Air Fryer Roasted Garlic: Your Guide to Effortless Flavor

Discover the incredibly simple and swift method for making delicious roasted garlic right in your air fryer. This revolutionary approach slashes cooking time by more than half compared to traditional oven roasting, delivering tender, caramelized cloves that are bursting with a mellow, sweet, and nutty flavor. Whether you prefer to roast an entire head of garlic or individual cloves, the air fryer guarantees perfect results every time. Once air-fried to perfection, this versatile ingredient becomes an indispensable addition to countless dishes – from enhancing your favorite pasta sauces and spreading on crusty bread to elevating vegetables and lending depth to creamy dips. Get ready to transform ordinary meals into extraordinary culinary experiences with this quick and easy technique.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure here.

The Air Fryer Advantage: Speed and Efficiency

Roasted garlic in the air fryer isn’t just a recipe; it’s a game-changer for any garlic enthusiast. If you’ve ever attempted to roast garlic in a conventional oven, you know it’s a commitment, often requiring 40-60 minutes of cooking time, plus the initial preheating phase. This lengthy process can deter even the most dedicated home cooks when time is of the essence.

The air fryer completely revolutionizes this experience. Its rapid air circulation technology ensures incredibly fast and even cooking without the need for preheating, which translates to your garlic being beautifully roasted in approximately half the time. This means you can enjoy that deeply savory, sweet, and tender roasted garlic in about 20-30 minutes, from start to finish. Not only is it faster, but air fryers are also generally more energy-efficient than traditional ovens, making this method a smart choice for both your schedule and your utility bill. The concentrated heat also helps achieve a wonderfully caramelized exterior while keeping the interior soft and creamy.

Choosing and Preparing Your Garlic

Selecting the right garlic is the first step to a truly exceptional roasted garlic experience. Look for heads that are firm to the touch, with taut, papery skins that are free from blemishes, sprouts, or soft spots. While any variety of garlic will roast beautifully, larger heads often yield larger, more succulent cloves. Organic garlic is also a great choice if available.

Once you have your fresh garlic, preparation is key, though delightfully simple. The goal is to expose the cloves slightly while keeping them contained so they steam and caramelize perfectly. For a whole head, this involves a quick trim. If you’re using pre-peeled cloves, the process becomes even faster, as we’ll discuss later. A good quality olive oil and a pinch of salt are all you need to enhance the natural flavors and ensure a tender, moist result.

How to Roast Garlic in the Air Fryer: A Simple Guide

Roasting garlic in the air fryer is incredibly straightforward. Follow these easy steps to achieve perfectly tender and aromatic roasted garlic:

1. **Prepare the Garlic Head:** Using a sharp knife, carefully cut about ¼ to ½ an inch off the top of the garlic head. This exposes the tips of the cloves, allowing the olive oil and seasoning to penetrate and facilitating easy removal after roasting.
2. **Remove Excess Papery Layers:** Gently peel away the loose, outer papery layers from the garlic head. You don’t need to remove all of them, just the outermost ones that are easily detached. This helps prevent them from burning in the air fryer and ensures better contact with the heat.
3. **Season with Oil and Salt:** Place the prepared garlic head on a small square of aluminum foil. Drizzle approximately one teaspoon of olive oil generously over the exposed cloves, ensuring each cut surface is coated. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the oiled cloves. The olive oil helps the garlic soften and caramelize, while the salt enhances its natural sweetness.
4. **Wrap and Air Fry:** Wrap the garlic head tightly in the aluminum foil, creating a sealed packet. This foil packet acts like a miniature oven, steaming the garlic to tenderness while allowing it to roast. Place the foil-wrapped garlic directly into your air fryer basket.
5. **Cook to Perfection:** Air fry at 380 degrees Fahrenheit (195°C) for 20-30 minutes. Cooking times can vary slightly depending on your specific air fryer model and the size of your garlic head, so it’s wise to start checking around the 15-minute mark. The garlic is perfectly roasted when the cloves are light brown, deeply fragrant, and feel soft when gently squeezed.
6. **Cool and Extract:** Once cooled enough to handle, carefully unwrap the foil. You can easily squeeze the soft, roasted garlic cloves out of their skins with your fingers or use a small fork or knife to scoop them out.

Can You Roast Peeled Garlic in an Air Fryer?

Absolutely! Roasting peeled garlic in the air fryer is not only possible but incredibly convenient, especially if you’re looking to save prep time or frequently use pre-peeled garlic. Many home cooks opt for pre-peeled garlic cloves from the grocery store to streamline their cooking process, and this method works just as wonderfully.

The procedure is essentially the same, but you get to skip the initial step of cutting the top off a whole head and removing papery layers. Simply take your desired amount of peeled garlic cloves, drizzle them generously with olive oil, season with salt, and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. The foil packet remains crucial here, as it prevents the smaller, exposed cloves from burning and helps them steam to a soft, creamy consistency. Place the foil packet in your air fryer basket and cook at the recommended temperature and time. The result will be equally delicious, tender, and intensely flavorful roasted garlic, ready to be incorporated into your favorite dishes.

Optimal Air Fryer Temperature for Roasted Garlic

For achieving perfectly roasted garlic in your air fryer, a temperature of **380 degrees Fahrenheit (195°C)** is highly recommended. This temperature strikes the ideal balance between cooking the garlic quickly and allowing it to caramelize without burning. Lower temperatures might extend the cooking time unnecessarily, while significantly higher temperatures risk burning the exterior before the interior cloves have fully softened and developed their sweet, mellow flavor.

The concentrated, circulating heat of the air fryer at 380°F ensures that the garlic cooks evenly within its foil packet, creating a steamy environment that tenderizes the cloves. Once tender, the heat continues to work, coaxing out the natural sugars and transforming the pungent raw garlic into a sweet, rich, and spreadable delicacy. Always remember that air fryer models can vary slightly in their actual temperature output, so monitoring your garlic as it cooks is always a good practice.

Achieving the Perfect Cook Time

The ideal cook time for air fryer roasted garlic generally falls between **20 to 30 minutes**. However, several factors can influence this timeframe, including the size of your garlic head, whether you’re roasting whole heads or individual peeled cloves, and the specific wattage and efficiency of your air fryer model.

• **Whole Heads vs. Peeled Cloves:** Whole heads of garlic, especially larger ones, will typically require the full 25-30 minutes to become completely soft and golden. Peeled cloves, being smaller and more exposed, might be ready a bit sooner, around the 20-minute mark.
• **Air Fryer Variability:** Different air fryers can cook at varying speeds and temperatures even when set to the same degree. It’s always best to get to know your appliance.
• **Visual Cues:** The best indicator of doneness is the appearance and texture of the garlic. After about 15-20 minutes, carefully unwrap a corner of the foil packet and check. Perfectly roasted garlic will have cloves that are soft, easily mashed, and have a beautiful light brown to golden-amber color. They should smell sweet and fragrant, not pungent. If the cloves still feel firm, simply reseal the foil packet and continue air frying in 5-minute increments until they reach the desired tenderness. Avoid overcooking to prevent bitterness.

Storage Solutions for Roasted Garlic

Once you’ve enjoyed the immediate goodness of freshly roasted garlic, proper storage is crucial to maintain its flavor and safety. Roasted garlic can be stored in the refrigerator for a decent period, making it a fantastic ingredient for meal prep.

The most popular and effective way to store roasted garlic is submerged in olive oil. Once the garlic has cooled completely, peel the softened cloves and place them into a clean, airtight jar or container. Pour enough olive oil over the cloves to completely cover them, ensuring no garlic is exposed to air. This method helps preserve the garlic and also infuses the oil with a wonderful garlic flavor, which can then be used in dressings, marinades, or for sautéing. Stored this way, air fryer roasted garlic will last for up to **2 weeks in the refrigerator**. Always ensure the garlic is fully submerged to prevent bacterial growth. For best practice, avoid storing garlic in oil at room temperature, as this can create an anaerobic environment where botulism-causing bacteria can thrive.

Freezing Roasted Garlic for Long-Term Freshness

If you’ve made a larger batch of air fryer roasted garlic or simply want to have this versatile ingredient on hand for months, freezing is an excellent option. Freezing preserves its flavor and texture, ensuring you always have some ready to use.

To freeze roasted garlic:

1. **Cool and Peel:** Allow the roasted garlic to cool completely after air frying. Once cool, remove the skins from the softened cloves.
2. **Preparation for Freezing:** You have a few options for freezing:
   • **Whole Cloves:** Place the peeled cloves in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. This prevents them from clumping together, allowing you to grab just a few cloves as needed.
   • **Mashed:** For easier use in cooking, mash the roasted garlic cloves into a paste before freezing. You can even mix them with a small amount of olive oil to form a spreadable paste. Freeze this paste in ice cube trays for convenient, portioned servings. Once frozen, pop out the cubes and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
3. **Storage:** Store frozen roasted garlic in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to **3-4 months** for optimal quality.
4. **Thawing and Usage:** When ready to use, simply thaw the desired amount of roasted garlic on the counter at room temperature for a quick defrost. Alternatively, you can add frozen roasted garlic directly to hot dishes like soups, sauces, or stews, where it will thaw and incorporate as it cooks.

Freezing is a fantastic way to ensure you never run out of this flavorful ingredient, making spontaneous cooking much easier!

Endless Culinary Uses for Roasted Garlic

The beauty of air fryer roasted garlic lies in its incredible versatility. Its mellow, sweet, and rich flavor profile makes it a fantastic addition to both savory and even some sweet dishes. Here are just some of the ways you can incorporate this delightful ingredient into your cooking:

• **Spreads and Dips:** The most classic use! Mash it with butter for an exquisite roasted garlic butter perfect for spreading on crusty bread, corn on the cob, or grilled meats. Blend it into hummus, creamy dips, or guacamole for an added layer of savory depth.
• **Pasta Dishes:** Stir a few mashed cloves into your favorite pasta sauces like marinara, Alfredo, or a simple garlic and olive oil sauce. It’s superb in recipes like Lemon Chicken Pasta, Cheesy Taco Pasta, and Cajun Shrimp Pasta.
• **Vegetables:** Toss roasted garlic with roasted or steamed vegetables such as Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Air Fryer Green Beans, or Air Fryer Butternut Squash for an instant flavor boost.
• **Potatoes:** Mash it into Ranch Mashed Potatoes or any mashed potato recipe, or mix it with roasted potato wedges.
• **Breads:** Integrate it into dough for homemade bread, focaccia, or even Air Fryer Garlic Bread.
• **Meats and Seafood:** Rub it onto chicken, steak (Air Fryer Steak), or fish before cooking. Add it to marinades for an extra layer of flavor in dishes like Steak Stir Fry.
• **Soups and Stews:** Enhance the base of any soup, like Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup or Turkey Wild Rice Soup, by stirring in mashed roasted garlic.
• **Dressings and Sauces:** Whisk it into salad dressings such as Creamy Southwest Salad Dressing and Keto Low Carb Ranch Dressing, or blend it into sauces for a richer flavor.
• **Eggs:** Fold it into scrambled eggs or omelets for a gourmet breakfast.

With its mellowed flavor, roasted garlic adds a sophisticated touch without the sharp bite of raw garlic, making it a truly versatile kitchen staple.

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

By Brandi Crawford

This Air Fryer Roasted Garlic recipe is ready in a fraction of the time compared to baking. This method works wonderfully using a head of garlic or garlic cloves. Once air fried, pair this with your favorite vegetables, pasta dishes, bread, and more!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Course: Side Dish, Spread

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 head of garlic

Calories: 21 kcal

Equipment

• Cosori Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• salt to taste
• foil

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife and cut ¼ to ½ an inch off the top of the head of garlic to expose the stems.
2. Remove the papery outer layer from the garlic.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the cloves and season with salt.
4. Wrap the garlic in foil and place it in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 20-30 minutes on 380 degrees Fahrenheit (195°C). Each air fryer will cook at varying speeds. Start checking on the garlic around 15 minutes. The garlic is finished when it turns light brown and is soft.
5. Once cooled, squeeze the garlic out of their skins. You can also use a fork or knife to remove them.

Video

Notes

You can air fry multiple heads at a time as long as they fit comfortably in the air fryer basket without overcrowding.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25 head

Calories: 21 kcal

Carbohydrates: 2g

Fat: 1g

Tried this recipe? Mention @Stay_Snatched or tag #StaySnatched!

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! Check out our videos!

Nutrition Information and Disclaimer

Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

Tried this recipe? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know how it was!