✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread is the one you order with every pizza: thick, soft pan bread with garlic butter, a blanket of melty mozzarella and muenster and a shake of Italian seasoning, cut into strips for dipping. It takes 28 minutes and a pound of pizza dough.
How Do You Make Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread? (Quick Answer)
Press 1 lb of pizza dough into an oiled 9×13 metal pan, brush it with garlic butter, then cover it edge to edge with shredded mozzarella, muenster and a little Parmesan and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and browned, rest 5 minutes and cut into 10 strips. Serve with marinara.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Push the cheese right to the edges of the pan. That is how you get the crispy, browned cheese corners that make the Little Caesars version so good.
Why You'll Love This Cheese Bread
- Tastes like the pizza night side garlic butter, two cheeses and Italian herbs on soft pan bread.
- Store-bought dough works one pound from the store or your own.
- Under 30 minutes press, top, bake, slice.
- Crispy cheese edges thanks to a dark metal pan and cheese pushed to the sides.
- Feeds a crowd 10 strips from one pan, and it doubles easily.
What Is Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread?
Italian Cheese Bread is one of Little Caesars' most popular sides: a pan of soft pizza bread topped with a garlic butter, a mozzarella and muenster cheese blend and Italian seasoning, cut into 10 strips and served with dipping sauce.
Little Caesars doesn't publish its recipe, so the amounts here are mine. I aimed for the things people order it for: soft, thick bread, a lot of cheese, browned crispy edges and that herby garlic butter flavor.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Pizza dough: a 1 lb ball from the store or your own. Let it warm up first so it presses easily.
- Garlic butter: melted butter with fresh grated garlic and salt, brushed right to the edges.
- Mozzarella: low-moisture, shredded, for that big stretch.
- Muenster: the key to the creamy, buttery melt. Monterey Jack is the closest swap.
- Parmesan: a little adds savory depth and helps the top brown.
- Italian seasoning: the dried oregano, basil and thyme mix you see flecked on top.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Use a dark metal pan. It browns the bottom and the cheesy edges far better than glass or ceramic.
- Room temperature dough. Cold dough springs back. Leave it on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes before pressing.
- Two cheeses, not one. Mozzarella gives the stretch, muenster melts creamier and browns in buttery spots.
- Shred your own. Bagged cheese has anti-caking powder that melts less smoothly.
- Bake low in the oven. The lower rack crisps the bottom before the cheese over-browns.
- Rest before slicing. Five minutes lets the cheese set so your strips stay neat.
Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread
5
servings (2 strips each)10
minutes18
minutes560
kcal28
minutesA copycat Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread: thick pan pizza dough brushed with garlic butter, covered edge to edge with mozzarella, muenster and Parmesan, sprinkled with Italian seasoning and baked until bubbly and golden, then cut into 10 strips for dipping.
Ingredients
- For the Bread
1 lb pizza dough, store-bought or homemade, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, for the pan
- For the Garlic Butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 cloves garlic cloves, finely grated (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- For the Cheese Topping
1 1/2 cups low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
1 cup muenster cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan, finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- To Serve
1 cup marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping
Directions
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the lower third. Spread the olive oil over the bottom and corners of a 9×13 inch dark metal baking pan.
- Press and stretch the dough into the pan right into the corners. If it keeps shrinking back, cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes, then press again.
- Stir the melted butter, garlic and salt together and brush it all over the dough, right to the edges.
- Scatter the mozzarella, muenster and Parmesan over the dough, pushing the cheese all the way to the edges of the pan, then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots and the bottom is golden when you lift a corner.
- Rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a board. Cut in half lengthwise, then into 10 strips with a pizza cutter, and serve warm with marinara.
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Variations
Once you've made it the classic way, try one of these.
- Pepperoni cheese bread: scatter mini pepperoni over the cheese before baking.
- Jalapeno: add sliced pickled jalapenos for a kick.
- Extra garlic: brush more garlic butter over the strips straight out of the oven.
- Crazy Bread night: make a pan of my Little Caesars Crazy Bread alongside it.
What to Serve With Italian Cheese Bread
It's made for pizza night, but it's just as good next to a big salad, a bowl of soup or pasta. For more ideas, see my list of side dishes for pizza, or bake my Pizza Hut breadsticks for a breadstick showdown.
Storing and Reheating
Cool leftovers completely and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days, or freeze the strips for up to 2 months.
Reheat in a 375°F oven or air fryer for 4 to 5 minutes (8 to 10 from frozen) until the cheese melts and the bottom crisps again.
More Pizza Place Copycats
Browse every restaurant favorite in our copycat recipes roundup, from pizza place sides to fast food sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cheese is on Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread?
Little Caesars describes it as a mozzarella and muenster blend on garlic butter, finished with Italian seasoning. This copycat uses the same two cheeses plus a little Parmesan for extra savory flavor.
What is the difference between Italian Cheese Bread and Crazy Bread?
Crazy Bread is breadsticks brushed with garlic butter and Parmesan. Italian Cheese Bread is a whole pan of bread covered in melted cheese and Italian herbs, then cut into strips.
Can I use homemade pizza dough?
Yes. Any 1 lb batch of pizza dough works. Let it rise once, then press it straight into the oiled pan.
What do you dip Italian cheese bread in?
Warm marinara is the classic. Little Caesars sells its own Crazy Sauce for dipping, and ranch or garlic butter are popular too.
Can I make it ahead?
Press the dough into the pan and brush on the garlic butter up to 2 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate. Add the cheese and bake just before serving, adding 2 minutes to the bake.
How do I reheat leftovers?
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat strips in a 375°F oven or air fryer for 4 to 5 minutes until the cheese melts again. The microwave makes the bread chewy.
