Homemade Garlic French Bread Pizza

This homemade garlic french bread pizza is so simple and delicious! Easy to customize with all your favorite toppings. A tasty recipe that both kids and adults will love.

Family Favorite Dinner

If I ever ask my kids what they want for dinner, I know exactly what they’re going to say. PIZZA! We usually end up making homemade pizza, ordering pizza or doing something different like this pizza bread, sheet pan pizza or pizza chicken roll ups.

We love to make this french bread pizza recipe on the weekends or during busy weeknights. It’s a family favorite and is so, so easy to whip up.

I make my homemade french bread recipe at least once a month, so we like to make the french bread pizzas (or pizza boats as my kids call them) with the extra loaf.

The best part about this pizza bread is that you can customize each half (or cut the loaf into 4 pizza boats) to make everyone happy! I like to make one half caprese style and the other half cheese/pepperoni. So many options.

Ingredients for pizza bread

The base of each pizza requires only 5 simple ingredients (amounts included in the recipe below). Then you can add any desired toppings that you prefer!

• French bread: You can definitely buy french bread from the store, but I love to use homemade french bread whenever we have it on hand. My french bread recipe makes two loaves, so this pizza bread is absolutely perfect for using leftovers.
• Butter: I like to spread butter and garlic on top of the bread, then bake it in the oven for a few minutes prior to adding the toppings. This helps keep it crispy and also adds extra flavor.
• Garlic: I usually use garlic powder, but fresh minced garlic would absolutely work too. Just sprinkle it on top of the butter.
• Pizza sauce: I make my own pizza sauce because it’s super quick and easy and there’s no cooking involved. Just mix the ingredients together! If buying from the store, I love the DeLallo brand.
• Cheese: You can’t have pizza without the cheese! My go-to is freshly shredded mozzarella.

How to make french bread pizza

Now I know that you can buy this pizza bread in the frozen freezer section (I definitely have before), but it is so much more delicious to make your own. Just follow the simple steps. Scroll down for the printable recipe.

1. Toast the bread. First, cut the loaf of french bread in half. Spread the butter on top of the bread and then sprinkle the garlic powder on top to make a garlic bread base. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
2. Add toppings. Top with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings. Then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
3. Slice and enjoy. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Then cut into slices and enjoy while warm!

Tips to prevent sogginess

Pre-bake the bread

This is my main tip to prevent the bread from getting soggy. Spread on the butter and garlic and bake the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes before adding the toppings. You want it to get lightly toasted before adding anything else on. Then once the toppings are added, put it back in the oven to bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Don’t overdo it on sauce

Adding too much sauce can cause the bread to get soggy as well. I add about 1/4 cup sauce per french bread half. I like to use the back of a spoon to evenly spread it on and also leave about 1/2 inch room from the edges.

Favorite toppings

There are seriously so many delicious combinations that you can choose for your pizza boat. Below are a few of our favorites.

• Pepperoni
• Sausage
• Chicken
• Sliced olives
• Peppers
• Mushrooms
• Red onions
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Balsamic glaze

Variations to try

You can get super creative with this recipe! Below are a few variation ideas that would be delicious.

• Classic: Pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni
• Caprese: Pizza sauce, cheese, tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze
• Alfredo: Alfredo sauce, cheese and chicken
• Pesto: Pesto sauce, cheese and other toppings like chicken, tomatoes or spinach
• Spinach and artichoke: White pizza sauce, cheese, spinach and artichokes
• BBQ chicken: BBQ sauce, cheese, chicken and other toppings like peppers, onions or bacon
• Ham & pineapple: Pizza sauce, cheese, ham and pineapple
• Buffalo chicken: Buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, cheese and chicken
• Veggie: Pizza sauce, cheese and any of your favorite veggies

More ways to use leftover french bread:

• Garlic bread
• Spaghetti boats
• French dip sandwich
• Meatball sub
• Stuffed french bread