Easy Fazoli’s Breadsticks Recipe (Copycat — Better Than the Restaurant)

Fazoli’s breadsticks are soft, pillowy, and drenched in garlic butter — and the secret isn’t the dough, it’s the double butter technique: a generous brush before baking, then another coat immediately out of the oven while the heat pulls it deep into the crumb. This copycat recipe nails both the garlic butter formula and that second brush, which is the step every other version gets wrong.

Fazoli’s breadsticks are the reason people go to Fazoli’s. Not the pasta, not the baked ziti, the unlimited warm garlic breadsticks that show up at the table before you’ve even ordered.

Soft and pillowy inside, golden on the bottom, drenched in garlic butter twice, once before baking, once immediately out of the oven while the heat pulls the butter in deep.

Here’s the detail no other recipe tells you!

Fazoli’s doesn’t bake their breadsticks from scratch. Former employees confirm they use pre-made par-baked breadsticks from the bakery section, then brush them heavily with a garlic butter mixture before finishing in the oven.

The flavor is entirely in the butter, specifically a garlic, kosher salt, and butter blend applied generously twice.

This copycat recipe gives you the from-scratch version that tastes identical, plus the quick shortcut version for weeknights when you need them on the table in 20 minutes.

Ingredients Needed

This is essentially what Fazoli’s actually does at the restaurant.

• Par-baked breadsticks: Bake-and-serve breadsticks ready for quick finishing at home
• Unsalted butter, melted: Rich buttery base for flavorful garlic topping
• Olive oil: Adds smooth texture and enhances garlic butter flavor
• Cold water: Helps loosen butter mixture for even coating
• Granulated garlic: Bold garlic flavor evenly blends into butter
• Kosher salt: Enhances flavor and balances rich buttery taste
• Dried parsley (optional): Adds color and light herbal finish

How To Make Fazoli’s Breadsticks Recipe

Step 1: Brush each breadstick with half the garlic butter. Bake per package directions (usually 375–400°F for 8–10 minutes). Remove from oven.

Step 2: Brush immediately with remaining garlic butter. Let rest 5 minutes.

The Double Butter Method — Why It’s Mandatory

Every good breadstick recipe brushes butter before baking. That gives you flavor in the crust. What Fazoli’s does , and what this recipe replicates is the immediate second brush right out of the oven.

Here’s what the second application does that the first can’t: when butter hits hot bread, the steam from inside the bread pulls the butter in by capillary action. The bread is porous from baking and actively absorbing. A breadstick that comes out of the oven and gets brushed immediately will absorb twice as much garlic butter as one that cools first. This is the source of that deep, all-the-way-through garlic butter flavor that makes Fazoli’s breadsticks different from every other garlic breadstick you’ve had.

Room temperature breadstick + butter = butter sitting on the surface. Hot breadstick + butter = butter absorbed into the crumb.

Dipping Sauces

Fazoli’s serves their breadsticks with marinara for dipping. Here are all the combinations worth making:

• Marinara: Warm jarred marinara (Rao’s is the best choice) or homemade. The acidic tomato cuts through the butter richness perfectly.
• Alfredo: Creamy, indulgent, the restaurant’s own pairing.
• Meat sauce: Fazoli’s also offers breadsticks dipped in meat sauce.
• Extra garlic butter: For those who believe the only correct response to “how much garlic butter” is “more.” Serve a small ramekin of the warm garlic butter mixture on the side.
• Spicy marinara : Added red pepper flakes and a pinch of calabrian chili to standard marinara.

Serving Suggestions

Every Fazoli’s meal comes with breadsticks. Serve these with:

• Fazoli’s Baked Spaghetti: The egg-and-butter pasta base recipe that matches the restaurant version
• Any baked pasta: The breadsticks are designed to mop up the sauce
• Caesar salad: The garlic in the breadsticks pairs naturally with the anchovy-forward dressing
• Minestrone or tomato soup: Dip and drag
• As a standalone snack! They need no accompaniment

Make-Ahead, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: Prepare the breadsticks and garlic butter in advance, then store separately until ready to bake. When ready, brush and bake fresh for the best soft, buttery texture.
• Freezing: Freeze baked or unbaked breadsticks in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking or reheating.
• Reheating: Reheat breadsticks in the oven or air fryer until warmed through and lightly crisp on the outside. Brush with a little extra garlic butter after reheating for fresh flavor.

Fazoli’s Breadsticks Recipe Tips

• Start with the right breadsticks: Par-baked, bake-and-serve breadsticks are the shortcut that works. Skip fully baked ones—they won’t soak up the garlic butter the same way.
• Don’t skip the butter mix step: Melted butter alone isn’t enough. Add a little olive oil and garlic so it clings better and hits harder on flavor.
• Brush before and after baking: Yes, twice. First coat helps them bake up flavorful, second coat gives that glossy, restaurant-style finish.
• Bake until just golden—not dark brown: You’re aiming for soft and fluffy inside with a light golden exterior. Overbake and you lose that signature texture.
• Use granulated garlic, not fresh: Fresh garlic burns fast. Granulated garlic blends smoothly and gives that classic Fazoli’s flavor.
• Salt right at the end: A light sprinkle of kosher salt after baking wakes everything up. Do it while they’re still hot so it sticks.
• Cover loosely if holding: If you’re not serving right away, tent with foil. This keeps them soft instead of drying out.
• Reheat like you mean it: Air fryer or oven brings them back to life. Microwave works in a pinch—but expect softer, less exciting results.
• Go heavy on the butter (within reason): This is not the time to be shy. These breadsticks are known for being buttery—lean into it.
• Serve immediately: They’re best fresh out of the oven. Give it 10 minutes and they’re still good… but not wow good anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Fazoli’s breadsticks so good? Two things: the double butter application (before and immediately after baking), and the garlic butter formula, butter, olive oil, cold water, granulated garlic, and kosher salt combined into an emulsified mixture.

Does Fazoli’s make their breadsticks from scratch? No. Multiple former employees confirm that Fazoli’s uses pre-made par-baked breadsticks from a supplier and brushes them with a garlic butter mixture before finishing in the oven.

Why do I need to brush the breadsticks with butter twice? The first brush (before baking) flavors and browns the crust. The second brush (immediately out of the oven) is absorbed into the hot, porous interior by capillary action. You get twice as much garlic butter flavor all the way through the breadstick. This is the single technique that separates Fazoli’s breadsticks from every other garlic breadstick recipe.

What breadsticks from the store are closest to Fazoli’s? For the quick shortcut version, look for Pillsbury par-baked breadsticks, Sister Schubert’s rolls (slightly different but excellent), or any bakery-section bake-and-serve breadstick. In the Midwest, Shullsburg Creamery Plain Breadsticks are reportedly the closest to what Fazoli’s actually uses.

Why granulated garlic instead of garlic powder? Granulated garlic has a coarser grind that distributes more evenly in the butter emulsion and holds up better to oven heat without turning bitter. Garlic powder can clump and can develop a slightly harsh flavor at 400°F. Either works — granulated is better.

More Copycat Fazoli’s Recipes

Easy Fazoli’s Toasted Ravioli

Easy Copycat Fazoli’s Alfredo Sauce

Fazoli’s Baked Spaghetti Recipe (Copycat) Better Than the Restaurant)

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