Quick 5-Ingredient Italian Cheese Bread Recipe

This 5-ingredient Italian Cheese Bread recipe is the perfect side dish to any meal. Using simple ingredients, this quick Italian cheese bread recipe is fast, easy, and delicious!

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This family favorite copycat recipe of crazy bread is a recipe you’ll want to have in your back pocket. You need absolutely ZERO cooking experience to make this and no bread machine is needed! Plus, it only takes 5 minutes total from prep to broil.

What is Italian Cheese Bread?

This delicious side dish is made with either store-bought French bread or homemade bread, that’s smothered with a creamy, cheesy mixture, and then topped off with an Italian herb seasoning. 

It’s great as a side dish to any Italian recipes, like my Homemade One-Pot Lasagna Casserole or as an appetizer to an Easy Shrimp Scampi.  Whatever you decide to serve it with, it’s going to be amazing! Click the, “Jump to Recipe” to go straight to the recipe card.

The Players for Italian Cheese Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• French bread – There are two ways you can cut it  You can cut the entire French bread loaf lengthwise to create two long halves.  Or you can cut 1-inch individual slices.  I believe the whole loaf can make 16 slices this way. But if you’re looking to feed a larger crowd, cut it lengthwise to make more, yet slightly smaller servings.  I always make 8 individual slices because I save the rest of the loaf for my Baked Creme Brulee French Toast.
• Mayonnaise – You’ll need regular, good mayonnaise. And please don’t use the light mayo, just go for it and use the full-fat stuff!
• Cheese – You can use any kinds of cheese you have in the fridge.  Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella Cheese, Parmesan cheese, Colby Jack, and any combination thereof!  Sometimes I will do half cheddar and half mozzarella.  Use your favorite cheese!  I do recommend grating your cheese and not buying the pre-shredded cheese you’d find in your local grocery store.  Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a chemical that prevents the grated cheese from sticking together in the bag, therefore, making it very difficult to melt down.  
• Garlic – I love the taste of freshly minced garlic in my garlic cheese bread.  But if you’re in a pinch, you can definitely use garlic powder if you prefer.
• Italian Seasoning – This is the perfect topping for this cheesy garlic bread. Just a small sprinkling over each slice (or equally over the two large halves) gives it a herby, fresh flavor.
• Black Pepper – Using black pepper is optional (and it makes for 6 ingredients instead of 5, but it’s your call!) but gives a lovely flavor to the Italian cheese bread recipe.

Tools:

• Baking Mats – For this easy Italian cheese bread recipe, you’ll need either parchment paper or some silicone baking mats. I personally love to use silicone baking mats because they are affordable, reusable, and very easy to clean!  A must-have for any kitchen. 

How to make Italian Cheese Bread Recipe

Set your oven to the broil setting on High heat.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner and set it aside.

Take your loaf of bread and make sixteen 1-inch slices.  Additionally, you can slice the whole loaf horizontally to make two long sections if you’d like.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, shredded cheese, and minced garlic (or garlic powder) and mix well.  It will make a creamy paste-like mixture.  Optional:  If you want a little bit of heat, add in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.  

Place your cheese topping evenly across your bread slices (or your two large sections) and sprinkle your Italian seasoning over the tops of the cheesy Italian bread.

Place your baking sheet into the oven and broil on high for about 2-3 minutes, peeking at the 2-minute mark to ensure that your cheese is not burning.  This should take at maximum of 5 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets.  You want your cheese to be completely melted and the sides of your bread to have slightly crispy edges.

Serve your cheesy bread immediately with warm marinara sauce if desired. Enjoy!

Storage and Reheating Instructions

I can pretty much guarantee you that there will be no leftovers lol.  But in the event there are some leftover slices, you can wrap your cheesy bread in plastic wrap or place it into an airtight container and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Microwave: To reheat your Italian cheese bread, you can place some slices in the microwave in 30-second intervals at 50% power.  

Oven: To reheat your homemade Italian cheese bread in the oven, preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and place your slices on parchment paper.  Bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes until you have gooey melted cheese.

Air Fryer:  To reheat your cheesy bread in the Air Fryer, place your slices of bread in the air fryer (be sure not to crowd) and reheat at 325 degrees for about 3-4 minutes. 

Pin it for Later!

If you end up trying my Italian Cheese Bread recipe, please leave me a comment down below! I’d love to see how you and your family enjoyed it.

Looking for other Italian meal ideas to serve this with? Check out these recipes next!

• Easy Oven-Fried Italian Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
• Homemade Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine
• One-Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Pasta Recipe
• Easy Homemade One-Pot Lasagna Casserole Recipe
• Classic Meatloaf with Ground Beef (and Ketchup Glaze)
• Delicious and Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Galations 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."