2
2
Make the Knots. Make the Knots. Cut dough into 16 strips (each about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long). Tie each strip into a loose knot. Tuck the ends underneath. Place knots on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. 3 3
3
Make the Garlic Butter. Make the Garlic Butter. While knots bake, melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant (don’t burn it). Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and salt. 4 4
4
Toss & Serve. Toss & Serve. Transfer hot knots to a large bowl. Pour garlic butter over them. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss again. Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping

Swaps & Substitutions

Salted butter → use unsalted, then keep the 1/2 tsp salt as written; with salted butter, cut the added salt to a pinch
Store-bought pizza dough → homemade works at the same 1 lb weight; let it come to room temperature so it rolls without snapping back
Fresh parsley → 1 tablespoon dried in a pinch, though you lose the fresh bite; basil is a fine swap if that's what you have
Parmesan → Pecorino Romano for a sharper, saltier hit, or skip it entirely for dairy-light knots
Dairy-free → swap the butter for a good vegan stick butter and leave out the Parmesan; the garlic and parsley carry it
Marinara for dipping → warmed jarred sauce is fine, or a quick bowl of olive oil with a little salt and chili flakes

Questions & Answers

Can I make these ahead?

Tie and bake the knots, but hold off on the garlic butter until just before serving. They reheat at 350F for about 5 minutes, and you toss them in fresh warm butter then so they don't go soggy.

Why did my knots come out tight and dense?

Two likely causes: the dough was cold and fought back when you rolled it, or you tied the knots too snug. Let the dough sit at room temperature first, and keep each knot loose so it has room to puff in the oven.

My garlic tasted harsh and bitter. What happened?

The garlic cooked too long or the butter got too hot. Keep the heat low and pull it after one minute, the moment it smells fragrant. Raw-edged or browned garlic both turn sharp.

How do I store leftovers?

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. Warm them in a 350F oven for a few minutes before eating; the microwave makes them rubbery.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, freeze the baked plain knots before saucing. Reheat from frozen at 350F for about 10 minutes, then toss in fresh garlic butter and Parmesan.

Garlic Knots: The Bread That Ends Friendships (Over the Last One)