How to Make Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

Add a flavorful touch to any meal with this easy air fryer roasted garlic recipe. It’s simple to make using just 3 ingredients and a great way to add roasted garlic flavor to your favorite dishes.

This easy-to-follow recipe is the perfect way to enjoy the amazing flavor of roasted garlic without the tedious wait for traditional roasting techniques. In fact it’s so easy you may never go back to roasting garlic in the oven!

Just a few easy steps and let the air fryer do the rest. It’s so easy that I feel zero guilt when I slather it on these delicious air fried naan breads or focaccia.

Maybe it’s just me but it seems kind of silly to heat the oven up just to roast a couple of heads of garlic. Which is why I normally don’t. But recently I wanted to add a little roasted garlic to a dish I was making and decided to try making it in the air fryer. 

Friend, this was a game changer! It was so simple and overall just feels like a lot less work than roasting in the oven. 

I recommend roasting a couple heads because it stores beautifully. Then you’ll have it on hand, ready to go, anytime you want to take your meals to the next level.

How to Pick the Best Garlic Heads 

For starters, you want to look for garlic that doesn’t have much of a scent when squeezed or partially peeled. So if you smell a strong odor, choose a different bulb. 

Gently squeeze the head to make sure the bulb is firm – there shouldn’t be any soft spots if it’s fresh. And avoid heads that have sprouts or mold.

Finally you want to look for the whitest garlic heads. If the outside or the cloves are starting to yellow it means it is not as fresh as it could. And stay away from dark greenish heads – they tend to be bitter.

Ingredients Needed 

• fresh garlic – use our tips above to select the freshest heads
• olive oil – you’ll want to use a high quality oil here 
• salt & pepper 

How to Roast Garlic in the Air Fryer 

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. 

Remove any loose pieces from the garlic head, but leave the shell intact. 

Use a sharp knife to cut a ¼-inch off the top of the head so it’s flat and the cloves are exposed. 

Place the garlic bulb in a piece of foil and drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Wrap the foil around the head so it’s completely covered and air fry for 20 minutes. 

Open the foil at the top and continue cooking until the cloves are golden brown. 

Remove the garlic heads from the air fryer and allow them to cool. 

Once cooled, squeeze the head so the individual cloves come out. These can be smashed, chopped, or left whole. 

How to Store 

Keep the roasted head of garlic in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week or remove the skins from the cloves and store them for up to 5 days. Mason jars work well for refrigerator storage if you have them on hand.

To freeze, remove the skin from the cloves and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. 

Tips for Making Air Fried Roasted Garlic 

• If you have larger heads of garlic, they may need to cook a little longer.
• Depending on the size of your air fryer, you can double or triple this recipe. 
• After making a batch, if you know you are not going to use it all in a week, go ahead and freeze it. 

Ways to Use Roasted Garlic 

Any time a recipe calls for minced garlic, garlic powder, or cloves you can substitute with roasted garlic. 

• While it’s still warm, you can mash it to spread on bread or crackers. 
• Mix it into mayo for a quick dipping sauce. 
• Add a few cloves to mashed potatoes to take them to the next level (it’s freaking amazing!).
• Sub it out for regular garlic in our easy aioli recipe that we use for artichokes and other veggies.
• Puree it and add to homemade dressings, vinaigrettes, and soups. 

Is roasted garlic stronger than raw garlic?

No. Even though roasted garlic has a deeper flavor profile, raw garlic is definitely more pungent. 

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