Cheesy Garlic Fingers

Garlic Fingers are one of the popular items at my family's pizza restaurant. In this blog post, I'll teach you exactly how we make them!

If you want more garlicky sides for pizza night, check out my Pizza Hut Garlic Bread recipe!

These garlic fingers are rich, indulgent, and packed with garlic and cheesy flavor.

Aside from a short resting time for the pizza dough, the recipe comes together in under 30 minutes. Plus, you only need a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry!

This blog post will show you how to make your own pizza dough, but if you don't want to, store-bought pizza dough will work just fine.

Jump to:

• 🍕 What are Garlic Fingers?
• 🧄 The pizza sauce
• 🧂 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Top Tips
• 👨🏻‍🍳 Variations
• 🥡 Storage & Leftovers
• 📖 Recipe FAQs
• 🍽 Looking for Canadian recipes?
• 📋 Recipe

🍕 What are Garlic Fingers?

Garlic fingers, also known as garlic cheese fingers, are a type of pizza invented in Eastern Atlantic Canada. Instead of the traditional triangular slices, they're served as long sticks or "fingers."

Typically, they're topped with garlic butter, mozzarella, parmesan, and Italian herbs like oregano or basil.

Garlic fingers have become a favorite side dish or appetizer for many Canadians when ordering pizza. They're typically served with a side of Donair sauce, a creamy sweet and sour dip.

🧄 The pizza sauce

Pizza restaurants use garlic butter as the sauce for their garlic fingers. Getting the flavor of the garlic butter right is the most important step in recreating the dish at home.

You need to use freshly minced garlic and garlic salt to give the sauce a stronger flavor. If you don't have garlic salt, you can substitute ¼ teaspoon of salt mixed with ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder.

🧂 Ingredients

For the pizza dough:

• Flour - This recipe uses all-purpose flour. Use a scale when measuring the flour for the best results.
• Instant Yeast - I like using instant yeast because it doesn't require blooming in water. This makes the recipe quicker and more convenient. But if you only have active dry yeast, you can still use it for this recipe - just make sure to follow the instructions on the package to bloom it in water.
• Water - Ensure the water is tepid or lukewarm so you don't risk killing the yeast. Aim for a temperature between 100-110°F for the best results.
• Salt - To enhance the flavors of the dough, add at a 2% concentration so the dough has the perfect amount of seasoning.
• Sugar - Just a little bit for flavor.
• Olive oil (or any other oil) - Adds complexity and makes the crust fluffier.

For the garlic butter:

• Garlic - the star ingredient! Use fresh garlic for the best flavor, but pre-minced will also work.
• Garlic salt - is a combination of salt and garlic powder. It provides both saltiness and garlicky flavor. It's added to the garlic butter mixture to amplify the garlic flavor.
• Butter - use unsalted butter since the garlic salt adds saltiness. But if you only have salted butter, you can replace the garlic salt with half the amount of garlic powder.
• Dried oregano - Adds that Italian flavor that we know and love. You can substitute it with Italian seasoning if you don't have oregano. Italian seasoning blends dry herbs such as oregano, basil, and thyme.
• Black pepper - freshly cracked for the best flavor.

For the donair sauce:

• Sweetened condensed milk - You can find these in small cans in the baking section of grocery stores. It has a thick texture and tastes very sweet.
• Vinegar - This recipe uses white vinegar, which has a neutral flavor and sharp acidity that balances the sweetness of the condensed milk.
• Garlic powder - Just a little bit to give it a more complex flavor.

For the toppings:

• Mozzarella - Buy it block-form and shred it yourself for the gooiest cheese; pre-shredded cheese contains additives that affect its meltability and texture.
• Parmesan - Use "fake" parmesan for the best flavor. Real parmesan will work, but restaurants typically use "fake" parmesan on their garlic fingers, so if you're looking for that restaurant flavor, use the "fake" one. I recommend the Kraft brand of Parmesan.
• Dried oregano - I can't imagine a pizza or breadstick without oregano; it adds that Italian flavor we know and love!

🔪 Instructions

Step 1. Make pizza dough

Combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then mix with water and olive oil until a scraggly dough forms. Transfer the dough to a work surface dusted with flour and knead for 5 minutes until well combined and smooth.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let it proof for one hour until it's doubled in size.

📋 Note
Proofing time is highly dependent on the ambient temperature of your home, which can vary depending on the season. Hotter climates require less proofing (around 45 minutes), while colder climates require more proofing (around 1.5 hours).

Step 2. Make garlic butter

In a small bowl, mix butter, garlic, garlic salt, oregano, and black pepper.

Step 3. Make donair sauce

Mix sweetened condensed milk, vinegar, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

Step 4. Shape pizza dough

Dust your hands and work surface with some all-purpose flour and stretch the pizza dough into a disc roughly 10 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Follow the instructions here on how to shape pizza dough, but if you're lazy, you can just gently stretch it with your hands. Grease a pizza pan or crisper with some oil, then transfer the pizza dough onto it.

Step 5. Add toppings

Spread 3 tablespoons of garlic butter and top with 2 cups of mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of parmesan.

Step 6. Bake

Place the pan with garlic fingers in an oven preheated to 500℉. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown in some spots.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle some dried oregano on top. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch wide strips.

💭 Tip
The key to perfect pizza at home is a hot oven. Baking pizza at low temperatures ruins the crust by evaporating all the moisture before the cheese melts and browns.

Preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes to ensure it's hot enough. Conventional ovens typically preheat for 6 minutes before beeping, which isn't sufficient. Longer preheating stores more energy in the oven walls for quicker recovery when the door is opened.

💭 Top Tips

• Use fresh garlic for the best flavor, and don't skip out on the garlic salt!
• Spread garlic butter all over the pizza, edge to edge. We want that buttery goodness everywhere!
• Use "fake" parmesan for a flavor similar to your favorite pizza chain!
• Use a scale for measuring the flour and water for the best results. Did you know that there can be up to a 40% variance in flour when measuring by volume?

👨🏻‍🍳 Variations

• Cheddar cheese - replace some or all of the mozzarella with cheddar cheese for a sharper flavor!
• Spicy - Add ½ a teaspoon of dried chili flakes to the garlic butter, or sprinkle it on top of the garlic fingers before baking to add a spicy kick!
• Bacon - Add crumbled or chopped bacon on top of the cheese before baking to add a savory, meaty flavor.
• Everything bagel - Add everything bagel seasoning mix on top of the cheese before baking! You can make it by combining two tablespoons of sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, 2 teaspoons of coarse sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds.

🥡 Storage & Leftovers

Storing: Store leftover garlic fingers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating: Reheat leftovers by baking at 350℉ for 7-10 minutes until warmed through. If you have an air-fryer, pop them in for 2-4 minutes at 350℉ until warm and crispy.

Freezing: Leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap garlic fingers tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. When you're ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and thaw them in the fridge overnight. Reheat them as directed above.

Make ahead: Pizza dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. Follow the instructions through Step 3 (shaping dough), and place the dough on a pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for up to 3 days. When you're ready to bake, remove the pans from the refrigerator and follow the instructions as usual.

📖 Recipe FAQs

🍽 Looking for Canadian recipes?

Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment. I'd love to hear your feedback!

📋 Recipe