Does Garlic Bread Have Dairy? (Answered)

Garlic bread is often served as a side for pasta dishes but its versatility makes it suitable to eat alongside many meals. It first appeared in American grocery stores in 1973 when Cole’s introduced the first frozen garlic bread. However, garlic bread had been served in American restaurants for about 20 years prior to Cole’s frozen variety.

Today, the options for garlic bread are possibly more abundant than ever. Given its popularity, many people have questions regarding it. Here we will answer one of those questions about whether garlic bread has dairy. Here is what you need to know…

Store-Bought Garlic Bread & Dairy

Store-bought garlic bread commonly contains dairy. We verified this by reviewing the ingredients of popular garlic bread brands (see the table below). Butter, buttermilk, and whey are dairy products found in store-bought garlic bread.

You should avoid store-bought garlic bread if you are on a dairy-free diet unless you can find a brand out there without dairy. Certainly, dairy-free garlic bread is not the norm so finding it (if available) may be difficult. Gilda was a dairy-free garlic bread brand that we found during our research but it appears the manufacturer closed permanently based on online information.

Garlic BreadDairy (Yes or No)?Dairy Ingredients
Cole’s The Original YesButter, Buttermilk
Pepperidge Farm YesWhey
Pillsbury Garlic Bread Pull-Apart KitYesButter, Dried Buttermilk
FurlaniYesButtermilk
Whole Foods Garlic BreadYesButter
Signature Select Garlic BreadYesButtermilk
Great Value Garlic BreadYesButter, Buttermilk
HEB Traditional Garlic BreadYesButtermilk
Publix Garlic BreadYesButter
Food Lion Garlic BreadYesWhey Powder
Kroger Garlic BreadYesWhey Powder

Homemade Garlic Bread & Dairy

While homemade garlic bread is a lot less convenient than store-bought, homemade also allows you to control the ingredients. Given the push toward dairy-free diets, there certainly are several dairy-free garlic bread recipes available online.

Here are a few dairy-free garlic bread recipes you might consider making at home: