Easy Roasted Garlic in the Air fryer takes less than half an hour, uses just three ingredients, and creates the most delicious caramelized garlic cloves that are ready to spread on toast or add to your favorite recipes.
ROASTED GARLIC IN AIR FRYER RECIPE
Roasted garlic is one of the most delicious things I know how to make! You might be wondering, "can I roast garlic in the air fryer?", and the answer, of course, is YES!
The air fryer lets you roast whole heads of garlic in half the time that it would take in the oven, and the results are just as amazing.
Do you know what else roasts up perfectly in the air fryer? Air Fryer Artichokes! Dip them in melted butter blended with a bit of this air fryer roasted garlic and you'll be in heaven!
INGREDIENTS FOR AIR FRYER ROASTED GARLIC
Garlic - This method works best with whole heads of garlic. I'll tell you how to make large heads, smaller heads, and even individual garlic cloves in the air fryer too though.
Olive Oil - Olive oil is a must for any roasted veggies, but is especially perfect for roasting garlic in the air fryer. Without any oil, the garlic can dry out, so don't skip it!
Salt - A sprinkle of kosher salt adds seasoning, but also helps the garlic to release moisture and caramelize as it cooks.
If you have any questions about air frying roasted garlic, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER ROASTED GARLIC
- Trim the garlic heads. Remove about a ¼ inch from the top to expose the garlic cloves inside, and be sure to leave the root end intact. You can leave the papery wrapper on, this keeps everything held together nicely.
- Drizzle olive oil over each garlic head, and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Individually wrap each bulb with foil. If you'd rather not use foil, I have some solutions listed later in this post.
- Add the wrapped garlic to the air fryer. Make sure that you keep the heads upright so that the exposed side of the garlic is facing up.
- Roast! Air fry as directed in the recipe card below. Your garlic will be ready when it's soft and golden brown.
- Let the garlic cool, then gently squeeze the cloves out of their skin to use in recipes.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making roasted garlic in the air fryer, please see the recipe below.
AIR FRYER ROASTED GARLIC TIPS AND TRICKS
- Be sure to check on the garlic halfway through the cooking time. If it's already browning at that point, keep checking it every 5 minutes or so, and remove it when it's perfectly roasted.
- Carefully open the foil! The steam will be hot, and you don't want to burn yourself.
- If you're cooking with a Ninja Foodi, an air fryer toaster oven, or another multi-function cooker, choose the "air fry" setting on the machine.
- Make as many bulbs as you want! Just be sure that they fit in your air fryer in a single layer. Leftover roasted garlic can be wrapped and frozen to use later.
HOW TO USE AIR FRYER ROASTED GARLIC
- Spread it on air fryer toast to make the most amazing garlic bread.
- Stir it into mashed potatoes.
- Use it to make a simple sauce for pasta, mixed with olive oil and herbs.
- Use roasted garlic in place of fresh garlic in recipes for salad dressing, dips, or soups.
HOW TO ROAST GARLIC IN AIR FRYER WITHOUT FOIL
Yes, you can roast garlic in the air fryer without foil!
You may not enjoy using aluminum foil for whatever reason, so you're wondering how you can roast garlic in the air fryer without wrapping it in foil.
Yes, you can put foil in an air fryer, and the foil serves an important purpose here, as it holds heat in and around each garlic head, which helps it to roast up quickly.
Foil around the garlic cloves also prevents burning.
But, you can roast garlic in the air fryer without foil if you get creative!
Instead of foil, wrap each garlic head with parchment paper, and tie it with kitchen twine. In the air fryer, you should put the tied end at the bottom of the bundle, so that the paper doesn't burn from the top heating element.
Another option for roasting garlic in the air fryer without foil is to pop a ceramic or metal ramekin over each bulb. This creates a mini oven inside the air fryer oven that serves a similar purpose as foil!
With either of these tricks, you may find that the garlic needs more or less time to roast.
HOW TO ROAST PEELED GARLIC IN AIR FRYER
I find the best way to roast garlic is to leave the heads whole, but you can also roast peeled garlic cloves in the air fryer.
Add a handful of garlic cloves to a piece of foil, add olive oil and salt, and roast as instructed here. Check on the garlic after 15 minutes, as it will cook more quickly this way.
HOW LONG TO ROAST GARLIC IN AIR FRYER
The amount of time that it will take to roast garlic in the air fryer will depend on the size of your garlic bulbs.
The bulbs I used in these images were fairly large and took 25 minutes to roast up beautifully at 360°F/180°C.
Smaller garlic cloves, like the ones you find in a 3-pack at the grocery store, will only need 15-20 minutes to roast.
Check on your garlic as it's cooking to avoid overcooking or burning it.
CAN I MAKE GARLIC BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER?
There are many ways to make amazing garlic bread in the air fryer!
If you want to use roasted garlic, start by toasting bread in the air fryer, then spread air fryer roasted garlic over the warm toast.
Or, chop roasted garlic and mix it with a few tablespoons of softened butter. Spread this over crusty bread, and then air fry for a couple of minutes at 400°F/200°F, until the top of the bread is toasty.
You can also make frozen garlic bread in the air fryer, or air fryer texas toast!
If you're a huge fan of garlic like I am, you'll love making roasted garlic parmesan potatoes!
This recipe was made in a Cosori Air Fryer with a Basket. The recipe should work in other air fryers.
Keep in mind that each air fryer runs differently, it is important to check your food often.
If you have a Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven or a Ninja Basket Air Fryer, both of these units seem to run "hotter" than most air fryers. That means you will need to LESSEN the cook time.
MORE EASY AIR FRYER RECIPES
The air fryer is my go-to for making easy, quick meals, but just like this air fryer roasted garlic recipe, it's wonderful for meal preparation and ingredient prep too!
Make Air Fryer Banana Chips to add to trail mix, toss into school lunches, or enjoy as a healthy snack.
You can do the same with canned garbanzo beans, and make crispy Air Fryer Chick Peas!
I love roasting Air Fryer Corn on the Cob for salads and soups too!
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Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
Equipment
- Foil
Ingredients
- 2 heads of garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Trim the top of the garlic heads about ¼ inch, to expose the garlic cloves. Leave the root ends intact.
- Drizzle the garlic heads with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Wrap the garlic heads individually in aluminum foil.
- Place the wrapped garlic heads in the air fryer basket, ensuring that the cut side of the garlic is facing up.
- Air fry at 360°F/180°C for about 25 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and golden.
- Let cool and then squeeze the cloves out of their skin to use.
Video
Notes
- You may need more or less time to roast garlic in the air fryer, depending on how large your garlic heads are. Large heads will take about 25 minutes, but smaller ones should be checked after 15 minutes.
- If you like, add additional spices like black pepper, Italian seasoning, or your favorite dried herbs.
- Be sure to check on the garlic halfway through the cooking time. If it's already browning at that point, keep checking it every 5 minutes or so, and remove it when it's perfectly roasted.
- Carefully open the foil! The steam will be hot, and you don't want to burn yourself.
- If you're cooking with a Ninja Foodi, an air fryer toaster oven, or another multi-function cooker, choose the "air fry" setting on the machine.
- Make as many bulbs as you want! Just be sure that they fit in your air fryer in a single layer. Leftover roasted garlic can be wrapped and frozen to use later.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes air frying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
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