Are Olive Garden's Delicious Breadsticks Actually Made Fresh?

In the realm of nationwide restaurant chains that are not considered "fast food," it's safe to assume that few chains have garnered a customer base as dedicated as Olive Garden. For some families, Olive Garden is the chosen destination to celebrate any special occasion, significant milestone, or just a casual family dinner. It's pretty much a ritual to fill up on the bottomless soups and salads to pair with unlimited servings of its beloved breadsticks, and pack the rest of the main course to-go. If you know, you know. These breadsticks have a passionate fanbase of their own, and rightfully so. They're great for dunking into every Olive Garden soup (which we've ranked), and are a great foundation to make your own croutons at home with leftover breadsticks.

The chances that Olive Garden's breadsticks are made to order are pretty much none. The next basket of breadsticks shows up before you can even finish chewing and swallowing the first bite of your meal. However, if you've ever wondered if Olive Garden makes a fresh batch of breadsticks from scratch for the day, we're here to give you the scoop on the behind the scenes when it comes to one of the flagship dishes on the menu. Word is that the restaurant's parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc., outsources the production of the breadsticks to Turano Baking Company, which supplies Olive Garden with par-baked breadsticks that are frozen and shipped to each location. This also ensures uniformity across every Olive Garden restaurant. Once on site, all that's left to do is to finish baking the breadsticks, brush them with dairy-free margarine, sprinkle them with garlic salt, and serve.

Fun fact: Olive Garden's breadsticks happen to be vegan-friendly! Despite the garlic spread feeling buttery to the touch, the coating over every breadstick is, in fact, soy-based and free from any animal-derived ingredients. This is great news for the plant-based eaters and dairy-sensitive folks, who otherwise do not have as much variety in terms of suitable options at Olive Garden. That said, if you don't live near an Olive Garden restaurant and want to bring the magic of this iconic menu item to your home kitchen, you can easily whip up a batch of breadsticks that will even have the attuned Olive Garden patron do a double take upon their first bite. Making warm and pillowy breadsticks at home is quite easy, and with just a handful of baking staples, you can serve up some delicious breadsticks to pair with a home-cooked, Italian-inspired meal.

The foundation for any good breadstick requires flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Once combined and kneaded into a smooth dough, allow it to rest for at least 90 minutes so the dough doubles in size. This resting period is important, as it allows the yeast to work its magic and the gluten in the dough to relax and form a network that traps the released carbon dioxide gas from the fermentation. The dough also becomes easier to work with when you're ready to shape it into breadsticks. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until nice and golden before brushing over your melted vegan butter. Season with a combination of salt and garlic powder and serve some authentically fresh garlic breadsticks.