Chive Bread

Chive bread is a colorful and flavorful change from typical garlic bread. Mix things up a little tonight! People RAVE about this bread!

Today I’m sharing a super simple recipe : chive bread! Isn’t it pretty? I love the emerald green flecks of chives on the bread. It’s so much prettier than regular garlic bread.

Chives are an allium, in the same family as onions, scallions (green onions), and garlic. They grow from a bulb and are a perennial, meaning they come up every year. Chives have a very mild onion and garlic flavor, perfect for salads, baked potatoes, and this bread!

You may have chives in your garden. Chives seem to be about the only herb that I’m successful in growing. My chive plants keep coming back every spring, with their pretty purple blooms (which are edible, too), and I love that you can harvest them all summer and into the fall. In fact, the more chives you harvest, the more they grow!

You’re going to love this chive bread. But beware, it’s seriously addicting!

About This Chive Bread

• It’s super easy to make. This recipe is so simple: melt butter, mix in chopped chives, spread it on the bread, and bake it until it’s warm and crusty. You can melt the butter in your microwave if you want.
• Use different types of bread. I use whatever bread I happen to have: Italian bread, baguettes, ciabatta. It works well with Texas toast, too, for a more traditional garlic bread vibe.
• Chive bread isn’t as garlicky. If you don’t have the stomach for strong garlicky food, this chive bread recipe is perfect for you. Chives have a very mild flavor, a nice delicate blend of onion and garlic. My husband, who isn’t a huge garlic fan, loves this bread.
• It’s pretty! The deep green chives look so attractive, don’t they? Because chives are one of the first herbs to grow in the spring, this bread is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or an Easter brunch or dinner. Serve it on special occasions or with your favorite soup, chili, or salad on weeknights.

More About Chives

Chives look like a clump of grass but as soon as you break off one of the long thin blades, you’ll immediately notice the onion/garlic scent. Chives are ornamental and edible, perfect for an herb garden or in a decorative pot with other plants.

To harvest chives, simply snip the chives an inch or two above the ground with a sharp scissors. The entire plant is edible, including the purple blossom which makes a lovely garnish in a salad. You may notice that the long stem of the blossoms is a little tough. I usually discard that.

Once you’ve harvested a handful of chives, give them a quick rinse. They can be varying lengths so cut them in half and roughly line them up on your cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut them into small pieces or simply use your scissors to snip them. The tender herb cuts very easily.

How to Store Fresh Chives

• Refrigerate: Rinse the chives in cool water. Wrap the chives in a damp paper towel, put the bundle in a plastic bag, and refrigerate. They’ll keep for at least a few days.
• Freeze: Pat the chives with a paper towel to remove excess water. Chop the chives finely. Store the chopped chives in a resealable freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Label and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Frozen chives do not need to be thawed. Simply remove what you want from the bag to use for chive bread, or for soups, salads, baked potatoes, etc.

More Bread Ideas

• Roasted Garlic Bread: Instead of chives, mix a head of roasted garlic with the butter. If you haven’t tried roasted garlic, you’ll be amazed at the sweet, nutty flavor, and buttery texture. Learn how to roast garlic, it’s very easy!
• Restaurant Style Bread Dipping Oil: Everyone loves the plate of herby olive oil served in restaurants with warm crusty bread. Make your own bread dipping oil, it’s easy to do and keeps well.
• Compound Butter: You can easily enhance plain butter by simply blending in a herbs, spices, or sweeteners. Try my orange honey butter or gingerbread butter.
• Crostini and Bruschetta: A popular appetizer, crostini are thin slices of bread, lightly coated with olive oil and toasted until crisp. Toppings vary from savory to sweet. Try classic tomato bruschetta, roasted tomato and ricotta crostini, wild mushroom crostini with goat cheese, creamy pea crostini with pancetta, and butternut squash crostini with ricotta.

Storage & Reheating Tips

This bread is best eaten immediately. If you have some left over, cool it to room temperature and store it in an airtight container or wrap it in foil. I usually refrigerate it.

To reheat, wrap the bread in foil and heat in a preheated oven at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes until warm and crisp. You can also heat it briefly in your air fryer to re-crisp it.