Air Fryer Roasted Garlic is the fastest, easiest way to get your hands on tender, mellow, buttery roasted cloves of garlic. This easy air fryer recipe will set you up with a generous amount of golden brown, roasted garlic in less time than traditional oven roasted garlic.
How to Roast Garlic in Air Fryer
Our air fryer roasted garlic is made with the whole head of garlic and not individual garlic cloves. For full instructions on choosing and storing fresh garlic, see our How to Roast Garlic in the Oven tutorial.
The most important thing to remember, though, when selecting garlic in grocery stores, is to choose a garlic head that is firm, unblemished, even in colour, and feels heavy for its size. I don’t recommend buying a multi-pack of garlic heads unless you can see and feel the garlic bulbs through the packaging.
If you’re making the full recipe, please try to make sure the size of your garlic bulbs is roughly equal so that they’ll roast at the same rate. Strip off the excess papery skin from the outside, but leave the entire bulb intact.
Working with one at a time, lay the heads of garlic on their side and use a sharp knife to remove about 1/4 of the top of the garlic bulb. This will expose the garlic cloves.
We’re going to be making a foil packet from a sheet of foil to roast garlic. To do this, arrange the garlic bulbs, cut side up, in the center of a piece of aluminum foil.
Bring the sides of the foil up to create a little bowl, drizzle your oil (extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or any neutral oil will work) over the bulbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bring opposite sides of the foil together. You’ll roll the top of the foil down and close ends of the foil by crimping them.
You want to be sure your foil packet does not touch the heating elements of your air fryer when placed in the air fryer basket. You’ll want to test this before pre-heating your air fryer!
IMPORTANT NOTE: This air fryer roasted garlic recipe has been tested in a basket style air fryer but can certainly be made in a shelf or rack style air fryer with a couple of simple modifications. We’ve included the instructions for any changes in the notes of the recipe card.
When your air fryer roasted garlic cook time is done, let the garlic cool to room temperature before flipping the garlic bulbs upside down over a bowl and squeezing out the buttery cloves. You can use them immediately, transfer them to a small jar or other airtight container to store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
For longer storage, freeze the individual roasted garlic cloves on a parchment lined baking sheet or smash and freeze in an ice cube tray before transferring to a labeled zipper top bag. Frozen roasted garlic should be used within 6 months of being frozen.
Quick and Easy Roasted Garlic Recipes
There is many a great way to use roasted garlic, but here are some of my favourite easy recipes.
- Smash the roasted cloves of one bulb of garlic and stir into to 8 ounces of softened cream cheese for next level bagel schmear.
- Use in place of raw garlic in your salad dressings, pasta sauces, and pasta dishes.
- Smash 3 to 6 whole cloves of roasted garlic and stir into 1 cup of mayonnaise for almost instant garlic aioli.
- Spread warm roasted garlic and a teaspoon of olive oil (even the cooking oil leftover from roasting your garlic!) on crusty bread and broil for garlic toast or garlic bread.
- Smash and add to your favourite mashed potato recipe!
- Smash and stir into the dressing for potato salad or macaroni salad to add tons of flavor.
And if you’re looking for other recipes designed to use up leftover roasted garlic cloves, look no further than our roasted garlic sourdough bread, roasted garlic whipped feta, roasted garlic artichoke goat cheese fondue, and roasted garlic spinach alfredo lasagna, among others!
Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
Preheat the air fryer to 380ºF.
Cut enough of the top of the garlic bulbs or heads off so that the cloves are exposed. This will be about the top ¼ or 1/3 of the head of garlic.
Lay out your aluminum foil dull side up. Arrange the garlic bulbs -cut side up- in the center of your square of aluminum foil. Gather up the edges of the foil slightly to form a bowl like shape.
Drizzle the oil over the exposed garlic cloves then sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. If using the thyme, lay a sprig on each head of garlic. Bring the foil up the rest of the way and roll or crimp it closed.
Carefully transfer the foil packet of garlic to the basket of your air fryer and air fry for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the garlic is deep golden brown and very soft.
Let the garlic cool in its foil packet until it is comfortable to the touch, then squeeze each head of garlic over a bowl or jar to release the cloves. Drizzle the cooking oil over the top and use immediately or store in the refrigerator -tightly covered- for up to a week.
For longer term storage, freeze the roasted garlic cloves whole in an airtight container. Alternately you can smash them, portion into desired sizes (dollops of teaspoons, tablespoons, or in ice cube trays), and transfer to a labeled zipper top when frozen solid. Frozen roasted garlic in any of its forms is best used within 6 months of freezing.
Notes: If your air fryer is rack style instead of basket style, simply slide your foil packet of garlic onto a small sheet pan or small baking dish. Again, inspect the packet to be sure the tin foil is not coming into contact with the air fryer’s heating elements. Cooking time should remain the same.
Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
Rate RecipeEquipment
- 1 square (about 12” by 12”) Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 3 heads of garlic
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil see notes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked or ground black pepper
- Optional:
- 3 sprigs thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380ºF.
- Cut enough of the top of the garlic bulbs or heads off so that the cloves are exposed. This will be about the top ¼ of the head of garlic.
- Lay out your aluminum foil dull side up. Arrange the garlic bulbs -cut side up- in the center of your square of aluminum foil. Gather up the edges of the foil slightly to form a bowl like shape.
- Drizzle the oil over the exposed garlic cloves then sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. If using the thyme, lay a sprig on each head of garlic. Bring the foil up the rest of the way and roll or crimp it closed.
- Carefully transfer the foil packet of garlic to the basket of your air fryer and air fry for 30 to 45 minutes*, or until the garlic is deep golden brown and very soft.
- Let the garlic cool in its foil packet until it is comfortable to the touch, then squeeze each head of garlic over a bowl or jar to release the cloves. Drizzle the cooking oil over the top and use immediately or store in the refrigerator -tightly covered- for up to a week.
- For longer term storage, freeze the roasted garlic cloves whole in an airtight container. Alternately you can smash them, portion into desired sizes (dollops of teaspoons, tablespoons, or in ice cube trays), and transfer to a labeled zipper top when frozen solid. Frozen roasted garlic in any of its forms is best used within 6 months of freezing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader's Thoughts...
Ellen Henry says
sorry found the temp listing at 380′
Ellen Henry says
At what temp do yo set the air fryer 200′? 400′?
Lucy says
Why have I never thought to use my air fryer for roasting garlic?? This is awesome for when I just don’t want to heat up the kitchen – aka basically 9 months a year in Phoenix!
Rebecca says
HAHA! It most definitely keeps your kitchen much cooler which is fabulous this time of year! (Or year ’round in places that are as hot as Phoenix!!)