Air fryer roasted garlic is a versatile ingredient that adds depth and complexity to soups, stews, and sauces, and can even be spread on bread for a tasty snack. Using the air fryer is so much faster than a conventional oven—just drizzle, wrap, and cook!
Carefully slice the top ¼-inch (½-cm) or so from the top of a whole bulb of fresh garlic. Place the cut bulb and the sliced-off top in the middle of a square piece of aluminum foil.
Drizzle the olive oil over the exposed cloves of garlic (some of the oil will leak out of the bulb). Rub the outside of the bulb all over and the top in any oil that leaks onto the foil. Place the 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 it.
Place the wrapped bulb in the basket of an air fryer. 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 an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month.
Notes
If you prefer your roasted garlic bulb to have an even deeper, caramelized color do not place the top on the bulb during cooking.
Let the bulb cool almost completely before handling it to avoid burned fingertips.
Roasted garlic will keep, stored inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week, or in a tightly sealed container or zipper-top bag in the freezer for up to one month.