With just 2 ingredients and about 20 minutes of cooking time, air fryer roasted garlic is ready to use in any recipe that calls for it. All you need is olive oil, garlic bulbs and an air fryer. I love eating roasted garlic right out of it's shell as a delicious snack. If you love garlic, it's hard to resist!
Roasted garlic cloves are freezer-friendly too, so air fry them in large batches and freeze them in small portions to use in recipes whenever I need them later on. This is a great time saver, and when added to meals like soups and stews you don't even need to defrost them. You can make as many heads of garlic as can fit in your air fryer without changing cooking time or temperature.
I use this same method of making roasted garlic in my air fryer as I do when making sweet roasted tomatoes, and they pair well together. Just rub or drizzle with olive oil, cook and store or freeze for later on. So easy!
Table Of Contents
Why I Love Air Fried Roasted Garlic
- It only takes 20 minutes, nearly half the time as the oven takes
- It's entirely hands off
- 2 ingredients only
- It's an easy for beginners to the air fryer
Ingredients
- Whole head of garlic: keep the garlic bulb intact with the shell on.
- Oil:I use extra virgin olive oil but avocado oil, vegetable oil and other neutral oils can be used.
How To Air Fry Garlic
STEP 1: Keeping the garlic bulb in its shell, slice off a small amount of the bottom to expose the inner cloves. Place the cut bulb in a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle each with about 1 tablespoon of oil so that it coats the exposed cloves. Wrap in the foil, keeping the top slightly exposed.
STEP 2: Set the air fryer to 390°F/198°C. Put the foil-wrapped garlic bulbs in the air fryer. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the garlic bulb begins to caramelize and turn golden brown.
STEP 3: When the top of garlic has turned golden brown and reaches caramelization, remove with tongs and oven mitts. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
STEP 4: Remove individual garlic cloves from their shells by gently squeezing the bottom of the roasted garlic bulb into a dish or piece of foil. Use immediately or store for later use (see storage tips below)
Ways To Use Roasted Garlic
Use roasted garlic is as a substitution for raw 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.
Kristina's Tips
- Check 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.
- Make in large batches and store in the freezer so it's ready when you need it.
- For storing in ready-to-use portions, put a specific amount of individual garlic cloves in an ice cube tray. Pour extra virgin olive oil into each section to cover the cloves. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer. When ready to use, pop out the individual sets of garlic as needed. Thaw the garlic at room temperature before adding to recipes or use from frozen for soups and stews.
How To Store
There are a few options for storing leftover roasted garlic cloves. Put the individual garlic cloves in an airtight container, glass jar or freezer-safe storage bag. Pour extra virgin olive oil over the cloves. They should be completely covered and submerged. Cover tightly with a lid or seal the bag and store in your fridge or freezer. Roasted garlic will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge if submerged in oil. In the freezer, roasted garlic keeps for about 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. Roasting garlic without foil in your air fryer will will be a bit more messy, as the oil will drip down the bottom of the air fryer. Rub the whole garlic bulbs with oil, then air fry for 15-20 minutes, or until the top caramelizes but doesn't burn.
Yes, you can roast individual garlic cloves. Peel the garlic cloves, toss them with olive oil and put on a piece of parchment paper or small baking sheet. Air fry for 10 minutes, toss, and continue air frying in 2 minute increments until they begin to caramelize and turn golden brown.
While raw garlic has a strong pungent flavor, roasted garlic has a more mellow flavor that is buttery and savory. Roasted garlic adds this less pungent and softer flavor of garlic to recipes.
Recipe
20-Minute Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin 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
- Check 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.
- Make in large batches and store in the freezer so it's ready when you need it.
- For storing in ready-to-use portions, put a specific amount of individual garlic cloves in an ice cube tray. Pour extra virgin olive oil into each section to cover the cloves. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer. When ready to use, pop out the individual sets of garlic as needed. Thaw the garlic at room temperature before adding to recipes or use from frozen for soups and stews.
Nutrition
Elizabeth Freebird says
Enjoyed this very much, came back for reminder times and temp.
Sarah says
Just made this. It’s incredibly good smeared on toasted sourdough.
Essess says
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 says
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 says
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 says
You can put 3 garlic bulbs in 1 piece of foil. There isn't a need to wrap them individually. Enjoy!
Toni says
It turned out really perfect!! Thanks for this!
Chef Dennis says
This is perfect! I am definitely going to try this idea.
Becky says
Can u something besides aluminum foil? Thx!
Kristina says
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 says
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 says
I never knew I could make this in my air fryer!
Mary says
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.