The Best Way To Reheat Olive Garden Breadsticks, According To An Insider

If you are doing Olive Garden right, you aren't limiting your breadstick consumption to the restaurant. Whether you take advantage of Olive Garden's classic unlimited breadsticks with soup and salad or decide to treat yourself to a little takeout at home, those fluffy, buttery treats can be just as good the day after you order them. But you can't just throw them in the microwave and expect perfection; you need to recreate that texture of slight crispiness on the outside and pillowy softness on the inside as closely as possible. So, to uncover the best way to reheat Olive Garden's breadsticks at home, we decided to ask someone who would really know, Olive Garden's executive chef Terrence Tookes.

As it turns out, the key is bringing those breadsticks home in Olive Garden's signature breadstick bag. "To reheat our iconic garlic breadsticks to enjoy at home, preheat your oven to 350 degrees," Tookes explains. "Then, place the bag with the breadsticks in the oven for five minutes." And that's it. Those foil-lined bags don't just keep your breadsticks warm on the way home; they are specifically made to be used in reheating as well, so take advantage. Just make sure you heed the warnings on the back. "If you decide to use your microwave, toaster oven, or other heating appliance, please be aware the Olive Garden bag is not safe for use in those appliances," Tookes adds.

If you want your leftover Olive Garden breadsticks to be their best, it also helps to store them properly before you reheat them. Here, the to-go bag is also key. Tookes recommends, "For optimal flavor, guests can store their extra breadsticks in their foil breadsticks ToGo bag and keep it as airtight as possible by crimping the bag all the way down." Stored this way, he adds that the breadsticks should still be reheated within 24 hours for the best results. If you don't think you'll get to your breadsticks before then, there's another option. "Guests can freeze their extra breadsticks as long as they're stored in an airtight container," the chef notes.

After you've reheated your Olive Garden breadsticks, you can also give them a little flavor boost. Tookes explains that the breadsticks at Olive Garden "are baked fresh every 15 minutes and generously slathered with butter and seasoned with garlic salt." So, make sure you enjoy your leftover breadsticks while they are still warm, and brushing a little extra butter with garlic powder or salt on yourself will help recreate that restaurant's fresh taste. Or, you can go the extra mile and explore some hacks for your Olive Garden breadsticks, like melting some cheese over them or even hollowing them out and stuffing them. Of course, they will be great by themselves or with just a little oil for dipping, but why limit their potential?