This air fryer texas toast is crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, and ready in under 10 minutes. It’s one of the easiest side dishes you can make.
If you’ve only ever had the frozen kind from the store, you’re in for a nice surprise. Homemade texas toast tastes so much better, and it’s honestly just as quick to throw together.
The garlic butter spread is what makes it special. It’s a simple mix of real butter, fresh garlic, and parmesan that soaks right into the bread as it cooks.
The air fryer gets both sides perfectly golden and crunchy without needing to heat up your whole oven. It works really well for this.
Serve it next to pasta, soup, or just eat it on its own. It’s that good.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ready in Under 10 Minutes – From prep to plate this Texas toast takes about 8 minutes which is faster than preheating your oven.
Way Better Than Frozen Texas Toast – Fresh garlic and real parmesan make this taste worlds apart from the boxed stuff in the freezer aisle.
Crispy on Both Sides – Flipping the bread halfway through means you get that deep golden crunch on the outside with soft bread in the middle.
Ingredients
- 4 slices Thick-Cut White Bread (about 1 inch thick)
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp Salt
How To Make
Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt. Mash and stir with a fork until everything is evenly blended into a smooth garlic butter.
Step 2
Spread about 1 tablespoon of the garlic butter mixture generously over one side of each bread slice, making sure to cover the surface all the way to the edges.
Step 3
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C) for about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Place the bread slices butter-side up in the air fryer basket in a single layer – do not stack or overlap. Work in batches if your air fryer is small. Cook for 4 minutes until the top is lightly golden and the butter has melted into the bread.
Step 5
Carefully flip each slice so the butter side is now facing down. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until both sides are deep golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Step 6
Remove the Texas toast from the air fryer and serve immediately while hot and crunchy. For an extra touch, brush with any remaining garlic butter left in the bowl.
Tips
Use Really Soft Butter
The butter needs to be genuinely soft – not just slightly cool, but almost spreadable like mayo. If it’s still firm, it won’t blend properly with the garlic and parmesan, and you’ll get clumps instead of a smooth spread.
If you forgot to take it out ahead of time, cut it into small pieces and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Don’t microwave it because you’ll end up with melted spots mixed with cold spots, and that makes a greasy mess instead of a creamy butter.
Spread the Butter All the Way to the Edges
This is the difference between okay Texas toast and really good Texas toast. If you leave the edges bare, those spots will dry out and get hard in the air fryer while the center is perfect.
Use the back of a spoon or a butter knife and push the garlic butter right to the very edge of each slice. You want every single bite to have that buttery garlic flavor, not just the middle.
Don’t Go Higher Than 350°F
It might be tempting to crank the air fryer up to 400°F to speed things up, but that will burn the garlic and parmesan on top before the bread gets a chance to toast through. Burnt garlic tastes bitter and it’ll ruin the whole thing.
At 350°F the butter melts slowly into the bread while the outside gets golden and crispy. That’s what gives you the perfect combo of crunchy outside and soft, buttery inside.
Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
- Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
- Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
- Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
- Air Fryer Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of bread works best if I can’t find thick-cut white bread?
Texas toast bread is sold at most grocery stores, usually near the regular sliced bread – look for the label that says “Texas toast” or “thick-sliced.” If you can’t find it, you can buy an unsliced bakery loaf and cut your own 1-inch slices, which honestly works even better.
Brioche or sourdough also make awesome substitutes. Just make sure whatever bread you pick is sliced thick enough so it gets crispy on the outside while staying soft in the middle.
Air Fryer Texas Toast | air-fryer-texas-toast
- air fryer
- 4 slices Thick-Cut White Bread (about 1 inch thick)
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt. Mash and stir with a fork until everything is evenly blended into a smooth garlic butter.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of the garlic butter mixture generously over one side of each bread slice, making sure to cover the surface all the way to the edges.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C) for about 2 minutes.
- Place the bread slices butter-side up in the air fryer basket in a single layer - do not stack or overlap. Work in batches if your air fryer is small. Cook for 4 minutes until the top is lightly golden and the butter has melted into the bread.
- Carefully flip each slice so the butter side is now facing down. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until both sides are deep golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Remove the Texas toast from the air fryer and serve immediately while hot and crunchy. For an extra touch, brush with any remaining garlic butter left in the bowl.