The BEST Cheesy Breadsticks that are easy to make and even better than take-out!
Serve them with a simple marinara sauce or homemade ranch dressing.
For this recipe I took my favorite homemade pizza crust recipe and halved it, to make one batch of breadsticks. You could make the full recipe for two batches of breadsticks, or use half the dough to make one pizza, and the other half to make cheesy breadsticks.
How to make Cheesy Breadsticks:
1. Make dough: Combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes. Add the remaining water, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Gradually add the flour and knead to a soft dough. Cover the bowl with a dry towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
2. Shape breadsticks: Gently punch the dough down, place it on top of a sheet of parchment paper, and use your hands (or a rolling pin, but it’s easier with your hands) to spread the dough into a rectangle about ⅓ inch thick. .
3. Add toppings: Mix melted butter and garlic in a small bowl and spread the butter and garlic mixture evenly over dough, all the way to the edges. Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
4. Bake: Transfer the dough (still on the parchment paper), gently onto the hot pizza stone or cookie sheet and bake at 475 degrees for about 8 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Serve with dipping sauces like marina sauce or ranch.
Variations:
- Cinnamon sugar breadsticks: make the dough, form the breadsticks, then top with ½ stick of melted butter. Mix ½ cup sugar with 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered breadsticks.
- Swap the cheese: feel free to substitute any kind of shredded cheese you like.
- Make pizza: This breadstick recipe is the same as my pizza dough recipe. You can use this recipe to make 1 pizza crust or double it to make pizza and breadsticks!
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: Make the dough 3-4 hours before you want to bake breadsticks, storing it in the refrigerator to rise (instead of at room temperature).
To freeze: Make the dough. Spray it with non-stick cooking spray and place it inside a freezer safe bag. Try to get as much air as possible out of the bag. Freeze homemade dough for 2-3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Remove to the counter for 30 minutes before forming into breadsticks.
Breadsticks go with pizza! CONSIDER TRYING THESE POPULAR PIZZA RECIPES:
- White Garlic Chicken and Veggie Pizza
- Loaded Jalepeno Popper Pizza
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza
- Pepperoni Pizza
- Garlic Ranch Chicken Pizza
- Barbeque Chicken Pizza
- Garlic Knots
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Recipe

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 ½ - 2 cups bread flour , or all-purpose flour
Topping:
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer combine ½ cup of the warm water with the sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ cup warm water, olive oil, salt and vinegar.
- Begin mixing on medium-low speed and gradually add the flour --knead for a few minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (it should be slightly sticky, but not so sticky that it sticks to your clean fingertip). Mine is usually ready with 1 ½ cups flour) Cover the bowl with a dry towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F with a pizza stone inside or upside down cookie sheet inside.
- Gently punch the dough down. Place a large piece of parchment paper on your counter and use your hands (or a rolling pin, but it’s easier with your hands) to spread the dough into a rectangle about ⅓ inch thick.
- Mix melted butter and garlic in a small bowl then spread mixture evenly over dough, all the way to the edges. Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
- Transfer the dough (still on the parchment paper) onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
- Serve with dipping sauces like marinara sauce or ranch.
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated September 2020.
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Question: I don’t have a pizza stone so I will be using a cookie sheet. Why does it have to go in the oven upside down? Thanks!
That’s how I do it so it acts like a “baking stone”. You don’t have to flip it over. Or use a baking tray with no sides instead.
Hi Lauren.
I just have a question about putting this bread onto the pizza stone.
I know I have to pre bake the oven with the pizza stone in the oven.
If I roll the dough out on the baking paper, do I put the baking paper with dough on top straight onto the stone?
I just don’t want to cause a fire in my oven.
I’m just not sure which way to do this.
It this also the same way with making your pizzas?
Thank you and kind regards
Julie
Hi Julia. Yes, just roll the dough out on parchment paper and then lift it and set it (still on the parchment) onto the baking stone in the oven.
Thank you so much for your quick response.
I will let you know how it turns out.
Julie
Really enjoyed this! Made it to have with tomato basil soup and it worked great. Only the second time I’ve ever made any dough lol.
I’m really happy you liked it! Thanks Bailey!
Really good recipe. Easy to make, chewy and cheesy breadsticks. My little family loved them! Will be saving this for later. Thanks!
I tried these today. Great tip about how sticky the dough should be. It really helped decide whether or not I needed to add more flour. I added the tiniest pinch of red chile flakes and a large pinch of Italian Seasoning to the butter. Next time going to bump up the garlic a bit. Will definitely make these again. However, would like them to brown better on the bottom. Will try baking in my cast iron skillet. Any other ideas?
Just made these for the kiddos for pizza night and they are amazing! I added a little Italian seasoning to the garlic butter. What a treat! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much Kimberly! That really makes me so happy that your family loved it.
So yummy! In Canada we call these “garlic fingers”, and only on the East Coast (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland).
We dip them in “Donair Sauce”, which is this sweet sauce made from vinegar, garlic, evaporated milk & sugar). Sounds odd, but its one of those things that is a staple when ordering pizza. So happy I found this recipe, thank you!
Thanks for sharing! That sauce sounds delicious!
Wow! That’s the best appetizer ever! Always love cheese & garlic combination! Thank you for sharing!
My pizza is in the oven right now – just a few hours after I found your wonderful recipe!!
Well – we actually get two recipes in one. A great appetizer recipe AND a great pizza dough recipe. I’ve never seen a pizza dough recipe that includes a bit of vinegar. I’m gonna try that… actually…. right now! PINNING this – as always!
Couldn’t believe you were posting this so soon to leaving for the hospital to welcome baby no. three!! Wishing you all the very best!