Roasting garlic is the best way to bring out its sweet, caramelized flavour. Once you know how to roast garlic, you’ll be using it in all of your cooking! Roasted garlic is super simple to make, easy to store, and delicious in loads of dishes. You’ll see!

Overhead view of two roasted garlic bulbs on foil.

Oven-roasted garlic is easily one of my top five favourite foods! As if garlic wasn’t incredible enough, roasting brings out its flavours like you wouldn’t believe. What does roasted garlic taste like? So glad you asked. Imagine rich, buttery cloves with the smooth, mellow flavours of garlic. That harsh, pungent bite of raw garlic is gone, and in its place is garlic that’s softened, caramelized, and something you can add to countless recipes or spread over toast on its own. 

Why You Should Roast Garlic in the Oven

  • It’s SO easy. I’ll show you how to roast a garlic bulb in the oven using the easiest method. All you need is aluminum foil and good-quality olive oil.
  • An easy way to deepen the flavours. While you can use regular garlic in recipes where I call for roasted garlic (like baba ghanoush), roasted garlic just adds that much more flavour.
  • It stores like a dream. Roasted garlic lasts a long time in the fridge, and you can roast several heads of garlic at once, keeping them on hand for whenever you need them.
Bulbs of garlic on a wood board with a knife.

Roasting Garlic Bulbs vs. Garlic Cloves

I love roasting whole garlic bulbs with the skin on. It saves the time it takes to peel the garlic, plus, I find it further locks in the flavour. Of course, if you’d like to roast garlic cloves without the skins instead, that’s more than fine, too. Either way, for this simple recipe, you will need:

  • Garlic – Make sure to use fresh garlic. Look for firm, plump bulbs that are heavy for their size without any green shoots sprouting up. The papery skin should be tight, not shriveled. If the cloves inside are mushy, that’s a sign that your garlic has gone off, and you’ll need to seek out a fresh bulb.
  • Olive oil – A high-quality olive oil adds a rich flavor to your roasted garlic.

If you’re looking for another easy way to mellow out the flavours of fresh garlic cloves, you might also like my garlic confit recipe.

How to Roast Garlic

Roasting garlic is so easy. I think the hardest part is waiting for it to be done! These are the quick steps to follow to get your fresh garlic ready for the oven.

Two garlic heads with tops cut off, exposing cloves
Olive oil poured onto a bulb of garlic.
  • Prepare the garlic for roasting. Preheat your oven to 450°F/230°C. Cut the top off of the garlic head, exposing all of the garlic cloves inside. Next, place the garlic head onto a piece of foil and drizzle olive oil over the top.
Wrapping garlic head with foil
Two garlic heads wrapped tightly with foil
  • Seal the garlic in the foil. Now, fold the foil up and around the garlic. Make sure it’s tightly sealed.
  • Roast. Place the wrapped garlic head directly onto the rack in your oven. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until you peek inside to find that the cloves are lightly browned, tender, and velvety. 

Use the Air Fryer

If you own an air fryer, you can use it to roast whole garlic bulbs, too. Prepare the bulbs in foil as written. Air fry the garlic at 380°F/193°C for about 25 minutes. Afterward, leave the garlic to cool inside the closed air fryer for 5-10 minutes before removing it. Check out my air fryer roasted garlic for detailed instructions.

A knife slicing into a bulb of roasted garlic.

Cooling and Peeling Roasted Garlic

Let the garlic cool for at least 10 minutes, or until you can comfortably touch it. If you’d like to keep the roasted cloves whole, carefully peel away the skins. Alternatively, squeeze the cloves out of the skins and into a small bowl. You can mash them with a fork to use the roasted garlic as a paste.

Success Tips

  • Use fresh garlic. Or if not, ensure you don’t have any rotten garlic cloves in the bunch. If you cut the garlic head and see any cloves that are brown, remove them before roasting.
  • Don’t rush it. I know we all look for shortcuts, but just like caramelised onions, there isn’t really a way to speed up the garlic roasting process that doesn’t cut corners on the end result. The good news is that if you make a bunch of roasted garlic all at the same time, you’ll have it on hand when you need it!
  • Putting your roasted garlic to use. My favourite way to use roasted garlic is to slather it on a piece of crusty bread. You can also spread it on sandwiches, burgers, and crackers, or stir it into jarred pasta sauce.
Two heads of roasted garlic on foil

Ways to Use Roasted Garlic in Recipes

Sweet, caramelized oven-roasted garlic is delicious mashed and spread over roasted garlic bread, or, if you’re looking for a recipe that uses roasted garlic, here are a few to try:

Closeup of two roasted garlic bulbs on foil.

How to Store Roasted Garlic

  • Refrigerate. You can store roasted garlic in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 4 days.
  • Freeze it for later. Freezing is the best way to store roasted garlic so you have it on hand when you need it! To freeze, you can spread the roasted cloves on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen, store them in a sealed plastic bag. You can also mash the roasted garlic and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Store the cubes in a sealed plastic bag or an airtight container and thaw them as needed. Roasted garlic can be frozen for up to 3 months.

More Easy Roasting Recipes

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Overhead view of two roasted garlic bulbs on foil.

How to Roast Garlic

Servings: 1 head of garlic
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Roasted garlic adds a buttery, caramelised flavor to so many recipes! Here's how to roast garlic bulbs in the oven using a super simple at-home method.
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Ingredients

  • 1 head of garlic, or more
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, per head

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 450 ° F/ 230° C.
  • Cut off the top of the head of garlic, with the cloves still connected, but just enough to expose them a bit. You want all the cloves slightly exposed.
  • Place in some foil and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
  • Wrap the foil around the garlic, and roast for 45 minutes in the oven until your cloves are soft and velvety.
  • Remove from oven, and allow them to cool for about 5-10 minutes until cooled to touch.
  • Remove softened cloves from the skin if using in a recipe with a knife or a tiny spoon or squeeze the cloves out. If not using immediately, refrigerate for up to 4 days (or freeze). Enjoy!

Notes

  • Use fresh garlic. Or if not, ensure you don’t have any rotten garlic cloves in the bunch.
  • I know we all look for shortcuts (I get it, trust me), but just like caramelised onions, there is basically no way to speed up the roasted garlic process. You could technically heat up cloves with the skin still on until they’re black, but I’ve found that just sticking a head of roasted garlic into your oven is the easiest way to get it done. Plus chances are, you’re going to want more than you need so you can use it in other recipes.
  • To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • To freeze: Spread the roasted cloves on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store in a sealed plastic bag. You can also mash roasted garlic and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Store the cubes in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container and thaw them as needed. Roasted garlic can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Calories: 77kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 5mg, Potassium: 112mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer
Author: Jessica Hylton