Roast garlic in your air fryer in half the time it takes in your oven! In less than 25 minutes you can have this delicious air fryer roasted garlic ready to use. 2 ingredients and virtually no preparation! Make as many garlic bulbs as you want, and freeze the leftovers for easy use later on.
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If you love roasted garlic cloves in pasta, bread, vegetables and more, this easy air fryer recipe is for you! I was inspired to make air fryer roasted garlic while also making roasted cherry tomatoes. The two compliment each other well in many dishes, particularly pasta dishes, soups, and sandwiches.
This recipe works in any style and with any brand air fryer- so whether you have a basket style or toaster style, you can make air fried garlic. I use both my Instant Omni Plus and Instant Pot Duo Crisp.
Ways To Use Roasted Garlic
One of the most obvious ways to use roasted garlic is as a substitution for regular garlic in your recipes. But there are so many other uses too.
- Pasta dishes, like homemade spinach pasta, fresh tomato sauce spaghetti, or Instant Pot tomato basil pasta.
- Toasted bread, like garlic bread, cheese bread, or this super fluffy white bread.
- Classic or specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, such as a tomato basil mozzarella grilled cheese and Mediterranean quesadillas.
- Enhance the flavor of soups by adding roasted garlic to cabbage soup, carrot soup, cauliflower soup, loaded baked potato soup, etc.
- Add to pizza dough or a topping for pizza, such as Mediterranean pizza.
- Pizza, especially a margarita pizza or spinach and feta pizza.
- Vegetable side dishes, such as air fried cauliflower, green beans, crispy roasted baby potatoes, zucchini and more.
- Add to crockpot mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes or creamy mashed cauliflower.
- Stir fry recipes, like this garlic butter chicken stir fry.
Use your air fried roasted garlic in any recipe you'd like. You can even eat it plain as a snack!
Ingredients
You need:
- Whole head of garlic (intact with the shell on)
- Oil: use a good quality oil. I use extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions
STEP 1: Keeping the garlic bulb in its shell, slice the bottom (with the brown part) to expose the inner cloves. Place the cut bulb in a piece of aluminium foil large enough to tightly wrap the entire bulb. Drizzle with the oil so that it coats the exposed cloves and drips down the outside of the bulb. Wrap the entire head of garlic tightly in the aluminium foil.
STEP 2: Set the air fryer to 390°F/198°C. Put the foil-wrapped garlic in the air fryer basket or cooking pan for oven type air fryers. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until it begins to caramelize and turn golden brown.
Start checking the garlic around the 20 minute mark. Open the foil carefully using oven mitts and tongs. If not done, return to the air fryer and continue cooking in 2 minute intervals.
Hint: no matter how tightly you wrap the garlic, oil is likely to leak out! Make sure you have a drip pan underneath to catch it.
STEP 3: When done, remove with your tongs and oven mitts. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the shell.
STEP 4: When ready to use, squeeze the garlic bulb gently so the cloves easily slide out of the shells.
And enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. One way is to put the garlic bulb in a baking dish and rub with the oil. Then air fry for 10 minutes, or until the top caramelizes but doesn't burn.
The other way is to separate and peel the garlic cloves, toss them with olive oil and put on a piece of parchment paper or on a cooking pan. Air fry for 10 minutes, then toss. Continue cooking in 2 minute increments until they begin to caramelize and turn golden brown.
With either method, use approximately 1 tablespoon of oil per head of garlic.
How To Store
Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Put the cloves in a glass jar and fill with enough oil to cover them. Cover tightly. The garlic can be removed from the oil when ready to use, or you can use the oil as well.
Roasted garlic is freezer-friendly for up to 3 months. It can be stored as whole garlic cloves, mashed into a puree, or submerged in oil. You can store the garlic submerged in oil in use ice cube trays and pop out the cubes to defrost as needed.
Difference Between the Oven and Air Fryer
- The air fryer takes half the time as the oven to roast garlic, 20-25 minutes. In the oven it has at least a 40 minute cook time.
- Because air fryers have shorter cook times than ovens, they end up using less electricity. Therefore they can be more economical and budget-friendly.
- Ovens tend to heat up your entire kitchen, whereas air fryers don't!
- Small air fryers can be transported to hotels, college dorms, and campers, making it easy to make all of your favorite recipes while away from home.
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Recipe
Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Keeping the garlic bulb in its shell, slice the bottom off (the side with the brown part) of the bulb to expose the inner cloves.
- Place the cut bulb in a piece of aluminium foil large enough to tightly wrap the entire bulb. Drizzle with the olive oil so that it coats the exposed cloves and drips down the outside of the bulb. Wrap tightly in the foil.
- Set the air fryer to 390°F or 198°C. Put the wrapped garlic in the air fryer basket or cooking pan. Air fry for 20-25 minutes, garlic begins to caramelize and turn golden brown. Remove carefully using mitts and tongs.
- When ready to use, squeeze the garlic bulb gently so that the cloves easily slide out of their shells. Serve in pasta dishes, appetizers, dipping oil, or on sandwiches and toast.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
Remember these important safety tips when using your air fryer:
- The top and sides of your air fryer may be very hot when on and for a period of time after. Be careful about touching it and never store items on top of it.
- Always use oven mitts when inserting or removing food from any appliance.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended period.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Be careful handling hot oil in the drip tray and never pour oil or grease down the sink drain.
- Always unplug the machine when cleaning.
ENJOY THIS RECIPE? TRY THESE AIR FRYER RECIPES NEXT:
Elizabeth Freebird
Enjoyed this very much, came back for reminder times and temp.
Sarah
Just made this. It’s incredibly good smeared on toasted sourdough.
Essess
I tried this and it wasn't as roasted through as when I bake in the oven. I'm unsure if it needed to be rotated partway through, or if it needed more time. It was okay, but definitely not the right creamy texture I get with my conventional roasted garlic.
Kristina
It likely needed more time. It doesn't need to be turned at all. It's possible your air fryer brand just needs to cook it a little longer.
Rae
Have you tried roasting multiple heads at once? Wonder if I could place three in one piece of foil or if I’d have to wrap each one individually?
Kristina
You can put 3 garlic bulbs in 1 piece of foil. There isn't a need to wrap them individually. Enjoy!
Toni
It turned out really perfect!! Thanks for this!
Chef Dennis
This is perfect! I am definitely going to try this idea.
Becky
Can u something besides aluminum foil? Thx!
Kristina
You could put it in a baking dish and top with the oil. Or, peel the garlic cloves and toss with oil, then put on a pan and air fry them like this...either way watch it closely to ensure it caramelizes but doesn't burn.
ANNE
I ACTUALLY SMOKE THEM IN MY STOVE TOP SMOKER IN OLIVE OIL WITH THE CLOVES PEALED OF SKIN. BE SURE TO COVER THE CLOVES WITH OIL. I NOW HAVE SMOKED OLIVE OIL AND SMOKED CARMALIZED GARLIC CLOVES. IF I USE A GLASS OVEN PROOF WITH A SNAP ON LID I CAN SMOKE-LET COOL-AND STORE IN REFRIGERATOR IN ONE DISH
Audrey
I never knew I could make this in my air fryer!
Mary
We found that we needed to turn up our temp to 400 and bake longer, almost 40 minutes to get the garlic as soft as we like. We still enjoyed the recipe and it is better then having to use the oven. Thank you.