
I kind of love gadgets, especially kitchen gadgets. I resisted getting an air fryer and an Instant Pot for awhile, but I can honestly say now that I have them I’m in love! And let’s get real, who wouldn’t want to make Instant Pot dulce de leche in less than an hour?!
I’m always intimidated with new gadgets because I can’t decide where to begin. After reading through the manual over and over I finally opened the fridge, chopped up an eggplant, air-fried it, and now I am hooked! I sat at the table by myself, devouring a WHOLE EGGPLANT (it was so DELICIOUS) wondering, “What else can I air fry?”
Turns out, a lot of things. Like the other night, I needed roasted garlic for a recipe. Turns our making air fryer roasted garlic is so easy (and tasty) I thought I’d share!
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients

- Garlic—Choose a bulb of garlic with unblemished skin and tightly packed cloves.
- Olive Oil—The quality of the olive oil you use doesn’t really matter here as it’s more to keep the garlic moist inside the foil than for flavor.
Step-By-Step Instructions










TOP TIPS
1. Use the freshest garlic you can find. Gently squeeze the bulb before you buy. If the cloves feel dried out put it back.
2. Trust your nose! Feel free to check your bulb for doneness after about 25 minutes.
3. Roast more than one bulb at a time to have extra on hand.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer your roasted garlic bulb to have a deeper, caramelized color do not place the top on the bulb during cooking.
- Let the bulb cool almost completely before handling to avoid burned fingertips.
How To Store & Freeze Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
- To Store—Roasted garlic cloves will keep inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- To Freeze—Keep it in a tightly sealed container or zipper-top bag in the freezer for up to one month.

22 Ways To Use Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
- Add it to Alfredo or tomato sauce for pasta
- Toss it with roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts or broccoli
- Spread it on sliced sourdough bread or baguette
- Make compound butter with it
- Add it to salad dressings like caesar, lemon vinaigrette, or tahini dressing
- Make a cream sauce, add the roasted garlic, and spoon it over cooked chicken or pork tenderloin
- Mix it into a cream cheese dip
- Stir some into homemade basil pesto
- Use it as a base for garlic bread
- Add some to bruschetta mix
- Dot it onto pizza
- Mix it into guacamole
- Add it to this super easy creamy pesto gnocchi
- Make hummus
- Stir it into mac and cheese
- Make a batch of roasted garlic oil to drizzle on anything you want!
- Add some to your breakfast eggs
- Use it in this homemade spicy garlic aioli
- Make roasted potatoes then stir in roasted garlic and fresh chopped rosemary
- Stir it into ricotta cheese with some salt as a spread
- Use it to amp up homemade tomato soup
- Mix it into mashed potatoes

Substitutions
- You can substitute practically any cooking oil, like canola, vegetable, avocado, or even coconut for the olive oil.
FAQ
If your garlic bulb is soft, or the cloves cave in and feel hollow when gently squeezed, throw it away. Also, a green sprout coming through the top of the bulb is a sign it’s been sitting too long. Choose another bulb.
Raw garlic has a sharper aroma, is crunchy, almost like an apple, and can be hard on the digestive system. Roasted garlic is creamy and spreadable, has a softer aroma and taste, and can be a little easier on your insides.
The short answer is—anything you want! Seriously though, use roasted garlic anywhere you would raw garlic. Just keep in mind roasted garlic has a creamy texture and a softer taste than uncooked garlic. Add it to pizza, eggs, pasta sauce, soups, mashed potatoes, hummus, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and more!

Use Roasted Garlic In These Recipes
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🖨 Recipe

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Aluminum foil
- Measuring spoons or digital kitchen scale
- 1 Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Carefully slice the top ¼-inch (½-cm) or so from the top of a whole bulb of fresh garlic. Place the cut bulb, along with the sliced off top, in the middle of a square of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle the olive oil all over the exposed cloves of garlic. Some of the oil will leak out of the bulb. Rub the outside of the bulb all over, as well as the cut-off top, in any oil that leaks onto the foil. Place the cut off top back on the bulb and wrap it, tightly but gently, in the foil square. Squeeze the foil at the top of the bulb to compact.
- Place the wrapped bulb in an air fryer basket. Place the basket in the air fryer and cook the garlic at 350ºF (180ºC) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cloves are tender and/or golden.
- Once the garlic is cooked, use a pair of tongs to remove it from the air fryer. It will be very hot! Set it aside to cool for at least 20 minutes and preferably longer.
- Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves from the bulb into a small bowl or container. As you squeeze the bulb, push upwards with your thumbs and fingers. The roasted cloves will squeeze out of the bulb like toothpaste from a tube! Store the garlic in a covered bowl or air tight container or jar, in the fridge, for up to one week.
Notes
Top Tips
1. Use The Freshest Garlic You Can Find. It’s hard to know how long garlic has been sitting before purchase. Gently squeeze the bulb before you buy. If the cloves feel dry or very soft put it back.2. Trust Your Nose. As the garlic bulb roasts in the oil it will become more and more fragrant. Feel free to check your bulb for doneness after about 25 minutes.
3. Roast More Than One Bulb At A Time. That’s it. That’s the tip. Roast as many bulbs as you can fit comfortably in your air fryer without them being too snug.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer your roasted garlic bulb to have a deeper, caramelized colour do not place the top on the bulb during cooking.
- Let the bulb cool almost completely before handling to avoid burned fingertips.
How To Store & Freeze Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
- To Store—Roasted garlic cloves will keep inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- To Freeze—Keep it in a tightly sealed container or zipper-top bag in the freezer for up to one month.
Substitutions
- You can substitute practically any cooking oil, like canola, vegetable, avocado, or even coconut for the olive oil.
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