The first time I tasted Little Caesars Crazy Bread in college, it began a beautiful friendship. There I was, a broke student craving something chewy, garlicky, and utterly comforting. One bite of those butter-slathered, garlic-infused breadsticks with their generous coating of Parmesan cheese, and I was hooked for life.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Years later, I’ve perfected this copycat recipe that brings all the flavors of Little Caesars’ iconic side dish right into your kitchen. The best part? When you make them at home, you can customize the garlic intensity, butter generosity, and cheese quantity to create your perfect breadstick experience.
What Makes Little Caesars Crazy Bread So Irresistible?
Almost every pizza joint offers its version of garlic breadsticks, but Little Caesars Crazy Bread inspires a particular devotion. Perhaps it’s the dough’s distinct chewy texture with its slight greasiness, or maybe it’s the bold garlic punch complemented by that unmistakable coating of crispy, savory Parmesan cheese.
Whatever magic creates that crave-worthy combination, one thing is sure—there’s nothing quite like Little Caesars Crazy Bread. And with this recipe, you can recreate that magic in your own kitchen.
Why This Homemade Recipe Is Worth Trying
While nothing beats the convenience of picking up fresh long breadsticks from your local Little Caesars, this homemade version offers several advantages:
- Freshness guaranteed: Enjoy them hot from your oven at peak deliciousness
- Customization control: Adjust garlic intensity, butter amount, and cheese quantity to your preference
- Quality ingredients: Use real butter instead of the butter substitute most restaurants use, you can use real butter
- Cost-effective: Make a double batch for less than the restaurant price
- Satisfaction factor: Experience the pride of creating something delicious from scratch
What Exactly Is Crazy Bread?
For the uninitiated, Crazy Bread is Little Caesars’ signature breadsticks—soft, chewy dough sticks brushed with garlic butter and generously sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. They’re typically served with Little Caesars’ “Crazy Sauce” for dipping, though they’re delicious enough to enjoy alone.
If you’ve never experienced the simple pleasure of biting into these freshly baked, aromatic breadsticks, you’re missing out on one of the most beloved side dishes in fast-food history.
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for this copycat Crazy Bread recipe:
- Instant yeast – Provides the leavening power that makes the bread rise and creates its light, airy texture
- Water – Activates the yeast and forms the base of the dough, affecting its final consistency
- Olive oil – Adds richness to the dough and helps create that signature tender chewiness
- Bread flour – Contains higher protein content than all-purpose flour, resulting in better structure and chewier texture
- Salt – Enhances all other flavors and controls yeast activity for proper fermentation
- Butter – Creates the rich, flavorful coating that makes the breadsticks irresistible (we use real butter, unlike the restaurant!)
- Garlic salt – Delivers that signature savory, aromatic flavor that defines Crazy Bread
- Parmesan cheese – Adds the final layer of savory flavor and creates a delicious crispy texture on the outside
Equipment Needed
- Food processor or stand mixer with dough hook (can also mix by hand)
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheet
- Pastry brush
- Pizza cutter or sharp knife
- Clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap
- Silicone mats
How to Make Crazy Bread
Here are the steps for making this copycat Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread recipe:
- Proof the yeast in warm water. Add oil and more warm water.
- Place flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. You could use a stand mixer or a dough hook.
- With the processor running, add yeast, olive oil, and water through the top tube. Process until the dough forms and is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough ball in a greased bowl. Cover the dough and let it rise untilit is doubled.
- On a floured surface, pat out the dough into a rectangle. Cut the dough in half then into strips, you may want to use a pizza cutter to make the slices even.
- Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray and place the strips on it, you could use silicone matts if you prefer.
- Bake at 375°F for 18 minutes or until the breadsticks become golden brown.
- Combine melted butter and garlic salt. Brush the garlic butter mixture over the breadsticks. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the breadsticks.
What to Serve with This Crazy Bread Recipe
Little Caesars bundles their breadsticks with Crazy Sauce, a spiced-up version of the restaurant’s marinara sauce. In addition to Crazy Sauce, customers can purchase other dips at Little Caesars, including:
- Cheezy Jalapeno Caesar Dip
- Buffalo Ranch Caesar Dip
- Ranch Caesar Dip
- Butter Garlic Caesar Dip
You can keep it classic and stick to pairing your copycat Crazy Bread with one of the options above, or you can go a bit wild with these other ideas:
- Roast Shallot Chutney
- Bacon Jam
- Brown Gravy
- Mango Chutney
- Pizza Sauce
- Garlic Aioli
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
Storage
Crazy Bread is best enjoyed fresh, but you can store leftovers in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
Freezing
For make-ahead convenience:
- Prepare and bake the breadsticks without the butter-garlic-cheese topping
- Cool completely
- Wrap individual breadsticks in parchment paper
- Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months
Reheating
For the freshest taste:
- Thaw frozen breadsticks in the refrigerator
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Place breadsticks on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Heat for 8-10 minutes if cold, 3-4 minutes if room temperature
- Flip halfway through reheating
- Prepare a fresh butter-garlic-cheese topping and apply to the warm breadsticks
Listen to the Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread Podcast
Here, I have added tips and additional insight to this recipe.
Little Caesars Crazy Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water ~100° to 110°F
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 1 package
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups bread flour plus more for working the dough (18 ounces plus additional to work with)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place 1/2 cup of warm water and yeast in a medium bowl and whisk together briefly. Allow the yeast enough time to bubble up and become active. This should take a few minutes. If the yeast is inactive, you may need to replace the yeast and try again.
- Add room temperature water and oil to the yeast mixture, and stir to combine.
- Place the flour and salt in a food processor, and pulse to combine.
- Add the yeast mixture through the tube of the food processor and process. The dough will form into a ball. Process until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, up to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Gently pat out the dough on a floured surface into a rectangular shape.
- Cut the dough into two equal portions down the middle. Then make about 8 cuts horizontally across the dough.
- Roll each portion of dough into a breadstick.
- Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and place the dough strips onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 18 minutes or until the breadsticks become golden.
- Mix the melted butter and the garlic salt.
- Brush the garlic sauce over the breadsticks and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Video
Nutrition
Love Other Pizza Favorites? Try These Recipes
- Pizza Hut Cheese Stick Recipe
- Pizza Wonton Recipe
- Pizza Margarita Recipe
- Garlic and Parmesan Bread
- Monkey Pizza Bread
- Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza with Hidden Valley Ranch
- Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
- How to Make Pizza Crust from Scratch
- How to Make Pizza Bowls
- How to Make Chocolate Pizza at Home
Do you have leftover bread? Make these recipes
Be sure to check out more of my easy bread recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes.
Scaling the Recipe
For a Larger Batch
- Double all ingredients
- Split the dough into manageable portions for rising
- Bake in multiple batches for even cooking
For a Smaller Batch
- Halve all ingredients
- Reduce the rising time slightly
- Check for doneness a few minutes earlier
Excellent recipe! I used the dough cycle on my bread machine and cut the dough with a pizza cutter into 1 1/2″ wide strips after rolling out. I will never have to buy Crazy bread again now! Thank you!
So excited to try these! I don’t have a food processor and I’m wondering how I should mix it in place of it? Thank you!.
If you do not have a food processor mix the dough by hand, and then knead the dough on a floured surface for about three minutes. It will do the trick as well!
I made these and they turned out great! After reading the reviews (and having had some bread-baking experience) this is the recipe I followed:
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons 1 package of instant yeast
3/4 cups water*****(there seemed to be way too much water here so I reduced it by half a cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups (15oz***) of bread flour + more for sprinkling (I weighed 4 cups and it came to 15oz, not 22oz)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
*I brushed the breadsticks with a little olive oil and water, and then sprinkled with a little garlic salt prior to baking*
*baked 375F for 15 minutes, then let rest for 2 minutes on the pan*
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes**** (optional)
A generous amount of parmesan cheese (I just used the normal stuff in a cylinder and it tasted fine, you don’t need fresh)
*Make sure to flip breadsticks over so both sides get the butter mixture and parmesan applied!*
Hope this helps anyone struggling!
Great recipe although I would recommend that you put about a half to 1 full teaspoon of granulated sugar for the yeast mixture, other than that, the end result was great! I got fluffy long bread sticks with a slightly crunchy bottom which created a great texture contrast which I absolutely just love. Comparing them to the original product from Little Caesars, this had a flavor that was really close if not better than the original. I also only let the dough rise for an hour and it was more than enough time for the dough to double in size. Overall great recipe and I recommend you give it a shot!
This was average. Nothing special. Def didnt “wow” me like other recipes ive tried.
It will give you bread ill give em that. We also had issues with dough, , i had to adjist recipe. But other eise it was “ok” , but not the best ive tried. Also not the worst!
I am sorry the results were less than stellar for you. I want you to be “wow’d”. What adjustments did you need to make to the dough?
Can I use regular flour for this recipe??
You can use all-purpose flour.
These are my new favorite bread stick recipe. I followed the recipe and had no trouble at all. They were super easy to make and so good. I would take these over little caesar any day.
Despite my issues with the dough and needing extra flour, I am giving this 5 stars because it is absolutely delicious!
I just added a little extra flour until the dough was able to form. My boyfriend who worked at Little Caesars, said this recipe is just like the real thing! He also said they use the same dough for pizza! so this recipe can easily be used to make some Little Caesars pizza!
Thank you for this recipe!
Am I the only one who had trouble with this recipe? I read all the comments before and got no real input. First, instant yeast does not require activation, so I found that weird. Second, with the food processor I did not get a “ball of dough,” rather a very wet dough resembling a batter.
** I folded in at least half a cup of extra flour to get anything resembling dough. Let rise 1.5 hours, which was still too much. Kneaded the dough a little bit with flour just so it was possible to cut into sticks. Once baked, they came out as decent breadsticks, but nothing resembling crazy bread. **I followed the recipe to the letter up till here.
Not trying to diss this recipe, but genuinely confused by the results not matching what’s described.
I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe, this is the first time someone has had difficulty with the dough that I can recall. You are correct you do not need to activate instant yeast, this is something I do to make sure my yeast isn’t old.
The dough may be a little bit sticky, but it’s not a batter. It sounds like not enough flour was added, or too much liquid was added. I am certain you measured properly, so I don’t know what went sideways.
I made this and it was great. I would add more butter next time.Thank you for your recipe!
This delicious butter and garlic flavored bread is a treat.
Loved these, my husband wants me to make them for the third time in a week!
A new favorite for movie night at my house.
My kids loved these.
My kids loved these
Hey! Made these the other night and posted to my blog. I linked it back to your website for the recipe.
These were perfect for my party!
These are a favorite in my house!
Loved these, my husband wants me to make them for the third time in a week!
Easy and quick. Will make again and show my girls how to make. Maybe put in the directions how to form or roll the sticks out.
Thank You for posting this recipe, I made these the other night & they turned out amazing. I’ve recently had a craving for garlic and so, I love the garlic & parm combination. Very good, thank you.