How To Roast Garlic In The Oven: Roasted Garlic Recipe

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If you’re a garlic lover, learning how to roast garlic in the oven is a must-have basic skill. And this whole roasted garlic recipe is here to make it EASY for you! It takes just minutes to prep, but if you want to roast individual cloves or use a different cooking method, I have several other options for you below.

Plus, I’ll show you ideas for ways to use your roasted garlic once it’s ready. It adds amazing garlic flavor to anything and everything.

Basic Ingredients

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for a roasted garlic head, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Garlic – We obviously need garlic to make oven roasted garlic cloves! Look for whole heads without browning.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper
• Olive Oil – Use a high quality olive oil for best flavor, but avocado oil would also work. The amount you’ll need is about 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil per head of garlic.

How To Roast Garlic In The Oven

This section shows how to make this roasted garlic recipe, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Peel. Peel and discard the loose, outer layers of the whole garlic heads.
• Trim. Use a sharp knife to slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the top of each head, so that you can see the garlic cloves inside.
• Season. Place whole heads of garlic onto a piece of aluminum foil inside a baking dish or baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil over the top of the cloves. Wrap the foil around the garlic heads and seal.

TIP: Make sure oil runs over each clove. It helps to pour slowly so you get a little bit on every surface.

• Roast garlic. Bake in the oven until soft and caramelized.

How Long To Roast Garlic?

Roasted garlic takes about 30-40 minutes in the oven.

What Temp To Roast Garlic?

This whole roasted garlic recipe is best baked at 400 degrees F.

How To Remove the Cloves After Roasting

Once the garlic has cooled enough to touch, you can use two fingers to squeeze out a roasted garlic clove from each opening in the top of the head.

Variations

In case you prefer another method, here is how to make roasted garlic as individual cloves or using other cooking methods:

• Roast garlic without foil – You don’t have to use foil for oven roasted garlic, but you do need it to be covered so that it “steams” the garlic a bit and it doesn’t dry out. If you don’t want the foil touching your garlic, you can place garlic bulbs in muffin tin (and top with another muffin tin) or a small pan topped with foil. Alternatively, you can also line the foil with parchment paper before placing the garlic on it. This way, the garlic does not have direct contact with the foil.
• Roast garlic cloves (unpeeled) – Drizzle raw garlic cloves (unpeeled) with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Squeeze garlic out of skin when cool enough to touch. If you want to roast garlic cloves rather than a whole bulb, I prefer this method because squeezing the cloves out after roasting is much less work than peeling beforehand.
• Roast peeled garlic – Peel and place individual cloves of garlic in a small baking dish. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees F, stirring a few times during baking, until golden brown and soft. I think this method is more work, because you have to peel the cloves individually before roasting.
• Roast garlic in the air fryer – Trim and season the heads of garlic the same way as this recipe. Then, instead of baking, cook in air fryer at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. (If this is your favorite method, check out my other healthy air fryer recipes.)
• Roast garlic in the microwave – Trim and season the garlic head as shown above. Place it into a shallow microwave safe dish and add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish. Microwave for about 5 minutes at 40% power.
• Seasonings – Sprinkle on some rosemary, thyme, or Italian seasoning before roasting. I don’t usually find this necessary.

How To Store Roasted Garlic

Storage is super easy! You can keep whole roasted garlic heads in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but they will last much longer if you remove the cloves from the skin and submerge them in olive oil before placing in the fridge.

How long does roasted garlic last?

Whole roasted garlic heads will last 3-4 days in the fridge, but cloves submerged in olive oil will last up to 2 weeks.

Can you freeze roasted garlic?

Yes, you can freeze roasted garlic for 2-3 months.

What To Do With Roasted Garlic

There are so many ways to use roasted garlic! Here are some ideas:

• Salad Dressing – Roasted garlic will have people wondering what you added to your salad dressings! Try it in my creamy balsamic dressing, any vinaigrette-style dressing (like zesty Italian dressing), or even into Caesar salad dressing.
• Vegetables – Add a deeper garlic flavor to roasted vegetables by using roasted garlic, instead of minced. Try it in garlic roasted broccoli, roasted garlic cauliflower, oven roasted green beans, or stirred into mashed cauliflower (or regular potatoes, if that’s your preference).
• Marinades – These recipes all call for garlic, so add in roasted cloves to proteins like perfect prime rib, herb butter turkey, or garlic pork tenderloin.
• Dips and Spreads – Level up your dips and spreads… or add both fresh and roasted to really bring up the flavor. Try roasted garlic cloves in cauliflower hummus, cream cheese dip, or cold crab dip.
• Sauces – Puree it into your favorite sauce, like lemon garlic aoili (or simply mayonnaise), tahini sauce, or just about any pasta sauce.
• Bread – Spread oven roasted garlic over your favorite bread or toast! Mine is this keto white bread.
• Soups – Stir garlic into soups, like broccoli cheese soup, roasted cauliflower soup, or vegetable soup.