Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

What does roasted garlic taste like?

Roasted garlic is more mellow than raw garlic and it has a deep buttery flavor. Raw garlic is much more pungent and spicier than roasted.

Is air fryer garlic as good as oven?

I think of the air fryer as a small super powerful oven that doesn’t take as much energy to run. So, I actually think that air fryer garlic is way better than using the oven. All the sweet and mild flavor, less time, and saves money. I call that a win-win!

• It takes about half the time to roast garlic in the air fryer as it did in the oven
• The air fryer won’t head up your entire house like the oven does

How to buy garlic at the store

When buying fresh garlic at the store, I have a couple of tips for you. Look for large firm heads of garlic without any green sprouts coming out. Also, you want to avoid garlic that feels soft or squishy when you lightly press on it; this means it’s getting older and drying out.

I’ve gotten some wonderful garlic from the farm lately, and I have both regular garlic and elephant garlic for this recipe post.

Now, elephant garlic is not a true garlic; it’s a member of the leek family. It’s a giant bulb, and it is sweeter and milder with a more oniony flavor than regular garlic.  

How to make

Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full recipe, but I have tips and tricks for you in the post.

Air fryer

You’ll need an air fryer for this recipe. I have the COSORI 5.8 quart model, and I love it! Use it all the time.

One of the questions I see fairly often is people asking about what setting to cook things on, and they’ll reference “air fry”, or “cook” settings. The COSORI doesn’t have setting like that. But if yours does, you want the “air fry” setting for this recipe.

Ingredients

This is a super simple recipe with just two ingredients – garlic and oil. For both, you can use any type.

Garlic: Use any kind. Or multiple kinds, even multiple heads of garlic. You’ll want to choose heads of garlic that are roughly similar in size so that they’re finished cooking at the same time. And, like I said, I made both elephant garlic and regular for this post. Since my elephant garlic was pretty dirty still (from the farm), I peeled it completely and trimmed the root ends off; elephant garlic is really easy to peel.

Oil: Use your favorite. For best results, use oils with a high smoke point like avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or refined olive oil because they can withstand high temperatures. For a richer flavor, extra virgin olive oil is also a great choice, though it works best at lower temperatures.

You’ll see other recipes that add salt. I don’t. I prefer to add salt to a final dish so it doesn’t get too salty. If you want, please feel free to add a pinch of salt to the garlic before cooking. It would be good if you plan on serving the roasted garlic as a simple spread, like butter, for bread. But not adding the salt to the garlic before cooking allows me to use it anywhere I want.

Elephant garlic

I’m excited to share the elephant garlic with you. In case you ever see it at the store or a farmer’s market, you’ll have a fun idea of what to do with it.

Let’s get cooking

Preheat the air fryer.

Cut off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves on the inside. Make sure that each garlic clove is slightly exposed when you slice off the top of the garlic. Sometimes there are smaller cloves on the side; don’t forget to cut those too. This will ensure they all reach the nice brown caramelization.

Place the garlic on a piece of parchment paper and aluminum foil. Bring the parchment paper and foil up and around garlic. You can skip the parchment paper lining if you prefer and just use the foil.

Pour oil on top of the cut cloves. Close ends of foil over garlic, creating a pouch. If you use parchment paper in the packets, make sure it doesn’t stick up and touch the heating element of the air fryer or it will burn.

Air fry in the preheated air fryer on the air fry setting if you have one, for 25 minutes. Unplug the air fryer, and leave the garlic in the drawer for 5 to 10 minutes to cool.

The air fryer will still be hot. Make sure to use oven mitts or tongs when carefully removing the roasted garlic packet. Open the foil pouch carefully, as steam will be hot.

Remove the garlic cloves from the papery skin, being careful as they may be hot, and you don’t want to burn your fingers.

If you want whole garlic cloves, use your fingers to peel off the skin to remove them. I prefer to peel the cloves, as I feel I lose too much garlic when I squeeze it out.

If you’re using the roasted garlic as a spread, you can squeeze the cloves out by pressing at the base end of the head.

This recipe is easy to double or triple as needed. Multiple heads of garlic can fit into the air fryer, just as long as you don’t crowd the air fryer, leave room for the air to move about. Since roasted garlic can be frozen, you might just want to make a big batch, just like reader, Mary, suggested many years ago to me.

Storage

Roasted garlic can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

For longer storage, remove the roasted garlic from the skins, and place in a ziptop bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

How to use

There are so many ways to use roasted garlic. Here are some starter ideas…

• Use some on a cheese plate or tinned fish board to spread on crackers or bread
• Make the most amazing Roasted garlic bisque
• Add some to vegetable broth or really, just about any soup
• Marinara benefits from roasted garlic
• Add it to grilled cheese sandwiches for an sophisticated flavor
• Toss some in meatball casserole
• Add it to hummus or pesto for a flavor boost
• Bump up the flavor of your mashed potatoes with roasted garlic

Changes

With such a simple and basic recipe, you might be surprised that there are options. But here are a few.

I like using the parchment paper as a liner with the foil. Although I don’t feel there’s a conclusive final theory on cooking in aluminum and its link to Alzheimer’s, I feel like “why not use parchment paper as a liner and have an ounce of preventative.

If you prefer to go further and cook the garlic without foil at all, simply use a small baking dish that’s air fryer safe and place the garlic in that.  

You can also peel the garlic before roasting it, like I did with the elephant garlic in the photos.

Add some herbs and spices to the packet before roasting. Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, or parsley.