Grilled Texas Toast

This grilled Texas toast recipe combines thick-cut fresh bread with a handful of ingredients to make soft, butter, crispy toast loaded with garlic flavor.

If you’ve never had Texas toast, just wait until you try this recipe. Traditionally, Texas toast is made by cutting bread at twice its thickness, then coating it in butter and garlic before being grilled or broiled until golden brown. 

For this recipe, you’ll be making a quick garlic butter to coat on both sides of the toast, then grilling it in a cast iron skillet until crispy on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. This is one of our favorite fun things to grill, and it’s easy to see why.

Grilled thick-cut Texas toast is perfect as a side dish to all things barbecue, as well as pasta, breakfast, or serve as an open-faced sandwich. Best of all, there’s plenty of room to customize it to enjoy it differently each time. 

From the best garlic butter to the perfect grilled toast, learn how to make the best grilled Texas toast ever!

How to Make Grilled Texas Toast on the Grill

Making grilled Texas toast is about as simple as it gets. Be sure to scroll down for tips and tricks on making Texas toast without a grill!

So, here’s how it’s done:

1. Prep work: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grease a cast iron skillet with butter or oil. Let the skillet preheat on the grill.
2. Make the garlic butter: Melt the butter, garlic, and salt together.
3. Coat the bread: Brush both sides of the bread with the garlic butter, making sure to get the garlic evenly distributed on all of the slices. 
4. Grill the toast: Place the toast on the skillet and grill for 1-2 minutes per side, flipping often, until both sides are golden brown. Remove from the heat and serve.

Ingredients

The ingredient list for this recipe is short and sweet. That said, feel free to improvise with what you have on hand. 

Here’s exactly what you’ll need for this recipe:

• Bread: Either white bread or whole wheat bread will work for this recipe. Just make sure it’s a whole loaf so you can cut it extra thick. 
• Butter: Preferably unsalted, so you can control how much salt gets added to the toast. This can be swapped with olive oil if you prefer.
• Garlic: Preferably fresh and minced finely.
• Salt: Kosher salt is best as it has the most subtle flavor. 

Ingredient Swaps and Suggestions

As good as this recipe is, there is room to switch it up and make it truly yours. Here are some suggestions:

• Omit the garlic: For a traditional buttery Texas toast recipe, simply omit the garlic and brush the toast with plain melted butter and a dash of salt.
• Serve with cheese: After grilling the toast on one side, flip it over and add a slice of cheddar or mozzarella cheese, then put the lid on and grill for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
• Add fresh herbs: Stir in fresh parsley to your melted butter before brushing it on the toast.
• Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to your melted butter. 

Leftovers

This recipe for grilled Texas toast makes 8 slices or servings and is best enjoyed fresh. That said, it is easy to store leftovers. Simply wrap leftover slices in foil and store them on the counter for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Alternatively, you can store leftover toast in the freezer for up to 6 months.  

To reheat, wrap your toast in foil if it isn’t already, then heat it on a baking sheet in an oven (or toaster oven) preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 5-10 minutes or until the toast has fully warmed through. 

Ways to Use Texas Toast

Texas toast makes for the perfect bread swap for sandwiches or as a side dish to all types of cuisine. Here are a couple of suggestions on how to enjoy your grilled Texas toast:

• Breakfast sandwiches
• Barbecue 
• Alongside spaghetti and meatballs
• Open-faced sandwiches
• Grilled cheese
• Swap for buns in burgers
• French toast (omit the garlic in this case)
• Texas toast pizzas
• Texas toast paninis

Quick Tips

1. For classic grill marks, remove your bread from the skillet when it is almost, but not quite, golden brown. Place the slices directly on the grill for 20-30 seconds on both sides until grill marks develop.
2. Swap the salt for garlic salt for added flavor
3. No grill? Swap for an oven preheated to 425°F (220°C). Brush bread with garlic butter and cook on a baking sheet lined with foil for 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip and toast for another 2-3 minutes. 

FAQs

Is it okay to grill frozen bread?

Yes! To grill frozen bread, all you have to do is coat each slice in butter and place it directly on the grill. No thawing is necessary, and the resulting toast will turn out perfectly crisp on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. 

What makes Texas toast different?

Texas toast is buttered on both sides and grilled, as opposed to being popped in the toaster. This makes for a slightly smoky and extra crispy toast that’s perfect for serving alongside barbecue and grilled meats.

Grilled Texas Toast

5 from 1 vote

This quick and easy grilled Texas toast recipe combines thick-cut bread with savory garlic butter to make buttery toast that’s crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Author: Ben Isham-Smith

Equipment

• cast iron skillet

Ingredients

• 8 slices bread cut 1” thick
• ½ cup butter
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp kosher salt or more to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the grill to medium-high, about 375-400°F (190-205°C). Grease a cast iron skillet with butter or oil. Set the skillet on the grill, so it preheats.
• Melt together the butter, minced garlic, and salt in a skillet or in the microwave.
• Brush both sides of the toast with the garlic butter.
• Move the skillet to a cooler part of the grill and add the toast, working in batches if necessary. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown.