Learn how to roast garlic in three easy steps! This easy roasted garlic recipe is perfect to make homemade garlic butter, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, or with pasta and steak!
How to Roast Garlic
Garlic has a major flavor profile, and it’s a very commonly used ingredient. Garlic is most often used in a minced form or in a garlic powder. But have you ever had roasted garlic? It’s simply a game changer. This guide on How to Roast Garlic will really level up your cooking — fresh oven roasted garlic is rich, buttery, smooth, and mind-blowingly delicious. You won’t believe that you haven’t been roasting your garlic after this. You genuinely cannot beat the flavor.
Roasting a whole head of garlic can sound intimidating, but it is so simple. You only need a couple of ingredients and a little bit of time. And trust me, that time is worth it. Roasting Garlic transforms the strong, pungent flavor of raw garlic into something else completely. The poignant taste of the cloves evolves into a deep, savory and caramelized flavor that adds a wonderful layer of complexity to any dish. As an added bonus, your entire house is also going to smell like a five star restaurant!
I use garlic regularly in my cooking, and Roasted Garlic is certainly one of those ingredients that I never get tired of using. This step-by-step guide on How to Roast Garlic will make sure that you know how to get the best results possible from this delicious vegetable. The texture of roasted garlic is velvety, creamy and spreadable.
You can add this to potatoes, toasted bread, roasted vegetables, on top of your favorite cut of meat or to pasta. Roasted Garlic is going to enhance the flavor of any dish you add it to- the profile is both savory and sweet, so it’s really going to compliment almost any of your favorite recipes.
If you are interested in growing your own garlic, check out my guide on Planting Fall Garlic with a Custom Dibbler. This page has step-by-step photos as well as a video to help you ensure that your planting is going to be successful. Once you’ve gathered your garlic, don’t forget to make use of those Garlic Scapes– yep, garlic gives you two harvests!
Ingredients in Oven Roasted Garlic
As always, here is a quick overview of the ingredients used for our roast garlic in the oven. For the complete recipe, just scroll to the bottom.
- Entire heads of garlic- you can find whole garlic bulbs in the produce section of your grocery store, usually by the vegetables. Alternatively, if you have grown your own garlic, you likely have a large stockpile to take from!
- Extra virgin olive oil- take great care to ensure that the oil you use in this recipe is of a high quality- the better the ingredients, the better the flavor.
- Sea salt- I prefer the flavor of a nice, flaky sea salt, but you can also use kosher salt.
- Optional Additions- a small pat of butter, fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or sage would all be nice.
How to Roast Garlic Cloves
Prepare the Garlic
Make sure that your garlic doesn’t have any brown spots or discoloration. Your cloves should feel firm when you push on them- do not choose any garlic that has begun sprouting. Once you’ve chosen your garlic, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
On a whole garlic clove, there’s an outer shell. Carefully peel back the papery layer of the clove- you are NOT removing the head of garlic, just the outer layer. Next, using a sharp knife, cut the head off the garlic. You want to be able to see the individual bulbs inside the clove. You’ll remove about a quarter to a half an inch off the top of the garlic.
Flavor your Garlic
Lay out a piece of aluminum foil flat on the counter and place your garlic in the middle. Drizzle your bulbs with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. If you want to add a touch of butter or fresh herbs, add them at this step. Gather your foil together and fold closed, taking care to not close the foil too tightly. You want to be sure that you’ve left enough room for the air to circulate around the garlic.
Roast the Garlic
Place your aluminum wrapped garlic onto a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the garlic from the oven. Using oven mitts, peel back the foil. Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes. Your garlic is done when it has lightly browned and is soft to the point that you can push the garlic out of the head. Allow to cool before squeezing out the garlic.
Can I make Air Fryer Roasted Garlic?
Yes, you can! To make Air Fryer Roasted Garlic, preheat the machine to 380 degrees F. Prepare as described above- remove the outer layer, cut off the top of the head, wrap in foil and drizzle with oil and salt. Cook for 16-20 minutes. Take care when you’re taking your garlic out of the basket- the foil will be hot! One thing to note- all air fryers cook a little differently, so keep a close eye on your garlic. What may be long enough in one machine may be too long in another, or vice versa.
How can I use whole roasted garlic?
I can’t even begin to tell you how many recipes you can add this garlic to- there’s SO many! Spread this garlic on a Roast Chicken or Turkey Breast, or add to Sausage Stuffing for a kick of flavor. Enhance the taste of Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Cauliflower or Gouda Potatoes with minimal effort. Add to Air Fryer Eggs or spread on toast for an amazing breakfast. Add a few cloves to olive oil and make a garlic infused oil- this will add a great depth of flavor to your dishes.
Add to butter to make an incredible garlic butter or spread on a crumbly piece of bread, top with cheese and make a homemade garlic bread! Knead into a load of homemade Jalapeno Bread for a really impressive dish, or spread on the top of your favorite loaf instead of butter. Cheesy Potato Soup or Creamy Chicken Soup are perfect for this garlic as well. Add to roasted vegetables like Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, Bacon Wrapped Green Beans or Air Fryer Asparagus. Spread atop a Blackened Pork Chop, Air Fryer Chicken or Asian Salmon to really elevate these simple dishes.
How to Store Garlic
You can keep your roasted garlic in the fridge- it will stay fresh for about 3-4 days in a container with an airtight lid. If you want your garlic to last a little bit longer, add your cloves to a container and cover with olive oil. Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks- you can also reuse the oil.
One of my favorite ways to make sure I get all the use out of my garlic is to freeze it. Using a silicone ice cube tray, you can have fresh roasted garlic for up to three months. You can either mash your cloves or place them whole into the individual slots. Cover your garlic with oil and cover, seal and freeze. This is a great time saver and you can grab a cube whenever you’d like some fresh garlic!
More easy recipes
- Blackened Chicken and Brussels Sprouts Skillet
- Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Boats
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi and Mushrooms
How to Roast Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Whole head of garlic Or more–You can roast as many as will fit on your baking sheet.
- Quality extra virgin olive oil About a teaspoon per head of garlic
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Carefully peel the papery outer shell of the garlic. Be sure to leave the head of garlic in tact, you just want to remove the outer shell. See photos in post for an example.
- Using a sharp knife cut the top of the head of garlic of so it exposes the garlic bulbs.
- Place the garlic bulbs in the middle of a section of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt if desired. Bring the edges of the foil together and fold closed. Do not close the parcel tightly, you want to leave enough room for the air to circulate.
- Place on a baking sheet and roast 30 minutes.
- At the 30 minute mark remove the garlic from the oven and carefully (with oven mits) open the foil. The garlic is done when it has lightly brown and has become soft enough to push out of the head of garlic. Roast an additional 10-15 minutes as needed.
- Allow the garlic to cool and squeeze the cloves from the head of garlic.
[…] Some foods are just destined to be comfort food. The kind of food that nourishes your body and soul. Mashed potatoes absolutely fall into that category! These potatoes are absolutely delicious! They have all the essentials, butter, sour cream, and heavy cream. But the flavor is taken to an entirely new level with the addition of roasted garlic! […]