Name: Garlic Knots
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 14 Knots
Ingredients: ½ recipe Mary’s Chicago-Style Thick and Chewy Easy Pizza Dough; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter; 4 garlic cloves, finely minced; 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; Coarse sea salt (or sea salt flakes), to taste; Parmesan cheese, to taste

Appetizers

Garlic Knots

Author: Mary DiSomma

These quick, homemade garlic knots are absolutely delicious straight out of the oven. They’re soft and chewy on the inside, golden brown and crisp on the outside, packed with garlic and oregano, and smothered with butter. Whether you’re serving them as an appetizer or a side, you really can’t go wrong. Whip up a batch of my homemade pizza sauce recipe and you’ve got a dippable, shareable treat for the whole family to enjoy.

Garlic Knots

These easy garlic knots are made with leftover pizza dough and smothered in a garlic, oregano, and butter sauce. Baked to golden brown perfection, they’re perfect for dipping in homemade pizza sauce!

Yield: 14 Knots
Prep Time: 15 minutes min
Cook Time: 12 minutes min
Total Time: 27 minutes min

Ingredients

½ recipe Mary’s Chicago-Style Thick and Chewy Easy Pizza Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Coarse sea salt (or sea salt flakes), to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Instructions

If your dough is frozen, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for 3 to 4 hours. You can also let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take pieces of dough and roll them into 1½-inch balls.
Lightly flour your hands and roll the balls into 5-inch-long ropes, about ½-inch wide.
Form the knots by gently twisting each dough rope into a knot. Tuck the loose ends under the knots and place them on the prepared pan with the tucked ends down. The knots should be about two inches around. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cover the pan with a clean dish towel and let your garlic knots rise for 15 minutes.
Bake the knots for 10 to 12 minutes. While the knots are baking, prepare the olive oil and butter mixture: In a small saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook on low heat for 30 seconds being careful not to burn the garlic. Take off the heat and stir in the olive oil and dried oregano.
Remove the garlic knots from the oven. You can either toss the warm garlic knots in the butter or use a pastry brush to brush them with the butter and oil mixture. Place the garlic knots back on the baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with the sea salt and Parmesan cheese to taste.
Set out any dipping sauces you’d like to serve alongside your fresh, hot garlic knots and enjoy!

View Mary's Tips

Ingredient Tips

Start by rolling your pizza dough into small ropes, about 5 inches long and ½ inch wide.

Is your dough too sticky? Try chilling it slightly. Cooler dough is often easier to work with, especially when shaping the knots.

Gently twist the dough into a knot. Don’t pull on it too hard (like you would a string or rope) because you don’t want to stretch it out. It’s less like actually tying a knot and more like gently sculpting it. After you form the knot, make sure to tuck those loose ends under for an even bake and a finished look!

Before baking, allow the knots to rest for about 15 minutes. This gives the dough time to relax, making for a better texture.

Preparation + Preservation Tips

If you made a big batch of garlic knots and have a few left over, don’t worry—they store beautifully. The best way to store leftover garlic knots is to let them cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep for about 2-3 days at room temperature, or up to a week if stored in the fridge.

To make sure they come out just as delicious as when they were fresh, here’s how to reheat leftover garlic knots:

How to Reheat Garlic Knots in the Oven

Reheating garlic knots in the oven is easy! Just wrap the garlic knots in aluminum foil and reheat in a 200 degree oven for about 5 minutes. That’s it!

How to Reheat Garlic Knots in the Microwave

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I would not recommend reheating your garlic knots in the microwave. They will be so much better in the oven—and it hardly takes any time at all.

Extra Tips

Garlic knots are pretty simple—so they go well with a wide variety of dips and sauces. Here are a few of my top recommendations!

Mary’s Go-To Marinara Sauce→

Mary’s Easy Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe for Stuffed Artichokes, Pastas, and Fish→

Mary DiSomma’s Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto→

Parmesan Butter Dipping Sauce Recipe for Artichokes, Pastas, Fish, and More→

In my opinion, there are two things that pair well with garlic knots: Italian classics, and main dishes you can dip them into! Here are some ideas:

Mom’s Homemade Lasagna with Homemade Sunday Meat Gravy→

Butternut Squash Kale Lasagna→

Pizza Margherita Recipe on a Pizza Stone→

Chicago Thick Crust Italian Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza→

I want to encourage people to feel confident to try new things in the kitchen and to be inspired to share more meals with friends and family.

It’s easy to collect recipes and save them for “some day.” I believe recipes are for making. Let's do it together. Join me in exploring the world through food!