Vegan Breadsticks

Better than Olive Garden! For the best Vegan Breadsticks experience, make this recipe to serve alongside your favorite plant-based dinners, such as Vegan Baked Ziti. It’s so easy because this breadsticks recipe is made with only 5 ingredients, plus water. But don’t skimp on the toppings, that’s what makes these garlic breadsticks beyond fantastic!

If you’re in a hurry and want to serve an Italian dish like baked vegan spaghetti pie with a side of bread, then go with this vegan garlic bread because it’s fast, easy, and fantastic.

But If you’ve got a little more time, what I love about these vegan breadsticks is just how soft and tender they are. Besides, you can freeze them and have them on reserve for those moments when you need the best bread ever!

There’s nothing like having vegan frozen breadsticks ready to be reheated and served!

What You Need

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

• Lemon — We’ll use both the zest and the juice of the lemon.
• Oats — I used rolled oats for this recipe, but you can substitute instant oats.
• Chia — We’ll add some ground chia seeds to create a thicker texture. You can use whole chia seeds; I just prefer ground because it creates a smoother finished texture.
• Syrup — I used maple syrup, but you can substitute agave nectar.
• Milk — We’ll use almond milk for the best overnight oats! Substitute your favorite plant-based milk.
• Yogurt — I love adding some plant-based yogurt (plain, unsweetened) for an even more tangy flavor.
• Protein Powder — I add some vanilla protein powder for increased flavor and nutrients. If your protein powder is not sweetened, you may want to add an extra teaspoon or two of sweetener.
• Cornstarch — We’ll use cornstarch to thicken the lemon curd topping.
• Turmeric — A pinch of turmeric makes that lemon curd sunny yellow.

• Yeast — You’ll need one packet of either instant or active dry yeast.
• Sugar — A little bit of granulated sugar is all you’ll need.
• Flour — I recommend using bread flour, but you can substitute all-purpose flour.
• Salt
• Vegan Butter — We’ll be adding some vegan dairy-free butter or you can substitute olive oil.
• Garlic powder
• Oregano — You can use either fresh or dried oregano.

Ingredient Spotlight

What is Bread Flour?

Bread flour is similar to all-purpose flour, but it is milled from a different type of wheat. The hard spring wheat berries has a higher protein content, which makes the dough stronger. This yields a higher rise in the dough, producing softer buns and breads. You can usually find bread flour in the baking section next to other flours. You can substitute all-purpose flour. If you have some vital wheat gluten, adding 2 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten to all-purpose flour will increase the protein content.

How To Make Vegan Breadsticks

1. Stir the yeast, warm water, sugar, butter, and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in 2 cups flour and mix until combined.
3. Add the remaining flour and knead with a dough hook for up to 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
4. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, roughly an hour.
5. Cut the dough into 12 equally-sized pieces.
6. Roll each piece into a 7-inch long log and place on a prepared baking sheet
7. Cover the pan and set aside to rise for about 30 to 45 minutes.
8. Bake breadsticks on the center rack for 12 to 14 minutes.
9. Move the pan to the top rack to give the breadsticks a golden crust on top.
10. Brush freshly-baked breadsticks with melted butter and sprinkle with the garlic salt.

Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions.

Step One: Proof the Yeast

1. Place the water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 11 seconds. Insert your finger in the water, which should be about the same temperature as your finger.
2. Add yeast and warm water to a mixing bowl (for a hand-held or stand mixer). Stir in the sugar, butter, and salt.
3. Stir in 2 cups flour. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and blend until well combined.

Step Two: Make the Dough

1. Change out the paddle attachment for the dough hook. Pour in the remaining flour and knead the dough for up to 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should become smooth and elastic, while still slightly sticky.
2. Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and set aside to rise until doubled in size, roughly an hour. See my tips below for recommendations on the best places to rise dough.
3. Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly floured cutting board.
4. Cut the dough ball in half, then cut each half in half. You’re left with 4 pieces of dough.
   
5. Cut these into thirds to make 12 equally-sized pieces of dough.
   
6. Roll each piece into a 7-inch long log.
   
7. Place these on the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each of them.
8. Cover the pan with a dampened kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set it aside to rise for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Step Three: Bake the Breadsticks

1. Bake breadsticks on the center rack for 12 to 14 minutes.
2. Move the pan to the top rack for the last few minutes of baking to give the breadsticks a golden crust on top.
3. Stir together the salt, garlic powder, and oregano.
4. When breadsticks are done, remove them from the oven and use a pastry brush to coat each of the hot breadsticks with melted butter.
   
5. Sprinkle with the garlic salt. Serve warm.
6. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Best Places to Rise Dough

For a warm place to let your dough rise:

• Oven Method — Turn the oven on its lowest temperature for about 5 minutes, then turn the oven off. Place the covered bowl of dough in the oven along with a pan of warm water.
• Microwave Method — Place a pyrex glass measuring cup full of 1 to 2 cups of water. Heat it on high for 2 minutes. This will create a warm, moist environment. Add the covered bowl of dough to the microwave, close the door, and let it sit for the allotted time.

Serving Suggestions

Serve vegan garlic breadsticks with any of the following:

• Marinara sauce — These are great appetizers when served with the right sauces.
• Vegan Alfredo sauce — This takes me back to my Olive Garden days and my favorite “entree” was the salad and breadsticks with some Alfredo sauce. Now we can do that again, except vegan.
• Vegan Lasagna — There’s nothing better than a breadstick to serve with some vegan lasagna, or any plant-based Italian dish for that matter.
• Walnut Pesto — This pesto is fresh and green and perfect for serving with bread of any kind.

Vegan Cheese Breadsticks

If you’ve ordered from any popular pizza place lately, you may have noticed they love serving cheesy bread. You can recreate that experience by melting some vegan mozzarella shreds on top of these dairy-free breadsticks.

Simply sprinkle a half cup (or more) of vegan mozzarella shreds (Follow Your Heart or Daiya are our favorites) and move that pan to the top rack and bake until the cheese melts. It’s absolutely delicious!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Bread

If you love these vegan breadsticks, be sure to try even more vegan bread recipes:

Reheating Olive Garden Breadsticks

Vegan Dinner Rolls

155 mins total

Whole Wheat No Knead Bread

545 mins total

Vegan Croutons

25 mins total

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Vegan Breadsticks

These homemade garlic vegan breadsticks are easy to make. They're perfect for freezing so you can pop one or two in the toaster oven to have with your favorite plant-based meals.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Saved!

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

CupsMetric

• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted (substitute olive oil)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 cups bread flour

Garlic Topping

• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegan butter

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For the Breadsticks:

• Prepare two baking pans by lining with parchment paper.
• Place the water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 11 seconds. Insert your finger in the water, which should be about the same temperature as your finger. Or use a thermometer to achieve between 105°F/41°C and 109°F/43°C.
• Add yeast with warm water to a mixing bowl (for a hand-held or stand mixer). Stir in the sugar, butter, and salt.
• Stir in 2 cups flour. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and blend until well combined.
• Change out the paddle attachment for the dough hook. Pour in the remaining flour and knead the dough for up to 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should become smooth and elastic, while still slightly sticky.
• Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and set aside to rise until doubled in size, roughly an hour. See post tips for recommendations on the best places to rise dough.
• Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly floured cutting board. Cut the dough ball in half, then cut each half in half. You're left with 4 pieces of dough. Cut these into thirds to make 12 equally-sized pieces of dough. Roll each piece into a 7-inch long log. Place these on the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each of them. Cover with dampened kitchen towels or plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Bake breadsticks on the center rack for 12 to 14 minutes. Move the pan to the top rack for the last few minutes of baking to give the breadsticks a golden crust on top.

For The Garlic Topping:

• Stir together the salt, garlic powder, and oregano.
• When breadsticks are done, remove them from the oven and use a pastry brush to coat each of the hot breadsticks with melted butter. Sprinkle with the garlic salt. Serve warm.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Recommended Equipment

Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

The dough should still be sticky, but it should pull away from the edges of the bowl. Make sure to add flour minimally, because too much flour will create dry breadsticks.

Move the pans of breadsticks up to the top rack for the last few minutes of baking to get golden tops on your breadsticks. 

Make Vegan Cheese Breadsticks by sprinkling a half cup of vegan mozzarella over the breadsticks (after coating them with vegan butter and sprinkling with spices). Then return them to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese melts.

Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 421mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!

This post was originally published in 2014 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.